Susan Elizabeth Phillips returns with a novel of longings, healing, acceptance and a little bit of humor!

Tess Hartsong is a midwife and young widow who is grieving and looking for balance again. So she takes off to Runaway Mountain in a small town in Tennessee.

But instead of peace and quiet, she encounters a grumpy artist with a craving for solitude, a fairy-tale sprite with a host of secrets, a helpless infant, curious teenagers, and a town not too welcoming of outsiders. Ian North will prove to be a challenge to Tess and all of her headstrong ideas.

I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips. As with all of her books, this one follows the relationship between two people and the romance that develops. Overall I enjoyed it. I liked the characters, that they were flawed and human. I did not feel like there was a lot of passion between the main characters though....the relationship developed pretty naturally I guess, but I missed the passion when comparing it with some of her other books. I guess that is how it is in the real world though....people like each other and get together, and there it is. One of the reasons I read her books is for the escapism of a love so strong and passionate, the characters can't live without eachother.

There was a lot going on in the story. Again, I suppose that is how it is in real life. There are interruptions and complications. Most of the time nothing is seamless and completely easy. Despite that, the author focused on the main characters and their journeys throughout the book.

I loved the descriptions of the scenery and the town, and could see it as I read.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. The opinions are my own.

It’s complicated. SEP usually writes light warm hearted stories and this book was not that. This book was complex, emotional and beautiful. Tess has escaped her busy life and settled in a small town where she spends her days working in a coffee shop and her nights dancing in the rain. When her path first crosses with Ian an unfriendly arrogant Artis Tess has no idea how much he will change her life. This story is a romance but more than that it is a story of these 2 characters finding their way out of grief. Tess was a smart strong female Who stood up for what she believed. Ian was a good guy, with a big heart, wrapped up in a lot of emotional armor. I loved watching the relationship between these two develop. There’s so much more to the story that I am not going to mention because I don’t want to spoil it for you. This was a compelling emotional read that hit me right in the heart. Nicole Poole narrates the audio and does a remarkable job of bringing the perfect voice to this stunning story.

This book in emojis 🌿 ⛈ 🤰🏻 ☕️ 🎨

*** Big thank you to William Morrow and Harper Audio for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

A mark of a good book in my opinion is my inability to put the book down. With Dance Away with Me, I couldn't put the book down. I had to know what was going to happen in this wild and romantic story. I've been patiently waiting for a new Susan Elizabeth Phillips story and it finally happened. Dance Away with Me was a touching story of two lost souls uniting.

I highly recommend this book!

Once again Susan Elizabeth Phillips proves why she’s an auto-read author for me. I love getting swept away in her settings (yeah, I definitely want to visit Runaway Mountain) and stories (I found myself moved to tears by the sorrow and heartbreak faced by Tess, then joy as she finds love with the Ian the surly artist. Phillips is a master at making me feel all the feels, and it never gets old.

I read this book in one sitting. It was what I like to call brain candy. It was fun and easy to read.

Far from her best book. I was looking forward to it but found it very hard to want to keep reading. There was no character I could root for.

Fantastical, wild, woodsy setting illustrating how mental anguish changes us. This was a little out of my comfort zone, but ultimately I loved this story of the many kinds of love - between friends, lovers, sisters, and parents & their babies.

This book is on the dark side for Susan Elizabeth Phillips, but it was so good. Tess and Ian find themselves caring for a newborn that isn’t theirs, while dealing with loss and falling in love and helping their small town evolve with the times. It’s a lot for 2 characters to deal with in one book, but it was handled well and a great read.

Robyn Carr's email recommended this book
sounded like an escape and a good read.
I love Tennessee Mountains! I love Knoxville!!

Escape to a perfect retreat!

No apologies, past grief, personal space, room for anger.
Escape to a story you can escape to and in another world
feel like living in for awhile, leaving reality behind.

Robyn and I are in agreement - this is a good read!!

When I first started reading this I was a little concerned that SEP was taking me somewhere I wasn’t really sure I wanted to go. I should have known better. This is classic SEP with a few twists. A heroine you can definitely root for and a hero to make you swoon. Both are classic SEP and take bit of prodding to figure out what is right in front of them the whole time.

A fine enough book, but not up to the usual standard for Susan Elizabeth Phillips. It's missing the usual pizzazz that her work usually has - the characters aren't quite as vibrant and lovable as usual. Plus, the plot is usually contrived, with coincidences and conveniences that are hard to ignore. I'm usually able to acknowledge these types of things and then let them go, but something about this plot never quite landed. It's fine for anyone who reads everything by this author, but this one isn't one I'd give to a new reader. I'd recommend her earlier books if I was trying to get someone hooked on Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

When a new book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips comes out, I know that I will be reading it immediately. This did not disappoint. Ian and Tess are both escaping their old lives and hiding out on the same mountain in a very small town. This story was exactly what I wanted right now. Such a comfortable tone and I was able to really invest in these characters, particularly Tess. I will be recommending it often in my library.

So happy to FINALLY have a new SEP book to read! I immediately became immersed in the story of the grieving widow Tess & couldn’t stop reading once she met the mysterious artist Ian! The perfect SEP formula of a handsome and surly hero, a plucky heroine, and modge podge of comedic characters from the small town of Runaway Mountain (like the Grateful Dead loving Fish!!!) makes this book a must read!

I'm a huge fan of Susan Elizabeth Phillips and love her Chicago series as well as her stand alone books.
I found Dance Away with Me to be a bittersweet romance.. These and Ian are both grieving trying to find peace in the mountains. They form a unlikely friendship that simmers with need and want for more however their past is keeping them healing.
Despite this, they put their energy towards their charge and worked out their differences by finding themselves.
I enjoyed the book but there were a lot of plots and sub plots that I didn't think the book needed.
I feel that a book isn't complete without an epilogue and this one hooked me . It was the perfect ending to their story.

I wasn’t a big fan of the author’s last novel, but <i>Dance Away with Me</i> was much better, in my opinion.

Tess is a widow who is still mired in grief at the beginning of the story, having fled her home and her midwifery practice to hide herself away in the mountains of Tennessee. Her isolation is interrupted when her pregnant neighbor Bianca goes into premature labor and dies after Tess delivers her baby. Tess then takes on the newborn’s care rather than leave the baby to the not-so-tender mercies of Ian North, the reclusive artist who lived with Bianca. Tess finds herself coming alive again as she cares for baby Wren, becomes entrenched in the lives of the other people in her new community, and spars with the aggravating (and aggravatingly attractive) Ian.

I don’t want to give away much more about the storyline, but I will say this—only in a romance novel would Ian take the course of action that he does when Tess begs him for help at a pivotal moment. That part of the plot is OTT, for sure. But it does set up the development of Ian and Tess’s relationship, so I guess I can’t quarrel with it too hard.

Fans of SEP’s lighter romances may struggle with this one, but I mostly prefer her more serious books, so I enjoyed it. The tone is very dark through much of the early part of the story, where Tess is still in mourning for her husband and then shellshocked by Bianca’s death, and Ian has his own demons that contribute to a grim outlook on life. The banter between Ian and Tess (one of the author’s strengths as a writer) adds some humor, though, as do Tess’s run-ins with some of the more colorful townsfolk. And Tess, Ian, and Wren get a suitably happy ending, of course.

Recommended for romance readers who don’t mind wading through some heavy emotions before the happily ever after.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Tess came to Runaway, TN after she lost her husband. She never thought that her grief would go away but then she encountered her pregnant neighbor. ARC from NetGalley.

This was a wonderful read! Ian and Tess both are wonderful characters that you can relate to with their personal journeys. Tess has been through such a heartbreaking experience and has come to Tennessee to heal, and dance. Ian and Bianca find themselves in Tennessee to slow down and take care of themselves emotionally. Once Wren is born Ian and Tess both are find themselves relying on each other, and soon feelings begin to grow for Wren and each other. This is such a fabulous book! Another great story from Susan Elizabeth Phillips! Happy Reading!

I enjoyed the book not what this author usually writes. The story starts out slow but does captivates you. The topics that the book touches on can be a bit heavy but don’t let that stop you from reading it. Tess Hartstrong escapes to Runaway mountain after her husband passes away. She was tired of the pitying looks around her, Tess meets Ian an artist and Bianca. The secondary characters are an interesting bunch and weaved into the story wonderfully. . As I mentioned before the topics are heavy dealing with death, grief and abuse and how the characters handle it. But it also has its sweet and sassy moments. You root for these Tess and Ian. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.

Nineteen years ago, I went into a little used book shop up the road from my house. Besides used paperbacks, she had new hardcovers that you could take for a week for a dollar. She recommended This Heart of Mine which started me on my SEP ( Susan Elizabeth Phillips) love affair. I was anxiously awaiting Dance Away with Me and I was not disappointed.
Widowed Tess Hartsong has moved to a very rustic cabin in Tempest, TN. She feels driven to dance to loud music outdoors to try and sooth her broken heart. One morning while dancing in the rain in her undies, a craggy mountain man comes down and shuts off the music and yells at her to have some consideration for others. In mid rant, a dainty pregnant woman comes down and shoos him away. She explains that he is Ian North, a world famous street artist and her husband. She is famous model Bianca and is about 7 months pregnant. Tess is a midwife but she can't bring herself to practice her specialty because of her depression.
Ian is determined to get Tess out of the neighborhood because he is aware of Bianca's quirky personality and he sees trouble ahead. Tess, however takes a job at the local general store/luncheonette. She gradually learns all is not what it seems with Ian and Bianca (not really his wife). She also runs afoul of local folk when she pushes safe sex, smoking cessation, and some other health initiatives that the very conservative townfolk aren't happy about.
When a tragedy happens, Tess and Ian are thrown together to raise a baby. This leads to all kinds of complications including a growing attraction between the two. In the meantime, trouble is brewing in the town and possibly around the baby's custody.
I loved all of the characters in this book and how their relationships grow and develop. I also loved the quirky town folk and their gradual acceptance of Tess and her ideas. Like her earlier books, the romance is always there and percolating but the character development is also so important. You can just picture these people by reading SEP's words and she never does anything that doesn't feel true to their character. We know Ian and Tess will get their HEA but it isn't easy and we don't want it to be.
All those years ago, I was so excited to find out that SEP had already written 12 books that I could read. She became an automatic buy for me both her written books and the audio versions. This book is a great addition to any SEPPIE's collection. I've read it twice and tomorrow I'll start listening to it with great enjoyment!