I looooooved the “Dancing with the stars” vibe and really enjoyed Stone and Gina’s romance. You could feel the sexual tension/chemistry between the two of them from the beginning. My only gripe is that the third act break up was a bit annoying and drawn out.

**thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

Take the Lead is a perfect romance novel for fans of Dancing with the Stars and reality TV in general. Its a very enjoyable book with likable characters, fun dancing and plenty of chemistry and heat between everyone. I would take a reality show with these two any day and I would totally watch a weird Alaska series if Stone was the lead. Highly recommend and look forward to reading more.

I enjoyed reading Take the Lead by Alexis Daria. The characters are wonderful! Enjoy!
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

Quick Summary: A fire and ice romance

My Review: Take the Lead by Alexis Daria was a scorching hot romance. It's book one in the new Dance Off series.

About Stone Nielson: Living in the wilds of Alaska is a way of life for Stone and his family. Unfortunately, it's become a slow death for him. He's sacrificed his own happiness out of a sense of obligation to his family. When he suddenly finds himself on a dance show competition, partnered with a sexy firestarter, he begins to realize that wanting more doesn't have to come at a loss.

About Gina Morales: Gina wanted more for her life and her career. She had given her all and she would succeed based on her talent, her drive, and her intellect...all without compromising her integrity. When she'd agreed to partner with an Alaskan hunk for a dance show competition, she had no idea that he would melt her heart with his sweet words and actions. Is she fooling herself into thinking that she can have it all?

About the Story: When Stone and Gina come together for Dance Off, they are immediately attracted to each other. Although both try a hands off approach to their relationship, it is soon clear that their explosive chemistry is a powder keg that will detonate if given the chance to do so. What will the Alaskan survivalist and the Latina dancer do with all that heat?

My Final Say: 💣💣💣💥 Need I say more?

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: R

Thank you to the author, to St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin, and to NetGalley who provided access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are voluntarily offered.

This was SO good!! It was my first Alexis Daria book, and it certainly won't be my last! I used to be obsessed with "Dancing With the Stars," so I loved this so much. The chemistry between Stone and Gina was crazy, the plot moved quickly, and the story was really good! Overall, I would definitely recommend this book :)

I had tons of fun reading this spicy rom com! It was cool getting a look at what it could be like behind the scenes of a dance show competition. I love the chemistry between our main characters. Stone has to easily be one of my favorite male romance leads. And I loved how passionate about her work and goals Alexis was. I have nothing but good things to say about this book.

I was excited to read this one because I've loved other Alexis Daria books, and it was really entertaining and fun and a read you can binge in one sitting! Since I've loved her other books, this one just didn't meet the expectations I had for it, but I still felt like it was a really great book! Gina is an ambitious and strong woman, and Stone brought some good chemistry.

I wouldn't call this Alexis Daria's best book, (granted it is only her first) but you should still read it for yourself!

read if you like:
💃🏻reality dance shows
💃🏻enemies to lovers
💃🏻hot outdoorsman vibes
💃🏻character driven

I really love her books and this one was no exception. They are just so fun. They keep you turning pages and leaves you smiling.

Alexis Daria's debut novel did not disappoint!

Puerto Rican professional dancer + Mountain man reality star + dance competition = what more can i say other than read this book!

Gina and stone were perfect for each other, and I love that we got equal of both throughout this story!

Wow! This book is SO GOOD! Whenever I picked up "Take the Lead", I found myself whisked away, and could not put this book down!

Firstly, this cover is INCREDIBLE! Also, as a dancer myself, as soon as I heard about this book, I just knew I needed to read it!

Alexis Daria is a wonderful author! Her writing style is vivid and her storytelling simply jumps off of the page. The chemistry between Gina and Stone is so palpable as well!

Gina, a professional dancer who is on a reality TV show, gets paired with Stone, a man who has starred on a survivalist TV show. I do not want to say too much about the plot due to spoilers, but, I will say, this book has so much in it! The passion on and off the dance floor, secrets, twists and turns, and so much more.

If you enjoy Romance Books, I highly recommend this novel! I so look forward to reading what Ms. Daria writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Griffin) for the ARC of this book! All opinions
expressed in this review are my own.

I've loved Alexis Daria in the past and TAKE THE LEAD had a lot of the great things this author brings. Gina is a strong, focused, ambitious lead who works her ass off and is also vulnerable in certain situations. And Stone is the muscled outdoorsman hero I needed in my life. A sex god who also loves his family? Yes please.

Stone and Gina had insane chemistry and I loved this opposites attract pairing. Prepare yourself for seriously steamy sex scenes between these two! I was here for every page of it.

This book did move pretty slowly in the middle. It is set on a TV Dance Competition and it was pretty heavy on the show storylines and I was wishing there was more story outside if that world. I also wish the antagonist had a few more layers. The "bad guy" in TAKE THE LEAD was a fleetingly present, all bad, horrible person that everyone hated. I just wish there had been more to that character.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: Rated NC-17 / 5+ sex scenes, harsh language. *MIGHT* include props/bondage.
𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦: past parent abandonment
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦: 2/5 - A bit of drama, but still a pretty light read.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Take the Lead stars Gina Morales, a dancer who wants to make it big. She’s been on The Dance Off for four years but has yet to win a season or even make it to the finals. Enter her rugged co-star/dance partner for the season, Stone Nielson. Stone is best known as a minor celebrity on an Alaskan wilderness reality show. Stone will do anything for his family, which includes their reality show and now this dance competition. Gina will do anything to win in an honest way. That does not include a showmance and she’s not going to let her attraction to Stone distract her.

This book reminded me of Dancing With The Stars in the best way! It was fun, sexy, and well-paced. I knew to expect these things as I’ve read Alexis Daria books before. It was cute and spicy, which I loved. It was a really fun read!

Is Stone Gina’s ticket to win it all? Is Gina Stone’s ticket off the reality show and back into the life he wants to live? You’ll have to read it to find out!

Take the Lead gives a sultry glance inside dance competitions and the toll they take physically and personally. Daira is an expert in infusing romance into every day interactions. I love the infusion of Latin culture and familial expectations. While the romance is a slow burn, the plot could have used a little more depth in regards to the families of both the main characters. This would have added depth to Stone and Gina

Did di my best with this book, but it just was not engaging at all. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and it felt like it was just a romance written for a class on writing romance rather than for an audience.

I desperately wanted to love this but I just couldn’t get there. I did like that it had that DWTS/Reality tv feel but it was hard to connect with the story and stay engaged with the plot/characters

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this eARC and review for an honest opinion.

Alexis Daria has the precious ability of coming up with great ideas for romance novels and writing spicy scenes and then forget about character development all together. Yes, we get a back story for the male lead but I could not connect with either of them. They seem very superficial and have no maturity when having an argument or when trying to fix their relationship. The spiciness is appropriate and makes up for the lack of everything else. If I'm honest, it was the only thing that kept me reading. I have read her other series and I have noticed that this is her only issue.

Oh my gosh this novel is so much fun! Alexis Daria's debut Take the Lead is rereleased with a stunning new cover and an absolute must read for any Dancing with the Stars lover! Daria's tone is fun and knowledgeable, she has an ease with her writing that makes the moments accessible and easily imagined. Daria's characters are well rounded, interesting and their chemistry is blazing! I adore this novel from start to finish and it is such a strong debut and I am so happy it is getting recirculation!

If you are an avid watcher of reality tv, this novel perfectly embraces the feel, the competition and that manipulation that surround the underlying tension of these shows. Daria's writing embraces the charm of these series and beautifully highlights the tension and seduction of the fifteen minute of fame culture that these shows are built around. I absolutely adored the hero and heroine, both are smart, hard workers and career driven. Their chemistry is off the charts and Daria stunningly illustrates the sexual tension that builds out of attraction and respect. I loved watching these two work together, listen to each other, and wish the best for the other. These two easily understand each other, and the romance between them is fiery are romantic. I really enjoyed the backdrop of dance competition and Daria is a master at crafting her scenes, I could easily image everyone and I was swept up into the excitement and steam!

Take the Lead is definitely a must read for any dance lover! You are sure to enjoy the romance, athleticism, and artistry that is beautifully plotted! I can not wait for the re-release of the other novels in this series by Daria and I am definitely looking forward to continuing to watch her writing grow!

Gina and Stone are paired to dance together on a dance competition show and Gina feels like this might finally be her year to win.

The producers want the couple to play up the showman's angle and Gina is not interested in doing that but these two cannot deny their growing chemistry and feelings for one another.

It's so interesting to see these two dance around each other.

This was a quick read that I really enjoyed.

Alexis Daria writes the sexiest, spiciest romances of all time. They feel good, they make me excited and my heart swells while reading. This was a solid win for me.

i love dwts, so i was so so excited for an arc of this one! unfortunately, it just didn’t develop in a way that worked for me, but i still enjoyed some elements.

for one, the actual concept of the show and the mismatched partnership set up a really fun story. i love the city girl/country boy concept, and the visuals of the show and dances were super fun.

this book, however, is blatant insta-lust. that’s not my preferred trope, and it felt like that element never really let up, especially in the second half of the book. their height difference seemed to be their biggest connection (lol but actually) and ultimately the love story just wasn’t enough for me.

i loved the elements of interesting background relationships, the spanish speaking, and some sections of the writing were really vivid and fun. i do wish the conflict was a bit stronger and that it differentiated from what was happening on camera more.

ultimately, this book was gorgeous on the outside (this cover!!!!!!) but missed some of the substance on the inside for me.

thanks so much to the publisher and netgalley for the earc!!!!!!!! <3