Take the Lead
Ratings10
Average rating3.5
From Alexis Daria, author of the critically acclaimed, international bestseller You Had Me at Hola, comes a fun, sexy romance set against a reality dance show.
Gina Morales wants to make it big. In her four seasons on The Dance Off, she’s never even made it to the finals. But her latest partner, the sexy star of an Alaskan wilderness show, could be her chance. Who knew the strong, silent, survivalist-type had moves like that? She thinks Stone Nielson is her ticket to win it all—until her producer makes it clear they’re being set up for a showmance.
Joining a celebrity dance competition is the last thing Stone wants. However, he’ll endure anything to help his family, even as he fears revealing their secrets. While the fast pace of Los Angeles makes him long for the peace and privacy of home, he can’t hide his growing attraction for his dance partner. Neither wants to fake a romance for the cameras, but the explosive chemistry that flares between them is undeniable.
As Stone and Gina heat up the dance floor, the tabloids catch on to their developing romance. With the spotlight threatening to ruin everything, will they choose fame and fortune, or let love take the lead?
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0 released books#1 in Dance Off
Dance Off is a 0-book series with contributions by Alexis Daria.
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I received an advanced e-galley of this book from NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book! My thoughts are in no way influenced by this early preview.
Latinx Dancing with the Stars-inspired contemporary romance? Sign me up. I thoroughly enjoyed this fun, fresh plot that explored the complicated nature of being in the public eye, burgeoning careers, and deep-rooted emotions about honesty, family, and love. (Prepare yourself for a bit of steaminess too!)
The book starts with Gina flying to Alaska to meet her new dancing partner, producers and camera people in tow. When she meets Stone – not at all who she had been expecting – an undercurrent of attraction begins to build. Once Stone meets her in L.A. to begin rehearsals and live performances, their chemistry picks up steam. Their attraction is not without some hurdles and hiccups, and at times I found myself frustrated with characters' responses to things, it came together really well.
Gina is a strong, focused woman who is looking to break down stereotypes about Latinas and become a star, and I thought Daria did a wonderful job portraying her as a three-dimensional heroine that you could root for. Stone is a quiet, honest guy with a complicated relationship with his family, but very likable and altogether more beta than I would have expected.
The one thing I didn't love was the focus on the physicality of the characters, which is so common in romance novels. It made sense given that this book was about dancing, but I'm appreciating romance plots that are more subtle with the imagery these days.
I'm looking forward reading Daria's writing in the future, especially since the next book will focus on Gina's best friend Natasha. I'm so happy to see more Latinx representation in contemporary romance and would highly recommend this to readers of Alice Clayton and Alisha Rai.
This was a cheese fest. The characters were bland and the romance between them was not believable at all. I skimmed the last 20% just to finish.
I loved every second of reading this. It wasn't perfect (some of the Reasons We Can't Be Together got a little repetitive, as did the Reasons We Should Be Together later), but the premise of being on a Dancing With The Stars-style reality show was so fun, and most of the characters were fantastically drawn (with the exception of Lauren - never really got what her deal was supposed to be other than Mean Girl Who Wants to Win, which ended up being kind of a caricature). Stone and Gina were HOT, lots of open door sexy times. Will definitely be checking out more of Daria's books.
CW: sexual assault (groping), language
