New Release Review: Fool Me Twice (Glastonbury Tales #2) by J.L. Merrow

Ro

Reviewed by Ro

 

TITLE:  Fool Me Twice

SERIES: Glastonbury Tales, book 2

AUTHOR:  J.L. Merrow

PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing

LENGTH: 276 pages

RELEASE DATE:  February 24, 2025

BLURB:

When lightning strikes twice, you might get burned.

Zig’s trying to build a life for himself after falling in with the wrong crowd in his teens. When his no-good dad threatens to force him back into crime, he runs all the way to Glastonbury. He’s just hoping his former sweetheart—whom he’s always remembered as the one good man he knows—won’t slam the door in his face.

Si—Scratch to his mates—is blindsided when his gorgeous ex turns up on his doorstep looking better than ever. Although Si’s still nursing a broken heart six years after breaking up with Zig over his lifestyle, he welcomes him back into his life, no questions asked. He’s determined not to let him back into his heart, though; Si’s learned that lesson.

Before, Si was the naïve youngster and Zig the worldly jack-the-lad. Now, Si’s grown into his confidence as well as his muscles, while Zig’s had to face some harsh truths about himself. Despite their doubts, and those of Si’s mates, they’re drawn back to one another. But Zig’s dad has a score to settle that could ruin their second chance—and their lives—forever.

**See this title’s page on RiptidePublishing.com for content warnings.**

REVIEW:

Good grief, I don’t know how I missed that this was Scratch’s story! Yes, I know his name is Simon (Si), but somehow I didn’t connect it. I adored Scratch in the Glastonbury series book 1, Face Blind. He’s so lovely. There is a soulful mention of the one that got away in London by Scratch in Face Blind, and now we get to meet him. His name is Zig, and he has the worst father you can imagine. Being young at the time he knew Scratch (then Simon), he didn’t realize how much of his father’s BS he was absorbing and spouting back. So when a bad thing happens because of his association with Si, he spouts his father’s BS, which, combined with the thing that happened, causes Si to leave London to go home to Glastonbury. And Zig acts like it’s no big deal. But it was.

The story is told with then (six years ago) and present time sections. You can see what a POS Zig’s dad is, as well as his “mate”, Trent. Things come to a head when the three of them are breaking in somewhere and it goes wrong. They all end up in jail.

Now it’s six years later, Zig is out of jail and he is on the run. He ends up going to Glastonbury because Si has always been such a good person, he figures he will at least help Zig out. Si’s best friend, Adam, is not happy about it, with good reason considering their past. But Scratch is such a good person, and Zig is the one that got away, so he tries to protect his heart but help his friend.

Side characters are wonderful (well, except for Daddy dearest and Trent). Si’s parents are the best. “Where had he thought Si had learned to be such a decent, honest-to-god good man?”  We get to revisit Adam and Corin from Face Blind and they are both doing well and being great friends to Scratch. Sasha, also from Face Blind who owns the tattoo shop, is wonderful as ever. We meet Esme, who owns the New Age shop in the building where Scratch lives.

I was expecting something really big from the lead up to a confrontation you see coming but I was a little disappointed in how quickly it was resolved.

Just as an aside, we find out how Zig got his nickname and yep, loved it.

RATING:

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