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The Dance #2
The Panther and the Dove
A 40+ Midlife Sapphic Romance
On September 11, 2001, then 27-year-old Melisande Stratton watches in horror as the second plane hits the South Tower of the World Trade Center live on television—where her lover and her parents had gone without her that morning. At home with an unexpected case of the stomach flu, Mel witnesses her life, her heart, and her reasons for living explode right before her eyes in a shower of flame, concrete, and steel. She flees back to her native Florida several months later and, for years afterward, shuts herself away from everyone and everything in an effort to forget her debilitating pain.
Thirty-one years ago, then 20-year-old Eliot Vandenberg loses her One when an armed robber murders her lover in cold blood during a bank robbery the week before Eliot's college graduation. After months of therapy, Eliot joins the Florida Strategic Response Team, a non-military control force that assists Florida law enforcement in managing situations dealing with hostage rescue, civil unrest, high-risk warrants, and suicidal subjects. After years of being alone, however, Eliot—code name "Panther"— finally decides there has to be another One out there for her somewhere, and she vows to herself she isn't going to rest until she finds her.
When Melisande and Eliot meet, the gentle femme Wiccan and the hard butch enforcement strategist seem to have little in common, even though their similar experiences with personal tragedy quickly draw them together. When they unexpectedly become lovers almost immediately, they both find a hope for the future neither of them has felt for many years, a future bright with the possibility of that long-elusive happily-ever-after.
Until Melisande learns the details behind what Eliot REALLY does at FSRT, that is. When Eliot comes home after helping to end an urgent crisis and relates the events behind the murder of two police officers by a man avoiding a domestic battery search warrant, Mel is frozen to the core to see a cold, hard professional in the place of her tender, passionate lover.
With pain in her heart, she breaks up with Eliot, knowing her pacifist Wiccan beliefs and Eliot's hard-core enforcement career will always be at odds with each other. But Eliot is determined to fight for her peaceful Dove and prove to Melisande that she is Eliot's long-awaited One. No matter what it takes, no matter what she has to do, Eliot Vandenberg will make sure Melisande Stratton understands that she is HERS.
Even if Eliot has to give up everything else in her life that matters to her in order to keep her.
Trigger Warning: The beginning of this book deals with the events of 9/11 as they unfolded in New York City on that fateful day.
The Dance, Book Two
On September 11, 2001, then 27-year-old Melisande Stratton watches in horror as the second plane hits the South Tower of the World Trade Center live on television—where her lover and her parents had gone without her that morning. At home with an unexpected case of the stomach flu, Mel witnesses her life, her heart, and her reasons for living explode right before her eyes in a shower of flame, concrete, and steel. She flees back to her native Florida several months later and, for years afterward, shuts herself away from everyone and everything in an effort to forget her debilitating pain.
Thirty-one years ago, then 20-year-old Eliot Vandenberg loses her One when an armed robber murders her lover in cold blood during a bank robbery the week before Eliot's college graduation. After months of therapy, Eliot joins the Florida Strategic Response Team, a non-military control force that assists Florida law enforcement in managing situations dealing with hostage rescue, civil unrest, high-risk warrants, and suicidal subjects. After years of being alone, however, Eliot—code name "Panther"— finally decides there has to be another One out there for her somewhere, and she vows to herself she isn't going to rest until she finds her.
When Melisande and Eliot meet, the gentle femme Wiccan and the hard butch enforcement strategist seem to have little in common, even though their similar experiences with personal tragedy quickly draw them together. When they unexpectedly become lovers almost immediately, they both find a hope for the future neither of them has felt for many years, a future bright with the possibility of that long-elusive happily-ever-after.
Until Melisande learns the details behind what Eliot REALLY does at FSRT, that is. When Eliot comes home after helping to end an urgent crisis and relates the events behind the murder of two police officers by a man avoiding a domestic battery search warrant, Mel is frozen to the core to see a cold, hard professional in the place of her tender, passionate lover.
With pain in her heart, she breaks up with Eliot, knowing her pacifist Wiccan beliefs and Eliot's hard-core enforcement career will always be at odds with each other. But Eliot is determined to fight for her peaceful Dove and prove to Melisande that she is Eliot's long-awaited One. No matter what it takes, no matter what she has to do, Eliot Vandenberg will make sure Melisande Stratton understands that she is HERS.
Even if Eliot has to give up everything else in her life that matters to her in order to keep her.
Trigger Warning: The beginning of this book deals with the events of 9/11 as they unfolded in New York City on that fateful day.
The Dance, Book Two
276 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 8, 2023
25 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Tiffany E. Taylor
13 books86 followersTiffany E. Taylor lives with her spouse and their daughter in an idyllic little west-central Florida coastal town called Gulfport where the sapphic invasion is in full force.
She writes spicy, sensual romance fiction within the passionate butch/femme dynamic in a variety of genres: romantic suspense, 40+ midlife, paranormal romance, and erotica. The Taylor's belong to the butch/femme community of which she writes about so passionately.
You can find out more about Tiffany at www.tiffanyetaylor.com.
She writes spicy, sensual romance fiction within the passionate butch/femme dynamic in a variety of genres: romantic suspense, 40+ midlife, paranormal romance, and erotica. The Taylor's belong to the butch/femme community of which she writes about so passionately.
You can find out more about Tiffany at www.tiffanyetaylor.com.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 17, 2023
Simply amazing!
The attack that shook the whole world, changed Mel’s life forever. Eliot loses her One when her lover was killed during a bank robbery. A Wiccan and a member of a non-military control force, how opposite can one be! The chemistry between Mel and Eliot was off the charts. They both knew for 100% that they were meant for each other but a horrific event causes a gut-wrenching distance between them. Their relationship has to weather a lot of storms. Fortunately, they are not alone and have the support of great friends. I’m totally in love with Mel, Eliot and their friends. This book has something for all readers; excitement, terror, humor, grief, anger and heated love scenes. It was a fantastic story and a great romance and I experienced every single emotion to the fullest. The writing is completely captivating. I highly recommend reading it.
The attack that shook the whole world, changed Mel’s life forever. Eliot loses her One when her lover was killed during a bank robbery. A Wiccan and a member of a non-military control force, how opposite can one be! The chemistry between Mel and Eliot was off the charts. They both knew for 100% that they were meant for each other but a horrific event causes a gut-wrenching distance between them. Their relationship has to weather a lot of storms. Fortunately, they are not alone and have the support of great friends. I’m totally in love with Mel, Eliot and their friends. This book has something for all readers; excitement, terror, humor, grief, anger and heated love scenes. It was a fantastic story and a great romance and I experienced every single emotion to the fullest. The writing is completely captivating. I highly recommend reading it.
March 21, 2023
The Panther and the Dove by Tiffany E. Taylor centres around the lives of Melisande and Eliot. Both women have suffered loss through tragic events that have happened decades earlier, 9/11 and armed robbery, where both lost loved ones.
A chance encounter draws the pair together, despite being polar opposites in beliefs and jobs. However, the chemistry between this couple is off the charts.
The MCs come to life as you progress through the book, the secondary characters are also awesome in their own right.
This novel falls into many tropes for a reading challenge, butch/femme, 40+, loss, second chance, action, romance, wiccan.
An ARC was received for an honest review.
A chance encounter draws the pair together, despite being polar opposites in beliefs and jobs. However, the chemistry between this couple is off the charts.
The MCs come to life as you progress through the book, the secondary characters are also awesome in their own right.
This novel falls into many tropes for a reading challenge, butch/femme, 40+, loss, second chance, action, romance, wiccan.
An ARC was received for an honest review.
March 12, 2023
Wow…. I’m not entirely sure how to express everything I felt while reading this book.
Melisande and Eliot both lost the most important people in their lives due to tragedy - can they have a second chance at love, even though they are two very different people?
These characters, while quite different from each other, complement each other so well. They were definitely made for each other and it shines through in the writing. Even though she comes across as a bit of a hardass, the way Eliot treats Melisande is just…swoon-worthy. The care and understanding thes characters both show for each other is to be admired.
My heart broke several times while reading this book and was then carefully put back together, much as Tiffany did with her characters’ hearts. The plot was beautifully woven with excellent communication, tragedy, heartache, a tiny bit of angst, very hot spicy scenes, and a dose of intrigue along with a few hold-your-breath kind of moments…but a whole bunch of love.
I don’t often cry while reading books but this…I’m not ashamed to say I wept a few tears, both with happiness and sadness.
I had a hard time putting this book down and finished it in less than a day because I just had to read it all. Now it’s finished, I’ve got quite the book hangover and am not sure what to do with myself!
This would have to be my favourite of all Tiffany's books. This is a definite must read.
Melisande and Eliot both lost the most important people in their lives due to tragedy - can they have a second chance at love, even though they are two very different people?
These characters, while quite different from each other, complement each other so well. They were definitely made for each other and it shines through in the writing. Even though she comes across as a bit of a hardass, the way Eliot treats Melisande is just…swoon-worthy. The care and understanding thes characters both show for each other is to be admired.
My heart broke several times while reading this book and was then carefully put back together, much as Tiffany did with her characters’ hearts. The plot was beautifully woven with excellent communication, tragedy, heartache, a tiny bit of angst, very hot spicy scenes, and a dose of intrigue along with a few hold-your-breath kind of moments…but a whole bunch of love.
I don’t often cry while reading books but this…I’m not ashamed to say I wept a few tears, both with happiness and sadness.
I had a hard time putting this book down and finished it in less than a day because I just had to read it all. Now it’s finished, I’ve got quite the book hangover and am not sure what to do with myself!
This would have to be my favourite of all Tiffany's books. This is a definite must read.
May 4, 2023
Heartstring puller
I absolutely love the cover.
It was an enjoyable read. The panther, Eliot meets the dove, Melisande at the right time and place, when they needed each other the most. Each MC has had a terrible trauma happen to them that causes them to change in ways that were unforeseen. Mel is still struggling daily with the loss of her family. Eliot has struggled with trying to find her One after losing her first one. Their shared loss helps bring them together. Things are going good and then, everything falls apart. Mel can't reconcile what Eliot does for a living with her Wiccan beliefs. Mel being who she is, helps someone else in need and is given some much needed guidance that she takes to heart. So the question is does the story end in happily ever after or not for Eliot and Mel or even Jace and Gwynne? Read the enjoyable story for yourself. It even has parts that pull at the heartstrings!
I absolutely love the cover.
It was an enjoyable read. The panther, Eliot meets the dove, Melisande at the right time and place, when they needed each other the most. Each MC has had a terrible trauma happen to them that causes them to change in ways that were unforeseen. Mel is still struggling daily with the loss of her family. Eliot has struggled with trying to find her One after losing her first one. Their shared loss helps bring them together. Things are going good and then, everything falls apart. Mel can't reconcile what Eliot does for a living with her Wiccan beliefs. Mel being who she is, helps someone else in need and is given some much needed guidance that she takes to heart. So the question is does the story end in happily ever after or not for Eliot and Mel or even Jace and Gwynne? Read the enjoyable story for yourself. It even has parts that pull at the heartstrings!
March 12, 2023
I think everybody remembers where they were on September 11, 2001. It is the worst day in American history. Tiffany's book made me think about it in a whole different light. For Melisande, she lost her mother, father, and wife when the towers came down. Mel is a Wiccan. A very mild person who could do no harm to anyone. And Mel is a femme. Eliot is an Alpha female. El works in law enforcement. She gets called into the worst situations. Tiffany told a wonderful story about two people who love each other. But have struggles with their past and totally different outlook on people. She handles these issues with dignity and feeling. I highly recommend this book. And Tiffany's all of Tiffany's books.
March 13, 2023
I found this book very heartwarming and very. And a very good read. There are some trigger warnings, as there is violence and tragedy. Mel has been living for 20 years Since her wife and her parents were killed on September 11th, 20001. She has witnessed her and her parent's death when the plane struck the South Tower of the building. Elliott has had a similar occurrence in her life, her partner was killed in a bank robbery. Elliott works for. For the Florida hostage group. Mel is a wiccan and is very peace oriented. The plot revolves around how Mel and Elliot can get together when they both have different beliefs. I found this book heartwarming and emotional. I would recommend it for all romance readers.
July 26, 2023
The pairing didn't do much for me. Frankly, I found much of Eliot's (requisite butch) dialog to be extremely problematic with her possession ("my woman", "my femme") and inserts her opinions on Melisande (including telling her upon first meeting what she, Eliot, feels Melisande should or shouldn't do). I couldn't get past the crude dialogue and this over-dominance/possession; being a "butch" character isn't an excuse.
September 30, 2023
The Panther and the Dove
Another absolutely wonderful story by Tiffany E Taylor. This was so heartfelt. I was in tears at times. It was truly a beautiful story. I loved the MCs' chemistry and connection. She creates such wonderfully strong characters with beautiful souls, both the alpha butches and femmes. I look forward to more books by this author and will continue to follow her. I will also be coming back for rereads.
Another absolutely wonderful story by Tiffany E Taylor. This was so heartfelt. I was in tears at times. It was truly a beautiful story. I loved the MCs' chemistry and connection. She creates such wonderfully strong characters with beautiful souls, both the alpha butches and femmes. I look forward to more books by this author and will continue to follow her. I will also be coming back for rereads.
January 13, 2024
This was a hard book to put down once I started reading. I found myself waking up at 3am to read more. I've taken Reiki classes and been a part of a healing group but it's been a long time since I practiced or benefited from Reiki. This book brought up a lot of stuff from my past that I haven't dealt with yet. I would love to have a "Screaming Tree". I plan to reread this book again slowly and not rush through it like I did this time. Such a good book. Thank you Tiffany for writing this.
February 18, 2024
Amazing
This book was wonderfully written. I love the connection between Mel and Eliot and how their best friends were there to help them through their ups and downs. I loved how they found a way to love again and didn't let their jobs or religion stop them from being together. Beautiful story.
This book was wonderfully written. I love the connection between Mel and Eliot and how their best friends were there to help them through their ups and downs. I loved how they found a way to love again and didn't let their jobs or religion stop them from being together. Beautiful story.
March 11, 2023
Wow, what a wonderful book. Such strong characters, who dealth with great and unexpected loss.
I liked the Wicca and Strategic aspects. There so opposite. It gave me more inside information about the characters to understand them better.
I got an ARC to write an honest review.
I liked the Wicca and Strategic aspects. There so opposite. It gave me more inside information about the characters to understand them better.
I got an ARC to write an honest review.
March 11, 2023
Not only is the writing beautiful, but it serves to remind us of losses most people soon forget. As the MC's work to find a balance in their relationship life keeps popping sinkholes in the way. In the end, the magick of Love is all that matters. no spoilers - but read the book.
April 28, 2025
5 ⭐️
This book is not an easy read but it is so worth reading! The horrors Eliot and Melisandre go through lead them to the love of a lifetime! I will be looking for more stories from Tiffany!
This book is not an easy read but it is so worth reading! The horrors Eliot and Melisandre go through lead them to the love of a lifetime! I will be looking for more stories from Tiffany!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews