ABOUT
The best moments in dance are the unscripted ones At their core, all theater romances are tragedies. Ella Blythe knows this. Still, she cannot help but hope her own story may turn out different than most--and certainly different than the tragic story of the Ghost of Craven Street Theater. After a chance encounter with one of the ballet company's handsome dancers late one night, Ella is swept off her elegantly pointed toes. The dance they share and the promise he makes to her feel like a new beginning. Yet as she faces mounting challenges in the ever-shrinking ballet company, Ella cannot deny the uncanny feeling that her life is mirroring that of the ghostly ballerina. Is she dancing ever closer to the edge of her own disastrous end? Or will the secrets that are about to come to light offer release from the unyielding grip of the past? "An immersive read set in the glittering world of the Victorian ballet, where nothing is as it seems and even the familiar echoes with secrets. Politano has written a story that is at once deeply atmospheric, yet grounded in the universal ache to belong and be loved."--Kimberly Duffy, author of A Mosaic of Wings and A Tapestry of Light
REVIEW
This pas de deux was magical in so many ways. There was mystery, there was romance of course, and there was a deliberate mislead of the reader. In short, it was a masterpiece. Ella only ever wanted to dance. She rescued an unknown dancer one night while practicing and he promised the world. She found a program in order to ascertain his name. Phillipe. Her mother was once a dancer, but changed her identity to protect herself. Ella never learned why. As Ella enters the ballet world after her mother's death, she finds it very different than she imagined and she finds herself trying to find her place. With that and a reawakening of her faith, she slowly learns more about herself and eventually her mother and they mystery surrounding her exit from the ballet world on the night of a mysterious fire. I was drawn into this story and couldn't let it go. It was a dance that I was enthralled to watch. The characters were intriguing and surprising. The ending was perfect. The entire book was a journey in finding self, faith, and forgiveness and I wouldn't have had it any other way. I received an early copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest review.
THE AUTHOR
Joanna Davidson Politano is the award-winning author of Lady Jayne Disappears, A Rumored Fortune, Finding Lady Enderly, and The Love Note. She loves tales that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives and is eager to hear anyone's story. She lives with her husband and their children in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan. You can find her at www.jdpstories.com.