I wrote about the first book in Melonie Johnson’s “Sometimes in Love” series (Getting Hot with the Scot) not too long ago, and I was head over heels with the series then. Nothing has changed, and I actually love it a little more with the second installment, Smitten by the Brit.

You can read the blurbs and other synopses elsewhere. I’m going to tell you why I love this book on a personal level. Simply put, I could be Bonnie. Well, minus the fiancé issue, but everything else is very familiar.

I am the biggest Shakespeare nerd, and always have been. I can find Shakespeare quotes for various situations. I loved how Bonnie was a smart heroine, and made no apologies for it. That’s an unfortunately rare find in romance novels sometimes. But it’s one of the things that makes this series stand out.

The romance between Bonnie and Theo is as swoon-worthy as all of the previews and blurbs say. There’s a slow-burn that makes the reader ache right along with the “meant to be” couple. And when they finally get together…holy combustibility!

But the real reason that I love this book so much is simple and personal. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is my favorite Shakespeare play. When I taught high school drama at a predominately Hispanic high school, we mounted a version of it that is still remembered nearly 20 years later (crap, was it really that long ago?!?)

I’d always loved Shakespeare, but watching those kids learn his language and bring it to the stage was a life-changing moment for those students and for me. In other words, the author had me at Bonnie’s adaptation of the play to include bootleggers, speakeasies and 1930s gangsters.

Just for good measure, she also has me at the opening party where everyone is in costume, and then went ahead and mentioned my OTHER favorite play (The Importance of Being Earnest).

Honestly, I think Bonnie is my book doppleganger.

Anyway, go for the Shakespeare, stay for the romance. It’s another winning entry, and once again, I can’t wait for the next one!