Trish Gallagher is a wedding videographer who is down to her last few dollars. She is behind on her rent, her car has been repossessed, and she just purchased a pair of shoes that she can’t afford and can’t return. Depressed and not sure where to turn next, Trish picks up the antique wedding veil from her best friend’s wedding that is supposed to be able to grant you your heart’s deepest desire. Trish has already been in love with the only man she’ll probably ever love and lost him, so she doesn’t wish for love, she wishes for success with her videographer business. Suddenly things seem to go good for Trish; she is offered the job to video the President’s daughter’s wedding. This opportunity would make her career; there is just one major problem. The groom is her ex-husband secret service agent, Shane Tremont, the love she lost. Can Trish go through with this job to make her career a success? Can she spend time videoing Shane and his fiancée? Maybe this will be what Trish needs to finally let her get over Shane? Shane must be over Trish after all he is marrying the President’s daughter.

Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Lori Wilde is a wild ride over an emotional roller coaster. I had a hard time deciding if I liked this book. I couldn’t relate to Trish and Shane. They didn’t seem real to me, just very sad and stubborn. I usually like Ms. Wilde’s books and part of why I like them is her sense of humor and fun but for me this book was lacking that very element. There were instances in the story that could have been funny if the overall feeling of the story wasn’t so sad. Both Trish and Shane are miserable through most of the story and I felt miserable reading about them. There are some valid life lessons in this story and some good thought provoking insights to how couples get so far off the path in their relationships that they can’t see a way back to a happy relationship. If the underlying tone had been lighter I think I would have been okay but I just couldn’t get past the misery these two characters caused each other. If you don’t mind a weightier story and aren’t expecting laughs, you may like this tale just fine.

Reviewed by: Stephanie B.