I haven't read much SEP, but I think her fans will be pleased with this latest work! Tess's story is very emotional and at times even difficult to read, but it's also a story of hope and starting over, filled with lovely characters and a vivid, cozy setting. There's also a good mix of humor and levity to balance out the heavier explorations of grief. Overall an enjoyable, romantic read!

There are a few things I’ve come to expect when I crack open a SEP book.
A gruff hero, a spirited heroine, humor and enough conflict to build some angst—usually brought by the hero acting like a total jerk, all of it packaged in a heartwarming romance.

Dance Away With Me offers all of the above and more, however it was positively different from what I’m used to from this author. For instance, I didn’t expect the story to hit me in the feels and make me cry ugly tears 15% in. It's a definite somber take, some could even describe one particular scene gruesome, especially coming from SEP. It’s downright tragic, but trust Susan Elizabeth Phillips to balance heartbreak with heartfelt and heartwarming feels. She does it brilliantly.

(I can’t help but feel some readers would need a content warning, so I’ll drop a spoiler at the end of this review, be aware that this is also a huge spoiler for the rest of the story.)

I’m sure some reviews will let you in about what links the character together, but my advice is that you’re better off discovering this for yourself. It's a real challenge not to tell about it in this review, considering how such a MAJOR factor it plays in the book. Please forgive me for this vague review but I don't want to spoil the book!

Let me tell you a little bit more about the characters then!

You like your heroes toeing the line of assholes? You’ll be in fine company with Ian North. It took me a good quart of the book to determine if he was worth redeeming, fortunately he does. The jerk. Still, I was now counting on some major growth of character from him, hoping for a nice good grovel even—which he kinda delivers. His level of irascibility was intense, he sure owned his role of tortured hero!

“You don't strike me as a callous heartbreaker. You're fairly decent. when you're not being a jerk.”

Tess made the book for me. She’s a lot to take in, presented as a broken woman, a widow, I wasn’t expecting her to be the image of fierceness and resilience. She has the distinct trademark personality all SEP heroines share: temper, snark, stubborness and a little bit of crazy. Tess Hartsong was fanciful alright!

“-Do you have any personality—other than the dark and mysterious part?
-I have lots of personality.
-Aloof? Foreboding?”

Along the way, Tess uplifting snark helping, SEP guides us into more familiar territory, humor and banter break through, the grouchy hero reveals cracks in his armor and all pieces of this incredible puzzle SEP has laid out for us start to come together. The somber feels from the beginning recedes only to let room for the most excruciating slow burn between Tess and Ian.
Or should I say Tess, Ian... and the rest of the town.

I love a small town setting so I wasn’t disappointed by all the side characters popping in here and there but I would have loved to see more development in the romance between Tess and Ian. ALONE. It needs acknowledging that this wasn’t a lovestory about two characters. The whole town is in on it!
The many intrusions from side characters played a good part in the almost intolerable tension growing between Tess and Ian, so when they finally get TOGETHER… the sense of gratification and the feeling of urgency that comes alive on the pages is reward enough.

I adored seeing the teens dropping by the house for their sex-ed talks with Tess, Ian in the background trying not to laugh. I loved how Tess, retired midwife was such a disturbance in this secluded small town, especially at her job at the Broken Chimney, serving coffees, ice cream, pies, refusing to sell cigarettes but advocating for condoms on the counter to the folklore of people of Tempest, Tennessee.

I absolutely loved Dance Away With Me, Susan Elizabeth Phillips offers here what every romance reader want: Laughter, tears and love... only a little backward. ;)

“Tess Hartsong was a woman who offered her heart too freely. The worst thing she could do would be to give it away to a man who couldn't treasure it.
He intended to make sure that didn't happen.”

Dance Away with Me is Susan Elizabeth Phillips at her best. Centering on midwife Tess, who fled to Runaway Mountain because she couldn’t escape her grief, this story explores her journey back to life.

Most romance novels start with characters who are at an equilibrium; when they are at a “normal” part of their lives, but Dance Away with Me is unique in that it starts when Tess is at rock bottom. Her husband’s been dead for two years, but she hasn’t been able to pull herself out of her grief, and she is sick of the people around her pitying her and telling her to get over it. So she decides to run away from everything to the aptly named mountain. There is nowhere for her to go but up, and she does…after she loses her first mother as a midwife and adopts her baby, Wren, into her heart.

Tess’s journey back to herself is heartwarming and fun, as she can’t help herself from helping the teenagers of the town with sex ed and everyone else with the injuries and problems they bring to her. Readers can tell she’s not ready to let her grief go, but with this town of characters around her, she manages to be.

Ian, the male lead, is important as the male lead in this romance, but really, this is Tess’s story and that is exactly as it should be.

I generally love anything by Susan Elizabeth Phillips and have been known to stay up and read all night. If I am going to be honest about Dance Away with me, I have mixed feelings. I found myself putting down this story a few times. The book was missing its quick-witted humor I like the plot and the character. We are living in a time of grief and I found it hard to deal with at this time. I had a few issue with how Tess coped with her grief. I would give it 3 to 4 stars

I can honestly say I have read every book this woman has written. I could not believe my good luck when her latest appeared in my list. Tess is looking to run, from her grief, her old life, her dead husbands hold on her. Ian a renowned street artist who has evolved into an internationally acclaimed artist is running, from the clinging, neurotic art scene, from a monumental creative block. Their paths collide because Tess likes to dance in anger with the music on full blast. Their confrontation reveals a man in a remote part of Tennessee with a rather famous model in tow, who is very pregnant. Tess is a certified midwife and Bianca is bored and soon the two connect. A connection Ian seems to discourage. The inevitable birth scene instead of going smooth reverses to a nightmare of deadly results, with a deathbed promise from Tess to Bianca to care for her child. What follows are changes of heart,sparks of love and a fierce lesson in love on a level worth applauding. The people of Tempest Tennessee will never be the same and we readers are the better for it.

The pace of this book is the only thing holding it back for more stars. Sometimes the story seemed rushed and heavy topics moved along too fast. For a romance fiction, it had a lot of unusual twists.

I have been reading this author’s stories for years and doubt there is one that I haven’t enjoyed and laughed while reading. This one was just as fabulous of a story but one that made me laugh and made me cry. The angst in the story was palpable and yet, I was always cheering on each and every character. How someone can put down in words the things she does is beyond me but it is the reason she is such an award winning author.

A widow, a gifted artist and a small town come together in this story in such a way that you will feel it in your heart and soul for days to come. I laughed out loud at times, knowing the author was chuckling herself as she wrote some parts and almost cried at other paragraphs for the absolutely accurate emotions described.

Give this one ten stars for the talented storytelling and believable look into what life can throw at you and still allow a person to emerge victorious!

I was honored to be gifted an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was promised or received for the review.

Tess has run away (sorta) to small town Tennessee. A former midwife and widow, she needs to heal. Instead she becomes a caregiver for a newborn, slowly builds a relationship with a respected street artist struggling to create, and works to bring sex education to the town's youth. Stellar character building that grow and heal make this one excellent romance.

In Dance Away with Me by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Moving to the Tennessee mountains is a new start for widowed midwife, Tess Hartsong. It's been two years since she lost her beloved husband and she's still fumbling through each day, filled with anger and a profound sense of loss. But Tess hopes Runaway Mountain and the nearby small town of Tempest will fill the void, giving her something else to focus on. She should be careful what she wishes for next time, though. Because it turns out her closest neighbor, well-known street artist Ian North, isn't a fan of Tess dancing away her troubles in her yard with the music blaring. Nor does he seem to like her stubbornness. It's a good thing Tess doesn't have to deal with Ian much. Until tragedy strikes.

Ian isn't really sure what to think about Tess, but she appeared in his life just when he needed a helping hand–as much as he hates to admit it. With his life in chaos, his art career at a standstill, and new responsibilities he's not sure he's capable of handling, Ian comes to rely heavily on Tess's strength and strong will. As gossip about them circulates with the locals and some of the outlying neighbors show up at the door wanting help, Tess becomes everyone's go-to person–even Ian's. Although it irks her at first, it helps fill her days with something other than sad thoughts of her husband. She even feels the beginnings of chemistry with Ian. Something Tess never thought would ever happen again. Maybe, just maybe, Runaway Mountain was a good place to escape to, after all.

Quirky small-town charm and an intense relationship between two grief-stricken individuals made Dance Away with Me a unique reading experience from perennial favorite Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

I'm going to be completely honest about Dance Away with Me: I have mixed feelings. And I waffled between giving this a 3.5 or a 4 star rating because of it. I generally love anything by Susan Elizabeth Phillips and will simply devour her books in one day. But I actually found myself putting this story aside a few times. It's not that I didn't like the plot or the characters. I definitely did. It was that the quick-witted humor I'm used to seemed a little…awkward here. It felt a bit disjointed having Tess or Ian joke, even briefly, in some scenes due to how dark the storyline was overall. Because for all the fun moments the offbeat locals brought to the table and the dry humor between Ian and Tess, this book did deal with some very heavy subjects.

Without giving away too many details, there were two deaths Tess and Ian had to contend with: Tess's husband who died two years prior, and one death during the first third of this book that affected both Ian and Tess–and which changed their lives greatly. I did like seeing the little ways they helped each other as they processed their loss. Most of the time Ian and Tess were at odds with each other, but the moments they connected were beautiful. It seemed like they were too different to get along at times, being that he was an artist and she was a midwife, but deep down they had a lot of the same beliefs and even interests. The spark of attraction was as much of a slow burn as was their romance. But it worked. And I think SEP showed how passionate they were as individuals and as a couple in a very realistic, sigh-worthy way.

A story about loss, new beginnings, romance, and small-town woes, Dance Away with Me was another memorable novel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

For me, this is a 2.5 star book. This story is decidedly Not My Jam,.

CW: On page child abuse, death in childbirth.

I didn't connect with either of the main characters. There's an infant through most of the book which is also Not My Jam. There were also a few turns of phrase that pulled me right out of the book.

SEP creates a vivid location with a surprisingly large cast of characters which will appeal to a lot of readers, I'm sure.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for review.

Author Susan Elizabeth Phillips often writes about fun, sassy women. This book was a bit of a change up, as much of it had a bit of melancholy about it. Don't get me wrong. There was plenty of sassiness and sexiness along with a great story line, but there was also a low level of sadness throughout the book, and that gave this story a depth that is sometimes missing from romance novels.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to #NetGalley, the author and publisher for this opportunity.

Spent the rainy weekend reading this ! It was the perfect "curl up on the couch" kind of escape. Loved the characters and was a unique storyline. I love the author - and she came through with another winner.

Dance Away With Me is the latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Tess Hartsong has escaped to Runaway Mountain to forget the pain and heartache of her past. Once settled in her remote cottage she meets several characters that also inhabit the mountain including a famous model, a family of survivalist preppers, a coffee shop owning Dead Head, and the famous artist Ian North. Ian has come to the mountain to escape his own issues and create in peace. When circumstances throw Tess and Ian together can they heal themselves and each other?
This book, the first from Phillips in four years, is an excellent example of why her work is so popular with readers. Phillips is a master at creating characters that make us think, feel, and laugh in stories that not only are romantic but tackle difficult subjects. Tucking into this book was like getting a letter from a much loved friend. Phillips’ characters, plot, and pacing were so good that I read over half the novel before noticing.

Tess is the quintessential Phillips heroine, maybe a bit battered and bruised, but definitely stronger than she realizes. She’s mourning the loss of her husband and unsure how she can move on. All she knows is that she’s isolated in the mountains and that’s exactly what she needs. She doesn’t intend to make friends, but suddenly gathers around her a community of misfits and outcasts that are so well written they feel real.

The hero Ian reminded me of some of my favorite Phillips heroes, his gruffness and secret inner softness will be very familiar to any fan of the author’s previous works. The chemistry between the two is some of the best Phillips has written. I love that Phillips can give us such an excellent hero that is not entirely perfect, but exactly what the heroine needs. One of the best things about this book was how both Tess and Ian silently and vocally supported each other through difficult times.

Dance Aways With Me showcases one of Phillips’ greatest strengths, which is the ability to tack the story to a very dark place before bringing it back out in a most spectacular way. She uses her incredible talent to tackle several difficult topics in this book including: miscarriages, teen pregnancy, death, grief, and small town prejudices. Yet, through all these difficult topics we get a passionate love story between Ian and Tess, funny small town antics, and beautiful friendships. I think some readers may be cautious of the topics in this book, but I can assure you Phillips handles everything with grace and tact that makes even the hardest topics enjoyable to read.

Overall, I loved this book, and was pleased to see that even though it had been several years since the last book Phillips has not lost her touch. This book reminded me of her previous works This Heart of Mine and Nobody’s Baby But Mine, which both handle similar topics to Dance Away With Me. Any fans of Phillips will be happy with her latest entry, and I’d highly recommend this novel to any new readers that are looking for a romance with a lot of passion and heart.

~ Lindsey

Will post review week of release

I want to give this more than five stars because it’s that good. SEP took on a mighty cast of characters, many of whom had suffered a death of loved ones. It talks about a number of ways in which grief is handled, good and bad. It pits two characters who are more empathic than civil and places a baby, orphaned, between them, as they face a long and rocky road to their HEA. Their relationship grows in fits and starts, while they focus more on a newborn than on each other. Fear not, romance readers, love finds a way to their crusty old hearts, and it speaks to SEP’s prowess as a writer that their love evolves naturally and believably. Can a rusty midwife find love with an outlaw graffiti artist? It appears it can. This is a rippingly riveting read.

Dance Away With Me
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
June 9, 2020

Two years after her husband Trav’s death Tess Hartsong could not pull her life back together. Living in Milwaukee only made my soul more lonely. There she was a wife, nurse, and a registered midwife. Seeing her patients only made it more difficult not to think about him and all the wonderful plans she and Trav had made together. She started looking on the internet for somewhere new to start over. She stumbled upon the Runaway Mountains in East Tennessee. The nearby small town of Tempest was nestled into the hills and valleys of the mountain range. Folks there picked up mail, shopped for their groceries and stopped by the little cafe called The Broken Chimney for coffee and donuts, lunch, or just to say hello to others. When she came to Tempest the day after she arrived at her new home, she took the short drive to purchase the necessaries for starting her new life in the Runaway Mts. She bought the cabin sight unseen from photos on the Internet. They looked better than it actually was but the price was good and she could fix it up one day at a time. There was furniture, old but usable. The only thing that she would replace was the bed as it was nasty and old.
Tess spent time cleaning and washing down her new home. When she got tired she would turn the music up and run outside to dance and enjoy her land, the trees and the magic sunshine that streamed through the trees. It wasn’t long before she saw a man, a very large, tattooed man running into the yard. He was screaming so loud, she was alarmed but confused about what his problem was. He snapped off the speaker and proceeded to let her know that there would be no more loud music. He lived nearby and he could not concentrate on his painting. He was an artist and the music rattled his mind so much he lost his visions. It wasn’t long until a beautiful wisp of a woman zipped across the wooden bridge. She was trying to get her husband, Ian to settle down. The day was beautiful, he should take his insults and go home. Bianca introduced herself to Tess and suggested talk over tea.
Phillips’ story begins quickly with introductions of the main characters. It drew me in immediately. As I continued on with the trio’s storyline I was connected to the instant friendship of the women as well as Ian’s protection of Bianca. She talked of his emotional closeness as they recently moved into the remodeled schoolhouse just up the hill from Tess’s cabin.
The lives of these three people caused me to laugh, to cry, and nonstop reading about the wonders of the mountain and the relationships of townsfolk. I have read other books by Susan E. Phillips enjoyed them, but Dance Away With Me was a magical story of what life can be, along with the pain of loss. It is difficult to suggest too much about this story. From the start the narrative flowed smoothly, so smoothly the reader became very involved in this little town of Tempest. I thoroughly enjoyed her novel. It could have gone on and on. Susan Elizabeth Phillips novel Dance Away With Me will be published on June 9, 2020 by HarperCollins publishers. It is truly a contemporary romance not to miss! Pick this one up and enjoy.

Readers have waited a long time for another novel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. This was a sweet and heartfelt story about the power of new beginnings. If you like Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ other books, you’ll enjoy this one as well.. Wow is the first thing I can say about this book!! I loved every minute of reading this story.. This is not the usual SEP book with tons of humor but like most of her books covers a variety of issues .The characters even the minor ones are well developed and evoke emotions. Both the main characters are tortured souls. my only wish is for the epilogue to tell how much time had passed.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the story and the characters. However, Tess always seemed to be unerringly correct. Her opinions were always right, and she always seemed to do and say the rIght things at the right time. It made the the storyline and her personality a little less relatable. Despite that, it was a well written story that I would happily recommend.

First off thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC. This is the first time I am reading Susan Elizabeth Phillips but I understand she has quite the following already. This novel did not disappoint! I found Tess and Ian's personalities a bit rough at times, I really enjoyed the romance that blossomed between the two of them.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips is definitely an author who previous works I will look out for.

I’m a big fan of Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I’ve read every single one of her books and was very excited to find that she had written another!

As I read this novel, I was surprised. First off, it was a terrific book that featured loss of all kinds, love, friendship, and growth. I was surprised only because it was much more thought provoking than some of her other novels. The drama of losing someone and the side effects of PTSD from the event should not be taken lightly. Phillips integrated many serious women’s health topics throughout this novel while still making it romantic and comical.

Out of all her novels, this is the one I feel showed the most character growth. I really had begun to dislike one of the main characters but by the end he was my favorite. She created a wonderful story of a community that gets heavily disrupted but learns so many lessons in the process and becomes better for it.

I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone who loves a bit of drama, romance and friendship. It’s light at times and heavier at others but the reader will finish this book with a different look on life.

Two lonely, imperfect, unsociable, loving people meet on Runaway mountain. Sign me up - I'm moving there. Absolutely loved this romp.