Once Smitten, Twice Shy [Mass Market Paperback]

The antique wedding veil is said to have been made by young witch in Ireland. Legend says the veil has the power to grant the deepest wish of the wearer's soul. Tish Gallagher's friend's wish certainly came true. That does not prove the veil had anything to do with it, of course, but Tish has gotten desperate. Tish is the owner, and only employee, of Capture the Moment Videos. She specializes in weddings, but at the moment would gladly take any work that promises money. The designer suit she recently purchased is ruined. Her cable has been cut off for nonpayment. (There goes television and internet access.) Her car has been repossessed. Things were going down hill fast with no end in sight. They say trouble comes in threes, but Tish is proving that statement false. So making a wish on the veil is the act of a desperate woman and that describes Tish well. Her wish is to get out of debt and make her video graphing business a success. Tish is about to learn that you should always be careful what you wish for.

Tish is shocked when she receives a phone call from Elysee Benedict, the first daughter. President Nathan Benedict's daughter had been told that Tish is the best wedding videographer in the Houston, Texas, area. It looks as though Tish's wish is really going to come true! As Tish meets Elysee to discuss the video project, she learns that the groom is her ex-husband, Secret Service agent Shane Tremont. Two years apart has not dampened the sizzle between Tish and Shane, but now it is too late. Of course, Elysee knew all along that Tish and Shane had once been wed, but that fact does not phase her one bit. Tish really wants to hate Elysee, but the first daughter is so sweet, honest, and naïve that Tish cannot help but like her.

Bigger problems hit the fan when Elysee's former nana (nanny) approaches and asks for help to rescue a friend from India. The engagement party is about to become very dangerous indeed.

**** I missed book one, There Goes the Bride, but since each book seems to be a stand-alone story, I never felt as though I were lost. Those who did read it will get to see Delaney (the friend who wished on the veil in the previous title) as a secondary character this time. I found that to be a very nice little touch! However, the author's main focus stays on Tish, Shane, and Elysee. If you are a shop-a-holic or have a shoe fetish, then you will certainly empathize with Tish, who spends her last $93 on a pair of shoes. Even though I do not fall into that category, I still found myself sympathizing with her. No matter what life throws at Tish, the lady is a survivor. Shane's character is strong too. He loses the full function of his hand while saving the life of the first daughter. However, the character of Elysee is just TOO innocent to be believable. There is just no way a grown woman can be that naive, blind to the faults of others, and gullible. All-in-all, author Lori Wilde gives readers a delightful dose of magic and an exciting adventure to help pass rainy days in bliss. I loved every moment I spent reading this story and will be on the look out for the first story, as well as the next. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Tish and Shane are madly in love and in lust with each other. Within less than a year after getting married, a crisis happens which causes each of them to make stupid decisions, and they divorce. Two years later, they still long for each other but don't act on it. Shane proposes to someone he likes but does not love. His new fiancé Elysee hires Tish to make a video film of the engagement party and wedding.

This story might be ok for someone wanting nothing too brainy with a feel good ending. Tish was wonderfully artistic and creative, but she had no practicality or business sense. She was further weakened by her habit of burying her emotions under excess spending. I could accept the initial set of stupid actions causing the divorce due to a crisis. But I did not like the dumb decisions both Tish and Shane were making two years later. Therefore, I didn't have enough sympathy for them to be able to enjoy the story. However, there may be some readers who will find humor in watching impractical foolishness and don't need to sympathize with the characters. In Spoilers below, I describe a few actions that annoyed me, which might help readers decide if they would enjoy this book in a way that I did not. If one is not annoyed, the rest of the story was entertaining. On the plus side, the author wrote a wonderfully sensual sex scene for the couple's first date.

CAUTION SPOILERS.

I was annoyed at Tish's stupidity over the way she handled her client lunch at the beginning of the book. She was behind on all of her bills. Her credit cards were maxed out. Her car was to be repossessed. Yet she takes two people to lunch who see the waiter cut up her two credit cards which have been cancelled. Because of that, the potential client had to pay the bill and never hired her.

Then, immediately after that, she spent her last $94 on a pair of shoes, leaving only $3 to her name for food. I have a hard time sympathizing with such self destructive behavior.

I can't believe Shane was such a wimp that he would ask Elysee to marry him when his inner thoughts at the moment were "Tell her it was a mistake. Tell her you didn't mean to ask her to marry you just yet."

I did not like that Tish walked through the house, outside and into her car, and then drove through all kinds of secret service protection when Larkin held a gun at her side. Her life had been threatened with the fire. She should have known he would kill her anyway. She should have run for it while she was in a place full of secret service agents. Instead she stupidly went with him to her car and drove off so he could kill her in private.

Later, Elysee sneaks away from her secret service protection to go to an isolated location alone where an assassin is waiting to kill someone. She has no weapon yet intends to help the targeted victim.

Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: two. Setting: current day U.S. Copyright: 2008. Genre: contemporary romance and chick lit.

Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Lori Wilde
Secret Services Agent Shane Tremont was on the lookout for anybody that wanted to harm the President's daughter: Elysse
He gets between her and a backhoe and saves her life, destroying his chances of recovering fully after a 13 week in a coma hospital stay. He
recuperates at her father's ranch.
Tish, Shanes ex wife is on the job hunt and is much overdrawn her accounts at the bank.
Tish saw Shane pleading for her to help him after she wished for a lot of things.
Tish is a videographer and does weddings.
When Elysee agrees to marry Shane, they've spent a year together every day talking to one another about everything,
she decides to hire Tish to video tape their wedding. She wants them all to get along knowing Tish is Shanes ex.
Her girlfriends stand behind her, get on with her life, settle her finances after she's been paid to videotape the wedding but she's still in love with her ex.
Lots of scenes with hot steamy sex are included. More problems when Elysee has her own secrets that she doesn't want others to know about.