After four years on celebrity competition The Dance Off, Gina needs to make it into the finals this season if she wants to remain on the show. She's paired up with Alaskan wilderness reality star Stone, who has no dancing experience. Fortunately, his physical prowess makes him a natural. Unfortunately, the powers that be are trying to force Stone and Gina into showmance for the cameras. Can they keep their relationship professional?

This is my favorite Alexis Daria book so far. It's a re-release of her RITA-winning book from 2018. Gina and Stone have a ton of chemistry. Yet their lifestyles are so different, it's hard to see how they can maintain a successful relationship. I loved the strong characters and the creativity of this story.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Alexis Daria strikes again! Fans of her previous work will not be disappointed with this latest swoon-worthy story. I really enjoy this era we're in of romance books doing fun takes on reality shows (i.e. One to Watch, If the Shoe Fits, etc.) but most of those have been Bachelor-esque focused. I enjoyed that this one was more DWTS-esque. Gina was everything to me and I loved watching her grow. The chemistry was hot and as I mentioned before, the setting was so fun. Pick up this book, you won't regret it!

I adore Alexis Daria, and was so excited to get Take the Lead. I loved the whole premise with the dance show. I used to love watching So You Think You Can Dance when I was younger, so I thoroughly enjoyed that piece of the book. As always, the romance was top notch - Alexis knows how to write romance.

All in all, I really enjoyed this one (not quite as much as You Had Me at Hola, but close)

Gina Morales is a very talented dancer and choreographer and has been a professional dancer on the show, The Dance Off for a few seasons now. Despite always giving it everything she has; she’s never made it to the finals. Could her sexy new partner from Alaska be her winning ticket? Stone Nielson and his family are the stars of an Alaskan wilderness reality tv show, he never wanted to sign up for a celebrity dance competition show. Being the reliable sibling, he will do anything and everything for his family. The biggest issue is, he’s scared he might slip up and reveal the families' secrets. The more time Gina and Stone spend together, the chemistry is undeniable. Given how close the two have gotten, the tabloids can’t help but speculate on the nature of the relationship they have. Will they let that get in the way of winning the grand prize? 
 
First off, holy steam and sexual tension. I mean how could there not be when you put two attractive people together to dance. Gina and Stone are great characters and their chemistry and passion is off the charts. Both characters were so different but opened up to each other which made the connection much deeper and feel more genuine. I found it really interesting to read the ins and outs of the business from both the contestant and pro dancers perspectives. I do feel that the story sometimes skipped ahead, like I might have missed something. I found myself rereading sections to see if I missed something but I didn’t. Overall, it was a fun romance story filled with tension, drama, passion but also, so much more.  
 
Thank you Netgalley and @stmartinspress for my copy!

First I want to thank St. Martin's Press for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Take the Lead is a story about Gina, Professional Dancer, and Stone, Reality TV Outdoorsman, who are paired together for a celebrity dance show. As they spend more time together rules are broken and secrets are revealed.

What I Loved:
- Natasha, Gina's roommate and bestfriend is the type of person I would want in my life. She is also a dancer on the show and is able to provide Gina great advice for the show and love.
- The Dance Off, I was a big Dancing with the Starts fan and I loved reading a book set in the same world as that show.
- Reality TV, I don't watch a lot of reality TV and this book did a great job with calling out why. All of the fake relationships, fake set ups, etc. that feel forced are brought to light how producers force these situations to try and make better tv.
- Competition, I loved how competitive Gina and Stone are individually and as a team, they are the underdogs on the show but won't let that stop them
- Stone, he is a sexy mountain main who would do anything for his family including dance on national television what is there not to love.

I really enjoyed this book and it took me a few days to really digest everything before writing my review cause there was too much good to talk about. Anyone who is a fan of celebrity stories, forbidden/secret romances, strong female characters, and a good amount of spice this is absolutely the book for you.

In the Dancing with the Stars inspired romance you have Gina the dancer who is trying to win the trophy in her fifth season. She doesn’t want to play into the latina stereotypes and refuses the producers showmance pushes.

When she gets paired with Stone the wilderness reality star she isn’t sure they can win but he is easily the nicest to look at.

Stone just wants to get far enough in the competition to help pay for his mothers medical expenses. When he learns how much Gina wants to win, he is determined to help her. Even with a secret he is trying to hide he can’t help but open his heart to Gina.

Loved their connection and the behind the scenes of the dance competition and such a diverse cast of characters.

If you’re a fan of Dancing with the Stars, or just reality shows in general, pick up Take the Lead. Gina, a professional dancer in her 5th season on The Dance Off, takes her career seriously and does not get involved with her dance partners, or anyone at all for that matter. Gina has never won a season of the show and her producer Donna (ick) wants to give her the Showmance angle to increase her chances. (Obvi she’s having none of that) Enter Stone, a “wilderness survivalist” from a family reality show (Think TLC) WITH A MAN BUN and no dance experience as her partner. We all know where this is going. Anyway, as a reality show enthusiast I love the behind the scenes of the shows, what is natural, what is forced. Producer Donna is a real piece of blackmailing work. And I’m just going to say it, Stone’s parents also suck. Natasha, Gina’s roommate is hysterical and I can’t wait to read her book next. But we love forced proximity romance and an HEA and this has both. I loved that the romance was not insta-love, you could really see the connection playing out over time between them. I do think Gina was a little bit ridiculous sometimes and invalidated Stone’s feelings when they were both going through something.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of the re-release.

3.5/5 stars

Gina Morales has danced on the hit Reality show “The Dance Off” for four seasons and has yet to make it the final three. This season she senses is her big break as she is partnered with Alaskan wilderness reality TV star Stone Nielson. Gina was not prepared for the potential she sees in Stone’s dancing or more importantly, her growing feelings for him. When her producer makes it clear the two are being set up for a showmance, Gina does everything she can to push her feelings down and stay professional as possible so she will be taken seriously as the amazingly talented dancer she is. But through each dance it proves to be harder especially as she gets to know Stone behind the cameras. Stone has his own reasons for not wanting to get close, secrets to protect and his eye on the prize to help his family pay their expenses. As they continue to advance, the public slowly becomes aware of the romance brewing between them thrusting them into the spotlight and threatening to break the bond between them.

•

This was a slow-burn romance perfect for fans of “Dancing With the Stars” and “Step Up”. The pacing on this one was a little too slow for my liking but I did enjoy the tension between these two which the dancing does a fantastic shop of turning up the heat between these two and really feeling their chemistry. I would have liked to see more of them connecting beyond the dance floor, diving into a bit more detail about their pasts. I grew really frustrated with both our MC’s but a little more so with Gina, they were both incredibly stubborn but their reasoning became repetitive and could have been resolved with more communication and honesty. I really enjoyed the support characters in this one specifically Gina’s best friend and roommate Natasha. I enjoyed reading of all the different styles of dancing the behind the scenes look of reality TV and loved to hate our story villain Donna 😡 I enjoyed how the author acknowledges the sexism that women face specifically in show business as Gina fights very hard to be taken seriously as a Puerto Rican woman working against all the stereotypes the industry tries to label her with. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This title is now available for purchase!

Alexis Daria does not disappoint! Take the Lead is a slow burn sizzling reality TV show romance that packs the heat. I couldn’t put it down! Highly recommend.

Backwoods behemoth gets marched with tiny dancer for a reality show ballroom dancing competition despite his shyness and utter inability to dance. She needs to win to keep her job; he needs to stay in competition long enough to earn money to pay his mother’s medical bills. He plans to return to the backwoods of Alaska the only place he feels at peace; she has big dreams of city life and success in New York and LA. Yet the moment they get together sparks fly on and off the dance floor. Can this mismatched couple find a way to commit to each other in the end? You’ll need to read to see.

Gina Morales is a passionate, beautiful dancer–she’s also Latina, which means she’s always wanting to be portrayed as the “sexy” one. It’s why she’s not happy when the producers of the show she’s on (Dance Off) try to get her involved in a #showmance with her reality show partner Stone–even when it’s real. Stone has big secrets about his family and show back home in Alaska and Gina wants to keep their budding romance a secret. But secrets rarely stay secret for long when television is involved.

This book is spicy. It’s so well done that I really just wanna curl up and sigh over it. It also addresses real issues too though–like stereotyping for Latina women being only the “sexy one”. Stone is forced to realize that Gina is held up to a different standard than he is. As a woman, a showmance (show romance usually fake) could make or break her. Gina doesn’t want to win because they have the best romance/story but because of her talent. She especially doesn’t want anyone to think that she faked it for the cameras even though she’s not faking it with Stone. She can’trisk getting labeled as the promiscuous latina even though it means trying to push away all her feelings about Stone. And let’s face it, if she was a man, it wouldn’t matter anyways. The world quite easily condemns women for the same thing they glorify for men.

In every dance and scene they sizzle in a constant push-pull of emotions. The banter is lively. She’s not a delicate flower to be handled with kid gloves. The emotion keeps pulling you in over and over. I found myself constantly both understanding Gina and wishing that she would get out of her own head. Stone was always completely, perfectly in character even when he was being a pushover. The evolution that both characters take during the book is transformative in both their professional and personal lives. I would read this book again and again (and I will).

Take the Lead was originally published in 2017 as Alexis’s debut and has now been updated and republished. Gina is a dance pro on The Dance Off, a reality celebrity dance show (Dancing with the Stars) who is assigned to dance with Stone whose family has a reality show following their life in Alaska. The two keep things professional for the first half of the competition but dancing in such close proximity means that sparks are constantly flying and they find they cannot keep their hands off of each other. Gina does not want the reputation of having a show-mance so they must keep their relationship a secret. Stone has his own secrets and the two find themselves in a precarious house of cards.

I love Alexis Daria. Her books are steamy and deeply romantic. I really liked this book but didn’t love it. I liked both Stone and Gina and their attraction for one another was palpable. I struggled with the half truths from Stone. He wasn’t honest with Gina until 75% of the way through the book. I thought that the ending, while satisfying, was rushed and resolved very quickly. I enjoyed the side characters and will have to track down the other two books in the series to see where they lead.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had so much fun with "Take the Lead" by Alexis Daria and whipped through this book in a weekend.

Gina is a professional dancer trying to make it big in LA. She's in her 5th season on a dance competition show when she gets paired with Stone Nielson. Stone and his family have their own reality TV show in Alaska (think Alaskan Bush People), but they are also hiding a secret from America. Gina has a rule about not dating or sleeping with anyone on the show (especially her partner!), but Stone is hard to resist. Plus, how could they possibly make it work in the long run?

I thought this was a fun, steamy read with lots of banter. It really pulled me in and I loved Gina - I related to her tenacity, strong work ethic, and love of family. Gina and Stone together felt very believable.

My only gripe with this book was that the conclusion seemed rushed. It really was only one chapter, which felt a little abrupt.

Shareability: Obviously, fans of "Dancing with the Stars" or "Strictly Come Dancing" will love this one. I also think readers who enjoyed "The Simple Wild" or "On the Hustle" should give this one a try.

Gina and Stone both had great personalities. She was determined to succeed at Dance Off with no ties to her celebrity. Stone loves Alaska and only is doing this for his family while struggling to keep his own secrets. When he found out that if Gina didn’t make it to the finals, she would be let go, he really stepped up to the plate to try his best to make that happen. To succeed they had to get really close, and he needed to take the lead but, it became harder to keep their hands to themselves until….drama, but know that they settle their differences and end up with a HEA. A very enjoyable story.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a complimentary copy.

Take the Lead is a re=release of Alexis Daria's first book! While it's not as good as some of her others, I can see why it's a well loved debut. It's set in a world like real=life Dancing With the Stars and I absolutely loved that! It was a really fun setting and a great spin on reality TV romances.

In Take the Lead we have the professional dancer, Gina, who is paired with the star of an Alaskan wilderness show, Stone. The book pulled me in right away and they had excellent chemistry from their first time meeting on his family's homestead. I really enjoyed the dancing aspect of the book, as it set up great ways for the main characters to connect.

I struggled at times with Gina's ambition and Stone's self=sacrificing nature. Their third act conflict felt very out of character for Stone and left me feeling a bit disappointed in the book by the end. It definitely felt cheesy at times and fell into some typical romance novel traps.

Overall I DID enjoy the book and will continue to read more from Alexis Daria. This is a quick, fun read that I do recommend!

True confessions… I absolutely love dancing reality shows. I never missed Dancing with the Stars when it first aired. So, in short, this book is right up my alley!

Take the Lead follows newly paired dancing couple Gina and Stone. Gina is the professional dancer who is sent to the Alaskan wilderness to meet her hunky new partner, Stone. Stone is also on a wilderness reality show with his family in Alaska. Their meet cute is funny and sets the scene for this entertaining and fun romance.

My favorite parts of this book were the interactions between this very likable couple. A close second was getting a behind the scenes peek at what a reality dancing show might be like.

I really felt for this couple because they had many obstacles to overcome before reaching their HEA. Stone has a complicated family situation and the show producers on both shows are just horrible.

If you enjoy steamy romance books filled with humor and fun situations, this is the book for you. I can’t wait to see what else is coming up for the series.

Loved the chemistry between the main characters. All the behind the scenes stuff was cool too, the author did well with that. Over all a cute fun read.

Gina Morales has spent her life as a ballroom dancer. Now she is in her fourth season of a television show called The Dance Off and she is determined to win. Her career depends on it. When she is paired with the star of a reality show in Alaska, she is wondering if this will be the end of her career or maybe being partnered with Stone Nielson is her ticket to the finals. When the producers want Gina and Stone to have a fake romance for ratings, Gina has always sworn she would never stoop this low for a chance at the finals, but will she change her mind or will the tabloids force her to make a choice.

My daughter was a ballroom dancer, so I was excited to read this novel by Alexis Daria. Although the storyline had a good plot line and I enjoyed reading about the antics of the dance world, I felt the story fell short for me. I am not sure what it was, but I did not feel connected to the characters. I do want to thank St. Martin’s Press though for an advanced copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily. I loved to try new genres of books, but this one sadly did not hit the mark for me.

What a heartwarming love story!!!!

Take The Lead is my very first book from this author, and I'm sure it's won't be the last one. I really enjoyed this story, and how author lead it thru the pages. It was also my first romance circling so much around the dance and everything what's involved with dancing industry. It was really refreshing, to read romance about dancers but not only about ballerina(s).

From the beginning Gina and Stone made me feel, like I needed exactly their story, written in this exactly way. It was steamy, and very real, showing that behind the scenes not everything is perfect. Being in the spotlight is not easy, especially for young women.

Gina and Stone are destined for each other from the first moment. I love to see how their relationship evolved into something deeper. It was really captivating.

I highly recommend this book for every reader, even this ones, who doesn't read romances daily. When You'll read the book.... just will feel good. Grab it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I think my favorite part of this story was its setting since it was unique, at least in my reading history. Gina is a professional Dancer on The Dance Off. This job is just one step in her professional career but she’s dying to make it to the Finals and win. She’s paired with Stone, a reality TV star know for living with his parents and many siblings in the Alaskan wilderness. I thought it was so fun to see how Gina developed storylines in her choreography and I enjoyed reading descriptions of both the rehearsals and performance nights.

As far as the romance, I felt like it was too based on physical attraction for my own taste. We were pretty far along in the book before I felt like there were any intimate moments between them that gave any reason for either of them to have actual feelings for one another beyond lust. However, once those moments did start happening, they were very sweet. But Gina was dead set against dating a costar and Stone wanted nothing more than to return to Alaska when the show was over so they had major life decisions in their way as well.

I really enjoyed their progression through the dance competition’s season and the drama that went along with a reality tv show and that’s what kept me hooked in the story. And while I did love the grand gesture at the end, I did feel like things wrapped up very easily (maybe too easily?) for my taste. That being said, I still think this is a must-read for any fans of Dancing With the Stars or even So You Think You Can Dance!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy to review.