MISTLETOE & MISHIGAS

A talkative schoolteacher and a taciturn custodian first repel and then attract each other in this second LGBTQ+ romance in Wardell’s Teachers in Love series.

Sheldon Soleskin, a slight first-grade teacher at Lear Elementary School in Portland, Maine, wears matching purple sneakers and nail polish and has a penchant for constant, nervous patter: “I’m Sheldon. Sheldon Soleskin. Not at all like Bond. James Bond. I mean, look at me. Clearly, not James Bond. Not even James Bond adjacent. Probably more Bond Girl material.” Theo Berenson, the school custodian, is a tall, hefty, drably dressed veteran who fought in Afghanistan; he has a pickup truck and very few words. They dislike each other’s communication styles, but Sheldon likes Theo’s muscles and Theo likes Sheldon’s dimple, so they decide to team up: Theo will pose as Sheldon’s boyfriend at the wedding of Sheldon’s ex-boyfriend, while Sheldon will pose as Theo’s boyfriend at a Hanukkah dinner with Theo’s parents. They irritate each other during practice dates, but also start to bond over their traumas: Theo has PTSD from a combat incident; Sheldon is estranged from his conservative parents. Also, Theo fears that no one will ever love a “bumbling oaf” like him, while Sheldon deals with constant self-criticism. As the men reassure each other, their fake relationship takes a turn toward exuberant sex and real commitment. This installment of Wardell’s series is a sprightly screwball comedy that throws together two flawed but appealing protagonists and allows sparks to fly. Despite the cute setup, the narrative is grounded in nuanced character development and unfolds in elegant prose with punchy repartee—“What’s your favorite color?” “I don’t have a favorite color. I’m not five”—and quietly resonant emotion (“My eyes begin to prickle, and I want to run back to the bathroom or, better yet, out the door to my truck,” narrates Theo at one point. “But I don’t because the weight of his small hand on my knee somehow grounds me”). The result is a romantic connection that’s more convincing for its testiness.

An entertaining love story with two endearingly abrasive leads.