Bad Reputation
Author: Stefanie LondonSeries: Bad Bachelors, book 2
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (August 7, 2018)
Mass market paperback, 384 pages
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Summary
Wes Evans, son of Broadway royalty, just wants to achieve something without riding on his family's coattails. Too bad the whole world is talking about his sex life after the notorious Bad Bachelors app dubs him "The Anaconda." But when he sees a talented ballet dancer, he knows she is exactly what he needs to make his show a success.
Remi Drysdale only had one thought when she fled Australia for New York--never mix business with pleasure again. Ever. She gets the perfect chance to reclaim her career when a handsome stranger asks her to audition for his show. Remi promises herself not to tangle with the guy who holds her career in his hands...no matter how enticing his reviews are on the Bad Bachelors app...
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| Rating: 4.5 stars |
I adored this book. Fair warning - it does get fairly technical into ballet and dance jargon. I loved every second of it but if you don't like reading about tendus and turnout, well, you've been warned. I love that Stefanie clearly either is/was a dancer, is close with dancers, or REALLY did her research. (Ballet dancer feet are NOT pretty feet...) This book reminded me a lot of the movie Center Stage (in a good way), what with the ballerina with an inner fire being thrust into an unconventional role and the push-pull of the will-they/won't-they relationship between the dancer and director.
I really liked Remi and Wes, and Remi's parents were fun (though distant) side characters. I feel like I didn't get much of a feel for most of the side characters, who mostly fell a little flat (except Wes' mom and his niece Frankie). I kept getting Wes' sister and her husband mixed up with Remi's friend Darcy and her boyfriend, because none of them had very much personality (or very large roles, which could have had something to do with it too). The tension throughout is awesome, and this is definitely a hot, slow burn.
This is the second book in the Bad Bachelors series, and while it can be read as a stand alone without missing any key information, there are A LOT of spoilers for the first book in the series, Bad Bachelor. If that matters to you, definitely read book 1 first so you don't spoil the plot for yourself. Plus, Darcy (heroine in book 1) is a LIBRARIAN!! I'm sure going to go read it now, and I can't wait for Annie's book, which I assume will be the next in the series.
I was a dance mom for more than a decade (and my daughter is still dancing for fun), so I sort of liked all the dance stuff. I did not read the first book, but I am going back to read it, because I really enjoyed this book.
ReplyDeleteI've never been a "real" dancer, but I danced some in some church productions. I tried taking a ballet class once, but I was already in high school (and pretty overweight...) at that time so it was just way too late to start ballet for me. I did gain an appreciation for how hard it can be to make ballet look so graceful and effortless, though! :)
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