Once Written, Twice Shy by Carey Decevito

Synopsis

After a bitter marriage, Paxton seeks respite from his loss.  Rediscovering his writing, he never expected creating a piece worthy of reading nor for two unsuspecting paths to cross in the most unconventional of ways.

Thousands of miles separated them, yet he’d never felt closer to anyone.  Finding out that happiness and love was attainable again, was one thing.  Having Alissa, was another.

When the two meet, sparks fly, chemistry is beyond explosive, and emotions reach a boiling point.  Their brief love affair ignited the fuse but what Paxton neglected to anticipate was that his son would fall for the sweet, meek demurred woman in Alissa or the fact the woman would be their salvation; in more ways than one.

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Kota's Review

This review is a little tough for me to write.  The story of Paxton and Alissa was reasonably engaging, keeping the reader with a desire to see how the story played out.  So we know from the blurb that Paxton has been left to pick up the pieces after his marriage ended.  

Paxton’s wife, Julie, is a bit of a number and is quite frankly unlikeable.  Paxton and Julie have a child, and we all know where kids fit in a bitter marriage breakup!  Theirs is no different.  Once Written Twice Shy is told from Paxton’s POV.

Fate steps in and Paxton makes an online connection with Alissa.  Distance is an issue, but their connection works, so when they get together its game on.

Paxton is faced with a traumatic situation and Alissa is there to support him.  Will they get through this and come out the other end stronger for it?

I felt the plot was quite nice. Aside from the predictability of some of the elements, it was a slightly different take on the obstacles facing these two. Unfortunately though, I found the storylines, the ones that has all the depth potential in the world were a basically filler for the sex scenes.. Which on their own didn’t really do it for me.

There were too many gaps in the characters stories, growth and development and too many scenes that if they had some detail and exploration could have been really emotive.  I was left feeling like reading words on a page when I should have been sobbing and waiting with anticipation for what comes next.

The characters seemed superficial on the most part – I mean Alissa has some truly redeeming traits – only I know nothing about her to understand her compassion or the reasons for her actions.  Paxton, Julie and Todd had my thoughts ranging from doormat to bitch to eh…

I think this story would have been much more engaging for me if the narration was from dual POV’s or at least Alissa’s.  As for the writing style – I don’t think it is bad per se, I think the author needs time to hone her craft however.  I also think that the author could do to lay off the synonyms – I found the fact that each body part basically had a new name each time it was mentioned a little off putting…  I mean if Paxton was an arse man, its ok for him to be an arse man – changing it up occasionally – he doesn’t need to be an arse, derriere, tush, globes kind of man if you get my drift.

Once Written Twice Shy is however a story that will grab some people by the heart and have them achieving all of the emotions that I found lacking.  For those of you who enjoy it – I am glad, but it was lacking for me.

About the Author

Born and raised in small town Northern Ontario, Canada, Carey Decevito has always had a penchant for reading and writing.

More than a decade later, with weeks of sleepless nights, where exhaustion settled into her everyday existence, she finally gave and put pen to paper (more like fingers to keyboard).  She submitted to the dreams that plagued her.  And the rest, as they say, is history!

Carey Decevito enjoys spending time with family and friends, the outdoors, travelling, and playing tourist in Canada’s National Capital region.  When life gets crazy, she seeks respite through her writing and reading.  If all else fails, she knows there’s never a dull moment with her prolific story-teller of a four-year-old daughter, her goofy husband and their two cats who she swears are out to get her.

With two published works under her belt, Once Written, Twice Shy is her second and the first book which is part of a five-book series entitled The Broken Men Chronicles.