TAKE THE LEAD by Alexis Daria
SMP
Swerve
Publication
Date: October 3, 2017
ISBN:
9781250175588; Price: $3.99
Description
The first book in a sizzling
duology about dancers who find love from #OwnVoices author Alexis Daria.
Gina
Morales wants to win. It’s her fifth season on The Dance Off, a
top-rated network TV celebrity dance competition, and she’s never even made it
to the finals. When she meets her latest partner, she sees her chance. He's
handsome, rippling with muscles, and he stars on the popular Alaskan wilderness
reality show Living Wild. With his sexy physique and name recognition,
she thinks he’s her ticket to the finals—until she realizes they’re being set
up.
Stone
Nielson hates Los Angeles, he hates reality TV, and he hates that fact that he
had to join the cast of the The Dance Off because of family obligations.
He can’t wait to get back to Alaska, but he also can’t deny his growing
attraction to his bubbly Puerto Rican dance partner. Neither of them are
looking for romantic entanglements, and Stone can’t risk revealing his secrets,
but as they heat up the dance floor, it’s only a matter of time until he feels
an overwhelming urge to take the lead.
When
the tabloids catch on to their developing romance, the spotlight threatens to
ruin not just their relationship, but their careers and their shot at the
trophy. Gina and Stone will have to decide if their priorities lie with fame,
fortune, or the chance at a future together.
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Excerpt
Gina
took a deep, deliberate breath. Would it kill him to be a teensy bit uglier?
She kept going.
“Instead,
we stand like this.” As she had on his porch, she positioned his body into the
pose he would use for the foxtrot. She tried to keep her touch professional and
impersonal. “Our first dance is the foxtrot. It’s a lively, smooth-flowing
ballroom dance that requires us to match our steps while in hold.”
“Is
this anything like the waltz you showed me?”
“I
like to think of the foxtrot as the waltz con
sabor. With flavor. It’s a good first dance because our bodies aren’t
touching.”
His
brow creased as she stepped into the frame he created with his arms. “What do
you mean? We’re touching.”
She
grinned at his obvious discomfort. He had no right to be cool and calm when she
was a hormonal mess. “This is nothing. Dance partners are very familiar with
each other’s bodies. There’s no getting around it. If you hold back, it ruins
the dance.”
Stone
pressed his lips together and didn’t say anything. His gaze lifted over her
head to their reflection in the mirrors.
She
tapped his left foot with her right. “Now, the basic steps. Always start with
your left. I’ll be doing the opposite of what you’re doing. The foxtrot is
about smooth gliding steps and perfect frame.”
After
taking him through a few sequences of slow-slow-quick-quick,
she said, “We’re going to showcase your posture and form while contrasting them
with your virility and humble background.”
He
coughed and his steps faltered. Above the beard, his cheeks reddened. “With my
what?”
“You’re
a big manly mountain man,” she said. “We’ll let that side out in the Latin and
jazz dances. With the more classical styles, like the foxtrot and the waltz,
we’re going to show a contrast—the elegant and refined side of the Viking.”
“Viking?” He looked like he was going to choke.
She broke hold to pass him a water bottle from the small cooler.
“Don’t
tell me you don’t know what you look like,” she said, pointing at his
reflection. “We’re going to use those muscles and that beard to our advantage.”
He
took a long swig of water, chugging more than half the bottle in one gulp. “I
didn’t realize this was so tactical.”
“What,
you thought you could just show up and dance?” She snorted. “Think again,
buddy. A lot of strategy goes into these competitions. Come on. We have work to
do.”
For
the next two hours, she dragged him around the room, correcting his steps and
his stance. While Stone followed instructions, and went where she told him, he
also sighed, eyed their reflections skeptically, and blinked for a little too
long, like he wanted to roll his eyes.
If he
didn’t learn to lead, she was going to end up doing all the work of getting him
through the dances, and he was far too big for her to keep adjusting him as
they moved.”
Exhausted,
Gina called for a hydration break. Without a word, Stone broke hold and dropped
onto the edge of the small stage with an exaggerated exhale. Gina sucked on her
bottom lip. If he sighed one more time . . .
About the Author
Alexis Daria
serves as PRO Liaison for the New York City chapter of RWA, and co-hosts
#RWchat, a weekly Twitter chat for romance writers. Her writing has appeared in
Woman’s Day for Latinas and on DIY MFA and Swoon Says.
Author
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