Move as One

by Bree M. Lewandowski

She never imagined having to walk back into his life, but desperate times forced her hand.

Annalisa Jean has built her life around dance. Having dedicated the better part of a decade to perfecting her art, she has bounced around through numerous ballet companies, never quite settling in or feeling at home. When she suddenly finds herself without a job, Annalisa takes a chance on the past that built her. She calls the man who took her passion seriously when she was just fifteen.

Joel Dvorak never believed he'd see her again though he remembered Annalisa all too well. She was gifted and talented beyond measure with unlimited potential. She was the top dancer in his class. Every correction and challenge he gave her as her instructor she took, proving herself over and over. She was supposed to grow up and make a success of herself. She wasn't supposed to appear now, asking for a job in his company.

It starts innocently enough. She danced. He directed. But then spaks flicker in-between the music and the movement. Neither wants to admit their true feelings. Joel's company is hurting financially. Annalisa is determined to finally make her name as a dancer famous. Nearly twenty years seperate them. There's too much on the line for both.

But desires are powerful and memories make things easy. He can deny it. She can fight it. But can they really keep from moving as one?

142 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 30, 2023

About the author

Having lived all her life in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, author Bree M. Lewandowski incorporates all aspects of her life in her writing. A ballet dancer at a young age, continuing to teach ballet through her career as an author, she often turns to the tumultuous world of dance to find threads of a story. In love with classical literature, her writing not only pays homage to the style of writers like Dumas and Hugo, she also believes in creating main characters who are larger than life. Yet, struggles with body image, mental and emotional health, and the strained relationships so many have also play in and out of Lewandowski's writing. In the end, all these attributes combined, she loves to tell a love story.

Reviews

[Cath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annalisa Jean has tried to make a career as a ballerina, but has found herself having to move about after not settling with numerous ballet companies and finding herself not fitting in. She has always been her own person and not easy to manage, especially when it came to time keeping. She is now without a job and has turned up at Ballet Le Faire, Chicago, trying to connect with the current director, Joel Dvorak, the man who was her instructor as a teenager. The rehearsals for their unusual Christmas ballet, Graham’s 1948 classic, Diversion of Angels, which was based on a picture, were about to begin. All the auditions had been done months ago, but Annalisa is hoping her connection with Joel will allow her a special dispensation as such. The choreographer is Joel’s cousin Len (Lennard), and it should have been both their decisions if a new dancer was hired. This decision soon causes issues between the cousins! Annalisa isn’t looking for a starring role, she is just happy to be dancing again and hopes to make enough to find a place to live and move out of her expensive hotel room. Annalisa was always a talented dancer, even as a teen, taking every instruction he gave and had unlimited potential.

Joel has to gain a number of sponsors as the company is in financial troubles and this show needs to make money. Watching Annalisa audition just for him made feelings start which he couldn’t allow to happen. He had to stay professional, but the new sponsors he gets on board are insistent on a few demands. Three are former ballet sponsors and know the ropes, but one is a restaurant owner and he wants the director, Joel, and one of his dancers to dine at his restaurant, another wants one of the dancers to be a model for their sports attire. Both of them come to watch the rehearsals and both want Annalisa, with her red hair, as their perfect choice. This makes it look even more like Joel has picked her as a favourite, which doesn’t go down well with some of the other dancers, and even Len. Len has noticed the looks Joel is giving Annalisa, no matter how much he tries to pretend he isn’t paying her any attention. He is almost twenty years older than her and the director of the ballet company, he won’t allow anything to happen between them, but it is made harder when she seems to return his feelings. Len makes his view perfectly plain at one point, as he and his cousin even comes to blows and Joel is left to run everything, including rehearsals. Annalisa allows everything to affect her health and collapses before rehearsal, with her only friend there taking care of her. Running into Len as she takes a few days to herself, he offers her a different option that may allow her to have everything she might want. She and Joel may finally have the chance to be together, but sacrifices will have to be made to get what they truly desire. A tale of a former ballet student falling for her former instructor years down the line when she is desperate for a job. I received an ARC copy of this book form BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

3 ½ - 4 stars

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book because I was drawn to the setting. Ballet is not a universe I´m familiar with, and that was the appeal. I wanted something different and it did feel different. I thought it would be a refreshing read. And it was.

It started out strong, with a first chapter that grabbed me by the hand and pulled me forward. I liked Joel´s vision for his ballet company. That kind of artistic creativity is right up my alley, along with his thinking behind his idea for the Christmas show, made me like the character right then and there. The depth of his inner thoughts during his audition of Annalisa when she came asking for a job cemented it. And it was refreshing to see a man who didn´t think with his genitals. Or at least was mature enough and had enough control of himself to hold back and think things through.

I enjoyed the view of what happens behind the scene in the ballet world. The words jumped out of the pages (or screen, as it were) and really painted the picture.

Parts of it were on the longish side and slowed the pace a little too much for my liking, but I never had to skip whole paragraphs, and it never got to the point of being boring. In fact, I think it allowed for their relationship to evolve slowly, in a way that fit well.

My inner editing freak wanted to remove a few ‟was” while reading. Things like ‟the door was slammed” or ‟coffee was poured”. Not many, though, and not really that distracting… I´m just cursed with noticing them.

All in all, it was a good story that took its time, and I enjoyed that. It´s nice to not have more dialog than anything else sometimes.

My favorite part? When they danced for the invited group after the rehearsal, because the words were dancing in sync on the page too. I also really liked her meeting with Len after she left Kristi´s house. And the ending.

I also liked the fact that, even if he was almost twice her age, she wasn't a kid just out of high school like in so many other age-gap stories. This felt more mature and not forced. Thanks for that.

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

[♥ WishfulMiss ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fast read that centers around struggling dancer, Annalisa and her dance instructor turned boss, Joel. At first this is a professional relationship. Their close proximity soon changes that as Joel realizes that Annalisa is now a grown woman and he sees past her sharp edges to the passionate dancer she is. Annalisa also starts to see Joel as more than just her childhood teacher. She always respected him in the past but as an adult she's able to see him in a new light.

Overall a good read, I did feel like the ending was a little abrupt and I wish there was time for a little more romance outside of the studio, when their relationship is finally brought out in the open. Instead it felt like Annalisa was shipped out to a new company to make Joel's conscience clear enough to pursue her in real life. It honestly didn't make such an easy save since Joel was counting on Annalisa to be the main draw for his sponsors. Without her, where does it leave his upcoming show?

Honorary shoutout to the cover artist because I loved this cover. I normally really dislike cartoony covers on romance - especially the ones that look splotchy and faded - but this cover is perfection! I would read more contemp romance if their covers looked like this! #Justsaying #sorrynotsorry

* * * I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. * * *

SAFETY INFO:
Ages : Annalisa is in her mid 20s and Joel is in his late 40s

Cheating : None.

OM/OW drama : None.

Separation : None.

Possible Triggers: None.

HEA/HFN : Ends on a HFN.

[Aurora Stenulson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good storyline

I really wanted to love this story. The description caught my eye instantly and the ballet aspect had me hooked. But it fell flat for me. The dialogue is often confusing without context of who is speaking, how the speaker is feeling, or what they are doing while they speak. The storyline was great and I enjoyed the slow burn between Annalise and Joel. But instead of reading paragraphs of monologue, it would have engaged me more to see that information unfold in the dialogue. After all, dialogue and mannerisms are how readers connect to characters. I also found some grammar and spelling errors but I did not take stars away for that. I gave three stars because there was a lot of repetition going on in the monologue as well as over explaining minor details that were not pertinent to moving the story forward. I found myself skimming through paragraphs just to find where the text got back on track with the story. I don't need a paragraph explaining that the cat's fur is the color of a dream cycle; one sentence will suffice. But the voice used throughout the book was exceptional and I applaud the author for her way with words and maneuvering through the story with such technicalities that develop the world of dance; especially ballet.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Move as One by Bree M Lew is a good, and enjoyable slow burn age gap dancer romance read. The story has a great entertaining world building story line that has an easy to read story line. The characters are great, and they have great chemistry. This story is a very entertaining slow burn romance read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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

[Di · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page-turner of a slow burn romance, I found this almost impossible to put down! The plot hooked me from the first chapter and the main characters felt so real I couldn't help the tension I felt over everything they were going through, particularly Annalisa. Recommended to fans of emotional reads and age gap romances!.

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

[Virginia Babcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful

This book was a joy to read. It was experienced more than read and I felt like I was in the characters’ bodies. The love story was compelling and I especially enjoyed how the discipline of ballet tangled with and assisted with Annalissa and Joel finding their way through their shared journey. If you need a quick, satisfying love story, this one kept me going ‘til the end.

[Aelth Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the look into the ballet culture and what it takes to succeed. The author did a great job portraying the different personalities prevalent in the performance arts: the diva, the talented young thing that thinks rules shouldn't apply to her, the overbearing man in charge. The romantic tension builds in a believable way as the characters struggle with the details getting in the way of their blossoming feeling. The character development is well done, despite the story being short.

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read several books written by Bree M. Lew; she is becoming one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to read more of her books.

She has written another good stand-alone book. The story is about Annalisa & Joel.

I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good slow burn read. The story was about Joel and Annalisa. I thought it was an engaging story. And voluntarily leaving my review.