Sweet: Book One of The Bretton Falls Ballet Series

by Lisa Hahn

Cat Brown spends the first six years of her career as one of the lowest-ranking members of the Bretton Falls Ballet. Despite the dancer’s undisputable talent, artistic director Lillian Smith insists Cat is too short for a leading role. When Lillian is forced to retire, world-renowned ballet dancer Dmitri Fedorov takes over and casts Cat as the premier performer in his first production with the company. Cat struggles to fend off a host of distractions as she prepares for the most important role of her career: the most insurmountable of which is her instant attraction to the new boss.


Dmitri, once known for his theatrical performances and womanizing proclivities, disappears into seclusion after a horrific car accident shatters his knee and renders him unable to dance. Looking to escape the constant reminders of how far he’s fallen, Dmitri escapes to Bretton Falls in hopes of elevating the small ballet company there to international prestige. The task proves to be more challenging than Dmitri had bargained for when his surprising interest in Cat Brown becomes fodder for gossip among the company.


Cat and Dmitri both have a lot riding on their upcoming production of The Nutcracker, knowing that their careers depend upon the outcome. However, the biggest challenge they face will be staying away from one another.

Genres: Contemporary Romance

190 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Kelsey McKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catherine "Cat" Brown has dreamed of being billed the lead dancer of the Bretton Falls Ballet for years, but her petite size made it difficult for her director to take her seriously. But there is a new director in town that sees potential in Cat...enough potential that he even gives her the lead in The Nutcracker. She can hardly believe her luck! And when the new director shows he's equally as interested in her off the stage, Cat might find it difficult to focus on her role.

Dmitri Fedorov was known as the greatest dancer of his generation, until an accident sidelined his career. He sees the light in Cat's eyes when she dances and the passion she has on stage. But he finds himself drawn to her as more than just his leading lady when they begin working together in tight quarters. Although the lingering pain from his accident pains him physically and emotionally, possibly spoiling his budding interest in his star dancer.

Then there's the ballet company and the whirlwind of gossip that looms over the pair. While their feelings grow, so do the rumors. An affair with the director doesn't bode well for Cat's budding career, and Dimitri's disability holds him back. Will they be able to sort through their feelings? Or will they keep it strictly on the stage?

Gonna be honest, I've never read a ballet romance, but I wasn't disappointed. The main characters had a nice chemistry and their connection was deeper than some of the wham, bam, thank you ma'am books out there. It was just as the title suggested, sweet, but spicy enough to ruffle your tutu, if you catch my drift. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a little sex with their romance and doesn't mind their guy having a sensitive soul and a piercing gaze.

[Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is indeed a sweet book. It has a rather simple story, but it’s written neatly, with nice characters that try to act as best as they can to fulfill their dreams but also not to cause problems for those around.

Cat is 100% dedicated to ballet. When she’s not dancing, she’s designing and sewing skirts for her and her best friend. She was never given the opportunity to shine in a major role until Dimitri Fedorov comes in her life. The ex ballet star, good looking and all, takes interest in her professionally and also personally. A nice love story starts, with both characters trying not to let their feelings get in the way of their careers.

On the positive side, I loved Cat and Dimitri very much. Both are doing their best to excel at ballet – Cat as a dancer and Dimitri as a director. Failure is not an option for any if them. A romance between a dancer and her boss is not the road to an impeccable career for any of them. They both are conflicted, but at the same time strong willed. The author has done a great job creating the characters as equals.

On the negative, there is not much to complain about. I would have wanted a story just a little more complicated. But other than that, I don’t have anything bad to say.

Moral of this book could be: things have a way of arranging themselves in the right order. Which is what I need to believe right now. This book gave me the chance to start the year with a positive attitude so I recommend it with all my heart. Enjoy

[Ana C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet - 4 1/2 stars

Is a book about professional ballet dancers that fall in love in the wrong place and wrong time.

Catherine Brown is a part of the corps dance with a former boss never care about her talent, because she was short. Lillian couldnt care less if Cat was capable or could dedicate more than anyone, she wasnt one of the directors pet and was too short in her five-foot-two to shine.

Dmitri Fedorov is precocious genius in ballet, son of one of the most prestigious couple of ballet worldwide. His career as a professional dancer was cut short after a car accident that left him with a terrible knee injury. After receiving the bad news he decided to be the art director of a small company. And that is where things get complicated!

I cant pinpoint what fells wrong for me not to give five stars.. This is a very nice book. The characters feel real, they wore well developed and the pace of the plot was nice. I couldnt put it down until the end, and was just there that they had their HEA!

Even though the cover didnt call for my attention, I like Lisa Hahn writing. Looking forward the next one! If you like a nice contemporary romance with just a bit of erotic you should give this one a go!

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a delightfully sweet and unique romance about never giving up on your dreams. I haven’t read too many books involving dancers or ballerinas in the past, and found that it was a refreshing change from the careers found in most romance novels. I thought that the story was skillfully written and nicely paced. Cat and Dmitri were engaging characters with wonderful chemistry, and the secondary characters were a great compliment to the story. Sweet is everything a romance novel should be, and I’m looking forward to reading the more from this author.

[Jessica Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will just start out this review by stating for me this book was neither bad nor good, it was just your average romance novel, but with that being said I will explain the pros and cons I see in this books. So to start on a positive note I will say what I liked about this book. First, this is a short simple read, and when I say it is an easy read I am speaking to the fact that it is not a book you have to pay attention to every single word and line in order to keep up with the story, so you can skip over words here and there as many do and you will still understand what is going on with the story. Second, it is a nice romantic story that leaves you with a happily ever after feeling. Third, from what I can tell even though the title of the book states this is the first book in the series this is a standalone novel, so no cliffhangers.
Now for the cons. First the story is completely unoriginal, it is your typical love struggle of girl and boy falling for each other, but cannot be together yet in the end somehow they find a way to make their love work and live happily ever after. So on that same note to me this story line did have a lot of potential that could have been explored but the author failed to do so, instead just gave the reader another typical romance. As well the story surrounds a ballet school, but when the main character Catherine or “Cat” gets her starring role, the first opening performance was complete skipped over and truthfully the aspect of dance is really a backburner topic, that I really wish the author had done more research in and really included that since I feel this would have given the storyline more depth and made it slightly less typical. Then the males lead of the story, Dmitri, also has this backstory that I feel could have been explored that also would have given the storyline more depth. For instance, his accident that derailed his career, the reader is never really told what happened, was it his fault? Was he drinking? Did someone purposefully injure him? These are just a few off the top of my head that could have been question the author asked themselves to give and extra story a little extra, so again it would not be so typical. So in conclusion, if you want an easy read that ends in a happy ending with no cliffhangers, this you will love this book, but if you are not into that and want stories with a little more realism and “meat on their bones” then I would skip it. This is the first book of a series so I am hoping as the author writes and gets into the rhythm of her stories they will improve.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover of this novel is so beautiful and that is what initially attracted me to this book, when I was browsing through the contemporary romance options. I also really liked that the story is told with a dancing aspect to it, as this gave it something different than many other standard romance novels out there. Like the title suggests, there are many “sweet” aspects to this story, in addition to it having a lot of depth and underlying seriousness. I really liked the dancing/ballet theme throughout the story, and I felt like I learnt a lot about the dancing world. The characters are written really beautifully, and the author did a nice job of making them read as being relatable and believable. I liked the writing style of the author in general, as there was a nice level of descriptive passage, so it felt like the scenes, setting and characters were easy to imagine and see in one’s mind and the book was easy to read. I also appreciated that the romance scenes were not overdone or too explicit, and therefore I found the romance elements to be enjoyable and it was easy to become immersed in the romance between the main characters. There are some issues with the editing, but overall the writing is good and the plot was interesting and enjoyable. I liked this book enough that I would read more books in this series once they come out, and I recommend this novel to anyone looking for a nicely written romance novel.

[Majanka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/book-tou...

Cat Brown is a struggling ballet artist – she’s one of the lowest ranking members of the Bretton Falls Ballet, not due to lack of talent but because artistic director Lillian Smith insists Cat is too short for a leading role. When Lillian retires, renowned ballet dance Dmitri Fedorov takes over and casts Cat as the lead performer. But her leading role is the least of her worries when Cat finds herself falling for her new boss.

Dmitri had to give up his dreams of dancing after a car accident shattered his knee. He finds his new goal in life: to bring international prestige to the small ballet company of Bretton Falls. But he never expected to be falling for his lead star…

I’ve read only a handful of ballet romances, but I’ve enjoyed most of them, and Sweet is no different. I really enjoyed the interactions between Cat and Dmitri – they had real chemistry that sizzled off the pages. The ballet world is an intriguing world that asks a lot of the people in it: discipline, dedication, talent, strength. The characters are great, and the writing was excellent too, and I really enjoyed this sweet romance.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, well written romance

Sweet is a very sweet romance set in the ballet world. The book centers around Cat, a dancer with a small town ballet company, who is at a crossroads in her life. When the company gets a new director in the form of Dimitri, a sexy former playboy ballet dancer from NYC, her world is shaken up. Sweet features a well plotted story line that had enough excitement to keep me interested. The story was sexy without being overwhelming and the characters were enjoyable. The ballet terminology and setting was very realisitic and believable. I also enjoyed the characters. They were well rounded and were able to create a sense of drama without being over the top. My only drawback on the story is that it was told in third person narration. I did miss getting to know the characters more in depth. If it had been told from the leads first person perspectives, I think I would have connected with the story. Overall though, it was an enjoyable novel. I liked the small town setting and the author is definitely talented. I look forward to reading from her.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet the first book in the Bretton Falls Ballet Series starts as former artistic director Lillian Smith is forced to retire. Lillian insisted that Cat was too short for a leading role, but Dmitri is quite taken with the ballerina. After spending years as one of the lowest-ranking members of the Bretton Falls Ballet, Cat Brown is suddenly now no longer playing a party guest but the lead role when Dmitri Fedorov is named artistic director. As Cat juggles work at her families candy shop and preparing for the most important role of her career, she must also contend with her attraction to the new boss, Dmitri. The biggest challenge for them both is staying away from one another. As the author tells of Cat and Dmitri's world of ballet and budding romance you are drawn into the story. With the writing talent to match that of a world-class ballerina, Lisa Hahn spins a tale that takes you on the journey of love, dedication, and movement. The understated cover only hints at the flawless story contained within.