I read The Dance Deception and I have mixed feelings about this book. It is a contemporary fake dating romance. I really liked the setting, how everything revolves around the dance competition, as well as the competition itself, costumes, dances, and all the contestants, it was all exciting and lots of drama.
The writing style was ok for me, at times I would have really liked more detail and description about the actual dance composition and Kate and Aleksis interactions.
On the other hand, somethings I did not really like was the spice happened right at the beginning of this story and there was a lot of it, and I think it was a bit overdone. I did not really care for the character Kate, it was one thing to have that first mistake, but she kept making silly ones, especially with people she knew hurt her. Aleksis, we really did not get to know, just from his limited interactions with Kate. Also, the first half of this book was the buildup of this scandal with one love interest and relationship that the second half of this book seemed rushed, with limited development and very instata love and so it really fell flat and so heavily focused on the spice. I got bored at times and it felt redundant at points. I would not recommend reading this book. I found it both heavy handed in some areas and really lacking in others.
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

2.5 ⭐
The premise was interesting, but overall i didn’t completely enjoyed the story. Cute, but a little bit boring at times.

A cute rom com, featuring Kate as she takes part in a televised dance competition a la Strictly Come Dancing. It was very light and frothy with quite a lot of rude bits!! Fairly predictable in places, easy to pick up and put down.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kate is paired with professional dancer Merle in a TV competition .when their raunchy moves mean she has to swap partners to the moody Alexsis, she doubts she will win. Raunchy and enthralling, a different romcom .

The concept behind this story was truly engaging. Witnessing Kate's progression as she gained self-assurance throughout the dance competition was a highlight for me. However, I sensed that certain elements were extraneous, while others appeared hurried. The book provided a straightforward reading experience, yet it might not be the type of story I'd revisit. Despite this, I'd certainly suggest giving it a read, as individual perspectives can vary.

I extend my gratitude to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for granting me the opportunity to access this ARC ahead of time in exchange for my sincere feedback.

DNF @ 33%. The pacing is already horrendous this early on, and I cannot see that changing at any point soon. We know absolutely nothing about the characters in this story yet, and I am a third of the way in!!! They are both just sex fiends. I am all for spicy scenes. I love them! But there is no connection between Kate (fmc) and Merle (mmc) at this point, so it feels like spice with no feeling, no meaning, no necessity. They just keep doing it over and over and over in lieu of plot or character details. Then, Merle films Kate naked without her consent and tries to get her to like it! And he is married and doesn't tell her! And Kate STILL PINES FOR HIM!! YUCK! Have some self respect, girl! Merle treats her like garbage, her new partner Alexis treats her like garbage. I don't like this book so far, so I am DNFing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Becky Ward, and Avon Books UK for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.

Loved the levels of spiciness of this one! Although I felt we didn’t really know the characters too well, I enjoyed this one!

I did feel that Kate’s hook-up with Warren was a little unnecessary in terms of plot, I wasn’t then sure on her intentions towards Aleksis because I wondered if it was just someone else she wanted to hook-up with.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I'm going to be honest. I only made it a few pages in and stopped reading. This just isn't a book for me and my time is better allotted elsewhere. In the few pages I read, I immediately disliked the tone and the characters.

Well, this book turned out better than I thought it might from the first few chapter. However, this is not saying much. I nearly DNF'd this just as it started because of the absolutely cringey, thrown-into-the-deep-end vibe of Kate's instalust situationship with Merle. There were so many red flags coming off of that man and I was terrified that somehow the author would try to wring out a happily ever after for the two of them. Thank goodness that wasn't the case.

Though the alternative wasn't much better. It took Kate a staggeringly long time to get over Merle, even after he betrays her repeatedly. Her concerns are so self-centered when it is revealed that he has a wife. It made her a thoroughly unlikeable character. She is redeemed only through the forgiveness of other characters, but even then her earlier thoughts, actions, and reactions left a poor taste in my mouth. I'm all for morally grey characters, but Kate didn't feel grey. She felt vapid. Another issue with Kate is that she so rarely takes any action as our protagonist. She follows along with other characters' ideas. Other folks come along and solve her problems for her. Even the big comeuppance at the end is thanks to another character who didn't owe Kate anything. Generally it was hard to root for Kate or to really become invested in what happened to her.

The spicy scenes were also a letdown. Some of the language and descriptions felt jarring. The chemistry between Kate and any of the three men she slept with did not feel earned, though she and Aleksis were an improvement. Some good spice can save a book that's not great, but that wasn't the case here.

"The Dance Deception" by Becky Ward is a thrilling mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat with its suspenseful twists and turns. This novel is a captivating blend of intrigue, suspense, and the relentless pursuit of truth.

Ward's writing style is immersive and suspenseful, drawing readers into a world of secrets, deception, and unexpected revelations. The characters in the novel are complex and multi-dimensional, each with their own motivations and hidden agendas that contribute to the complexity of the story.

At the core of the narrative is a compelling mystery that unfolds against the backdrop of the dance world. The author skillfully weaves together elements of suspense and intrigue, creating a narrative that keeps the reader guessing until the very end.

"The Dance Deception" successfully balances the excitement of the investigation with the emotional depth of the characters' personal journeys. The exploration of themes like trust, betrayal, and the search for truth adds depth to the story.

In conclusion, "The Dance Deception" is a gripping and suspenseful read that offers a thrilling ride through a world of mystery and intrigue. If you're looking for a book that combines tension with unexpected twists, this novel offers a compelling and engaging narrative that will keep you hooked until the final revelation.

A well written book that peaked my interest due to my love of strictly come dancing. I thought it was entertaining and an easy read. For me it lacked character depth but all in all I can imagine this to be a nice summer/ pool side read!

thank you to netgalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn't influence my review. This was a unique book, I just didn't like the very intimate detail it went in (there should've been a trigger warning). Also hated that french guy, but this was an okay book.

An enjoyable read but nothing special. I liked the premise of this book, the twists and turns of the plot and the fast paced story but I’m afraid overall this book was not for me
Thanks to Netgalley, and Avon Books for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

the only thing this guy had for himself was his hotness because OH MY GOD was his an a*hole. he filmed her NAKED, without her consent? he treated her like trash for the entirety of the story and she let him!!! i agree that it’s not your fault but have some standards for Christ’s sake! it was atrocious to read, i almost dnf’ed it several times, the spicy scenes were horrible and absolutely not sexy at all, the dancing bored me to tears when i usually loooove it and they had no chemistry whatsoever. 1⭐️ please avoid this at all costs

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Kate is entered into a dancing competition she gets paired with Merle a dancer from France who's idea of getting Katie to relax and feel the music lead to a scandal, to save face Katie is forced to changed partners with a fellow contestant in the competition her new partner Aleksis is frosty with Kate they fake date to drum up publicity but nothing goes to plan and the road to success and love is not going to be easy.
There was plenty of sex scences and steamy moments in this book this happens throughout the book which kept you reading.

It was a good read but not something I would pick up again

I really wanted to love this book, as the concept was right up my street as a fan of Strictly, but sadly it didn’t deliver.

Instead I found it a struggle to get through at times. The pacing was all wrong, with the story feeling rushed but still far too long! Not sure how that’s possible but that’s the best way I can describe it. The story itself lacked any real ‘dance’ content and the main focus seemed to be the spice. Now spice with no storyline is fine if a) that’s what you’re expecting and b) the spice is well written but in this instance the spice was average and didn’t feel believable, plus it wasn’t really what I was expecting from this book.

All of that said the biggest issue for me was the characters. I didn’t really feel anything for any of them. I can forgive a lot of things in books but not connecting to any of the characters is a problem.

If this wasn’t a review copy, I would have DNF’d as this really didn’t do anything for me.

2 ⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (Avon Books) for providing a copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

Review posted on goodreads. Forgive the casual tone and terms, I had no energy left after finishing this book to write a proper literary critic.


my eyes hurt from forcing myself to finish this. I'm going to go into a bit of details about what happens, minor spoilers from the first half of the book.

!! I didn't bring this up in the gooderads review as it might be an ARC issue but GOD check your file before uploading it. I have no idea how anyone on the publishing team let the ebook be sent to anyone in that state but I almost DNFed at like 10% because of the amount of times the lines jumped to the one bellow, in the middle of sentences you'd just have a
sentence
that looked
like this so
it was
extremely annoying especially that one chapter (near the beginning of the book) in which ALL the sentences were like this. I didn't read it at all. I truly hope the people actually buying the book won't have this problem.

Back to the review.

- she is the stupidest dumbest girlie ever. he filmed her dancing naked WITHOUT her consent and she doesn't care just because he's hot???? he acts like a total dick, talks to her like she's his dog and she, again, doesn't give a shit because he's just so hot?? wake upppp

- if I have to read another line about his "bum" I'm going to throw up

- it is URGENT that non-french speaking authors start asking any french person for a feedback when they include french names etc. it happens constantly and it's so obvious too, like the character's name is Merle Picard........ Merle? a bird??? and PICARD??? the frozen food store????? I couldn't make this up even if I tried

"I can't help wondering if he'll seduce her too. Which somehow hurts more than finding out he was married."

I'm sorry what?? and she's still thinking how it would have been so much better to keep having sex with him without knowing he was married???? giiirrrrrl

"The truth is, much as I hate what he's done, I wish I was still dancing with [☆]."

stop it I'm begging. she's crawling at his feet pls have some dignity

- overall super bland, the first 15% or so is just pointless porn, then we have to suffer through a fake dating plotline without any tension or anything standing between them so it's just all flowers and butterflies up until the end. and this is just a me issue but I couldn't stand the amount of pages focused on the dance aspect, dancing just doesn't look sexy when it's written imo

I was really excited to read this when I read other reviews. I LOVE dancing shows, so I thought I'd really love this plot. Unfortunately, I couldn't find myself connecting to the characters and I found myself skimming to the dialogue.

I normally like insta-love, but was really caught off guard when it happened immediately in the first few chapters. I kept checking to make sure I started at chapter one, because it felt like I should have been already 20% through.

I may decide to pick this up later and give it another chance because it is a cute plot with a few of my favorite tropes (fake dating and one bed).

If you want something super lighthearted with some spice, you may enjoy this book. It just didn't hit the mark for me!

I almost DNF this one. I got to about 30% and realized I knew nothing about Kate, the main character, but I decided to push on since I love dance contest books and while it wasn’t my favorite book, Kate grew on me. There is a lot of spice in this one; probably more than is needed and it seems to be the focus of the book which takes away from the actual story. You do get to know Kate a little more as the book goes on but the story really does suffer from all the need for descriptive spice. Not sure if I would recommend it. Still, it was a nice distraction for the day and I learned about different dances.

Kate is entered into a dancing competition along the lines of Strictly Come Dancing or Dancing with the Stars but with regular people. She gets paired with Merle, a sexy dancer from France whose methods of getting her to relax and feel the music are a bit unconventional, and lead to scandal. To save face she is forced to change partners with a fellow contestant. Her new partner Aleksis is just as attractive but he is very frosty and stand offish with Kate. They eventually find a rhythm between them and fake date to drum up publicity, but nothing ever goes completely to plan and their road to success and love is not going to be simple.

I tend to really enjoy fake dating and competition books, but this one really did not work for me. Kate was super unlikeable in my opinion, she come off as whiny, bland, and lacking redeeming qualities. I did not feel any chemistry between characters. The plot did not capture me, or keep my interest and I was just reading it to get through it instead of enjoying it.