"The Dance Deception" by Becky Ward is a thrilling mystery full of unexpected twists. Engaging from start to finish.

Gently and sensitively interwoven with some heavier, much more intense emotional undertones than I ever expected to find in a story of this kind, this was a book I found to be absolutely impossible to put down.

A lovely, light hearted, easy read. Sizzling good fun and a must-read for any fans of Strictly. I really enjoyed it and would look for more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really struggled to finish this book - I did but really found it a chore and was hoping the ending might improve but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.
The repetition about his bum was sooo annoying and completely unnecessary and didn't add anything to the book.
She was just irritating and I can't believe that anyone would be that silly to literally not care that a guy filmed them naked without their consent just because she thought they were hot - like that makes it okay?! and then for her to keep wanting to go back for me even though she knows he's married and a complete shit was just so jarring to read (especially her begging at his feet).

Im really sorry but it just wasn't for me - that doesn't mean other people won't find it an enjoyable read.

I love dance-centered reality TV shows and there have been some GREAT reads in this genre. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of them. It was a struggle to finish this one -- I found the characters unlikeable and I feel like I didn't get enough of Kate to really root for her.

A fun and flirty fake dating romance novel with all the glitz and glam of strictly thrown in. There was too much steam for me but you can just bypass these pages.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

As a fan of Dancing with the Stars, I was so eager to read this one! This was my first novel by Becky Ward. The spice hit you full force in the first few pages. Definitely not a slow burn by any means! I liked the unconventional way the story was told. It's definitely not what I've been used to in what I've been reading lately. There is a LOT of a drama, spice, angst, and a douche-bag womanizer that Ward does a great job of making us hate (all good things I promise). This has strangers to lovers and second chance romance tropes. If you are looking for a spicy, quick read for the beach then I definitely recommend.

Unfortunately DNF at 20%. Just I couldn’t get into it and then story felt very forced. I didn’t see the chemistry between Kate & Merle and didn’t really like Merle anyway, the sex seems to just happen out of nowhere with no build up and just yeah didn’t really care unfortunately.

A fun read, but the plot was a little slow at the beginning and I was confused about where it was going to go. The sex scenes also felt a little gratuitous at the beginning because there were so many with the male character that we knew wasn’t going to end up with our main character. Overall, it was a really fun concept and as someone who loves reality dance competitions I was thriving off of the setting and drama that was happening behind the scenes!

The Dance Deception by Becky Ward

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Avon and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Kate Wareing is astonished when she secures a place in a televised dance competition. Especially as it means she’ll be paired with a professional dancer to compete for a life-changing cash prize.

When she’s matched with gorgeous French dancer Merle it quickly becomes clear that he’s just as keen to work on their chemistry as their routine.

But when the competition is rocked by a scandal, Kate’s forced to switch to a new partner, Aleksis , who is just as devastatingly attractive as Merle – but seems to hate her.

With the odds stacked against them, Kate and Aleksis embark on a showmance to try and win over the public. But what happens when Kate’s feelings for her fake boyfriend become all too real? And how far will Merle go to sabotage her chances – both in the competition and in love?

My Opinion

This was a fun read. I have seen some mixed reviews but for me it worked well. The idea of a televised dance competition is not new, but the way this had been done was enough to hold my attention. Personally I would have loved to know a little more about what happened after the series had finished.

Rating 4/5

have to go with what other people are saying here. This is a difficult read. The summary seemed interesting and I was excited for it. I'd be never scene a book set in this industry before so it was refreshing but there's no depth, and lots of spice but no real plot.



Thank you Netgalley and Avon books UK
for the ARC in exchange for my review!

All a bit sad, overdone and obvious. I felt uncomfortable during the early scenes, at how Kate could allow herself to be taken in and used in such an obvious way. Not my cuppa tea, sorry.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for review.

This had an interesting premise - a reality dance show, like Strictly, but with average people and not celebs. It captured all the angst and drama that you can get from shows like Strictly into a romance book. It was an enjoyable read but a little flat at times. I mean, on paper it was very spicy - Kate has steamy sex throughout, but it almost becomes a bit meh. There’s not many standard romance books where the main character has sex with three different men, but more power to her 😅

What to expect:

- strictly vibes
- fake dating
- kind of a celeb romance

I read The Dance Deception and I have mixed feelings about this book. It is a contemporary fake dating romance. I really liked the setting, how everything revolves around the dance competition, as well as the competition itself, costumes, dances, and all the contestants, it was all exciting and lots of drama.
The writing style was ok for me, at times I would have really liked more detail and description about the actual dance composition and Kate and Aleksis interactions.
On the other hand, somethings I did not really like was the spice happened right at the beginning of this story and there was a lot of it, and I think it was a bit overdone. I did not really care for the character Kate, it was one thing to have that first mistake, but she kept making silly ones, especially with people she knew hurt her. Aleksis, we really did not get to know, just from his limited interactions with Kate. Also, the first half of this book was the buildup of this scandal with one love interest and relationship that the second half of this book seemed rushed, with limited development and very instata love and so it really fell flat and so heavily focused on the spice. I got bored at times and it felt redundant at points. I would not recommend reading this book. I found it both heavy handed in some areas and really lacking in others.
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

2.5 ⭐
The premise was interesting, but overall i didn’t completely enjoyed the story. Cute, but a little bit boring at times.

A cute rom com, featuring Kate as she takes part in a televised dance competition a la Strictly Come Dancing. It was very light and frothy with quite a lot of rude bits!! Fairly predictable in places, easy to pick up and put down.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kate is paired with professional dancer Merle in a TV competition .when their raunchy moves mean she has to swap partners to the moody Alexsis, she doubts she will win. Raunchy and enthralling, a different romcom .

The concept behind this story was truly engaging. Witnessing Kate's progression as she gained self-assurance throughout the dance competition was a highlight for me. However, I sensed that certain elements were extraneous, while others appeared hurried. The book provided a straightforward reading experience, yet it might not be the type of story I'd revisit. Despite this, I'd certainly suggest giving it a read, as individual perspectives can vary.

I extend my gratitude to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for granting me the opportunity to access this ARC ahead of time in exchange for my sincere feedback.

DNF @ 33%. The pacing is already horrendous this early on, and I cannot see that changing at any point soon. We know absolutely nothing about the characters in this story yet, and I am a third of the way in!!! They are both just sex fiends. I am all for spicy scenes. I love them! But there is no connection between Kate (fmc) and Merle (mmc) at this point, so it feels like spice with no feeling, no meaning, no necessity. They just keep doing it over and over and over in lieu of plot or character details. Then, Merle films Kate naked without her consent and tries to get her to like it! And he is married and doesn't tell her! And Kate STILL PINES FOR HIM!! YUCK! Have some self respect, girl! Merle treats her like garbage, her new partner Alexis treats her like garbage. I don't like this book so far, so I am DNFing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Becky Ward, and Avon Books UK for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.