With Every Heartbeat by Melody Grace - Book Review

Rome. The city of young lovers, old secrets, and intoxicating new desire…

I thought I knew what I wanted in life. I thought my destiny was set. Then I met him, and everything changed.

Raphael is bold, passionate, and seductive. He sees something in me I never dreamed possible, and now he's determined to show me a world beyond rules -- a dance without limits. I want to trust him, but I'm scared. Because I know once I fall, there'll be no going back.

An innocent dancer. A mysterious stranger. As Annalise is drawn deeper into the romantic delights of Rome, she'll question everything she believed about her future. But with opening night looming, can she find the strength to risk it all? And will she be forced to choose between her one true love, ballet, and the new passion in her heart?

Find out in this enchanting new series from Melody Grace.

BOOK REVIEW -

Annalise’s life only revolves around ballet. Her mother was a prima ballerina of her time, and she wants nothing else but her mother’s praise, affection and love. She knows she’s going to get that if she succeeds in ballet. But the competition is fierce, and the dance that used to make her so happy, suddenly becomes a task. It gets harder and harder for her – but she tries her best, all for her mom.

Now if only her mother could notice her effort.

She was happy with her company – but her mother wanted more for her. She was sent to Rome to train with the best. Annalise soon found out that Rome has so much more to offer than historical and majestic sites, and rigid trainings. In Rome – she found love.

She saw him dance – and she was mesmerized. His moves reflected passion, and the moment their eyes met, sparks flew. When he begins to show her around Paris, she then realized that there was more to life than ballet. Annalise’s priorities got shuffled, and she got scared. For someone who had her life evolve in one single thing, falling in love was a strange, funny feeling that leave butterflies in her stomach, and not to mention a broken ankle. Maybe it’s the place… or the way he dances… or the way he kissed her…

Question is: is she willing to risk all her hard work for love?

Annalise passion and love for dance was unquestionable. She knew nothing else, waste her time on nothing but ballet. I wished her mother could see the effort she made, and appreciate it. Instead, her mother wanted more for her. I was glad she met Raphael, whose love for dance is the same as hers. He may have come from a different background, but he had left it all to pursue something he loved to do. He might have done something stupid, but he made it up to her big time. I also like her roomies who became her friends despite the vicious competition they have. They were supportive for her, but never forgot to remind her of the consequences of her actions. Nevertheless, they became great friends.

I understand Annalise’s dilemma – it was hard to choose between two best things. One thing has been her long-time dream and the only thing that makes her and her mother happy, and the other one makes her feel like no other feeling she ever experienced her entire life. She can’t have both at the same time, she needed to have focus, I was hoping, praying that she will choose wisely, and whatever choice she made, it will make her happy. Because this girl deserved happiness.

I love this book with EVERY HEARTBEAT. Theirs was a rough, painful and heartbreaking dance but with a beautiful finale. The ending was great, I couldn’t have asked for more. If this book is the start of the series – I could not wait to read the rest of it.

RATING:

★ARC Copy was given in exchange for an honest review.★

EXCERPT:

A new burst of music sounds, pulsating and wild, and suddenly, my thoughts fade clear away, blotted out as completely as the sun during an eclipse.

I see him.

Standing, poised, waiting for his intro, his body proud and arched, arms raised. There’s a girl waiting beside him, his partner, but I only have eyes for him.

God, he’s gorgeous. Dark curly hair, tanned skin, and piercing blue eyes that seem to shimmer against the gold of his skin. He’s dressed in a starched white shirt and tuxedo pants that fit him like a glove. The breath is sucked from my lungs, and I feel a thrill ripple through me, a sensation I’ve never known before: anticipation, as if I know something important is about to happen. Something life-changing.

And then he starts to dance.

Dear Lord ...

I swear, time stops as I watch him move. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen: part Latin ballroom, part street, part modern contemporary. And all of it totally devastating.

I stare, awestruck, as he plays out a wicked game with his partner: bringing her in, sending her away, lifting her as effortlessly as if she was made of air. His movements are bold, dominating. There’s no cheap grinding, or tacky thrusts, but somehow, every step oozes sensuality, such an intimate connection between the dancers that I feel myself start to blush.

It’s mesmerizing, out of this world, and I’m completely lost to it, caught up in the story of love and betrayal they’re telling with their bodies until at last, he whirls her out one more time and then pulls her back; dipping her so low her hair grazes the ground.

They freeze there, holding the pose. There’s silence, so pure you could hear a pin drop, and in that moment, he lifts his head and looks out across the square.

Our eyes lock.

It’s only a split second, those piercing blue eyes on mine, but I feel the moment stretch for an eternity. His gaze crashes through me, setting every nerve and sense alight, as if I’m touchpaper and he’s a molten spark, dancing through my bloodstream.

And then the thunder of applause breaks the spell, and I realize I’m digging my nails into my palms, gasping for breath.

Who is this man?

"Melody Grace has crafted a sweeping and emotional romance that pulls you in so deep, you won't ever want to surface. It's that good." –Sawyer Bennett

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About Melody Grace:

Melody Grace is the USA Today bestselling author of UNBROKEN and UNTOUCHED. A small-town girl turned SoCal beach-lover, she spent years with her nose in a book before deciding it was time to write them for herself. She loves bad boys, good books, and pistachio-flavored ice-cream.

           

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