Shall We Dance?

Shelley Shepard Gray

Jan 2020 · Blackstone Publishing

About this ebook

At twenty-seven, Shannon Murphy has just discovered that she has two sisters she never knew. Now, through Shannon’s loving persistence, the three of them are moving in together above her dance studio in Bridgeport. Shannon is excited to make a home with her sisters and to grow her budding business. Then she meets her newest client—he has all the right muscles, a perfect smile, and a lot of attitude. Will Shannon be able to keep things professional with this charming stranger?

Dylan Lange has a lot on his mind. He’s just been assigned a new partner at his job with the Bridgeport Police, and while he’s busy striving to protect and serve his town, he’s also trying to keep his baby sister out of harm’s way while she heals from her own trauma. And on top of everything else, he’s gone and lost a bet with his buddies, forcing him to take dance lessons. But when he walks into the dance studio to meet his instructor, a young and beautiful brunette with a sweet southern drawl is the last person he expected to find.

Get ready to fall in love again as Shelley Shepard Gray takes us back to Bridgeport, Ohio, where nobody gets left behind and a powerful community helps ordinary men and women to find extraordinary strength inside themselves.

Ratings and reviews

Shall We Dance? By Shelley Shepard Gray is the first tale in The Dance with Me Series. It is an extension of The Bridgeport Social Club Series, but Shall We Dance? can be read on its own. I found the story easy to read thanks to Shelley Shepard Gray’s writing. The story moved along at a swift pace and I quickly finished it. I love the setting of Bridgeport, Ohio. It seems that a friendly town especially with the addition of Shannon Murphy and her two sisters, Kimber and Traci. Shannon took a DNA test and was shocked to find she had two sisters. After the three of them connected, Kimber and Traci agreed to move to Bridgeport with Shannon who is opening Dance with Me. The three sisters are sharing the loft apartment above the studio. Shannon opens her dance studio and Dylan Lange is her first private client. It turns out that he lost the fantasy football league pool which forced him to perform a penance (Shannon really did not appreciate that word). Dylan must take five dancing lessons. I believe his friends expected the teacher to be an older woman with white hair and thick lensed glasses. When I began reading Shall We Dance?, I felt like I was dumped into the middle of an existing book. I kept wondering if there was a prequel. I liked the main characters (Shannon, Kimber, Traci, Dylan and Jennifer) who are friendly and relatable. I wish the author had taken more time to establish the characters. As this is only the first book, I am sure we will get more details on Traci and Kimber in their books (I am curious to Kimber’s last name). While we do learn about Shannon, I felt details about Dylan were missing. The romance between Dylan and Shannon started off nicely, but then it was shoved aside when a threatening note was left inside Jennifer Lange’s (Dylan’s sister) car. Jennifer went through a horrific incident about two years ago and it devastated her as well as her family. She is finally venturing out into the world by visiting a local bookstore, Backdoor Books which has a fabulous cookbook section. I loved the descriptions of the cookbook area of Backdoor Books (reminds you of a 1950s kitchen). I felt for Jennifer and I like how she handled the situation. Jennifer’s story, in my opinion, should have been a novella on its own. I felt the dancing and romance aspects of the story were neglected. The parts of the romance that I wish were featured were left out (spoilers). I did appreciate the epilogue that nicely wrapped up Shall We Dance? I enjoyed the quotes on dancing before each chapter. There is humor sprinkled throughout especially regarding the sisters’ inability to cook. There is also a puppy named Harvard who provides amusing and tender scenes. It was nice to see the sisters connecting and establishing bonds. They were getting to know each other after a lifetime apart. I thought it was sweet and touching. Shall We Dance? is an emotive story with revealed relations, a serious stalker, whirling waltzes, bibliophile bliss, racy rumbas, and scrumptious culinary creations.

I loved the author’s series Bridgeport Social Club, and couldn’t wait to being this book. This new series takes us back to Bridgeport. Where, thanks to Shannon Murphy from West Virginia, three sisters that never knew they existed, now have uprooted themselves and are living together in an apartment above Shannon’s dance studio. We meet police officer Dylan Lange when he looses a bet and is forced to take dance lessons with Shannon. But what he thought would be torture, changes when he meets Shannon, and is surprised to discover she is the sister of his new partner. We also meet Jennifer, Dylan’s sister, who has been living with him and whose past is tragic. I don’t want to give the story away, but suffice is to say it’s a story about family. About the love siblings have between themselves to the point of doing anything to keep them safe. In this case , Dylan’s love for Jennifer . The plot is touching and engaging, and the characters perfect in their imperfections . I can’t wait to see what else the author has for us in future books. Lastly, as a dancer, I had so smile reading the quotes about dancing we find throughout the book. All so very true. I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

About the author

Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.