What Happens in the Ballroom #2, A delightful retelling of a tale as old as time, truly I never get tired of Beauty and the Beast trope (is it technically a trope). New author to me and as a second story in the series it can be read as a standalone. I love Jewel and Oliver. Jewel is a colonist her father sent her to her aunt, his sister, to be safe during this upcoming war. When Jewel foils her aunt and uncles plan to trick the Earl of Whichcombe into marrying one of their daughters they try to send her off to Scotland. Oliver is grateful to the beauty that saved both him and/or his twin brother from a forced marriage, so grateful he kisses her unfortunately in walks her cousin and aunt and very loudly announce that Lord scar has ruined Jewel. After thinking about it Oliver decides he will do the right thing and marry Jewel but her uncle has already sent her off. That doesn't stop him though he tracks her down and after procuring a lady's maid/chaperone he whisks her off to his country estate.

Oliver's claim to his title is challenged, his scar makes people think he's in league with satan and that he's crazy, Jewel thinks she's helping when she declares herself his fiancee. While Oliver tries to get all his contacts and acquaintances to help prove he's not insane together Jewel tries to figure out the purpose of her uncle's scheme and why he's trying to steal her money. Together Oliver and Jewel make a great team they have wonderful chemistry between them. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this story it was well written with fantastic characters and a tangled web of deceit that Oliver and Jewel manage to work their way through to get to their HEA. 

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This was supposed to be Nina Fortunova's year to win. Instead, she is divorced, without a partner on and off the dance floor. Nina takes to training a young couple, Carly and Sam. Soon, teacher and student become competitors as Nina finds a new partner in Jorge, a Latin Dancer who wants to transition to smooth and Carly gets picked up by Trey, a three time National champion. Both ladies will do whatever it takes to win, but will they take it too far?

Riveting and captivating, The Winner threw me into the exciting world of competitive ballroom dancing. I did ballroom dancing for a few years in college, which is what initially sparked my interest in the book, so I had no trouble following along with the styles, techniques and feelings evoked by each dance. However, even if you know nothing about dance, you should be able to follow along just fine without feeling overwhelmed. The scenes described in the practice studio and the competition were so vivid that I could smell the sweat and hairspray. I enjoyed reading the contrasting storylines of Nina and Carly. Nina, an older dancer who, determined to win the Nationals after working her way through the ranks and Carly, a new dancer to the scene who wants to win Nationals in a short period of time. Both Carly and Nina are determined and talented, but have very different motivations. The side stories of both Nina and Carly's backgrounds added drama to the story. Nina believes she must accomplish a great feat and be successful for her mother who sacrificed everything to come to America and give her opportunities; whereas Carly's parents are forcing her to be a special education teacher in order to better help people like her brother, Archer, who is autistic. When Carly finds a dream of her own, they are not supportive. What was highlighted most for me however, was the connection you find while dancing, especially with a partner.


"And with connection, all things were possible. One person's limits were halved and his or her prospects doubled when paired with another. Four legs rooted into the earth, allowing two hearts and two heads to reach heavenward."

The ending was very surprising and moved quickly through time seeming a little disjointed with the rest of the book. Overall, an immersive and enthralling read taking you deep into the world of ballroom dancing. 

​This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

I read book one (Sanctuary for a Lady) almost two years ago, loved it, and picked up book two and three in the series in that time....and never read them. So COYER reading list came in handy to give me the motivation to keep reading the series. The thing is I was not in the mood for the tropes found in book two (known via the blurb on the back), so I skipped to book three.

This was quite the ride.

First, that cover. The heroine (Danielle) is giving the hero (Lord Halston) a look of "I'm going to kill you" and/or "I'm going to screw you so hard" and I am here for it. Plus the background of a spooky wooded area at nighttime is very atmospheric.

Second, Dani is a heroine to root for - she is smart, capable, and can read and react to other people to get out of dicey situations (and there was plenty of dicey situations). Dani is the niece of the book one's couple and the daughter of book two's couple, so she was raised in the aftermath of the French Revolution/Reign of Terror and the first Republic; her upbringing included how to survive in political/social unrest as well as in the woods. Dani takes no BS and doesn't give out any either. She is not a Mary Sue though; she is quick to temper and can be petty at times with certain British aristocrats. But I love a good capable heroine and Dani was awesome.

Third, the book takes place in 1805 in the woods of France; just as Dani was helping the merry band of English aristocrats get to the coast and sail away back to home, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor (bye, bye republic) and the peace treaty with British is broken. So not your typical Regency romance. Dani, with the help of her brothers and dad, help Halston and crew make it back to England. This on the run/evading capture plotline was a real page turner.

Fourth, Halston and crew. Halston was quite the decent hero and his falling in love with Dani was sweet but also realistic. Also, being the third son of marquis gave him a little more leeway with being in love with Dani, a French peasant (or is she????). He was determined to make her his wife, even if that meant moving to America. Westerfield (Halston's brother) may have been sick 90% of the book, but even he knew enough to look deeper at Dani's history to help his brother get the girl. I like that Halston's valet was the voice of reason between Halston's and Dani's fights about class structure.

Fifth, the sexual tension was pretty intense for Christian romance. Just enough kisses and touches to believe in the chemistry between Dani and Halston, but chaste enough for them not to go against their religious beliefs. You can bet your last dollar Halston didn't wait to read the banns and instead got a special license. 

Overall, another winner from Naomi Rawlings. Can't wait to read book two.

After reading a couple of romance novels to get The Midwife out of my system, I dove back into my to-read pile and came up with The Ballroom by Anna Hope. This book has been on my to-read list since I first read a review of it in one of the journals that’s always floating around my colleague’s offices, tempting us to buy more books. I’ve long had a fascination with pre-ethics board asylums and psychology for reasons I haven’t quite fathomed yet. The Ballroom is set at one such as asylum in rural England just before the First World War. Two inmates meet at the weekly dance, not knowing that they are the object of a doctor’s research into eugenics...

Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.