Chloe Angyal’s debut romance, Pas de Don’t, is fantastic. The characters and the plot are grown up and the romance is tender (and steamy). Angyal uses her background in dance to ground her romance between professional dancers in the physical joy of being a dancer, without glamorizing (or fetishizing) all the things beyond art that make ballet a world apart. I haven’t read Angyal’s non-fiction book, Turning Pointe: How a New Generation of Dancers is Saving Ballet From Itself, but Pas de Don’t is the book I expect from the writer of that book.

Heather Hays is a principle ballerina at the New York Ballet and she is engaged to Jack Anderson the golden prince of American ballet. When Heather finds out Jack is having an affair with a young member of the corps, she breaks things off and finds life in the ballet company less comfortable. Her ex is making a point of letting everyone know how happy he is with his new girlfriend. And Jack’s good friends, Brett and Samuel (named after Justices Kavanaugh and Alito) are doing their part to create a more hostile work environment. Heather looks for a way to be a visiting artist at another company for a while.

Marcus is a principle dancer with the Australian National Ballet, but not dancing while he recovers from a horrific onstage accident that damaged his achilles tendon. He has been working with the company’s physical therapist for months so that he can get back on stage. When Heather arrives in Sydney, the company director asks Marcus to show Heather around. Sydney makes a lovely backdrop and I felt like I was getting a tour of the area as well.

They strikes sparks quickly, but Marcus cautions that the company has a strict no fraternization policy to combat sexual harassment. The dancers call it the Pas de Don’t. Their yearning for each other proves stronger than the threat to their careers and they start a secret romance. Heather has seen herself through her ex’s eyes for so long that she doesn’t quite recognize the person Marcus sees, but she likes her. In addition to recovering from a physical injury, Marcus is still grieving his father’s death. Angyal does such a good job of showing the joy they bring into each other’s lives, and also the fragility of their romance.

Angyal conveys the physicality of the dancers lives so well. Marcus particularly is aware of his body and how it is moving in a way that I’ve rarely seen described in romance. Some of the most intimate and smoldering moments are in scenes where they are dancing or moving together together outside of sex.

The Pas de Don’t policy that gives us the title isn’t just a plot device to keep Heather and Marcus apart. It is also a commentary on the impact that well intentioned but poorly thought out policies can have on the people they are supposed to protect. Ultimately, Pas de Don’t is hopeful – it’s hopeful about the characters’ futures and it is hopeful about the future of ballet.

Chloe Angyal very helpfully provides content warnings at the beginning of the book. “This book features on‑page depictions of coercive control and its after‑ math, as well as the off‑page death of a parent. I’ve done my best to treat these topics with the care that they, and you the reader, deserve.” I will add that while there are a couple of mentions of not eating foods because of calories, eating disorders are not portrayed and disordered eating is not glamorized.

I received this as an advance read copy from Amberjack Publishing and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

I think that dance romances might be my new favourite sub genre of sport romance. Or maybe I’m committing a faux pas by insinuating that dance is sport rather than art. I think it’s a beautiful blend of the two - kind of like figure skating or ice dancing.

Either way it’s a new ingredient and I’m all for it. This novel starts off with a huge moment for ballet dancer Heather Hays - engagement and awarded principal role on the same night? In front of adoring fans no less. And yet the fairy tale comes crashing down around her when she learns that her fiancé is a cheater and after trying to coexist at their NY ballet company together she can’t bear it. So off to the land down under she goes.

There she meets Marcus - a dancer who’s coming back from a serious injury - and he’s chosen to be her tour guide. After sneaking a kiss in a dressing room at a small ballet shop the pair try to steer clear of one another - no good can come from being together especially with the no fraternization policy in place at the Aussie ballet company.

Except that they just can’t seem to stay away from one another and before long their pasts catch up to the blissful present they’re trying to enjoy all the while time is ticking by on Heather’s one month in Australia.

Insta love. Forbidden romance. Forced proximity.

A absolute wonderful feel good romantic comedy that anyone who is a fan of the genre will fall in love with

"The first rule of fuck club is you don't talk about fuck club," -From Pas de Don't

3.5 stars

This is one of the best ways I think I've seen an author use their nonfiction background to create fiction. There was so much going on in the background of this book that really pulled me through. All the little details from nods at different company politics, ballet news, use of Giselle, choreo that made sense-even warm up attire was all done so well. It was a lucky thing because I hated both of the main characters, and I'm a character first romance girl. If I'm not invested in the people falling in love I'll just DNF. I'm ultimately happy I didn't (even for our male MC's ending), but I will die on the hill that her plant ZZ Pot had more of a personality than Heather. She is such a passive character, a horrible friend, and her arc wasn't nearly as big as I needed it to be. Marcus just reads as Jack 2.0 to me when he lashes out verbally not once, but twice. To make matters worse she apologizes to HIM, when she had no control over the things going wrong, even if that were an excuse for him to say some of the things he did (which it's not). Heather fucking Hays deserves better, even if her idea of a good time is just seeing a koala bear and drinking coffee. I want the next book to be Carly's and Alice's relationship, please and thank you.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

Pas de Don't, Chloe Angyal's fiction debut set in the world of professional ballet, certainly gave me the feelings as someone who works in the arts. Having previously written non-fiction about ballet, Angyal does a fantastic job of really delving into the intricacies of the creative process and all of the pitfalls that the industry as a whole has yet to grapple with. It really raises the bar for me in terms of how writers approach characters that work in an artistic or creative profession.

The romance portion of the book is definitely more low-angst and filled with far less tension than I anticipated, which is not really my preference and felt antithetical to the circumstances that these characters found themselves in. I didn't really end up falling head over heels for Heather and Marcus; to be quite honest, I didn't find either character particularly memorable and the romance between them was a bit boring for me. I think this book will be a slam dunk for someone who is looking for a fluffier romance, but it did lose some momentum for me in that regard.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amberjack Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Forbidden romance and make it ballet?! Yes please! I absolutely adored Pas de Don't, and loved the magnetic chemistry between Carly and Marcus. This was seriously amazing!

a cute read with some ballet elements, i loved this book

thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

Pas De Don't was a delightful read. Ballet society in a book is a something new to me, especially in a romance book and with both of main characters as ballet dancers, I literally have never met a book like this. This book would take us to the journey of Heather, a NYC ballet dancer prodigy and her cheating good for nothing ex, to her new job as dancer in Sydney, Australia where she met Marcus, the one dancer that's been resting because of accident in stage when he performed a year prior. Their first meeting sort of meet cute y'know? And they have this sort of gravitational pull to each others despite the rules that forbid them—being co-workers and all—to pursue romantic relationship with each others. But Marcus and Heather aren't nothing if not smart. Anyway! That's thw TL;DR before spoiling everything. Onto the next, you know sometimes when one or both party in a romance novel is kind of childish and all? You won't meet this problem with Heather and Marcus because they're both level headed people and they solved their problem real smooth. I love me some misunderstanding in romances but it's so fresh too seeing adults being adults. It was a solid 4 stars to me. Thank you Amberjack Publishing and Netgalley for the e-arc.

I’m so excited for Pas de Don’t to grand jeté into readers’ hearts when it’s released on May 2nd.

Heather is a principal dancer at New York Ballet. Her talents have been minimized because of her engagement to Jack, a ballet nepo baby who is as entitled and atrocious as he is talented and charismatic (when he wants to be). When their relationship ends, she finds a guest position at the Australian National Ballet dancing the lead in Giselle.

When she arrives in Australia, Marcus—a member of the company who has spent the past year in PT recovering from an injury—is asked to be Heather’s tour guide for a few days while she gets acclimated.

*Sparks fly!*

But there are some problems. To name a few: Heather is fresh out of a breakup, they live a world apart, and—crucially—ANB has a VERY strict no-dating policy.

I loved this book! Heather and Marcus’s relationship felt authentic and had a great arc. I loved seeing their connection go from flirty to meaningful. I enjoyed how Angyal pivoted between their perspectives. It helped me as a reader to root and care about both characters individually and as a couple.

Also, even though we don't get much of Heather's best friend Carly after Heather leaves for Australia, I enjoyed their friendship so much!

What truly sets Pas de Don’t apart is Angyal’s expertise on ballet. Angyal first book, Turning Pointe, delved into the toxic aspects of ballet culture and explored possibilities for how ballet could become healthier, more inclusive, and more creative. While the reader certainly doesn’t need to be an expert in ballet (I am not!), hearing Heather and Marcus's story told by someone who has spent so much time understanding and thinking deeply about ballet and ballet culture enriches the book so much!

Thank you so much to Amberjack Publishing and NetGalley for the e-ARC to read and review!

Enjoyed this book outside of my comfort zone. I dont dance and I know next to nothing about it. Haha I also love that it was set in Australia, a place I would love to visit someday.

I really loved this book--I might be biased because I did dance as a child/teenager, and I'm also more familiar with Sydney than with any other place outside the US, so I was able to be like "hey I know that thing!" to a good chunk of the ballet/Australia references in this book. The romance was *so* good, and I really felt like both characters were grounded and realistic, and the conflict didn't feel forced. I was rooting for them the whole way and didn't know exactly how everything was going to turn out. I like the way the more sensitive issues were handled, and genuinely overall I just couldn't put this book down.

I'd really recommend Pas de Don't to romance fans, and I can't wait to read Chloe Angyal's future work! Thank you to Netgalley and Amberjack Publishing for the chance to read and review this ARC.

Set in the surprisingly small world of professional ballet, from New York to Sydney, Pas de Don’t reminds me of all the reasons I love romance novels. And having been in ballet school my entire childhood, it reminded me of all the reasons I love ballet. Beautiful romance aside, I really love how this book depicts the toxicity that can exist in professional ballet schools and companies, and how hopefully all of that is changing for the better.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

A sweet romance, beautifully picturesque setting, and an immersive peek into the world of professional ballet? Sign me up.

Heather is a principal dancer and engaged to Jack, another dancer. Jack is abusive and a cheater, Heather takes a guest post in an Australian ballet company to get away from Jack and his new teenage girlfriend.

Engaging, enjoyable and you care about the characters and what they're going through.

- World of professional ballet
- NYC to Australia
- Swoony mmc
- Forbidden romance

Some of my favorite authors are raving about this novel so, of course, when I had the chance to read it, I didn't hesitate. Pas De Don't follows the stories of Heather Hays, a world renown professional ballerina, and Marcus Campbell, a member of an Australian ballet company who's recovering from a potentially career ending injury. Heather ends up in Australia as a visiting performer after her cheating former dance partner makes her life in New York miserable; she needs a breather and a chance to regroup and show the world that she's the fantastic dancer she always has been--not her ex-fiance's pity choice as a partner. Meanwhile, Marcus is just hoping to get back on stage to show himself that he can still be the dancer he knows he can be, despite a year of being off the stage and in active injury recovery.



Heather and Marcus get thrown together when the director of the ballet company has Marcus show Heather around Sydney on her first few days in town. Within in minutes the chemistry between these two is evident and their struggle to not acknowledge it was huge. It seems obvious why them acting upon their lust is not a great idea, right? She's coming off a terrible break up. She's not going to be there long. And if things go wrong, all hell could break loose--making things uncomfortable for everyone. But even more than that, their boss has made it clear to all members of the company that romantic relationships are not allowed and anyone engaging with them will be immediately fired. A no-brainer, right? Apparently not.



These two try to resist and despite the high stakes of getting found out, they decide to sneak around. They come up with a plan that will keep everyone in the dark and as happy as they are, there's also an undercurrent of tension. If they get caught, the damage to their careers would be unthinkable. He could lose his livelihood and her reputation could be in tatters. And yet. The pull between these two is just magnetic and they cannot, for the life of them, resist it. They lie, sneak, and live in a bubble of happiness until the bubble bursts and all hell breaks loose.



Pas De Don't had humor, passion, and interesting commentary on work place harassment. The secondary characters and plot enhanced the primary plot and helped provide that little something extra and the pacing made reading this so easy, I felt like I was done before I even started.

Chloe did a wonderful job on her first romance. I loved Heather and Marcus. The book makes me want to visit Australia and go to the ballet.
The serious subjects within the ballet community where very well handled. I liked the forbidden romance aspects.

Thank you for this advanced copy. I really tried to get into this one but I just wasn't feeling the relationship between Heather and Marcus. I think the strongest part of this book, for me personally, was how immersive it was into the ballet world and as someone who did ballet for some years when I was younger, it felt nice to see this as a setting for a romance. However, that is about all I could say that I really liked. It was cute but the relationship between Heather and Marcus fell flat for me. I also felt that the beginning with Jack felt a little cartoonish.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Sometimes you need a low stress lovely read, and this book does just the trick.

It’s set in the ballet world and it is incredibly detailed. I appreciated all of the real ballet terminology, descriptions and how detailed the “ballet scene” was for the plot.

And here comes my bias – the bulk of the story is set in Australia and it’s PROPER Australia. It was so well done. I’m not a Sydney local, but I knew exactly where the author was describing – the roads they drove down, the streets they were walking. The characters weren’t Aussie caricatures. The use of Aussie language felt real and not exaggerated. My favourite part – there was even an acknowledgement of country incorporated into dialogue.

Other things I liked:
- Marcus does a good apology. A great love interest! He was swoony.
- The bonus plotlines addressing misogyny – love how this ramped up towards the back half of the book
- Good steam to story balance!
- The bravery of the ladies at the end

Things that didn’t work so well for me:
- I thought it was pretty insta-lovey. I could have done with a fraction more build up between the two leads.

In short: Pas de do read it! I had a great time!

“It’s a good rule, Pas de Don’t. No mess, no drama, just a . . . ‘harmonious and professional work environment.’ Maybe every company should have that rule.”

It was a good rule, Marcus thought to himself, as they approached the boathouse cafe. Then again, he had never met someone who made him want to break it.

-forbidden romance, workplace romance, Heather and Marcus are ballet dancers 🩰
-Heather’s world comes crashing down and she finds herself on the other side of the globe, at the Australian National Ballet
-no dating policy at the ANB even if the other is too good to be true
-them crushing on each other from a distance made me so giddy. Literally kicking my feet in the air 🥹❤️
-I like how the book mentioned the issues the ballet world has, as someone who is unfamiliar with ballet, it was nicely introduced
-thank you to NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group for this ARC ✨

4.2⭐️

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, not only because it was about dancing and Australia, but because the writing and storytelling were excellent. I fell in love with Heather and her growth in relearning who she is and what she can do, like standing up for herself and others, and helping to change the way things are.
If all men could be like Marcus, the world would be a much better place. He’s aware of his and others feelings and he can apologize; those things alone can go a long way. But he’s just an all around awesome guy who had been through a hellish year and making his way back to “normal”.

Chloe Angyal did a wonderful job of showing the inequalities and favoritism of the ballet world in a way that makes you care.

Thank you Chloe Angyal, NetGalley, Chicago Review Press, and Amberjack Publishing for this ARC. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~