Timeless Waltz

Keane-Morrison Family Saga #1

by Anita Stansfield

Alexander Keane didn't believe in destiny — until he met Jane Layton. Following a chance encounter, they are surprisingly paired up for a dance competition. When they share a waltz, it's as though time is standing still. They seem like a perfect match — except for one simple problem. Jane will settle for nothing less than a temple marriage. But Alex hasn't been to church since he was fifteen, the year his father left their family.

Four years later, even though they both know they're meant to be together, Alex still holds on to his aversion to attending church, and Jane maintains her conviction that she will be married in the temple, or not at all. But then a series of dramatic events turn both their lives upside down. Through an experience that could never be explained by logic, Alex gets a glimpse into the past that could forever change both their futures — but only if he can let go of his pride enough to forgive another.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Romance, Lds, Fiction, Religion, Christian Fiction, Clean Romance

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Anita Stansfield, the LDS market's #1 best-selling romance novelist, is an imaginative and prolific writer whose romantic stories have captivated her readers.

"With sales approaching a half million, Anita Stansfield has clearly found a niche in this market," said Nicole Martin, Publicist for Covenant Communications. "Her popularity stems from her ability to empathize with and write about the issues that LDS women deal with on a daily basis."

"I always write for women like me. It's through my interaction with other women that I've found there are some personal and emotional struggles that are typical," said Anita Stansfield. "I hope my writing makes women feel better about themselves and shows them these real problems can be solved through gospel principles."

Reviews

[Teresa Mckitrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Many people I know enjoy this author so after hating one of her books I thought I would give one more a try. I have now decided I will never read another Stansfield book. This was torture. I found myself so angry at the lead character. I thought she was weak and annoying and the love story was horrible. I think she should have left him after a few months but she sticks around for years putting up with his crap. I would recommend avoiding this book.

[Marti Clay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a fun LDS romance. It's a little on the cheesy side, but all in all a good book. There was just a touch too much of "I love you!" , "No I love you more!" , "No I love you more!" Ack! :) But it was still fun to read - I didn't want to put it down. Definitely a chick book. I got a little frustrated with the main characters stubbornness at times, but I still enjoyed it.

[Heidee]

I cried when he totaled the Ferrari, not for the reason you would think. I mourned the loss of the car! (hahah but the book was so good! but don't read the rest of the series unless you like dark, depressing, then happy the last chapter)

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read enough Anita Stansfield books as a youth to pretty much know how this book was going to go: two people meet and fall in love; one has a "past"; one, usually the guy, struggles with his faith, and one, usually the girl, is insurmountably patient; a tragic event happens about halfway through the book, which causes one or more people to change miraculously; and everyone lives happily ever after. After that you can expect a sequel, which takes place a few blissful years later, which involves conflicts and tragic events that jeopardize all things warm and fuzzy, and a lot of times it is some of Stansfield's other characters (from other books) that give individuals the perspective they need to overcome and move on. And so on and so forth.

This was my first time reading an Anita Stansfield novel as an adult though; I simply wanted to escape into someone else's world for a while, even if it was inside a badly edited Covenant book, and for 5 hours I read and forgot about my own troubles for a time.

Stansfield doesn't seem to spend a lot of time of characterization and description; I had a hard time picturing Alex--all I had to go on was that he was handsome--and most of the other characters were just blank faces to me. As for the places/settings, Stansfield seems to assume that her audience has already been to these places, and doesn't need to describe them further. I think this tactic works though, because I'm guessing that most of Stansfield's audience comprises women from Utah.

Most of the book is composed of dialogue--both external and internal--not a lot of stuff actually happens. And despite Alex's change at the end, I found the character development overall lacking. But apparently this tactic works too, because Stansfield has a lot of fans.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity with this book, however, something I've felt for all of her books. I swear I've had half of these conversations before. I know what it feels like to be surrounded by family as the shock of losing a loved one settles in. I know what it's like to watch friends and family make poor choices, and I know the joy that comes from watching them get back on track. And within all of the predictable events of the novel is pearls of gospel wisdom that, despite the cheese factor, find a way to reach me in ways that scriptures and speeches wouldn't normally be able to.

I went looking for a book that started with "once upon a time" and ended with "happily ever after," and I got it. And even though I make fun of people who read "substance-less" books like these, sometimes it's just soothing to the soul to get lost in a book that is trivial and distracting.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I go this book from my friends Mom because all of us enjoy reading the same types of book and last time I was over there she gave me a few that she thought I would enjoy as she did, which so far I have. It was a well written book and made me cry on a few occasion while reading it. It is probably one of those books that I will actually read again if I have it in my possession and I have nothing else to read. If your one of those people who likes reading books about religion, love, hardships, and forgiveness you will also enjoy this book.
Alex is really close with his mom and a really nice gentleman who treats ladies with respect. He has been deeply scarred by the hypocrisy that his father made and the crude judgment of some of the people in his ward for the sins that his father made. He still believes in Christ and his church but because of the scar he got when he was 15 he hasn’t been able to step foot in a church without the horrible memories coming back to him. Jane is also a very caring person and falls in love with Alex and understands why he doesn’t go to church but won’t marry him unless he gets his Temple recommend and they are able to be sealed together for time and all eternity.
Alex and Jane first meet when Alex is waiting tables at a restaurant for a little extra cash to pay of his student loans. Jane’s date was drunk and wouldn’t let her drive home so Alex stepped in politely and asked him to give her the keys so they wouldn’t get in a car accident. The date gets mad and leaves her there. She calls a friend to come pick her up. A few days later the meet again and find out that they are each other’s dance partners. They start dating and after a few months Alex has to leave to work at a different Hospital. Neither of them wants to leave each other but they have to. They still keep in contact and Email each other every day and tell each other what happened that day. They eventually find a job in Utah and they live close to each other and Alex’s Mother. They eventually get engaged but because Alex still can’t step foot in a church without filling the pain people inflected on him years ago as a young teenager right after his father cased their family great pain. To find out the rest of Alex and Jane’s story and what happens to them you will have to read the book for yourself.

[Jaymee Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about fate happening. Alex and Jane met at a restaurant where Alex was working. Jane was on a date with another guy and he was being rude to her. Alex stood up for her and helped her out. After that, that hadn't seen each other. Then they met at one of Jane's dance classes that Alex was filling in for and he ended up being Jane's partner. After that, they kept dating and eventually got married and had three kids. Then they found out that their little boy, Barrett, has cancer, Alex finds out that he has a step- brother from his dads affair years ago, and his wife's faith is slipping away.
I would definitely recommend this book to others. It is a really touching story that is happening to a lot of people around the world. The settings in all of the scenes are descriptive and you can picture everything going on and happening in the situation at hand. The plot was great and interesting as in you didn't know what would happen next. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and I wouldn't change anything about the book. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a story fighting for love mixed with a sad story.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was an inspiring story and left me with warm fuzzies inside. Some parts were a little slow to get through, but overall I thought it was a good story. I felt I could relate to this story because many of the characters seem very similar, or have gone through similar experiences, as people in my own family. The story wraps up nicely without a cliffhanger ending, but I'm still excited to read the next book in this series and see further development of the characters. I highly suggest a box of tissues when reading this book. It's very touching.

[Tressa (Wishful Endings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an LDS book about Jane (an active member in the church) and Alex (an inactive member in the church) and their relationship. Jane will only be married in the temple, so she waits for Alex to be ready. They both go through some different experiences, but Alex struggles the most because of his past. Alex has a dream of sorts (I think the dream and ancestor stuff was out of place - it totally could have been skipped) and there's a death and an accident (I won't say more) that allows him to open up to change.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this gripping story between two young people who love each other immensely and want to be together but must ubstain to the teachings and councel of their religion. I love the charcter plots and the setting of the story! I absolutely worship Anita Stansfield and her creativity. Her books come alive when I read them. I often ponder deeper meanings of the gospel of Jesus Christ when I am reading her books. Her novels tend to incorporate many different themes that plague and also benefit my beliefs and the morals that I live by in my life.

[Emma M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a romantic at heart so how could I not enjoy a clean LDS romance from Anita Stansfield? It was a sweet story but it felt dated to me. She always seems to have her characters talk with one another in such "Little House on the Prairie" ways and sometimes that really annoys me and makes me think that the story must be dated because who seriously talks like that?
This book is pretty much like every other Anita Stansfield book. Why do anything different from the standard formula if the formula has been so successful, right?

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A student, who had read all of Anita Stansfield's novels, told me this was the very best series of all of her books. I am still on my crusade to overcome my prejudice against LDS fiction and I am purposefully sampling many authors. That said, I did read this book and it was a nice story but I did not get completely into it. I don't think I will read further in the series nor any of the other Stansfield books (since this is the best series and I wasn't taken with it). I don't think these are my kind of books.

[Emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book alot! It it really inspired me to appreciate the blessings that I have been given and to improve as a person. I loved the percepective this book gives you of the gospel. It is wonderful for anyone that has gone through anything difficult in thier lives and teaches us how to get through our trials. It was a little bit slow, but overall a great book! I felt better for reading it!

[Brooke Bergin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I believe there are three books in this series. I've read them all and I have to say I did not like them. The characters in them are so NOT real. They don't say things real people would say, they don't do things real people would do, etc. They are just sort of fake, and annoying because they are fake. I also didn't think the writing was very good. The author uses the same vocabulary in her dialogue over and over, the same imagery time after time. It gets kind of old--and annoying.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I feel like reviewing Anita Stansfield's novels gets a little bit redundant ... I liked the characters, I flew right through it because I couldn't put it down, and it deals effectively with modern-day issues. Not that the redundancy is necessarily a bad thing! This particular book deals with religious inactivity and the results of infidelity. I like this series, but I like the last two (Wade & Laura) better than the first two (Alex & Jane).

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a big one for Anita Stansfield's books, because they are usually SO SAPPY, but this one was right for a 5 hr car ride with a bunch of HS girls for a school ballroom dance trip. It was perfect for that. It was still sappy, but we were prepared for that. I would have given this book a 3 1/2 stars if that were possible, because some of it was very predictable, but it did have some fun unexpected twists. Sweet story.

[Lacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book years ago and remember enjoying it. I think my taste has probably matured a bit, because the cheesy dialogue is so hard for me now. It's a sweet love story, and one of Anita Stansfields better novels, but everything was just wrapped up TOO nicely in my opinion. It was fun to escape reality for a moment. We will see if I read the other ones again.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to pass the time when your stuck on the couch way too much. Good old romantic with firm convictions of the LDS church--I get chills cause I know it's true too. I just love that true love and happy marriage is protrayed in the most perfect way. Love fairytales, but I also believe it can happen. This book even has intense moments--loved it!

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading Anita Stansfield's books. Sometimes they get a little silly and repetitive, but for some reason they are just real enough to life that I can relate with the characters and trials in their lives. I like to see how they overcome their challenges and become stronger by going through them.

[Sue Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series was the first I had read by this author. I was totally astonished at the insights she has been given into human tragedy and healing. I love her books and am in the process of reading many of her series. To find all of them, look on her site on the net, as there is definately an order to them and lots of them. She has a real gift and uses it to help others.

[Chelsey M. Ortega · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. The forgiveness theme is definitely strong throughout the whole story. Every character has to have a moment of forgiving someone throughout the story. The first time I read it I was all about the love story; but the second time (and I think it's because I was older) I focused on the theme of forgiveness and changing oneself for God.

[Leanne Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was wanting a good romance and this did not disappoint. Though it was hard to read all the church stuff. Not because I'm against reading lds fiction I just wasn't in the mood. Loved the story of Jane and Alex. Loved the first kiss and the dancing. It was fun to have since if that history in there too of Alex's family. Great read.

[Kedra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Anita Stansfield! Her books are romantic, fun, quick reads. This book was a little predictable in the beginning but still kept my attention through-out. I was a little surprised with the ending.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a lot of Anita Stansfield and in the last couple of years her books have gone to the preachy side. It is almost like a Sunday School lesson in every story. A little too much for a book that should be light and fun. I want Stansfield to go back to her earlier style! I miss that.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in a 3 book series. I read all 3 and am not bursting with good things to say. But I will say they were clean, fun, romantic, if a little cheesy, LDS books. If you like that you'll like these!

[Jen Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first Stansfield book and I found it better than I had first thought. It was a little cheesy at first with it being over the top too perfect but the end was really well done. It got me thinking about really important things:repentance and forgiveness.

[Britney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. If I could give it a 3.5 I would. I liked it better then the second one. It gets a little too descriptive sometimes...like on and on about how much they love each other, how grateful they are for their blessings, etc. Like, get on with the story already, ya know?

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

O.K. this is a good book. It is a classic LDS novel but the thing that I really was grateful for in this book is that it makes you realize what great lengths Heavenly father goes to to show us that we are loved and in his thoughts.

[Kailee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole series is Fantastic! I love them. This is the first book so it's.... umm, what's the word--- Addicting! ya that's the word, the first book is pretty much always the best. and this book is no exception!

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a series of four books. I definitely like the first one the best. The last three were filled with trial after trial after trial that this poor family goes through and when I'm reading, I mostly like happy stuff! I knows thats not realistic, but owell!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

How much would you sacrifice for someone you love?

Alex and Jane fell in love at first site, but that is just the begining of their journey.

I learned that others can inspire us to be better than we ever thought possible, but we still have to take the steps to achieve it.