His Ballerina

Dance for Me #1

by Darcy Rose, J.L. Beck

Madison is trying her best to escape a life of poverty. Young, innocent, and guarded. She’s finally getting ahead when she witnesses a murder outside the dance studio and finds herself in deep with a dark and dangerous criminal.

Archer is smitten by Madison, from the moment they meet. The protocol says to leave no witness behind but he can’t imagine hurting her. Against his best judgement he lets her go, but he can’t seem to get her out of his head. Like a stalker he follows her, making certain she doesn’t spill about what she’s seen.

Then one night he watches her through the window of the studio as she dances, she’s so beautiful, and angelic. Archer decides then that no matter the cost, or blood spilled she will be his… his ballerina.

Genres: Novella, Dark Romance, Romance, Audiobook, Dark, Contemporary, Smut

111 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 26, 2020

About the author

Darcy Rose is a USA Today Bestselling author who writes about shy and innocent heroines, to match them up with dark and intense heroes who have only eyes for one girl.

If you like your books short, taboo, dark, and a bit (or a lot) kinky, then Darcy Rose is perfect for you.

Reviews

[Lady Raven RAVE! · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Style: Dark Young Adult Romance
Story: 3/5
Enjoyment: 4/5
Dark Level: 2/5
Sexual: GOOD
Triggers: No
Male: Dominant, Intense & Possessive
Series: Book 1
Pages: Loc. 1180
Kindle Unlimited: Yes

STORY:
So here is what I like about this book. It’s like taking a long length book and condensing it to a shorter version. So what would take place in a few months got condense to some days. It will feel like you are reading this on superfast forward as it’s like insta obsession, love and lust role into one. There were negatives and positives for me, but I liked it enough where the positives out weight the negatives. I walked away knowing more about Madison than I really did Archer and his family and what they actually do. Archer is dark and intense and his sarcasm and thoughts had me laughing. I don’t know if it was meant to be funny at times, but it won me over. His obsession and possessiveness over Madison is what fuel this read for me it was over the top but prefect for these two.


ENJOYMENT / CHEMISTRY:
I like the shy and innocent characteristics of Madison, it was definitely compatible to Archer’s intense side and that made for an enticing read for me. Archer’s growls just had me drenched wherever I could be drenched from. It shows his possessiveness over Madison, and it was a turn on for me in this book. This made the physical and emotional chemistry good.


SECONDARY CHARACTERS
We got to meet Cash and Kane the twins and Ace. These were Archer’s brothers. Meeting them got me a little excited because if they are anything like Archer, I can’t wait.

Overall, this was a fast pace story. If you like your story to the point, with an obsessive and possessive guy, an innocent and shy heroine mixed with a little dark, then this is for you. I don’t feel there were really any triggers unless there is a sensitivity to stalking.

***I don’t equate these stories to real life. It’s about personal taste and what you would or want to tolerate with the books you read. I know we all have different opinions and preferences with what we read and hope this review was helpful.

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

[Alexandraa XX · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick safe romantic hot love story.


I find it to be very romantic when the hero touch and see the heroine the first time, he felt very possessive and obsessed to the heroine. He then stalk her by one day and claim her and take her to his place and claim that she was his and he wants to take of the heroine forever. So hot lol


The heroine is virgin
When the find out about this, he was so happy lol

The hero is not a virgin

The hero never push the heroine away

The heroine push the hero away only one time

NO CHEATING

NO SEPARATION

NO DRAMA WITH OW AND OM

HAPPY ENDING!!!

[Lolina ⋆]

This honestly was so much better than I thought it would be. It was a lot of fun to read, and was just such a quick and simple story.

I love how it progressed and thought that the pacing was great- it was quite reminiscent of that of an Alexa Riley type story- so of course I enjoyed this.

It was just a nice light and fluffy read (which was a great palette cleanser after some of the things that I read before this 😭).

I mean, just thinking about it overall, and not focusing too much on the details, I just really enjoyed the story.

[Darlene I read WAY to many books · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

Madison is a hard worker and has little joys such as ballet which she does at a old gym she cleans up at. But she sees something that she wasn't suppose to see and that's how she meets Archer when he kills someone.. now he has a choice kill her or let her live so he let's her live watching her from afar after he warned her he would kill her if she switched.

A full day of stalking and he made up his mind shes his and he'll treat her like a queen. So he kidnaps her from that life and Madison is confused why she does push away for like a second but she starts to fall for him even if she shouldn't. We meet the other brothers and drama surrounding the family.

No ow/om drama, No cheating, secondary character, drama,sexy times, virgin gal and no manwhore

Recommend-yes
Cover-⭐⭐⭐
Heat level-🌶🌶

Instalove
Age gap
18h/23H
Violence
No condom
Hea
Epilogue

[vxhexn reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The covers does not do this book justice!!

This is an instalove dark romance between an everyday girl who wishes to be a ballerina and her stalker. Madison has lived a hard life bouncing through numerous orphanages. Left to her own devices at eighteen, she works three jobs to make ends meet. Then one night on her way home she witnesses a murder and her life is forever changed.

Archer never expected to have a witness, especially in the dead of night down a deserted alley. When his eyes swing over and see the scared girl, he’s instantly infatuated. So much so that he demands to escort her home and subsequently becomes her shadow stalker. Seeing the subpar conditions she lives and works in he decides he knows better and kidnaps her.

The tough façade Madison puts up is quick shattered by Archer. Demolishing her inhibitions, working his way into both her body and heart in a matter of hours. And everything is solidified when a rogue agent from a rival mafia comes for retribution. Thankfully no one is seriously injured but it does set up nicely for the next book.

We meet Archer’s brother Ace, the mafia head of family, and his identical twin brothers Kane and Cash in this story. Looking forward to their HEAs down the road.

🔥 18yo virgin h - 23yo experienced H
🔥 no cheating, OW/OM drama
🔥 instalove
🔥 stalker-kidnapping mafia romance troupe


𝓋𝓍𝒽𝑒𝓍𝓃 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓈
Instagram | Facebook | Bookbub

[Ann Mihailovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

His Ballerina by Darcy Rose and JL Beck is a nice short story about a young girl being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or maybe in this case, the right place at the right time? In this story, Madison is a young girl who has lived a hard life. She struggles working three jobs, lives in an apartment in the worst part of town and barely keeps herself afloat. But regardless of all the negatives in her life, she has her ballet. Self taught, she knows she isn't the best, but that doesn't stop her from dancing til her heart's content every night in the back of an old smelly gym. On her way home one night, she sees a murder take place and instead of running away, her shock keeps her frozen in place long enough for the shooter to take notice of her presence.
Archer is rich and does odd jobs for the family business, jobs that require no soul. One night while taking out a target, he notices a witness on the scene. Instead of taking out the witness like he normally would, he becomes intrigued by the beautiful angel and spares her life in exchange for her silence. Stalking her to ensure she doesn't talk, he becomes enraged at her living situation. When he sees her dance, emotions, a protective instinct and the urge to care for her comes over him. Archer then proceeds to take control of Madison's life by moving her into his apartment and spoiling her with her heart's desire.
Madison has never had anyone care for her and she's never had the luxury of new clothes or shoes. It's always been from the thrift store or goodwill. Seeing Archer's nurturing side for her has Madison falling in love with him. But what happens when one of his enemies comes and starts shooting? Who will get caught in the crossfire?
This was a quick and romantic story. I loved how even a hardened street thug like Archer could find love and how even though Madison never complained about her life, fate stepped in by bringing her and Archer together. While these two characters were completely opposite and led different lives, they were able to see past each other's flaws and create a beautiful bond.

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

[BOOKLOVER_81 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blah 🤮 They have known each other for 2 days.. she witnesses him murdering someone, gives him her virginity, and he takes a bullet for him. 🙄

"I would spend the rest of my life doing this so long as it meant being the angel over her shoulder, making sure no harm comes to her." HIM

**Too cheesy
**Hated the narration
**Characters lacked depth

Audible plus listen 🎶

[Valentina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple storyline -- crime world, bad guy, impoverished heroine, being in the wrong place at the wrong time love story. Instant attraction and protectiveness from the alpha male and awakened chemistry from the heroine, this was simple novella of the events pertaining to two characters who get together, and resolves with their falling in love. Even recognizing this was a novella, their connectedness did not come across as authentic; rather it felt forced. This was a novella for leisure, not much to quibble over, though not especially noteworthy or original.

[Reading Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Downloaded this on audible as a palette cleanser to ease my brain 🧠 while I tandem read TOG! At first the male narrators accent really annoyed me and made me want to DNF but I finished the novella and it was just what I needed! Mafia, insta love, romance to melt ya brain with spice! Worth a listen!

[Lit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read

Just like the author states, if you like your books short and taboo, this is for you. Found a few typos here and there, but they didn’t detract from the story. Nice quick and steamy read, perfect for a lunch break.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Archer is struck by Cupid while finishing up a hit. Madison is a witness on that hit. Fate had her pick and those two are destined to be together. He is protective and possessive. She is in love with him. Their story is sweet and not dark at all, enjoyable to read.

[Shyralf · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 Stars! Mafia romance. I’m loving every bit of this author’s books. The sexy times are hot AF. A quick read. Loved it.

[Tai Nelson-Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

So the first thing I am going to say is I am a huge fan of J.L. Beck. and that this is my first time reading Darcy Rose. I was very excited to read His Ballerina because of who was writing it and the concept of the story. But I was not too thrilled with this book.

His Ballerina is a short read that felt rushed and had no connection for the characters. 3 stars is a high bar for this book. I did finish this book just because of the authors but other than that I would have quit after probably the 3rd chapter. There really is nothing there that I enjoyed. If you have never read J.L. Beck please do not start with this story. It will probably turn you off forever.


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[Flo₂₂ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started good but then all of it went flat unfortunately :(
I felt also left out on the most important things like...we don't get to see or feel how they fall for each other basically because this is insta everything which usually i don't mind BUT usually there is some kind of build up attraction or something..but here nope, they get right into it when we have her being kind of afraid and skittish around him. Anyway, over all, it was a nice and fast read but a MEH read, even the epilogue it's not enough.

[Aplis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please don't bother yourselves with this one.

I was hoping for some actual stalking..where the guy follows the girl for days or months..and then finally gets together with her. But nope! He follows her around a day after they meet unexpectedly and suddenly comes to the conclusion, "This woman needs my protection."🤦🏾‍♀️
And the heroine literally is like.."ummmmm sure?"

Sigh.

[SJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

The cover is the best thing about the book, but it is misleading in letting the reader think the writing will have depth. The narrative is just a stringing together of common MF tropes and banal characters. DNF

[Cheryl Sedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short fast paced read is hot, sweet and also a little dark. With how we meet Madison and Archer, when she sees him shoot a man. Archer is instantly confused about her as when he sees her he feels the need to protect her.
With a few twists we see the book come to a sweet and hot ending. Also this book is written so you get to see both from Madison's pov and Archer's too.

[Halle Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars ⭐️

I know this is a novella but like where was the plot.

[100sweet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this story but after the initial fear of witnessing the H kill someone, everything was glossed over. I mean he is still a killer and will continue to kill but it is never discussed. There needed to be more story.

[annasbook nookk · Rating 4 out of 5]

His Ballerina is a short story written by Darcy Rose and J.L.Beck.
Madison and archer meet at the wrong place and wrong time.
This then turns into a lovely story about two opposites come together.
Fast paced, spice and gangs thrown in.
Its good go read.

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

His Ballerina by Darcy Rose is the story of Archer and Madison.
Madison is 18 years old and has aged out of the foster cares system. Now she works three jobs to get by. In addition she loves to dance which gives her the only pleasure she has. When she is walking home for one of her jobs she happens upon Archer who is taking someone out who has stolen from his family. Archer lets her go but not really because he takes her to her apartment and stays outside. Archer has found that Madison has woken his heart and he doesn't want to leave her. This was a page turning read for me. I couldn't put it down and I so hope to read more stories of his brothers.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short read but in no way is it not chock full of pace, tension and steamy scenarios. Madison (FMC) and Archer shouldnt work considering how they first met. With Madison witnessing Archer shooting a man. Starting an obsession he has with Madison which yes has some stalker tendencies but they soon turn from something dark to a possessive yet caring on too. That which also worked both ways as Archer brought Madison more out of her shell. Her confidence within herself grew with him. Its a really great read

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, sexy novella about a young woman, Madison, working to survive and a man, Archer, who lives a dark life. When their paths cross Archer can't seem to get this beautiful ballerina out of his mind and after seeing how she is surviving he makes it his life's mission to be her protector and savior. It's a quick read that will satisfy your romance needs in a book.

[atomickitten · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars?

Hmm... I've no idea how to rate it.

I didn't love it but I didn't completely hate it, either.



I must admit I was curious after the synopsis and yet rather hesitant because it's JL Beck.
And I don't like her books.
And what I was afraid of, happened exactly in this book:

❎ The instacrap on wheels and OTT hero.

❎ After 2 days we have 'iloveyous' and 'forever' talks.

❎ The initial fear and concern Madison felt towards Archer were somehow swept under a rug, same like the fact that he is a killer, replaced by the 'he's so pretty' talks.
I don't like that.

❎ The stalking doesn't last very long. Maybe half a day and that's it.
The summary is somehow misleading here.

❎ Not much of a plot in this one, all replaced by hot sex and not much else.



And that's a damn shame because this did have the potential to be a great read. And I really loved the beginning.
But later on things just went downhill and I caught myself waiting for something to happen. And I mean anything other than hot sexing.

There was some shooting at the end but it was so quick and out of the blue I still don't get why this scene was there because it didn't make much sense.
But we get that a lot with Beck. And that's why I am no fan of hers.

Surprisingly, I didn't mind the heroine, She was ok. Not great, but ok.
For the ridonkulous pace, I mean.

All in all, it wasn't that bad but it wasn't great.
But I did finish and I feel kinda generous today so I'll round it up to 3.

But read at your own risk.

Oh, I almost forgot.
There was absolutely nothing dark about this read.

It was as dark as Alaska nights during summer solstice. :)

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

His Ballerina is an insta-love, mafia, dark romance novella. Although, it doesn't really add anything new to the genre, it was a quick read and I enjoyed it. I liked both Archer and Madison but I feel like their love story would have been more impactful if the book was expanded. I feel like like this would have been an awesome read if was full length. Sometimes I find with novellas everything happens
so quickly it lacks that emotional punch for me and I feel like characterizations suffer too. We got so much back story with Madison but we don't really know who Archer is. All we really know is that he is in the mafia and has three brothers. I will say that his possessiveness over Madison was a bit much but I kind of liked that about him.

Also, I was disappointed that there was a shocking lack of ballet in the story which was surprising given the title of the book and what initially attracted me to it in the first place. It's so hard to find ballet romances that actually feature ballet and was hoping that this one would be a winner. I don't know, I guess I'm just underwhelmed that this didn't meet my expectations.

With all that being said, it's not a bad story. Like I said before, it's a quick, easy read to pass and there's no over the top drama. It's not too dark for those who are not really into dark romance and does have a HEA.

[Kari Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Madison is a woman who has worked hard for everything she has with no support system. She tirelessly works three jobs and the one thing that truly makes her happy is when she dances. One night about dancing she becomes a witness and from that moment on her fate was sealed.

Archer and his family’s business requires him to hand out his own sense of justice which requires secrecy and discretion. Having a witness to one of these tasks could have dire consequences but there is something about Madison that makes him want to protect her rather than hurt her. He isn’t about to walk away and now he just needs to convince her to stay.

As dark and gritty as Archer is Madison is just as sweet and innocent but when circumstances demand it her strength and resilience shines through which is what makes them so perfect together.

[Aղցela W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short quick read that I liked. Madison is trying her best to escape a life of poverty. Young, innocent, and guarded. She’s finally getting ahead when she witnesses a murder outside the dance studio and finds herself in deep with a dark and dangerous criminal. Archer is smitten by Madison, from the moment they meet. The protocol says to leave no witness behind but he can’t imagine hurting her. Against his best judgement he lets her go, but he can’t seem to get her out of his head so he stalks her to make sure she doesn't go to the cops. This book had a lot of action in it and I loved that Archer was willing to do anything to protect her. This was my first time reading this author. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short book was lovely! I would totally read more about Archer and Madison.

Madison is an 18 year old young woman. She works three jobs a day, lives in a dingy apartment, and spends any spare time she has dancing. It's her passion. It's what she was born to do. One night walking her normal route home in a dangerous neighborhood, she becomes witness to a murder and her life takes an unexpected turn. After being seen, Archer tries to do damage control but ends up becoming fascinated with this hardworking ballerina in need of looking after.

Archer is a dream come true! He's protective, caring, and he wants to give Madison the world. Their relationship progresses quickly. Their situation may have been unusual, but it's perfect for them. If you want a quick, fast-paced, steamy, and romantic story -- check this one out!

[Mysti]

for the love of all that is sacred in this world - do NOT under any circumstances listen to this audiobook. I nearly stroked out at how totally unfitting this narrator is.

Griswold Addams..... sounds just like his name. Not even going to lie or sugar coat this. His voice will fit well in comedic situations, but for a romance???? FUCK NO. I can barely get through this review without laughing. It's bad. SOOOOOOOOOOO BAD. I would actually recommend you getting the audio just so you can hear how inappropriate it is for a romance book.

THAT SAID - I'm going to go back and read this book later. I just wanted this as a place holder so I can remember later on why I didn't listen to the audio.

[Alli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice little read. I've also read book 2 in this series of standalones, and love that we get to see a little cameo from these characters. They may meet under unusual circumstances and have some dark elements to their story, but the romance is sweet and passionate. This is definitely a series I will be following.

Quick & Dirty Details:
- Madison - 18yrs, virgin, poor, foster kid
- Archer - 23yrs, mob boss
- Dark
- Steamy
- Multi POV
- Novella
- Book 1 in a series of standalones