Author: Camilla Isley
Narrator: Denice Stradling
Publisher: Pink Bloom Press
Publication Date: January 2023
Genre: Chick-Lit / Christmas Holiday
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: There are two types of relationships: fake and real.
Chuck and Kate’s used to be real, oh-so-real. But after she broke his heart four months ago, leaving him, it became all just pretense for the sake of their entwined families.
With parents who are best friends and business partners, it’s not easy for Chuck and Kate to announce they’ve split up. But with the holidays looming over them, they can no longer keep pretending.
Chuck and Kate head home for Christmas, determined to tell the truth—and end up accidentally engaged instead. The more they try to pull apart, the more the Universe seems to push them back together, shortening the road to the altar. And when just-for-show kisses stir up forgotten feelings, things get even more complicated.
Now, with the midnight hour approaching, will Chuck and Kate’s relationship turn out to be real or fake?
My Thoughts: I enjoyed Fool Me Twice at Christmas but I should have skipped the audio format. The story was good, but the narration felt like nails on a chalkboard. There should have been two narrators, in my opinion, instead the narrator’s voice sounded like a squeaky mouse for all of the female character’s lines and kept pulling me out of the story.
Chuck and Kate broke up four months ago after a decades long relationship. Or, rather, Kate dumped Chuck and broke his heart and has moved on. They never told their parents who are all best friends and business partners. Now they are faced with Christmas and all the fun and frolic with family that believe not only are Chuck and Kate still in love decades later but are on the verge of matrimony. The lies keep piling up and before they know it, Chuck and Kate are engaged, pregnant and the wedding is on Friday! Even worse, their parents have an innovative marketing strategy for the company that features Chuck and Kate as the company role models. How will this work if word gets out that they broke up? Worse, Kate and Chuck feel horrible because they don’t want to shatter their parents’ dreams or hurt the business.
I really liked Chuck and Kate and the level of discomfort they both feel trying to pretend there is still a relationship as well as having to share a bedroom was quite entertaining. There are also a lot of things left unsaid between them so their emotions are filled with tension and irritation. I loved it when they find themselves in a pre-marriage counseling class pretending to still be together when Chuck starts airing their dirty laundry. It was impossible to take sides on who was right as I had a lot of empathy for both of them and didn’t wish to be in their shoes one bit when the proverbial poo finally hits the fan.
My Final Verdict: If you are looking for a quick read filled with Christmas cheer and warm fuzzies about two people who belong together as much as hot chocolate and marshmallows, give this book a go, but steer clear of the audio.
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