Released: July 23rd, 2013
To her millions of fans, ballroom champion Selena Marcil seems to have the perfect life: a great dance partner, a hit reality show, and celebrity perks. But underneath the glamorous ball gowns, Selena longs to find someone to share her life with when the stage lights dim.
Selena's childhood sweetheart, Bret Lord, hung up his dance shoes after winning two national titles with her as a teenager, and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He never saw his former fiancé again, except on television and on the cover of men's magazines. Ten years and three deployments later, Bret gets an offer to audition for Selena's dance show. When the Marine Corps gives him temporary leave to appear on the series, Bret can't refuse the quick cash that will enable him to provide financially for the widow of his buddy, even if it does mean coming face to face with his past.
When Bret shows up at her national championship, Selena is shocked. For years she searched for him to no avail. After spending time with Bret, Selena realizes despite their past romance, they have no future. He has no desire to live under a spotlight and she has no desire to leave it. Can Selena and Bret recognize when Love Waltzes In?
**COPY PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR/RABT**
"We don't always fall in love with someone who is like ourselves. It would be too easy."
Surprising. That's one word I'd use to describe this book. I honestly didn't expect much when I went into this book. Well, I was expecting it to be a cheesy, cliché romance and it was actually. But it was
so damn good! It was a romantic, easy, fun read.
The characters were awesome. I liked how they reacted realistically to their situations. Selena, of course, felt guilty for ending their relationship the way she did. And I really liked that. Usually, when the girl screws up, she just sits around and whine and whine. This time, once she sees Bret again, she actually
tries to make up with him. I was just like:
AND GOD! How at first sight she just remembered everything back then
"It was hard not to look at him and remember that he'd been her first love."
And then all those hormones come up:
"Like what it would be like to nuzzle his neck, fondle his muscles, taste his kisses. Those strong hands exploring every inch of her body."
And then there's Bret
*swoons and sighs dreamily* He's apparently changed so much since back then when they were teenagers. He, as I quote, was a "shy, lean teenage boy", but now he was all man. HOLY SHIT.
Plus, he's in the marines. Nothing is better than a man in uniform.
Trust me. They're freaking hot. And Bret knows that he's been hurt before. Of course, because he's a man, he doesn't bitch about it to everyone. He keeps his emotions under control and tries not to fall back in love with Selena.
But, well, we know how we just can't forget our first loves.
I really like Bret's character though. He was masculine, hot, and a
marine! Okay, moving on. But he was really thoughtful. He was doing the show to help the widow of his friend and then he has a dog named Banjo who he brings almost
everywhere. Also, he was a dancer! Mm-mm, I love me a man who can bust out some moves. It's not gay, especially if it's ballroom dancing. Meeting a guy who can actually dance in a formal event is just wow.
Despite their differences in character and situations, they manage to compromise an agreement. Their relationship goes up and down from the very beginning. With Selena being with Dima at first, their feelings from the past, Bret having to deal with being in the spotlight, their disagreements. It seemed as if it was never going to work! But it did.
I liked how the author went back and forth between their points of views. It gives us a chance to look into each of their minds and thoughts. The book was so beautifully written. The romance was fantastic. The sex was intense and steamy. The issues are all resolved completely in the end.
A great read for all romance lovers!
Minor Faults:
- Little grammar mistakes here and there, nothing big.
- When they first had sex, it was a bit too rushed. They just met a few days but then BAM! Sex.
MY RATING:
4 I-WANT-A-MARINE APPLES!!!!!
EXCERPT:
Staff Sergeant
Bret Lord sat on the dirty floor of his tent, going through the day’s mail: the
latest Men’s Fitness magazine from
his sister, a care package from his mom. He ripped open the package—socks, lip
balm, sunflower seeds, and a thin letter that contained an old magazine
clipping.
Dear Bret,
I miss you very much. Benny asked me to send you this
article. I really wish you would consider his offer. Please stay safe.
Love, Mom
He swallowed
hard. A neon sticky pressed on the wrinkled page had a note scrawled on it from
his former master dance coach.
Bret, m’boy,
We’ll make it worth your time.
Cheers, Benny.
Thumbing the edge
of the article, Bret stared at the sixteen-year-old boy in the picture and
could barely recognize himself. His shoulder length, wavy blond hair was
slicked back, not shorn in a “high and tight” like his current haircut. No
signs of the tattoos or muscles that currently defined his body. Golden skin
stained from a bottle, not the harsh sun of Iraq. His arms were wrapped around
a gorgeous, curvy young girl with long jet-black hair. The jade Latin gown she
wore matched the color of her almond-shaped eyes.
Bret tossed the
article aside and removed his nine-mil pistol from his holster to clean it.
Lance Corporal
Hernandez walked by Bret and snatched the article off his cot. After staring at
it, Hernandez’s face brightened.
“Hey, Staff
Sergeant, this you?”
“No, it’s my
clone who’s also named Bret Lord.” Bret slid the rail back on his weapon and
began disassembling it.
“Staff Sergeant,
you know Selena Marcil? Did you hit that?”
“Shut up,
Hernandez, or the one getting hit will be you—with the butt stock of my rifle.”
Bret grabbed the paper out of Hernandez’s hands, and smacked him on the side of
the head. The kid didn’t flinch.
“Staff Sergeant
Twinkle Toes. Hey—can you hook me up with Selena? I’ll be her boy toy. I love
her. Man, she’s smoking. Has the nicest ass. Not like all those skinny, Russian
chicks on that show.” He nodded to himself with an eyebrow dancing. “Selena’s
on my list. She’s Latina, too. We’d be perfect together. What was she doing
with a gringo like you?”
“Hernandez,
you’re way out of line.” Bret reassembled his pistol.
“My bad, Staff
Sergeant.”
Bret grabbed the
article, his pack, and his rifle. It was impossible to get some privacy in the
tent. His only option was to sit outside in a sandstorm but even that sounded
like a welcome retreat from his immature men. He walked about five hundred
feet, then plopped down in the hot sand.
The red sky hung
above him, thick from smoke from the nearby town. Bret struggled to catch a
glimpse of the distant mountains. Sand seemed to pelt down from the heavens,
blinding him and settling into every crevice in his body. He closed his eyes
against the sting of the sand, and turned his thoughts to Selena. Was she the
diva the tabloids made her out to be? Even after ten years, he could almost
smell her buttery-coconut scent. A welcome change from the overflowing
shitters, toxic diesel, and stench of his fellow Marines who hadn’t bathed in
three weeks.
INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR:
1.
What inspired you to do a romance like this?
I was a professional ballroom dancer and my husband was a marine, albeit the non-dancing kind. But my first professional dance partner was a Marine. After I watched J.R. Martinez on Dancing with the Stars, I decided to write about a Marine and a ballroom dancer.
2.
Can you relate to any characters in the book? And why?
I sympathize with Selena's desire to find love while not wanting to sacrifice her career. I felt the same way when I was competing.
3.
What were some of the challenges you faced while writing this book?
I originally wrote this book in first person present POV with 2 narrators, Selena and Vika. It was very chick litty, I rewrote it as a romance per advice from my agent. It was a challenge, switching to 3rd person POV past and writing from the Hero and Heroine's perspectives. But ultimately I feel the change made me a better writer.
4.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Join a writer's group – like RWA. And enter many contests to get feedback on your writing. Find some amazing beta readers and an editor. And don't give up.
About The Author:
Alana Albertson holds a Masters of Education from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University. A recovering professional ballroom dancer, Alana currently writes contemporary romance and young adult fiction. She lives in San Diego, CA, with her husband, two young sons, and four dogs.
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