Once Ghosted, Twice Shy: A Reluctant Royals Novella

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars | 656 ratings

Price: 12.59

Last update: 02-02-2025


About this item

Alyssa Cole returns with a fun, sexy romance novella in the Reluctant Royals series!

While her boss the prince was busy wooing his betrothed, Likotsi had her own love affair after swiping right on a dating app. But her romance had ended in heartbreak, and now, back in NYC again, she’s determined to rediscover her joy - so, of course, she runs into the woman who broke her heart.

When Likotsi and Fabiola meet again on a stalled subway train months later, Fab asks for just one cup of tea. Likotsi, hoping to know why she was unceremoniously dumped, agrees. Tea and food soon leads to them exploring the city together, and their past, with Fab slowly revealing why she let Likotsi go, and both of them wondering if they can turn this second chance into a happily-ever-after.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Leanne Davis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable! LOVED!!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2020
    I really loved this story. I could have read on and on about Likotsi. I didn't want the "end" to come! She's my hero, so calm, cool, confident, all the things I wish I was more! She's both powerful in her job and lifestyle, stylish, and strong, but also loving and kind and... yeah... amazing! The romance was smoking hot while having a sweet/caring connection that made it all the more intense and strong. Unforgettable characters. Strong writing. Dazzling romance. LOVED!!
  • Adwoa
    4.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying read
    Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2019
    I was thrilled to discover Likotsi had her own story, since she was my favourite character in A Princess in Theory. In that, we learn she met someone, fell in love and had her heart broken. (PS. You don't need to have read A Princess in Theory to understand or enjoy this, but you'll probably enjoy this more if you've already met Likotsi in book 1)

    Once Ghosted Twice Shy sort of picks up from there. Likotsi is back in NYC and has a systematic plan to help her forget about the woman who broke her heart - Fabiola (Fab). Here plans get altered when she runs into the very person she'd trying to forget. Through their journey of rediscovery, we learn about the events from their first meeting and the reason behind their break-up. Fab turned out to be a fun character, whose personality complemented Likotsi's well.

    The story is told in two parts, switching between their first meeting "last Spring" (told in Fab's POV) and their present meeting in "Winter" (told in Likotsi's POV). Some readers might find this confusing or off-putting, but I thought it was a good way of showing what transpired before and how Likosti could have had her heart broken by someone she spent just a few days with - especially for those who read A Princess in Theory. I'd love to see more of them in their HEA in future books in the series.

    As an African, one thing I've enjoyed about the series so far (with this book and A Princess in Theory) is that it isn't the Africans being 'rescued' as is often the case with books featuring African characters.

    An interesting piece of trivia I've learnt is that the cover models are a real-life couple. How cute is that!

    When it comes to diversity, this book represents strongly, being an f/f romance between two WOC with one MC being bi-sexual. The story also deals with real-life issues facing immigrants in America as represented by Fab whose family are Haitian-American.

    This is my first f/f romance read (ever), and I have to admit I bought it mainly because it was part of the reluctant royals series. So I feel I should say this to fans of the series, who aren't necessarily readers of f/f romance: don't skip this one just because it's f/f.
  • Hannah Neville
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and Poetic
    Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2019
    I love a good second-chance romance, and especially for a character as well-loved as Likotsi is to me. I loved that it flashed back and forth between the present and when she and Fabiola first met. I found myself crying on a plane from the sheer beauty of the descriptions in this book and the careful way Alyssa Cole managed to, once again, navigate a relationship that felt incredibly real to me. Truly a wonderful novella!
  • Chelscey
    3.0 out of 5 stars needed more than a novella! 3.5 stars
    Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2023
    “Once Ghosted, Twice Shy” is my first Alyssa Cole book. So many of my friends love her romances so it’s about time I gave her a try! But of course, I decided to challenge myself further with reading her standalone, sapphic novella in her Reluctant Royals series rather than one of the main books. I’m still a bit uncertain about this author, but I think the fault is mine with starting where I did. This cute little story follows Likotsi, assistant most high to the prince, and Fabiola, an aspiring Instagram model and jewelry maker who both swipe right knowing that their initial meeting was just going to be a fling. But these captivating and beautiful women end up needing and wanting so much more from each other. I like the dual timeline POV and how that weaved these characters stories together and gave them a history that is otherwise so hard to establish in a novella, but personally, I don’t think the novella format worked for me.

    I am discovering I am just too much a fan of the slow burn novel, both with stories and romances. I need that tension to be built up and teased out, and you just can’t do that in a novella. However, this was a delightful, quick little read with just enough spice to definitely intrigue me toward the authors’ novel length romances! I liked the second chance romance aspect of this story and thought it was very well done, and also thought the subtle attention to detail was fantastically done, I just had a hard time being fully invested in these characters romance. Which is too bad because they were such interesting characters that probably just needed a longer novel to show them off, which, ultimately, is a good thing! Overall though, this was good but not the wow factor I was expecting with how much my friends love this author, hence the 3.5 stars, but the writing was lovely and easy so I will be checking out more of this authors work in the future.

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