Mistletoe & Mishigas by M.A. Wardell is a very sweet novel about two mildly damaged people who find love. Hero 1 Sheldon is a first grade teacher who has been transferred to a new school in the middle of the year. His back story is that his parents disowned him when he came out to them. Also, he's diminutive and talks constantly and thinks he may be "too much." He lives with his twin sister and they adore each other in a way that approaches but never quite meets squicky.
Hero 2 Theo is the custodian at Sheldon's new school. His back story is that he is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who lost his lover to enemy fire while he was nearby. He is huge and rarely speaks. His parents adore him and are wonderful.
Sheldon and Theo have an immediate attraction and quickly agree to fake date for the sake of Sheldon having a plus one to his ex-boyfriend's wedding and Theo getting his parents to stop trying to set him up. Fake becomes real, love, HEA.
I enjoyed their story. I loved, loved, loved that Sheldon and Theo take their jobs seriously and are very good at them. My kids went to a lovely elementary school with a lot of phenomenal teachers, but I still found myself wishing they could have gone to Sheldon and Theo's school. (The only sour note is that everyone keeps telling Theo that he should become a chef because he's passionate about cooking. Folks, being a great home cook does not translate into being a chef at a restaurant. I'm a great cook when the mood strikes me. Last year I went through a fish taco stage that was to die for. Does that mean that I can make hundreds of those fish tacos on demand every night? No, it does not. Also, like Theo, I already have a job that I like. Let us enjoy our cooking and leave us alone.)
The love story did get bogged down at times. Sheldon and Theo took turns being insecure about whether the other one could actually love them, even though they kept using their words and saying they loved each other. But, I get it, you have to fill the pages.
Overall, this was a good read and I recommend it.
