I love Alexis Daria so much. She has never let us down and this book shows us why she is a consistent auto-buy or auto-read. I loved every bit of this, especially the merging of cultures.

Opposites attract in this reality dance competition romance between two dance partners. I LOVED this backlist re-issue from one of my favorite authors!! Gina and Stone were two main characters who were incredibly easy to root for and their chemistry was on FIRE!!

Heartfelt and spicy and great on audio too narrated by Seraphina Valentine. I can't wait for the other books in this series to come out on audio. If you like reality television romances like One to watch or Dancing with the Stars you don't want to miss this! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is the second book I've read by Alexis Daria and it won't be the last! Take the Lead was a fun spin on a Dancing with the Stars romance and I loved every second of it.

Gina is a seasoned dance professional on The Dance Off, a popular dancing competition that pairs professional dancers with celebrities and reality stars. She's never won before and the pressure is on this season. Nature survivalist Stone is more comfortable in quiet Alaska than the streets of LA, but he has his own reasons for trying to win the show. The pair may seem ill-suited as partners, but it's not long before sparks begin to fly.

You don't need to be a fan of Dancing with the Stars to enjoy Take the Lead, but I do think you may enjoy it more. I loved seeing the cast tackle all of the different dance styles and the backstage drama all felt very real. It felt like I was watching a season of the show. The chemistry between Gina and Stone was palpable throughout the novel and I felt they were a really great match who worked to overcome real drama. I hope Natasha gets a book next!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a review copy.

This book was a joy to read, and I had so much fun with these characters. The characters were amazing and funny and seemed to have real struggles. I loved the way that Gina and Stone bonded I definitely felt like they had chemistry and I loved how much dance was incorporated into the book it made it so interesting. Gina was also very relatable in terms of struggling with having a relationship when she wanted to focus on her career due to problems in the past. I also loved seeing how they were going to dance every week. Overall loved the characters and it was a fun and quick read with a great romance. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for our honest review.

A fun book that reminds me of dancing with the stars.

Cute story with a fun premise, I read it in one night!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Alexis Daria is a new-to-me author. I was immediately drawn to Take the Lead.. The novel is immediately immersive. Gina is strong, determined and she has an amazing dance talent, both for teaching and dancing. Stone is mysterious and self-centered. He took longer to feel for.

The attention to detail is amazing. We see a challenging, cautious, then caring side to both of them. I liked this, as it gave their relationship a playful angle.

Is this strictly business or pleasure?

The writing style was very good and the attention to detail was perfect. Every very word was chosen for maximum effect, whether that is to create atmosphere for setting or character development.

Thanks to Alexis Daria and St Martin's Griffin for my eARC n exchange for an honest and voluntary review. Take the Lead was thoroughly enjoyable.

Really looking forward to more books from this author.



5 stars.

A closed-off dancer and a wilderness expert collide in a reality TV competition, sending sparks flying and exposing the darker side of Hollywood in Alexis Daria's "Take the Lead."

All Gina Morales wants to do is win. This is her fifth season on the popular dancing competition, The Dance Off, where she's always come close to the end, but never quite made it. Gina hopes that this season's partner will be able to keep up with her and get them the gold - something she doesn't expect from wilderness expert and television survivalist Stone Nielson. When the partners meet, the chemistry is off the charts, throwing both Gina and Stone for a loop as they navigate the press chasing after their romance and the real-life impact of their connection.

I really enjoyed Daria's writing style throughout the majority of this novel! Gina had a great personality that jumped off the page from the get-go. The first meeting between Gina and Stone is still one of my favorite scenes, especially with Gina's panicked internal dialogue as she realizes the producers are pushing the two of them together as a showmance, or faux couple, just to raise the show's ratings.

My issues with this book ranged, but mostly they boiled down to the fact that after the first meeting, I found myself not really invested in Gina and Stone's relationship. The dialogue was a little stilted for me and didn't feel quite realistic, especially with the constant back and forth of reminding the reader that almost every initial interaction is being filmed. Some of the situations the two of them are put in feel ridiculous, and while I could have disregarded a few of them for it being a romantic comedy, it did feel like they kept getting thrown into unrealistic situations. I think I would have personally preferred a toned down version that let the characters breathe and have a bit more of an emotional connection.

This book is perfect for avid watchers of Dancing with the Stars (in the states) or Strictly Come Dancing (in the UK) and for fans of celebrity romances that throw in the stress of the public eye. Overall, I really enjoyed the remastered version of Daria's debut and can see myself picking up the rest of the books in this series because I did enjoy the author's writing style!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review.

An entertaining and sexy read!
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

- TAKE THE LEAD is a reissue of Alexis Daria's first book. You can see where her writing has improved over the years, as well as what she's always been great at: chemistry that sparks right off the page.
- To be honest, romance novels where the man is so huge and the woman is so tiny have never really been for me, and this book kept hammering their sizes home. Your mileage may vary, of course.
- I did love the dance competition show setting though. All those rehearsals of intimate dances made for excellent tension building!

I haven't read anything by Alexis Daria before, and didn't realize this is a re-release. I was delighted to receive an ARC (for this unbiased review), because I am so glad this came onto my radar! Take the Lead is sweet and funny and very steamy, and I really enjoyed the reality TV aspect and of course the fictitious Dancing with the Stars plotline. As a former ballroom dancer (though only of the amateur reality) I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the choreography! The romance is simmering with tension and heat and although I knew how it would end... I did not have any idea how Daria would resolve the very real issues the hero and heroine faced on their way to happily ever after.

This checked so many boxes for me, and I found it thoroughly enjoyable. Highly recommended, 4.5 stars!

Alexis Daria never disappoints. Another really great one that I devoured very fast. Her books are always flirty and sexy with lots of fun and great representation, this was no exception. I always love a new book from her

SO happy with another book from another one of my auto buy authors!! AND i finally got my hands on a physical copy <3 my dwts + showmance heart loved this so much !!

Foxtrot, Tango, Rumba, Jive... I'm so glad the traditional publishishing of Take the Lead is finally live!
Alexis Daria's first novel (written before the Primas of Power) was a silent nod for fans of Dancing with the Stars.

Gina Morales is the ultimate professional working towards the trophy during her 5th season and is paired up with the silent stoic wilderness survivalist Stone. The stakes are high as her producer has threatened her chances of returning and he is in need of the prize money to help pay for family expenses. Just as much as they are fighting to win, they are fighting their attraction on camera.

I loved the Alexis purposefully called out the stereotype that often plagues latino women of being oversexualized while also calling out subtle double standards we set again asking consent to touch men. There is no shortage of representation in the diversity of characters that don't feel forced. In addition, Alexis did something that could be controversial for some but felt very responsible to me, which was introduce a plan b pill to the storyline when many authors would ignore the risk. I respect and appreciate her for her fearlessness and authenticity in her writing.

While she ensures not the sexualize Gina on camera and for the benefit of social media, that didn't tamper down any adult activities shared between Stone and Gina. Their chemistry was leaping off the page and we all felt the heat. She said, "injury be damned, Stone is getting rewarded for catching Gina."

Tropes: Opposite Attract, Size difference, he falls first.

I have high hopes that we will get a traditional release of Dance with me so I can get the backstory behind Natasha and Dimitri!

I ADORED Take the Lead by Alexis Daria and know many others will as well.

Gina is a pro dancer who has been on The Dance Off reality show for multiple seasons. Her number one rule: never have a showmance, don't fall in love with a celebrity dancer. But this season she has met her match with Alaskian survivalist Stone. All is fair and love on the dance floor.

I flew through this fast paced novel and was shocked to discover this was Daria's first. As a fan of Dancing with the Stars, I enjoyed the take on reality dancing and the behind the scenes look. This dual point of view novel had equal parts spice and everything nice. I urge follow romantic readers to pick up and be delighted with Take the Lead!

For the first time in my life I'm mildly interested in watching Dancing with the Stars...

Anyway, this was very cute and fun!

Opposites attract in this freshly polished re-release from Alexis Daria.

Dancer Gina Morales wants to win on her own terms. She has big dreams, and winning a season of reality TV show The Dance Off—think Dancing with the Stars—is just the beginning. She is good, so, so good at her job, and she wants to win based on her merits. When she’s partnered up with strong but silent, giant-of-a man Stone Nielson, she realizes her producers are trying to manipulate things behind the scenes.

A showmance. They are looking for a showmance.

And Gina? She’s not interested in faking a relationship for the show. Her reputation and what she represents are too important to her.

Stone? He does not want to be on the show, but he’ll do anything to support his family. He cut ties with everything and everyone to join their survivalist show in Alaska, and now he’s dropping himself into a televised dancing competition in L.A. for them. And this attraction to Gina is unexpected.

The chemistry between Gina and Stone is palpable. Will they be able to fight it? Or can they at least keep it off camera?

I loved this one! The sparks. The sizzle. The heat. The steam. The stop-to-fan-yourself love scenes. The emotions between the two MCs. The way they open up to each other. The dances. The friendships. Gah!

I can’t wait to get my hands on Natasha’s story next and hope to see many more books in this series in the future.

I received a review copy from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

This was a really cute read and the chemistry between Gina and Stone was seriously off the charts. I loved the Dancing With the Stars type atmosphere and how all the dances were explained and how it wove into the story. It was all very entertaining and a quick read. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Thank you @alexisdaria, @netgalley, and @stmartinspress an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 🫶🏼 This book is out NOW!!

I really enjoyed Daria’s other books and was so, so excited when I got this arc!! I also love a quasi-Dancing With The Stars moment! 🤩

This book follows dance pro, Gina Morales, as she fights to win her first championship on The Dance Off show with her Alaskan wilderness reality tv star partner Stone Nielson.

I really enjoyed this book! I think Daria has this somewhat formula that she uses for her books that makes them so enjoyable. That being said, they’re all different which is really great! They have their own unique style that works for the characters. I love the yearning, the spice, and the family drama. I love that Gina has high standards for herself and that she won’t settle for downgrading her view of herself and how that’s viewed for her family. I also really liked that Stone and Gina both had important things to learn in the book.

Take the Lead
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


A book about a dancing competition very much like DTWS? Yes please! I am a huge DWTS fan and I think that played into me LOVING this book.

Gina Morales knows what she wants. And that is to dance and be taken seriously in an industry where Latinas as viewed as promiscuous & sexual. She is wants her talent to speak for itself. When she’s paired with the gruff Alaskan Stone, her strength will be tested. He’s hot. He’s strong and he makes her want to break her own rules.

I absolutely loved this story. The spice. The pining. The forced proximity. The overall feel was something I was drawn to nonstop.

I absolutely love the cover of this book. The cover was one of the main reasons I requested to read this book. I thought this book had a slow start but it picked up around chapter 8-9. I enjoy reading! Thank you for allowing me to read this as an ARC!