Review: Mistletoe and Mishigas by M.A. Wardell
SYNOPSIS:
Sheldon Soleskin should be having a horrible day. Even though he’s been unexpectedly transferred to a new school right before the holidays, has only one day to set up his new classroom, and just discovered his twin sister’s been hiding an invitation to his ex-boyfriend’s Christmas Eve wedding, he’s still ready to take on the world with a smile on his face and a skip in his step.
Theo Berenson just wants to be left alone to his custodial duties. But when the chipper new first-grade teacher needs help moving furniture the Sunday after Thanksgiving, he’s forced to do something he detests. Help. To make matters worse, Theo’s overbearing parents are coming for Hanukah in a few weeks, and he’s told them he has a boyfriend. Except he doesn’t. Because who would want to date an oaf like Theo?
Working together, these opposites discover they might be able to help each other out. Agreeing to be each other’s dates, they become friends as they practice for their upcoming events. But when all the rehearsing starts feeling a little too real, and both men’s pasts come roaring back to haunt them, will they be able to pull off the ultimate holiday masquerade?
REVIEW:
This was a cute addition to the Teachers in Love Series and out of all the holiday romances I have read over the years, it was probably the first one that represented Hanukkah. It was fluffy and wholesome with some beautiful character growth and the perfect amount of spice.
So lets start with Sheldon, who rolls with all that life throws at him even when it is to his detriment. I really enjoyed his loud and proud personality and how he embraced his sexuality. Then there is Theo, who is honestly a little bit of a mess. He is clearly suffering some PTSD amongst other things that would have benefited from therapy yet no one suggests he gets helps. He begins this story with an abrasive personality and I was ready for Sheldon to kick him to the curb. Over the course of Mistletoe and Mishigas, we learn why Theo is the way he is, but I don’t think it absolves him of how rude and terribly he treated Sheldon for the first 35% of the story.
The story was the fake dating trope that definitely blurred lines and by the end, Theo and Sheldon did make sense together. There intimate moments were the sizzling and the perfect balance of naivety and boldness. The secondary characters are what really make the story though, there is nothing better than the found family and real family here. The epilogue took me by complete surprise in the best kind of way. As did the way M.A. Wardell set up the next couple in the series. He does a great job of bringing back old familiar faces.
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