This was a great story! I loved the multicultural characters and how this story resonated so much with me. This was a good balance of heart, humor and heat. I absolutely adore this story and can't wait for more!

Seriously, Devon is a total ass who finally pulls an I-love-you-of-course-we-can-be-together-for-real out of that ass at the literal last minute here. A magic conversation with his sister ("Oh, right! You've been happily married for ten years! I guess maybe it was just one crappy relationship after all and maybe I *could* give my relationship with Lyric an actual chance after all instead of banging her senseless then pushing her away when she indicates she might want more! I'll go tell her at her studio's spring recital, because this the perfect time! She's not going to be busy at all!) is all it takes, apparently.

Thank God there's only one more Gem left. Dare I hope she can find a guy who's not a jerk to her for 286 pages? (Except when they're having sex, of course. Everything is mind-blowingly perfect when they're having sex. But the second his penis is put away he's a dick again 🙄)

Rating: 2 stars / C-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

I did quiet like this story.Devon and Lyric have such an amazing chemistry. I would've loved it more if the Devon wasn't a giant a-hole and not the fun kind too (he definitely needs extensive therapy).
Lyric was phenomenal and I love her and her friend group, the six gems. I love how they love and support each other while never BS'ing each other too! They are are the true definition of sisterhood.
I did love Devon's kid Kianna too. She's a cutie.

Thanks to Harlequin Romance(Afterglow Books) and Netgalley for the ARC!

Going Toe to Toe by Yahrah St. John is a swoony, sassy, and seriously steamy single dad romance with all the right moves. 💃🏽🕺🏽

Lyric thought her Aruba fling was just a vacay escape—but fate had other plans. When her sexy dance partner turns out to be her student’s dad? Let’s just say sparks do not stay in paradise. 🔥 Devon’s the ultimate protective single dad with a soft side, and their chemistry? Off the charts.

This one’s full of heart, heat, and second chances—with enough tension to make you swoon and sweat.

#SingleDadRomance #SpicyReads #GoingToetoToe #NetGalley #DanceTeacherDrama #HarlequinAfterglow

this didn't work for me, it never gave me enough about the two leads to make me understand why they shuld be together forever, sex yes, nothing else though.

Thank you for the chance for us to review. This gave me all the feels and I will definitely be adding the physical copy to my bookshelf

Former ballerina Lyric Taylor and single dad Devon Masters have a seven-day no-strings fling in Aruba in Yahrah St. John’s Going Toe to Toe, never expecting to see each other again. However, when he realizes Lyric is his daughter Kiana’s new dance teacher, they get a second chance to pursue their intense chemistry, connection, and passion, but it must remain secret. Can they balance their passion and a deeper connection and love to find the belonging they have longed for with each other?

Yahrah drew me in with her down-to-earth writing style, vivid and detailed description using the characters’ senses, and superb world-building to make you feel you are there with them each moment. Her colorful and natural-sounding dialogue fits her characters and story. She develops her complex, fallible, messy, and likable characters with sweet, steamy, funny, sexy, intimate, spark-filled, and emotional interactions and love scenes that reveal their characters and further the plot.

Lyric’s career-ending injury ruined her hopes and dreams, so she’s embarking on a life-changing fresh start as a ballet teacher, opening a dance studio. She’s always only wanted to belong. Devon makes Lyric feel safe, helps her to work through her issues, and to feel comfortable exploring/expressing her sexuality. Devon was hiding from living his life in the past, and she brought him back to life. However, he doesn’t allow her or their relationship to help him heal. Devon lets his fears control his actions and still holds on to his past. Lyric stands up for what she wants and is honest with Devon about it. She deserves to have those things she needs/wants too, and if that’s commitment and marriage, then so be it.

After finishing the Frenemy Fix-Up (Gems #4), which I love, I couldn’t wait to start Going Toe to Toe. While it’s a sexy, steamy read, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected to because the hero Devon is so frustrating and infuriating. He borders on unlikable, sometimes. He could have benefited from intensive grief therapy and counseling to unpack his issues about his relationship with his wife and their marriage because it deeply affected him. The sad thing is that he knew it. His sister—who I liked because she kept it real with him, called him on his BS, and did not let him get away with anything—tried to counsel him about it, but he just refused to listen. He took those issues and his anger and pain out on the most important women in his life, unfortunately, his daughter and Lyric. He needs to get therapy and grow up. Why does everything need to be about him?

I’m not excluding Lyric from letting the past hold you back. Lyric has issues of her own she couldn’t deal with—her biological parents and issues surrounding her being a Black girl adopted by white parents. She’s so hung up on chasing a relationship with her birth mother that she pursues it without thinking about what she had or the pain that she might experience. Lyric had trouble letting go of past hurts associated with her adoption, being raised by white parents, its effect on her adulthood, and race issues related to being a Black ballerina. It’s totally understandable and a lot to deal with and unpack. The good thing is that her parents helped her to pursue therapy from a young age to address those issues. So, the novel has positive therapy/mental health representation.

I love the interactions between the characters. The scenes with Devon and Lyric in Aruba talking to each other and learning about one another, sharing their dreams, and life experiences are entertaining. Lyric’s scenes with his daughter are sweet and their connection is genuine. These are more reasons suggesting that his inability to distinguish her from his ex and at least attempt to let his disillusionment with dancers and dancing go made little sense. St. John also explores the Gems’ relationship and how supportive, encouraging, and loving they are of each other and helpful with Lyric’s evolution and relationship with Devon and his daughter.

St. John switches things up by having the husband/father be the one who wants to have children and be the parent who is more invested/attached to the daughter. However, the comparisons of whether he should be able to parent his daughter if black women can, may not work for all readers. She explores racial issues concerning microaggressions, growing up as a Black girl adopted by white parents, and racism and colorism in the ballet industry. Fundamentally, St. John shows that family is not just about genetics—it’s about who you choose to allow to share your life with.

Sweet, steamy, emotional, sexy, and fast-paced, Going Toe to Toe is a perfect read for fans of one-night stands to more, vacation flings, Black love, and single-parent romances. It explores second chances, new starts, taking chances, living new dreams, forgiveness, belonging, letting the past go, and racism and colorism in the ballet industry.

Afterglow Books by HARLEQUIN - Romance Carina Press Forever provided an advanced review copy via Netgalley for review.

This book was cute, but a little too much for me.

I’m not a big instalove fan, and this one was a little too quick for me. The story line was cute, but I struggled to connect with the main characters.

Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.Good.

GOING TOE TO TOE is the fifth in Yahrah St John’s Gems series about six childhood friends who’ve remained close into adulthood and are now finding themselves and love. Former principal dancer Lyric Taylor is taking a much needed vacation before she opens her own studio. Single father Devon Masters is doing much the same. When a scheduling error at the resort books them together in the same beachside cabin, the resulting week is off the charts.
However they’ve agreed to let what happens in Aruba stay in Aruba, so neither is ready when Devon’s daughter becomes one of Lyric’s students…

Yahrah St John’s group of women are a loving and tight-knit bunch who rally around Lyric when Devon’s instinct to protect his heart leads to some truly painful decisions and hurtful impacts for Lyric. Fortunately for her, her parents and friends give her comfort and support for that and other things that test her equanimity. A compelling read.

Cute traditionally released book! The trope is forced proximity, which I love! The main characters are on separate vacations when a room mix up force them to share.... and the fun begins! You will be rooting for the couple! Definitely a Hallmark romance.

I wanted to like this but he was just too much of an asshole for me to get past it. Lyric is a great character and I loved seeing her journey I just wanted her to end up with a different man. He got mad so easily and then never really apologized for his anger. When he called his former in laws at the beginning and yelled at them for showing videos of their dead daughter to their granddaughter that's when I knew it was over. Lyric deserved much better than him.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This book is the first that I’ve read as part of the Gems series and thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC e-book!

this book really had me in the first half, but kinda lost me in the second hahaha. I enjoyed it I guess, but I wanted more. I loved the premise, the meeting on vacation and having a beautiful vacation as lowkey a couple, but really as a no strings attached fling - but then having to transition back home to real life was tough for Lyric and Devon! There’s alot of stuff at home to deal with and manage. I feel like there was almost too much going on for me to like appropriately follow the story - between Devon’s trauma and Lyric’s being a business woman, adoptee, who doesn’t speak up for herself and like a GAGGLE of friends. It was a lot to keep up with and manage in such a short story.

Overall maybe read. Idk!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to ARC read Going toe to toe!!

I was drawn to this novel due to the super adorable cover and enjoyed the story! While it was not my favorite sports romance that I have ever read, it was a good pallet cleanser.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I wanted to love this book - the cover seemed promising, and the blurb was right up my alley. Unfortunately, when I opened the book, I was taken by shock. It was nothing I anticipated.
I have nothing against insta-romance, however, this was a little much. The book begins with Lyric & Devon accidentally being booked in the same villa. They decide to stay and start smashing immediately. We're talking less than 10 pages in. I thought it odd to begin a romance that quickly. There was no character build-up, no romantic build-up, just "Hello. Same room? Let's smash."

Things got a little more awkward around the end of their 7-day stay, when Lyric got emotional and started crying because she convinced herself she saw a future with Devon, although she barely knows the basics when it comes to him. They've agreed to a fling so they haven't shared anything personal about themselves, just their age, occupation, and relationship status, and now Lyric is pretty much heartbroken.

Devon was a very difficult character to like. I honestly didn't like him at all. At first, he is presented to still be distraught and  grieving his wife's death, but when we later touch on the situation with his wife, it's "My wife died in a tragic car accident. And not to speak ill of the dead, but she was a b*tch and a terrible person." That, along with several other moments (like when he walked past Lyric on the plane and had a random "I don't need anyone!" outburst, or how he didn't want his young daughter to dance) made it so hard to accept his character. He was a walking red flag and needed therapy, badly.

The story overall, just like the relationship, felt very rushed. I don't mind a short, quick read, however, this didn't feel like it could have been executed better. Unfortunately, this was not one for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin-Romance, and Yahrah St. John for this ARC.

The Six Gems are Wynter Barrington, Lyric Taylor, Asia Reynolds, Teagan Williams, Shay Davis, Egypt Cox. Lyric is a former dancer who was injured and she is now living out her dream as a ballet dancing instructor. Devon is a single father raising his daughter Kianna. Devon and Lyric meet in Aruba and to no fault of their own with a computer mix up end up sharing a villa. The two make the best of the error and end up spending an enjoyable week together. Now that their tryst has ended Lyric and Devon find out that they both live in the Memphis area and never ran into each other. A small mishaps occurs when Devon sees an older man who is Lyric’s adoptive father greeting her at the airport. Devon jumps to the wrong conclusion thinking that Lyric was not honest with him about having a man in her life. The two meet up again at Lyric’s ballet dance studio when Devon’s sister signs up her daughter and Devon’s daughter for dance lessons. Devon is upset when her learns that Lyric is Kiana’s teacher and wants to pull Kianna out of dance class. Devon’s sister convinces him to let Kianna continue with her ballet classes since she is enjoying the class. For Devon Kianna is bringing back memories of her mom and Devon does not want to go down that road again that torn him and his deceased wife apart. Kianna and Lyric are getting along rather well and rapidly becoming great friends. With Lyric being a dancer as Kianna’s mom Devon finds it hard to open up and let Lyric into his heart. It takes a lot of convincing for Devon to get past his hurt of Kianna’s mom. He eventually starts to let down his guard and realizes that Lyric and Kianna’s mom are not the same people. With what has transpired Devon realizes that he has misjudged Lyric and now knows that the two can have a life together. All he has to do is convince Lyric to forgive him and given them both a chance at true romance.

What an awesome read. With 5 of the gems matched up there is now only one gem left to find her happily ever after and that is Teagan Williams. Waiting patiently for Teagan Williams.

I received an ARC via NetGalley and Harlequin Romance Afterglow and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Yaharah St. John is a reliable story teller in the world of romance. I was a little torn about the approach on the topic of Lyric's "Blackness". However the story of Lyric and Devon distracted me with it's up and downs and all of their moving parts. The story overall was very enjoyable!

Thank you to Harlequin Romance & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a cute, short, and fun Romance! I didn’t realize it was a book in a series, but it was easily read as a SA! If you’re a fan of the single dad trope & insta love you’ll enjoy this one!

As a former dancer, I was immediately drawn to the cover of the book and the title.

Lyric and Devon met on a trip to Aruba after an accommodations mix-up. Upon their return, Devon, a single father, finds that Lyric is his daughters dance teacher. Navigating the world of former fling to the real world leads to some interesting and complex dynamics.
I was captivated by this story from the beginning. It was a quick and entertaining read, The mix of romance and conflict without towing the line of melodramatics that often happens in this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book.
#GoingToetoToe #NetGalley