Allegra’s dream is to be a principal dancer with her ballet company in New York and if she can land the leading role in the company’s upcoming production, she’s sure to get the promotion. However, Allegra doubts her abilities after the director infers that she isn’t sexy enough for the role. After witnessing Cord doing a sexy tap dance whilst at an all-male revue for her sister’s bachelorette party, Allegra discovers a way to achieve her goals…Cord can teach her how to embrace her sexuality before her big audition and in exchange, Allegra will help Cord choreograph a duet for his show. The sparks between Allegra and Cord are undeniable, but the pair fight their growing feelings for each other because Cord has a negative relationship with ballet. Will Allegra be forced to choose between her growing feelings for Cord and her passion for ballet?
Toe to Toe is a spicy dancer romance featuring the forced proximity trope and deals with themes and topics like sexual harassment and assault, reputation, appearance versus reality, body image and strict diets, self love and self worth, family, sexuality, love and heartbreak, and mental health. Toe to Toe is perfect for fans of dance romances like The Striker by Ana Huang, I’ll Always Be With You by Monica Murphy, Play with Me by Becka Mack, The Dixon Rule by Elle Kennedy, and The Sweetest Fix by Tessa Bailey.
I actually took ballet lessons growing up and continue to dance to this day, so I always love picking up a dancer romance! The dancing in this book was a lot spicier than I was expecting and was reminiscent of Magic Mike mixed with Dirty Dancing and Step Up, but I still enjoyed it, especially Cord’s tap dance as that is my favourite style of dance and you don’t see tap a lot in anything! I also loved how, throughout their lessons, Cord encouraged Allegra to embrace joy by doing more things that bring her happiness and not just because they will help with her dancing. Even though it was a slowburn romance, with Cord and Allegra constantly doubting that a romantic relationship would be worth pursuing, the book still had a ton of spicy chemistry and swoon-worthy moments throughout.
On the downside, there were some more serious topics discussed that could potentially be triggering for some readers. For example, due to Cord’s past negative experiences in the ballet world, there is a lot of talk about the poor body image and unhealthy dieting that is often associated with professional ballet. Also, there is a big focus on a past sexual assault (off page) and Allegra feeling uncomfortable with unwanted advances from her male ballet director. Lastly, there was a lot of conflict in this book between the main characters, which isn’t my favourite.
If you enjoy all types of dancing and are looking for a spicy read, then I highly recommend picking up a copy of Toe to Toe!
Toe to Toe is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of
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Synopsis
It takes two to tango.
Allegra Hart has been working her whole life to achieve one goal: become a principal ballerina. When her director starts holding auditions for the lead role in the company’s latest production, Allegra sees this as her chance—maybe her last chance.
The catch? The director wants someone with sex appeal, and he doesn’t think she’s up to the task. Determined to prove him wrong, Allegra enlists the help of the lead dancer of an all-male revue, Cord Donovan, a classically trained dancer who is also the sexiest man she’s ever met. In exchange for lessons on how to ramp up her sex appeal, she promises to help Cord choreograph a new partner piece for his show.
As they practice their moves on and off the stage, Allegra and Cord find themselves battling a growing attraction. Except Allegra is determined not to let a man derail her career . . . but what if she could have both love and success? Or will her involvement with Cord jeopardize everything she’s worked for?
