A Perfectly Done, Modern, Fake Dating, Twelfth Night Retelling











Wilmot Sisters (Book 3)
Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Berkley
January 14, 2024
ebook, paperback, audiobook
379

Star-crossed lovers learn that practicing romance leads to the perfect happy ending in this steamy reimagining of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Since heartbreak entered the scene, Juliet Wilmot, once a hopeless romantic, has sworn off love. But when she’s presented with the chance to revisit romance—purely for practice—with the gorgeous, off-limits guy she keeps serendipitously running into, it feels like a sign from the universe.
Quiet, shy Will Orsino knows happily-ever-after isn’t on his horizon. Problem is, for the sake of the family business, marriage is. Resigned to the inevitable, but with no confidence he can woo a wife, he can hardly say no when fate hands him the alluring, unattainable woman he keeps crossing paths with, offering to help him learn the ropes of romance.
Neither of them looking for love, Jules and Will agree they’re the perfect pair to practice romance. Except that practicing to perfection leads to an irresistible attraction. Their once smitten hearts, though still twice shy, might have happily-ever-after written in the stars for them, after all.
“If you were a veggie,” I tell her, “you’d be a cute-cumber.”
There is so much to love in Once Smitten Twice Shy. Chloe Liese has given readers a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night complete with fake dating, her signature neurodiverse featured characters, and what I would like to now call “communication porn.”

Yeah Right Flirt Gif by Originals
The eldest Wilmot sister finally has her romance and it’s a swoony one, yall! Readers get a first glimpse of Juliet as she comes to terms with her chronic illness while on a getaway to Scotland. It’s there she meets an enigmatic American at a pub. What are the odds that the very same enigmatic man is also the one she happens upon in her mother’s greenhouse that summer?
He dips his head a little, leaning in, and whether he meant to or not, the backs of his knuckles brush against mine. “Some wise woman told me we’d wobble together.”
Will is also an eldest sibling. He’s the reliable one that wants to handle all his family’s problems while also fumbling with his dating life and anxiety that comes with awkwardly flirting with the fairer sex. Juliet also needs to brush off her dating skills after her disastrous breakup with her ex. Naturally, fake dating is the solution that Juliet and Will decide is the best-case scenario. Friends can flirt and go on practice dates with each other, right? What could go wrong?

whiskey gif via tenor
With each casual hangout that inevitably leads to Will and Juliet’s lives becoming more entwined, their fake relationship teeters on that precipice of an actual relationship. This is where the communication porn comes into play. Both Will and Juliet are so cognizant of their needs as well as so careful with the other that it makes for such an emotionally intelligent romance. Chloe Liese, are you listening? I freaking loved Will and Juliet.
It does something to me, to feel like I’ve learned Juliet at lightning speed, that I can already read between the lines of what she means.
Not only does Juliet get Will to read romances and dress up (oh just you wait, readers), but she’s also so secure that she willingly helps Will with his family business without an afterthought. Once Smitten Twice Shy features the most adorkable texting, thoughtful gestures, family hijinks, and every single feel good vibe that you could possibly imagine. I absolutely adored the fact that Will is so emotionally intelligent and thoughtful, the fact that even though Juliet is dealing with not one but two invisible illnesses, she is stalwart in her advocacy for herself, and the fact that both Will and Juliet given each other the grace to fumble and pick themselves back up again.
I am forlorn to say that this is the final installment of the Wilmot Sisters series, but Once Smitten Twice Shy is an ode to all things that are lovely about romance. Don’t feel intimidated about picking it up either, Once Smitten Twice Shy can easily be read as a standalone, although I guarantee that you’ll want to get to know Juliet’s sisters as well.
Out today, Once Smitten Twice Shy is already a top read of 2025 for this Bee.

Jes is a self-proclaimed bookworm, who recently moved from the PNW back to the Midwest. When her nose isn’t in a book, she’s spending time with her husband, two kids, and her three fur babies, or exploring the globe. She also firmly believes that you should start the day with coffee, and end the day in bed with a good book.