Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: Twice In A Lifetime

SERIES: Sheltered Connections #1

AUTHOR: R M Neill

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 251 Pages

RELEASE DATE: October 27, 2021

BLURB:

One is suffering through a fog of grief. The other crushing feelings of inadequacy.
Fate knew they needed each other.

Dominic
For the longest time, I believed we get one shot at true love. A single person that sets our soul on fire. I had that with my wife until she died, then I was lost in a dark sea of grief. In need of companionship, I decided to adopt a dog.

What I found at the shelter was so much more. Micha, the volunteer, is insanely cute and ridiculously funny. He awakens feelings within me I never knew existed. Is it possible I may get a second chance at real love?

Micha
Love just isn’t in the cards for some people. And I’m among those unfortunate few destined to be alone. I trusted the wrong man with my heart once and had it shattered into a million pieces. I won’t make that mistake twice. Instead, I pour every ounce of my energy into building my business and trying to convince myself I’m not lonely.

But Dominic could be the one to tear down the walls I hide behind. He’s the most handsome man I ever met and unbelievably kind. I know he experienced a horrible loss. Is that what’s behind his attraction to me? Or has the connection between us led to his bisexual awakening?

Twice in a Lifetime is the first book in the Sheltered Connections Series. This book involves themes of hurt/comfort, bisexual awakening, and an age gap. Swoon-worthy moments, laugh-out-loud humor, and scorching chemistry make up this 70k word story. Oh, and don’t forget the cherry flavored icing.

REVIEW:

Both Mica and Dominic are grieving for different things they’ve lost. Can a pet adoption bring them together in friendship and give them what they need to find love again?

Twice In a Lifetime is simple in concept but beautifully executed. The story is told in the first person from the viewpoints of Mica and Dominic. The narrative allows for the whole experience to be highly personal in a way that the third-person narrative doesn’t always accommodate. Although there is some timeline back and forth between perspectives, the writing creates negligible repetition. The worldbuilding isn’t overly detailed either, which suits my reading tastes, and other than some autonomous body parts, there wasn’t much wrong with the technical aspects.

The story is filled with honey and spice and all things nice. I preferred to use the word honey and not sugar because, as sweet as Mica and Dominic are, they are not saccharine, nor do they make my teeth ache. There is a lot of thanking each other for trusting to share life’s experiences – I’m sure that people are that polite, but hey ho.

Dominic is a burly butcher with a heart of gold. Mica is a pet groomer who dons his clients with sparkly bows and has absolutely delightful one-way conversations with his canine friends. Mica’s interactions with his pooches are significant highlights throughout the story – well, that and a couple of older ladies called Janice and Brandie, who I would love to have on my friends’ list.

As seen in the blurb, both our heroes have baggage, but this is a cockles of the heart, warming story that encompasses bi-awakening, life reflection, plenty of pooches (and a cat), hockey players, a wicked witch (of sorts), pet adoption, learning to trust and more. Some plot events were not unexpected, but I was glad they were there and beautifully written, too.

Overall, I found Twice In A Lifetime a delightfully touching story that left me with sensations better than a large mug of hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows.

RATING:

BUY LINK: 

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