{"id":24099,"date":"2024-11-24T20:29:09","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T01:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=24099"},"modified":"2026-03-22T09:15:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T13:15:55","slug":"mistletoe-and-mishigas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/24099","title":{"rendered":"Mistletoe and Mishigas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mistletoe and Mishigas<\/em><\/a> (2023) M.A. Wardell<\/a> (Teachers in Love #2)<\/p>\n

\"Mistletoe<\/a>Not only is Sheldon moving to a new school in the middle of the term, he has also discovered the wedding invitation from his ex. Who broke up with Sheldon last year. On Christmas Eve. Sheldon’s favorite time of the year.<\/p>\n

But Sheldon is nothing if not cheerful and bubbly and is determined to make sure his new students feel comfortable as soon as they walk in the door.<\/p>\n

If only he had desks and chairs and tables.<\/p>\n

Theo likes his job. He is good at keeping his head down and getting things done, and in general people leave the custodian alone. However, the new teacher needs help, so Theo has to help him–no matter how much he chatters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t craft.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, lucky for you, I\u2019m a first-grade teacher. We\u2019re about to have a massive Martha Stewart moment up in here.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is the second book I’ve read by this author, and like the first, I felt it was… fine.<\/p>\n

There wasn’t anything particularly wrong, but I also didn’t quite get what the two saw in each other. Theo finds Sheldon annoying. Sheldon decides to befriend Theo because… because he decides to?<\/p>\n

They see each other because one of the students in Sheldon’s class finds Theo calming, and so is allowed to spend time helping him if he has behaved all day in class. But I never quite felt either had much of an interest in the other besides surface attraction.<\/p>\n

Both characters had fears and issues–Theo has PTSD and permanent injuries from the war. Sheldon is often judged on his appearance and presentation and doesn’t trust people not to abandon him they way his parents abandoned did. <\/p>\n

But it felt like those issues were somewhat glided over, and I never quite felt an emotional connection between the two.<\/p>\n

Also, they way Sheldon’s ex’s wedding was described was just … mean. Wham’s Last Christmas <\/em> is just plain wrong in that scene for so very many reasons, firstly because it felt like a slam at Sheldon. That’s just … icky.<\/p>\n

I was lovely how Theo’s parents took in Sheldon and his sister and wanted to make them family, that felt real. But the relationship between the two just never worked for me.<\/p>\n

Characters: Sheldon Soleskin, Theodore Berenson, Naomi Soleskin, Gianna DeGarmo, Rebecca, Kent Lester, Walker Stevens, Sylvia Berenson, Christian, Anna, Becky Mason, Jolene, Ricky Joven, Marvin Block, Olan<\/p>\n

Cover Art and Design by Myriam Strasbourg<\/p>\n

Rating: 6\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mistletoe and Mishigas (2023) M.A. Wardell (Teachers in Love #2) Not only is Sheldon moving to a new school in the middle of the term, he has also discovered the wedding invitation from his ex. Who broke up with Sheldon last year. On Christmas Eve. Sheldon’s favorite time of the year. But Sheldon is nothing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[897,292,207,148,26,56,934],"tags":[798,212],"class_list":["post-24099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-contemporary","category-ebook","category-mental-health-rep","category-queer","category-romance","category-sexual-content","category-trigger-warnings","tag-m-a-wardell","tag-ptsd"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-6gH","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22145,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/22145","url_meta":{"origin":24099,"position":0},"title":"Teacher of the Year","author":"Michelle","date":"August 10, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Teacher of the Year (2023) M.A. Wardell (Teachers in Love) Marvin has ADHD and anxiety I keep nursing my drink, which is already three-quarters gone, and try to ignore her mounting energy. Sometimes Jill getting revved up triggers my anxiety, and right now, I\u2019m about to tip. And is also\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ace"","block_context":{"text":"Ace","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/ace"},"img":{"alt_text":"Teacher of the Year","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Teacher-of-the-Year.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13655,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/13655","url_meta":{"origin":24099,"position":1},"title":"Tic-Tac-Mistletoe","author":"Michelle","date":"December 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Tic-Tac-Mistletoe (2020) N.R. Walker Hamish Kenneally is moving to the US. His sister has been there for four years, and there is nothing for him in Australia, so he has a two year visa, is going to remote work, and see if a change will do him good. But he\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tic-Tac-Mistletoe","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Tic-Tac-Mistletoe.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":25622,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/25622","url_meta":{"origin":24099,"position":2},"title":"The Mistletoe Motive","author":"Michelle","date":"January 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Mistletoe Motive (2021) Chloe Liese There is a lot I love about this story: the ace rep, the female lead with ASD, the single point-of-view. Jonathan glances up and meets my eyes, his gaze speaking some cryptic language that I don\u2019t. I hate that feeling. It\u2019s old and familiar,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Mistletoe Motive","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/The-Mistletoe-Motive-188x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19994,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/19994","url_meta":{"origin":24099,"position":3},"title":"The Vanishing Type","author":"Michelle","date":"May 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Vanishing Type (2022) Ellery Adams (Secret, Book, & Scone Society) One of the things I particularly like about this story is the variety of the characters within. And that those traits don't define the characters: Sheldon is ace but also Hispanic and Jewish and someone who suffers from chronic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Vanishing Type","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/The-Vanishing-Type.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17642,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/17642","url_meta":{"origin":24099,"position":4},"title":"The Book of Candlelight","author":"Michelle","date":"August 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The Book of Candlelight (2000) Ellery Adams (Secret, Book, & Scone Society) It feels like it won't stop raining in Miracle Springs. 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