Take the Lead is a good fit for people who are in the mood for a lighthearted, romantic story that explores the ups and downs of a celebrity dance competition and the blossoming relationship between two unlikely partners.

I loved the chemistry between Gina and Stone. OMG, he can break dance that is hilarious to me as a former Break Club advisor. Gina is a strong Puerto Rican and loved that her culture and values were prominently shown. Seeing behind the scenes of a dance show was an eye-opener.

This book has been on my NG queue for a long time, and I apologize for the tardiness of the review.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit - as I do with all of Ms. Daria's works - and I hope that people give it a chance these many years after publication.

This was my first book by Alexis Daria but will certainly not be the last! I admit it took me time to get into the story but once I did I really enjoyed it. Thanks to netgalley for providing me with the arc.

I really enjoyed this story it was hot and fun!
Can't wait to read more from this author. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher

SUCH a great debut from Alexis Daria.

It was so much fun and hot and a joy to read!

The Dancing With the Stars'esque reality show backdrop along with the deliciously complex but likable characters of Gina and Stone were PERFECT.

So excited to read the next one in the series!

I was invited to read this book and it definitely didn't disappoint. This was a new to me author, but I'm all about trying new authors! Everyone has their unique voice and I liked how this author told her story. I enjoyed the subject line-I should admit I'm a dance teacher part time so that really drew me in, too-and thought the story flowed very well. I liked the characters, the setting and the plot moved pretty well for me. I would try this author again and recommend this book to a friend.

I have a secret obsession with dance and reality shows and this book was perfect for me! I loved the story, writing, characters and the sexy scenes. Can't wait to check out more in this series!

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book even though contemporary isn't usually my thing. There has to be something else of interest to me, like the dancing in this one, to really compel me.

Things I loved: That Gina is Puerto Rican. The cultural aspects of the story were so beautiful and I really loved the authenticity of it. I loved how Gina refused to bow under to the sexualized Latina stereotype, that was amazing.
It's interwoven so beautifully into the conflict of a brilliant book.

Stone's discomfort was painfully real when he's sexually objectified and harassed by one of the other contestants. I really, really enjoyed that because men are often told to just suck it up.
We, as a society, often objectify men even more than we do women, and I loved that the author used that reality so very well.

I was a dancer (different discipline, but I have ballroom history as well) before my health took a downturn, and I adored the setting and beauty depicted in this book. It was wonderful.

I didn't particularly care for the reality tv aspects, but that's totally a me thing, because I don't like or watch reality tv. I'm not even sure I understand it.

The chemistry is sexy but tender and that's a hard blend to master, it's really nice to see it.

Character, story, and relationship arcs were wonderful and all in all, this was a stunning debut. I'll be looking for book two.

This book was one of my favorites of 2017! I don't watch reality shows and have no interests in them. But this book was amazing. Great heroine and hero. Love the behind the scenes imaginings. Love the unique setting. I didn't know if I would be able to enjoy descriptions of dance moves, but I absolutely was sucked in. I may start watching Dancing With The Stars now.

Loved this own voices romance with a pr girl lead. I hope people take chances with more afro-latinas in the future, but its rare to see a boricua in a romance!

I tend to stay away from reality tv in general and the same for reading and sub-genres in CR. The only reality TV I watch is Dancing With the Stars, so when I read the concept of this duology, I was hooked.

I'm happy to say that Take the Lead was quite an enjoyable read. Daria did a great job of building a relationship and great chemistry between Gina and the DELICIOUS Stone. I loved the behind the scenes details of training each week for the show, the creation of choreography and the politics of the show itself.

Stone the Alaskan mountain man has been added to my Book Boyfriend list. He's caring and selfless, does so much for his family and eventually, for Gina. How could you not love that? And the man can dance!!! I love that the gruff mountain men showed his vulnerability for and with Gina, through his dancing. I loved Gina, she is driven, successful, funny, and very talented. She knows what she wants professionally and is determined to not be derailed by complications or scandals... like a relationship with her irresistible partner, Stone.

After reading Take the Lead, I cannot wait for Dance With Me and whatever else Ms. Daria releases after that.

*Copy for review provided by publisher.

This book was hot and fun, exactly what I want from a romance novel. I don't watch a lot of Dancing with the Stars, but I love dancing so when I heard about this book, I was very excited. Fortunately, it did not disappoint. I loved this book and the characters and the romance. I'm excited to read more books by this author.

Received ARC via NetGalley


I loved this so much!! I am not a huge DWTS fan, but I do love the dancing world so this was a great fit. I really really enjoyed reading a book with a Latinx heroine. It happens so rarely. And Gina was written so well!! She was a person, informed by her heritage, not defined by it. She had a great personality and I understood her drive and her reluctance to go public with Stone. It made perfect sense. It also makes perfect sense that Stone wouldn't understand why it would be different for her than for him if the relationship came out. (I admit I struggled with why this was such a big deal to her but it was less about the outside world and more about Gina's own hangups so I went with it). I really enjoyed Stone's POV as well. But I struggled with his passivity when it came to his family. I was waiting for him to grow up and stand up for himself and he never does. I would've loved for him to confront his father (and his mother). Disappointed it never happens, though he does break free so there's that. The chemistry between Gina and Stone was incredible! I was really happy when the big secret wasn't an issue, it was revealed and accepted no problem.....and then there was a big complication that I wasn't crazy about. But that's part and parcel of a romance novel. I'm intrigued by the next book. I really liked Natasha so I'm looking forward to her happily ever after.

Take the Lead is a hot, sweet romance. When passionate, vibrant dancer Gina pairs up with sweet, stoic mountain man Stone, the sparks fly as Gina teaches him how to dance for reality dance competition, The Dance Off.

I loved Gina and Stone together. She's an ambitious dancer determined to achieve her dream of dancing and singing professionally and he's the stoic, quiet man who's always taken on his family's problems on his own shoulders. When he agrees to be on The Dance Off as yet another way to alleviate some of his family's debts, he never dreamed he'd not only learn to dance and dance well, but that he'd fall in love with the beautiful city girl who teaches him how to dance and how to love.

Stone is the perfect BBF. He's sweet, he's hot and he's absolutely selfless. Pair him with sweet, spicy Gina and you've got romance gold. I can't quite believe that Take the Lead is Alexis Daria's debut novel. It's so well-written and the characters and their intense connection is so well drawn and engaging. I give Ms. Daria so many props for this sexy, sweet debut! And now I can't wait to read her next story in this series - Dance With Me.

I was very excited to start this book. The biggest draw: the opposites attract storyline. I love when unlikely romances blossom between two people.

And this romance is so on point! The chemistry is there from the moment these two meet and it radiates for the rest of the story. The tension between them is so, so good. They have this magnetism between them that I positively adore. It was so apparent to me why these two would be drawn to each other and how love could grow between them. They have that deeper connection to them and I couldn't get enough of it in the book.

While the romance is AMAZING, these two are fabulous on their own as well. The character development and growth really impressed me. There's a lot to love about both of them. I truly enjoyed Gina's character and her determination in all things. It's really inspiring to read about a heroine who doesn't define herself by her romantic relationships but on her own hard work and cares about the image she is presenting to the young girls look up to her. This never felt forced in anyway either; Gina is a super genuine character and it comes across at every page.

And Stone is a great compliment to that. He has quite the journey too when it comes to deciding what he wants in life. I also liked that he was masculine without being overbearing. He's just a nice guy who cares about his family and doing the right thing.

There was just enough drama in this book to keep things interesting. Nothing felt over the top or out of left field. It just worked well to highlight the various elements of character growth. Plus: everything is handled in a very mature way that I completely respected as a reader.

Honestly, I devoured this book! It has everything I love in a solid contemporary romance: fantastic characters, just the right amount of drama and a completely swoon-worthy romance. This definitely takes the trophy!

`Gina was going to the Alaskan wilderness in a seaplane and was scared to death. Gina was with one of her producers - Jordy - and was meeting up with her celebrity partner for season four of The Dance Off. Once they landed Gina thought too much nature not enough civilization. Gina had grown up in NYC. - the Bronx. Being a city girl Gina had a distrust of forest and animals. The producers would do everything they could to throw her off balance in the name of good tv. Gina was entering her fifth season and this time around gina was determined to do whatever it took to reach the finals in the show. Then Gina saw her partner- Stone who was gorgeous and very muscled and realized they had been set up for a showmance for the season. Stone is on a reality show that has been on for a couple years now and knew tv producers didn’t care about convenience. .It would make for better behind the scene footage for this city girl to meet Stone here in the Wilderness in the madness. Stone hated himself for taking part in the madness - a dance show f all things. Stone was glad that Gina didn’t know who he was Then he told Gina, Stone and his family were in the fourth season of Living Wild. He and the family live off the grid where they build their homes, hunt, and ;live off the land. The absolute last thing Stone wanted to do was dance but Stone had agreed for the money although he was not to mention it. His mom owed a lot of money for medical bills. He wanted to help his parents to be financially stable Out of his family Stone was the strong one the quiet one. The serious one. Stone had six siblings. Stone felt like this idea was a fool’s errand. Stone wanted to stay in Alaska and call the whole thing off nut that wasn’t an option s the contracts had already been signed. They only had three weeks until their first dance performance. Gina had been dancing since she was three. Gina’s career was her number one priority. Then a bear came crashing near them in the woods but Stone told Gina he would protect her and grabbed his gun. Then he shot the gun and carried Gina to the main living area and stayed with her until Gina was more herself. Then she was to leave again and they would meet up again in L A. Stone was attracted to Gina, she was sweet, sexy, and funny but they were from different worlds. Stone didn’t fit in L A and her trip to Nielsen HQ made it clear that she would never want to fit in hers. Also if Gina knew the supposed bear had been a P A crashing around in the underbrush just to get a reaction out of Gina, Gina would never forgive Stone. Donna was one of the producers who wanted Gina to act like her and Stone were sleeping together. But Gina refused. Donna told her if she didn’t make it to the finals this season she wouldn’t be coming back next season. Stone wanted to impress Gina so he did some break dancing he had done when he was younger and it was filmed. Also after they left the studio after some publicity pictures he realized that he and Gina were a team and this was a competition. Also Gina was the only one invested in his success. Then Lore- another dancer who was a two time winner of Dance Off invited Gina and then Stone to go out that night to a salsa club as they all needed a break after last weeks rehearsals. Gina was on the verge of exploding from lust she was so attracted to Stone but wouldn’t give in. They all went to Club Picante and met at the VIP section in the back of the club. So far Stone had gotten contradictory glimpses of Gina- polished Gina in Alaska, playful but practical Gina in rehearsal, and superstar Gina at the promo. Maybe tonight at the club Stone would finally get to know the woman behind the dances, with all cameras gone. Gina’s roommate and good friend was Natasha/Tash - she was also on The Dance Off. Then Tash hissed to Gina “ You never drink during the season “. Gina said she knew and and she would be fine. Tash and Gina had grown up in the same neighborhood in the Bronx, and had moved to L A together as soon as they could.
I absolutely loved this book. I loved how it took a NYC woman and a man from Alaska and put them together suck opposites but were they really? I loved the description of Alaska and Stone’s love of it. I loved how Stone put his family first for so long. I loved how Stone tried to be protective of Gina. I loved Tash and Gina’s relationship. I loved how it showed how much work goes into a dance especially professional ballroom dances. for dance contests. I just love everything about this book the plot, the pace,and the romance. Most of all I loved Gina and Stone together. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend.

This is basically a romance novel set in a fictional version of Dancing with the Stars. I watch the show with some regularity, so I was pretty interested in this book. It also features a Latinx heroine by a Latinx author, doubling my interest.

Gina is a pro dancer on “The Dance Off” and really wants a strong partner to help her to to the championship and ultimately win the show. She has some strict standards and refuses to allow the producers to make her play the over-sexed Latina character. Because of that, she keeps it strictly professional with all of her co-workers, the pros and celebrities on the show.

Stone is part of a family that has their own reality TV show about living off the land in Alaska. He is familiar with the ways of being on a reality show and begrudgingly agrees to do The Dance Off because his family needs the money. He has an incredibly complicated relationship with the show his family is on and the reasons for they are on it.

At first, Gina is concerned about Stone’s level of commitment to the show. Once she calls him on it, he realizes how important it is to her and he buckles down and give it his all. One thing I learned about was how hard it is for female pros on the dance show because in dancing the man needs to lead and that isn’t always easy to do, but obviously Stone does learn how to take the lead.

Gina and Stone have chemistry from the first moment they meet. It was well written on the page and it had me rooting for this couple. It was also pretty darn sexy. Even though this quote is long, I felt like it captured their chemistry, intensity, and sexiness.

He started fucking her again. From this angle, he went so deep, and her pussy was so sensitive, he wrung a breathy cry from her with each thrust. Her body no longer felt like her own. It was his, and hers, just as his body was now his and hers. She was a mass of pure sensation, and she couldn’t have moved if she wanted to. His thrusts took on a shorter, harder rhythm. He slammed into her, the fingers of one hand digging into her hip while the other roughly caressed her ass. “God, Gina,” he ground out. “I’m— fuck. You’re— christ, damn it. I’m coming.” In the back of her mind, she wanted to know what he was going to say. But her own body was lighting up, the intense drive of his cock pushing her over the edge again. Time enough for talk later. “Me, too.” The words burst out of her on a gasp. “Don’t stop!” He growled. “Never.” His hips slammed, his cock surged. Her orgasm ripped through her. Her limbs shook. Her pussy spasmed. She pressed her face into the mattress and cried out as it all became too much.

I thought the book balanced the love story of Gina and Stone and all the other things happening well. It was not bogged down by them on the show, although it is a big part, but it isn’t the only thing. They are shown doing other things and that was nice. I don’t like it when the couple lives in a bubble and we only see one thing. No book is perfect and the thing that I didn’t like about this book was the producer Donna, she was the absolute worst and her only purpose was to incite conflict.

While I didn’t love this as much as many other people, I still really enjoyed it. There were some secondary characters that I hope to see in later books. I found it well written as well as incredibly sexy. I already have the next book in the series and I look forward to reading it as well as other stories by this author.

Grade: B+
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Okay so I am going to admit something. My guilty pleasure. Definitely one of my higher guilty pleasures is dance shows. Any kind of Dance movies, reality tv, scripted tv shows, if it involves dancing, I am so there. So when I read the premise of this book, I was like take my money. I need this book now!

I am so so glad I read it. This book was addictive. I loved the dancing. I loved the characters. I loved the storyline. Everything about it had me hooked. I was just reading that this was a debut novel and it really surprised me. This was definitely a great debut and kept me fully entertained. I can't wait to read more from this author.