Book Review || Forbidden Dance by Deanna Roy

Forbidden Dance
Deanna Roy
(Lover’s Dance, #1)
Publication date: March 28th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

She was hidden from the world. Then he arrived. An emotional new novel from six-time USA Today bestselling author Deanna Roy

For four years, I’ve lived in almost total seclusion. Homeschooled, forbidden from social media, seeing no one other than the dancers at Dreamcatcher Academy, where I teach ballet to little girls in wheelchairs.

Then Blitz arrives.

He’s the disgraced host of Dance Blitz, a bawdy reality show where Blitz sleeps with as many dancers as possible while looking for his perfect partner.

At least he was. A few weeks ago, he got kicked off his own show.

He’s at my academy for a publicity stunt, and my wheelchair ballerinas are his ticket back into the public’s good graces.

I intend to hate him and stay as far away as possible. But when he looks at me, I can’t resist. Before I realize what’s happened, we’re sneaking into back rooms, dancing, kissing, planning dates away from the cameras and the wrath of my family.

But I’m afraid. I have a secret at the academy, a small, wonderful, terrible secret, and if I stay with Blitz, the world will find out.

____________

Forbidden Dance is a full-length standalone HEA, although fans who fall in love with Blitz and Livia can continue the series to follow more of their love story

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Now. I am not the biggest fan of romance novels, as you might have noticed. If this is the case, then why did I choose to read this particular novel? The blurb is quite clear that it’s a romance book, not fantasy.

Well, the blurb also mentions ballet, dancing, little girls in wheelchairs, and a dance superstar. And I love ballet, among other forms of dance styles. I actually used to take ballet when I was a little girl and I enjoyed it a lot. Thus, I decided to give this novel a try, and see what happens. Besides, I do have my moments when I enjoy some romance. 😉

That being said, shall we?

The novel has 33 chapters, but it’s very fast-paced. It a light, and relaxing read. It can be read in a sitting, or during lunch break at college – like I do. The plot is not dragged out, and it does manage to grab your attention.

For some reason, when I’ve read the blurb I expected to read some chapters from Blitz’s point of view as well. However, there is only Liza’s perspective. Hopefully, in the next novels, we’ll get the chance to see from Blitz’s eyes as well.

* Summary *

Liza is a 19-year-old young lady who lives in San Antonio, Texas. Even though she a legal adult, she still lives with her parents, and she does not go school. Moreover, her parents, especially her father, are very strict. I’m not sure the word strict describes Liza’s father – tyrannical would be more appropriate.  Liza did not grow up in San Antonio. Her parents moved her when she was 15 years old. I’ll give you a hint – parents becoming strict and moving their daughter after a particular situation happened. It’s not hard to figure it out the reason, is it?
Anyway. Liz is homeschooling, and her parents are watching her like hawks. The only place where she is allowed to go is to Dreamcatcher Academy. Liza managed to convince her father to let her take ballet classes, and she’s been doing ballet for a couple of years.

Enter Blitz. He is a reality-show star – The Bachelor, dance version. Due to a scandal, he is forced to do some good deeds to cleanse his public image. Thus, he is giving classes at Dreamcatcher Academy. And this is how Blitz and Liza meet.

Blitz will help Liza with her class. They are teaching little girls in wheelchairs to dance. They’re actually preparing them for a stage performance. I really liked the scenes with the little girls. They were so adorable. I wish there would’ve been more scenes dedicated to them.

Long story short – Liza cannot date guys, but she starts to like Blitz. Blitz is only here to improve his image, then he’ll have to go back to LA. Therefore, the main plot of the novel is how and if Liza & Blitz will get together to form a couple
There are some up and downs for Liza, as well as some lovely plot-twists for the readers.
The ending was one of my favorite parts actually. I didn’t expect that to happen, that’s for sure.

Now, this is supposed to be a stand-alone novel. However, there are 4 more books in this series. In other words, there are 5 stand-alone novels in the series. This novel ended up pretty good – all lose ends tied up – but there are some cliffhangers. Thus, if we want to read what happens next, we will have to read the next novels. Some people might like it, some might not.

Liza – the protagonist. She does not seem to try too hard to get out of her situation with her parents. Why? Because she is full of guilt over what happened – she actually believes she deserves all this sheltering. At the same time, she does want to be her own self and be independent. And it turns out, dance is her ticket to freedom.

Liza is a kind, loving person. She is also naive, and a little bit immature. I have mixed feelings about her. I do like her character, but there were some moments where I did not understand her reasoning. Liza is impulsive, that’s for sure.

Blitz – the love interest. He is the bad boy who wants to change and be good. Maybe saying he is a bad boy is a bit too much. Blitz’s public persona is that of a heart-breaker and an ass. The Blitz portrayed with Liz is quite a sweat-heard – maybe a little bit too good to be true. But hey, it’s a novel. I liked the fact that he seems to actually like the little girls in wheelchairs – he really puts his heart into their training.

Liza’s Dad – to be honest, his 180 degrees change is kind of ridiculous. I’m saying it’s not possible because it is. Although, his change from a normal father, to a tyrannical one, is bizarre for me. I can’t understand his reasoning, and maybe that’s why. He does more harm than good, even though his motive might be good.

Liza’s Mum – my least favorite character. I now the obvious villain in this story is the father, but she not without guilt. Her passivity and submissiveness are even more annoying than Liza’s father tyranny. Protect your children ! Don’t ruin their lives because of one mistake !

I think the best way to enjoy the romance in this novel is to let go of reality – at least a little bit. The book is about a superstar falling in love with a naive, sheltered 19-year-old girl. What are the chances, right? I tried my best to not rationalize everything.

Their romance is cute and light. I think romance lover will enjoy it a lot, as well as people who like to fantasize about a superstar falling in love with them.

I think my main issue with the romance is how fast it develops. In Liza’s own words:

I’ve walked away from my entire life for someone I’ve known six weeks.

Deanna Roy. Forbidden Dance (Kindle Locations 2667-2668). Casey Shay Press.

I mean, Liza meets this guy Blitz, and then bam – he’s all she thinks about. I get it to some extent – it’s part of having a crush and feeling attracted to someone. What makes me scratch my head a little bit is Liza’s willingness to throw everything for a guy she just met. They’re honeymoon period it’s not even over yet. I think part of it is Liza’s wish to be free – and Blitz can be her way out. I just wish she waited a little bit longer. Run away with him after you know he’s a really worth it. It’s hard to know a person in 6 weeks. I’m rationalizing, again. Sometimes I can’t help it.

Another aspect I didn’t enjoy that much is the sex part. No, not the fact that Liza wants/has sex with a guy. It’s the way she keeps thinking about it. I mean, sometimes I got the feeling she’s a 40 years old women who hadn’t have sex in a decade, not just 19. To be more exact. Her main problem with her parents’ sheltering seems to be her want for sex – not the fact that she cannot work, go to college, be independent.

However, despite this two things, the romance between is nice. They do have some really sweet, and nice moments. My favorite moments between them is when they dance – and I wished there were more dance scenes.

I do want to mention one more thing. This is my opinion, my own view on romance and stuff. I am very sure other readers will enjoy the romance way more than I did. Keep this in mind, please. 🙂

It’s time to wrap it up.

Overall, I did enjoy reading this novel – even with my typical reaction to romance. It is a fast-paced, relaxing and fluffy read. It is perfect for getting out of a reading slump, or if you want to read something light and cute.

My favorite parts were about dance, regardless of which character was doing it. ❤

I think I will read the next book in the series. Not sure if I’ll read all of them, but I’m really curious to see what happens with Liza’s parents and how her relationship with Blitz evolves. The blurb is quite interesting.

Yes, I do recommend this novel. I think romance lovers will adore this book, as well as others who are in the mood for a fast-paced, easy-to-read novel.

However, if you do not like sexual scenes at all, as well as instant-love, you might want to stay away for it. Or be prepared for them.

I give this novel a rating of 3.5 out of 5. That will be 4 stars on Goodreads/Amazon with an approximation.

Author Bio:

Deanna Roy is the six-time USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction.

She is a passionate advocate for women who have lost babies. She has several books on the subject, including her bestseller FOREVER INNOCENT, a romance about a couple whose baby is taken off life support at seven days old.

She has run the website PregnancyLoss.Info for fifteen years, including many large spin-off support groups both online and in person.

To learn about new releases, sign up for her subscriber list at http://deannaroy.com/news. She has regular giveaways in conjunction with major pregnancy loss events.

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