Shadow Dance

by Rochelle Allison

Jaime

When you wear two faces for too long, it’s easy to forget which one is real.


I’ve worked for years to infiltrate the syndicates running the West Coast, dismantling their criminal empires from within. It’s a ruthless world, but nobody wears the mask better than I do.

Until I’m handed my most challenging assignment protect the boss’s girlfriend.

Maeve, with her beauty and grace, is unlike anyone I’ve ever met. I’m supposed to keep things professional, but every time she looks at me with those pretty green eyes, every time she confides in me, the line between duty and desire blurs.

Now I’m trapped in an impossible dance, forced to protect the woman I’m falling for from a world she wishes she could escape.

If she ever finds out who I really am, it won’t just shatter her trust … it will put both our lives on the line.

Living a lie is easy—until you fall for the one person who deserves the truth.Maeve

Sometimes loving yourself means choosing your own path.

All I’ve ever wanted is a life on stage, far from the shadows of the criminal underworld. Every pirouette feels like a step toward freedom—but it’s hard to dance when I’m being pulled back into a world I don’t want.

It doesn’t help that the man I once loved has turned into someone I barely recognize.

Then I’m given a new bodyguard. Jaime is inconveniently handsome and has beautiful, brown eyes that see way too much. And unlike the other guys in the crew, he makes me feel safe. Seen. Loved.

When the walls start closing in, I’m forced to rely on the man who makes my heart race while navigating the treacherous world I yearn to leave behind. But is he who he says he is?

Love can’t survive when deception is the only thing holding it together.Shadow Dance is a suspenseful, steamy mob romance. M/f, forced proximity, forbidden, secret identity, bodyguard.

It's the third book of the Gangland Hearts trilogy, which should be read in order. Recommended for mature audiences.

310 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 3, 2024

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Born and raised in the sunny US Virgin Islands, Rochelle Allison has been making up stories since she was a little girl. Nowadays, Rochelle lives just outside of Atlanta with her one true love and their kids. When she’s not writing, she's reading, hiking, swimming, having coffee with friends, playing word games or taking pictures. She can almost always be found with a book…and, often, chocolate.

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Reviews

[KC Zella Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished and it drew me in from the beginning!

Jaime and Maeve
He is paid to protect her. But gets too close.

Forced proximity
Crime families
First love failure
Returning home

This had me an emotional wreck! Check trigger warnings - on page drugs, domestic violence and rape, violence.

[Sarah~Book Obsession Confessions · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑒𝑏....♡︎
𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑤𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 “𝑆𝐻𝐴𝐷𝑂𝑊 𝐷𝐴𝑁𝐶𝐸“ 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑜 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒.
𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑖-𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒, 𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟’𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑎𝑙’𝑠.
I was completely absorbed in this book for a day and night, I couldn’t stop reading. I absolutely love it!
Maeve, the main character has been in the 2 prior books in this - 𝙶𝙰𝙽𝙶𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝚁𝚃𝚂 𝚃𝚁𝙸𝙻𝙾𝙶𝚈. (I do recommend reading them in order, they are all 5 STAR beauties for me.)
Maeve and her long time boyfriend have a very toxic, unbalanced relationship. He’s into some very unsavory business and lies to her about it. He gets her a driver/bodyguard to keep her from leaving him. The boyfriend is NOT the good guy at all.
Enter, Jaimie the driver for Maeve.
He’s different than the arrogant, rough and careless men who she’s usually around. They both have an instant physical attraction, though they respect that she’s in a relationship so they don’t speak to each other much for months until a friendship develops slowly. It’s evenly paced, nothing is rushed.
We get to see her relationship with her boyfriend devolve and I think it was written so true to life. I felt so much empathy for Maeve. The things she goes through broke my heart. She’s lost her career as a ballerina for a couple of reasons and she’s feeling very hopeless, lonely and trapped.
Jaimie starts to slowly build her self esteem back up. I absolutely loved their conversations, their banter and the secretive glances gave me ALL the butterflies! The pining and the desire took my breath away. The swoon factor is strong.
Jaimie has some secrets as do many other characters. There are organized crime happenings, with Maeve’s family back in Boston, as well. The secrets and sneaking around added an edge that kept me on my toes.
I really love Maeve and Jaimie so much. They both are holding secrets, they both care deeply for people and they are emotionally conflicted.
The romance is very slow burn and slow to blossom. I love the story and that it didn’t rush to romance. It makes the big moments that much more touching.
Also, something I adore about this author’s writing ; she has a way of making me feel I’m in the locations from her books. San Francisco/ the Bay Area of California is the main setting in this story and I felt like I was transported there drinking a cafecito and crossing the Golden Gate Bridge with the wind blowing through my hair.
There’s a lot of everyday conversations with Jaimie and Maeve that are so important to the characters growth and their deep connection. There are also some very big events that happen that are life changing.
It’s a beautifully written story about two people who meet under terrible circumstances, yet they may just find something beautiful and one of a kind together.
It’s deeply touching, it’s entertaining and soul stirring. The romance is forbidden and it is incredibly beautiful. I won’t forget these strong, amazing characters or their story.
Maeve’s family are fantastic secondary characters, her two brothers each have their own books in this trilogy. She comes from a loving family, a unique m@fia family who defy the stereotypes.
It’s a fantastic book, I recommend it very highly!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are entirely mine. Thank you so much for the arc!*

[S Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maeve is the younger sister in a mob family but she has never wanted to be a part of that life. She’s a dancer and has reached her goal of dancing in a company. The one thing holding her back is her long time boyfriend, Callum. They have been together since they were 15 and have had an up and down long distance relationship. At Callum’s urging and agains the advice of her family, she makes the decision to move across the country to be with him. What follows is a series of events that alters the course of her life and puts her in the path of danger. Enter Jaime. He is brought in to be her driver by Callum and a sort of body guard. Jaime has secrets. He’s not who he claims to be, and falling for Maeve may put them both in danger.

This book is a slow burn love story. You get to really watch the relationship with Jaime develop from friendship into more while watching Maeve realize that her relationship with Callum is toxic and dangerous. What I loved about this book is the totally believable way that Maeve holds on to her relationship with the boy she once loved for a lot of reasons, he’s familiar, she went against her family, and ultimately her fear. Relationships are complicated especially when you grow up with that person so the way she hesitates makes sense. You also really understand her need to escape without the help of her brothers even though they could have swooped in a saved her if she had only said the word. I loved this book. Maeve’s story is complex, emotional, and a great read.

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book a couple of hours ago and have been feeling a whole lot of feelings that I know I can't express in a review without giving the whole story away! Instead, I'll tell you that this whole book is a rollercoaster ride of excitement and really hot romance! I was on the edge of my seat as I worried about these characters that I quickly came to care about. Every step that Jaime and Maeve took was a potential minefield and as they grew closer and broke all the rules it just got more treacherous. You'll have to read it yourself to navigate the twists and turns. I promise you, it's worth the elevated blood pressure!

[Kazz · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5 stars)

I cannot tell you how much I loved this book. I literally ate it up.

I wasn’t going to bother with this one after the first 2 but my god I’m so so glad I did.

Erm, where do I find a “Jamie” (Cruz). Damn, I loved him from the beginning and how hard he fell MY GOD ♥️

He’s paid to be her “bodyguard” but ends up falling for her the moment he lays eyes on her, the tension, the build up, the heartache, the emotions. It was everything you need and more.

The most perfect ending to this series.

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadow Dance by Rochelle Allison is the 3rd book in this series. It's a well-written, highly entertaining, and fast-paced mafia romance. It's all there: anger, hatred, love, strength, sex, and danger. The characters are well-developed. Jamie and Maeve are perfect for each other. I read the complete series and loved it. I highly recommend this series.

[Donna McEachran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great way to finish the Kelly series with Maeve's book. She has moved to San Francisco with her long time boyfriend, Callum, much to her family's dismay. Callum brings in extra security following an attempt on Maeve's life with a new bodyguard, Jaime. Lots of violence, drugs and physical and emotional abuse with a highly emotional ending.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting

This book in the end I’m glad a read it. It is definitely not like the first two. It is darker and not your typical romance. There were time I almost DNF but in the end I am glad I did. The written was good just not the type of book I enjoy usually.

[Aliyah Marieee.🦋 · Rating 3 out of 5]

☆ Genre: romantic suspense.
☆ Format: kindle.
☆ Pages: 310.
☆ Audio Length:
☆ Standalone or Series: book 3: gangland hearts.
☆ Tropes:
☕️ mob.
🩰 forced proximity.
☕️ forbidden.
🩰 secret identity.
☕️ bodyguard.
☆ Spice: 2.

[Lynn Mullan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read.

[Kassiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

With sizzling hot chemistry and a storyline that will keep you on the edge of your seat, Shadow Dance is the perfect conclusion to the Gangland Hearts series.

Rochelle Allison knocked it out of the park yet again. Gangland Hearts is one of my favorite series (and Lucky from book 1 will always be on my top book boyfriends list), and I'm so glad we got Maeve's story here. She was kind of mysterious in the previous books, but we knew there was so much more than meets the eye to Lucky and Tristan's ballerina sister. Jaime is brooding and sexy and just everything you want in an MMC. He's more than a swoony bodyguard, with a tiny bit possessiveness and a lot mystery. And together, Maeve and Jaime's chemistry is undeniable.

Though I loved the interactions we got with the characters from the other books in this series, you can definitely read this as a stand-alone. With great banter, a fast-paced story, and a smoking hot romance, this series perfect for all romance readers, especially if you don't want to go too dark. *chef's kiss*