I enjoyed the plot and characters of this book, as well as the look into the ballet world, but ultimately found the pacing too slow at the beginning (and too fast at the end) for my taste. I'd have liked more time to be spent on the plotlines that pop up later in the book.

Full review on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRwsnsBb/

This is a solid 4 star read. I was intrigued by the characters and the story and did not want to put the book down. I’ll admit to not being a ballet fan but I found the ballet storyline to be easy to read and follow along. There’s definitively a forbidden attraction element to this book that drives the story and ramps up the heat. Heather leaves her ballet career in NYC behind for a month in Australia after a disastrous breakup with a coworker. Arriving in Australia, she is shown around by Marcus, a ballet dancer currently recovering from an injury. An attraction to another coworker is the last thing Heather wants and especially now, when her new studio has a strict no coworker relationship policy, known as Pas de Don’t. However, the more time Heather and Marcus spend together, and the more Heather heals and realize how different Marcus is from her ex, the harder it is to fight that attraction. Marcus is also healing, physically from his injury and emotionally from the loss of his dad. Both characters are at emotional points in their lives and that makes for an intriguing story. In addition, Pas de Deux addresses serious issues in the ballet world and out, like gender, workplace relationships, and harassment. There is a contrast between NYB that protects her ex and ANB that is more progressive towards the dancers but is perhaps taking it too far with Pas de Don’t. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I’ll be keeping an eye out for Chloe Angyal’s future books!

I love ballet so I couldn't resist this book with its ballet setting and MCs who are both dancers. Heather is a principal dancer with a famous NYC ballet company who for years dated a male principal dancer at the company who was considered ballet royalty but who never wasted an opportunity to chip away at her confidence. When she catches him cheating and finally breaks up with him, she wants to prove to herself that she deserves her position as a principal, and knows she has to put some distance between them, so she accepts a guest position on the other side of the world with the Australian National Ballet. Marcus is a principal with the ANB who suffered a complete Achilles tendon rupture on stage a year ago and is finally coming to the end of a grueling rehab period and hoping to regain his spot in the company.

Heather and Marcus have an instant connection and can't stay away from each other, but in response to pervasive sexual harassment in the past in the dance world, the ANB has instituted a strict, no dating policy. Any company members caught in a relationship will be fired immediately with no exceptions. How then can Heather and Marcus navigate a relationship when it could cost them their jobs?

I loved the ballet details in the book and could feel the strong sparks between Heather and Marcus. Both were strong, decent characters with matching determination and drive and they were wonderful together. The book did a great job of integrating real world problems in ballet with the romance narrative and demonstrating how the current generation is trying to change the ballet world for the better. The supporting cast of characters was also great. I hope the author writes more romances in this setting. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

A fantastic debut romance novel. Heather, FMC, has been gaslighted and torn down by a bad relationship that makes her make some drastic changes. In taking a a guest artist contract in Australia she hopes to regroup and move on both professional and personally. Marcus, MMC, has taken a physical blow after being injured during a performance and is slowly working his way back to ballet with therapy and workouts. I really enjoyed these two healing by being in each other's company. There's tension between the two nearly from the start and with the added forbidden relationship aspect the pages fly by. I really hope there are more books with some of the side characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Chicago Review Press for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've read Chloe Angyal's nonfiction, Turning Pointe, so I was really excited to get her romance novel! It follows Heather and Marcus, two ballet dancers. After her relationship with another dancer goes awry, Heather goes to Australia, to dance in their national ballet. There, she meets Marcus, who was injured and unable to dance for the last year.

This book is delightful! I wish I'd remembered that part of Marcus's storyline involves the death of his father, but that's totally on me. The characters here were great, and I thought the plot was done well. I look forward to more of Angyal's work!

The heroine's life was looking good, but then it toppled down. To have a second chance and prove that her success was due to her own merit, the heroine accepts a guest position at another ballet company. At this different ballet company located in another continent, the heroine meets the hero, who is her tour guide and a fellow ballet dancer himself, the two has an instant connection with each other. But the ballet company has a strict no-dating policy that is enforced. Yet as time passed by, the heroine and the hero become closer to each other and the secrets that they held dear will be revealed.

This is my first Chloe Angyal book. It features a ballet setting and a couple that are meant for each other. Being immersed in the ballet community was an entertaining read, especially the nuances that are found in the ballet industry. Thus, I enjoyed the journey that the couple's romance went through, as well as how the couple were together and as individuals. I also liked the support group that surrounded the couple, especially the heroine's best friend and the hero's family. The story has a vibe I enjoyed and the author's writing style made the story flow smoothly. Overall, an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more Chloe Angyal books in the future.


** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. **

Heather Hays is a principal dancer for the New York Ballet. She's worked hard to get the position and it's the culmination of years of questioning whether she was "enough." When she's betrayed by her dance partner and fiancé, Jack, Heather finds it difficult to stay and work in the negative environment. Needing some time to herself in order to heal, Heather takes a guest position with the Australian National Ballet.

Marcus Campbell is recovering from a severe injury to his Achilles tendon and is also grieving the death of his father. He's just coming off rehab and looking towards easing back into dance for the Australian National Ballet. When a guest ballerina turns his head and works her way into his broken heart, Marcus finds that the world suddenly looks brighter than it has in more than a year.

Unfortunately for Heather and Marcus, the Australian National Ballet has a strict policy forbidding relationships between their dancers. If they pursue the attraction building between them, it could put both their careers at risk.

After seeing Heather heartbroken by Jack and the way she was abused by the press with insinuations that she had used him to gain her position at the NY Ballet, you want to see things go her way. Of course, Marcus has suffered with an extreme amount of heartbreak himself and is struggling with the fear that he may never dance the way he did before his injury. These two deserve every bit of happiness together but it might not be in the cards for them. There's a lot for them to overcome to get to an HEA.

In addition to the romance explored in the story, there is also a discussion about how sexual harassment and abuse is often overlooked and definitely was in Jack's situation. He went from relationships with one dancer to another and suffered no repercussions simply because he was a "draw" and made the ballet a lot of money. This type of abuse has to be addressed in the story because this behavior is what drove Heather from New York to Australia. Likewise, the opposite is true in Australia where they have a no tolerance policy and terminate dancers at the first sign of a relationship. Somewhere along the way there has to be a happy medium.

This was a well-written story that was thought-provoking and meaningful. The romance between Heather and Marcus is sweet and develops organically and easily. Overall, I found this to be a solid entry.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

My sincere thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my unbiased opinion of it in the following review.

Let me start out by saying that I have read very few romance novels with dance as a back story and even fewer about ballet. I was in the mood for something different and this book was a nice change. Written by an author who knows the ballet community, Pas de Don't seemed very realistic as far as the depiction of ballet's inner workings and the relationships that develop within. In this story, Heather has just been promoted to principal ballerina in her company in New York. She is also engaged to the male star in her company. When he cheats on her and puts her down, she decides to take a short-term job at a ballet company in Australia. Here she meets Marcus who is on leave from ballet due to an injury. There is a strict no dating (Pas de Don't) policy, but Heather and Marcus have an instant connection. Is it worth the risk to explore their attraction?

I really liked this book a lot. While the relationship progresses faster than I usually like, I did believe their connection. I appreciated Heather's growth by the end of the book. Not only did she gain self-confidence, but she was able to stand up for others who had been marginalized in the ballet world. 4 enthusiastic stars and a promise to read more ballet/dance books in the future.

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REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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I don't know how to dance, in fact I can't dance to save my life, bit I like watching dancing especially Ballet, it's my favorite. I've watched Ballet movies, but this is the first time I'll be reading a novel based on Ballet and I was not disappointed.
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I loved learning about Ballet (although I'd have loved a glossary) and the dancers' lifestyles. I loved that the Author portrayed the precarious emotional and mental state of the Dancers.
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I loved the Australian Setting, I think this is the first time I'll be reading a book set in Australia from an Australian's POV. It felt like I was a tourist
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I liked the MCs, I understood their struggles and pain. However, I felt like I was reading a YA, the characters didn't feel like they were in their late 20s or early 30s. I wanted more insights into Heather's childhood and mother.
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The author did a very good job for a debut novel and I can't wait to see what the Author has in store

This is the right book if you love ballet and a sweet romance. Well developed characters and a compelling plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Heather Hays’ life goes from being the principal dance at the New York Ballet Theatre and the fiancé of fellow principal, Jack Andersen, to finding out that he is cheating on her. Not willing to accept Jack’s cruel taunts that she has only been successful because of him, she decides to accept a guest position with the Australian National Ballet. There she meets Marcus Campbell, who is tasked with playing tour guide to Heather during her stay. In the past year, Marcus has significantly damaged his Achilles tendon in a performance, that his father was meant to see before he died. In the year since, he has been in physical therapy, plagued with doubts that he can ever dance again. When Marcus and Heather spend time together, they find in each other, a sense of enjoyment, that has been missing for both, for too long. However, ANB’s strict ‘no-dating’ policy seems an insurmountable challenge, which they struggle to uphold.
I started this book, uncertain about whether I could enjoy a book set in the ballet world. However, I am so glad that I took a chance as this is so much more than a simple romance or a book about ballet. I thoroughly enjoyed see the development of Heather who has gone from being under the shadow of a coercive man. With Marcus, she develops her confidence and love of life. I also enjoyed seeing Marcus enjoy life again, after the loss of his father. The chemistry between Heather and Marcus, leaps off the page and had me so intent on the story, that I nearly missed the train stop for work! I look forward to reading more by this talented writer who has also managed to capture the beauty of Australia. I hope she considers more of the Australian landscape in her next books.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love ballet romances and I truly hope that this delightful contemporary romance sets off a trend similar to other sports romances. Heather Hays is a principal ballerina and she and her fiancé are ballet royalty… until she discovers he’s a cheater. To avoid any scrutiny, she takes a position in Australia and meets the absolutely wonderful Marcus, but there’s a catch, relationships between the dancers is forbidden because of decades of sexual harassment and the dancers call it “pas de don’t” Obvi these two try to fight their attraction for as long as they can but, well, this IS a romance novel after all.

This is a wonderful story, about two people falling in love in the space that they love. Ballet has a reputation of sexism and this author really shows how a more progressive system can help ballet change for the better. Heather learns that her relationship with her ex fiancé was in fact toxic and her relationship with Marcus is much healthier. I’m looking forward to reading more by Angyal including her nonfiction book, Turning Pointe.

Pas de Don't is a fun ballet romance featuring Heather, the famous principal from New York who is escaping a broken engagement to a fellow ballet star, and Marcus, the Sydney-based ballet dancer recovering from a significant injury. The two meet during Heather's first day as a guest principal at the Australian National Ballet—in a memorable meet-cute—and they have instant chemistry. There's only one problem: the ANB, which has made many recent and positive reforms, has a strict rule against dancers in the company dating. Anyone caught breaking it is instantly fired.

I enjoyed reading Pas de Don't for many reasons, including the fact that Chloe Angyal infuses the book with her ballet expertise. The world here is vivid and lived-in, and the sections that discussed classes or the ballet rumor mill were particularly delightful. I was rooting for Heather and Marcus the whole time and loved, especially, how impressed and adoring Marcus was about everything Heather did on the dance floor and off. There's also a very satisfying twist at the end as Heather and her friends claim their space within the industry.

One thing I did want to point out was the lack of LGBTQ and POC representation for much of the book. There's a section where we learn about many of the specific reforms that the ANB has made, which seem to be aimed particularly at Black, indigenous, and Latinx dancers. However, we never see dancers who identify as part of any of these communities on the page. Similarly, there are a few mentions of same-sex relationships, but they are very much minimized. I understand that the central romance between a white man and a white woman only allows for so much page time for other identities, but these felt like missed opportunities given the themes of the book.

Overall, this was a fun romance, and I recommend it. Reading Pas de Don't, you will feel as if you've snuck backstage at the ballet in all the best ways.

Thank you to Amberjack Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of Pas de Don't. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Chicago Review Press, Amberjack Publishing, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

As a former dancer, I was very excited to read Pas de Don't knowing that it was the rare opportunity to read a "ballet book" by an accomplished writer who also has deep personal experience in the world of professional ballet. I thoroughly enjoyed the depth of the characters and the careful approach to some very real issues that exist for many dancers. I feel that she handled them well, and while the book doesn't come up with a permanent solution for the problem (this is a work of fiction after all), it brings things to light that have been hidden for a long time.

My one very nit-picky critique is with regards to Marcus' injury. Early in the book, when the injury initially occurs, Marcus describes it happening at the end of executing a tour en l'air (presumably a double); however, a few chapters later, it refers to his injury due to a bad landing out of a tour jeté. While they are both jumping steps that have the word "tour" in them, they are completely different things.

I was a little surprised by the detail during the romantic scenes, but they are very well written and do serve to advance the plot and inform additional depths of Heather and Marcus' mental states. I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for additional books by Chloe Angyal.

Heather has just gotten out of an abusive relationship and wants to show that she can stand on her own. She travels to Australia to work with their dance company to prove that she is the best. Marcus is still recovering from a devastating injury he got a year ago. He is so close to being able to dance again. When Heather comes to town he is told to be her tour guide and sparks instantly fly. The only problem is, this dance company has a very strict policy about dancers dating. Will they be able to fight the attraction so that they don’t get fired? Or will they let love fly?

I knew from the beginning that this book was gonna get me, it started out so emotional and I loved it. I also really appreciate the detailed content warnings at the start of the book, it lets you know what you are getting into.

Heathers growth throughout the book was such a pleasure to watch. She just got out of a terrible relationship where he did not make her feel good about anything. Seeing Heather gain the confidence in herself and realize that she really is a star made me so happy. They all treated her like she was royalty and that’s what she really needed.

The chemistry with Heather and Marcus was sooooo good. They really tried to stay away from each other at first but we all knew they were never going to be able to. They had cute sexy moments but my favorites were all the little moments in between. Mainly, the spider scene because that’s exactly what a man should do.

Marcus was just everything that Heather needed and it made me so happy. He was always encouraging her and wanting her to see how great she really is. I think that they also had really good communication. They always talked to each other about what was happening and didn’t hide anything. That did lead to my own personal heartbreak at the end, but you know it’s fine.

I also loved the Heather’s friendships with Carly and the one she was building with Alice. It showed that while yes ballet can have pettiness there are real friendships too. The part at the end where she gets together with Carly to take down her ex was so satisfying and I loved it.

I received an arc through netgalley.

When Heather 's fellow dancer and fiancee, Jack, cheats on her, she decides to take a month long opportunity at the Australian National Ballet (ANB). While there and healing from the breakdown of her relationship, she meets Marcus who is healing from his own injury suffered on stage. They both feel pulled towards each other but the ANB has a very strict no dating policy for its dancers.

I had a fun time with this! I have almost no knowledge of ballet but really appreciated the setting and the struggles of the characters. I thought Marcus' relationships with his mom and brother were really realistic. I really liked the writing overall and thought the dialogue was very approachable and easy to read. I loved the chemistry between Heather and Marcus and how much Marcus supports Heather and believes in her with no question.

I loved the scene with Heather and the other two dancers standing up for themselves with the New York Ballet's director! We love women supporting women and canceling mysogynistic and abusive men.

Two little notes of things I struggled with: The switch POVs in the middle of a chapter without a real page break will never work for me, even when it's very clear what POV you're in with the change. The second thing is that there is a wholly unnecessary Harry Potter reference. Yes it's just once but here's the thing: it is so jarring to me at this point when HP is included in a book given the horrific, harmful, and irreprehensible things it's author has spouted from her platform. I understand that it's a pop culture reference that is nearly universal but it's just so incredibly unnecessary at this point.

Overall I really enjoyed this one! Thank you to Netgalley and Amberjack Publishing for the eARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4.5 sparkling stars!
🌶🌶 - 2 spicy peppers!

You had me at ballet, I'm not gonna lie. I absolutely loved this book! I enjoyed it so much, it's such a fun read.

After having it all, principal NYB dancer Heather Hays finds her life suddenly crumbling down. Desperate to prove everyone wrong, she goes to Sydney and joins ANB for a temporary run. Little did she know, she was gonna find herself having many things in common with her tour guide/fellow dancer, Marcus.

A great rom-com with an added bonus of ballet and great characters all around 💜

3.5 - “But life is long and strange and full of things that will make you happy. People, too.”

Heather is finally the principal dancer for the New York Ballet and she seemingly has it all. Then her life comes crashing down and in an effort to save her career, she accepts a position with the Australian National Ballet. She meets Marcus, a fellow dancer who’s struggling through the loss of his father and an Achilles injury, and he becomes her Australia tour guide. Their chemistry is instant, but the ANB has a strict no dating policy, Pas de Don’t.

I wanted to love this, especially considering all of the great reviews. While the romance between Heather and Marcus is portrayed really well, I felt that this book really suffered from trying to do too much. We never get too deep into any of the underlying issues the characters have and it felt lacking. For me, it felt too surface-level. I really love when, especially in a romance, we dive deeper into the characters and explore more difficult issues. Here, we get an overview of the characters issues and things are resolved too neatly. Besides the overall conflict that arises between Heather and Marcus, the other issues seem to be sprinkled in without ever getting too deep, and I think there was an opportunity to do that,

However, I did love Heather and Marcus. Their chemistry is excellent and the development of their relationship is lovely. He is everything her ex, Jack, wasn’t: caring, kind, and proud of her. There is this beautiful moment where Marcus laughs at her seemingly lame joke and makes one of his own, and it’s significant Jack always made her feel inferior. I did appreciate her growth and how different she is by the end.

There is also a great author’s not with content warnings and resources for those experiencing coercive control. It’s so important for books with these difficult subjects to include these note, so I was happy to see it there. I think this is necessary for books that deal with emotionally abusive relationships.

Thanks to Amberjack and NetGalley for the eARC.

This is a book for the true Dance Academy heads, and that is me. Sydney, ballet, and koalas?! Sign me up! Plus, Angyal's knowledge of the innerworkings of the ballet world are on display here. My only wish was for more of an ensemble cast including more of the Sydney company (Again, I DO want everything to be Dance Academy). My hope this can be fixed in a Netflix show that is based on this book and is basically Dance Academy, but grownups. Would be my FAVORITE SHOW. Anyway, if you love some ballet content, this is an excellent option.

This was a very sweet ballet romance! At first, it read a little YA to me and I had to double check the main character’s ages. I really liked Heather’s and Marcus’ growth throughout the novel. Heather growing into herself and recognizing her worth; Marcus’ family relationships and dealing with his grief/injury. Their relationship development was well done too, I could feel their connection and care for each other. It felt a little long at times too but I enjoyed being immersed in the ballet world.