Release date: June 8th 2014
Publisher: Allium Press
Purchase: Amazon | B&N
Synopsis via Goodreads:
It’s 1981. Twenty-four-year-old Julia Nash has recently arrived in Manhattan, where she works as a publisher’s assistant. She dreams of becoming an editor with her own stable of bestselling authors—but it is hard to get promoted in the recession-clobbered book biz.
Julia blows off steam by going dancing downtown with her best friend, Vicky. One night, a hot British guitarist invites them into his VIP section. Despite an entourage of models and groupies, Jack chooses Julia as his girl for the evening—and when Jack Kipling picks you, you go with it. The trouble is … he’s never met a girl like her before. And she resists being just one in a long line.
Jack exposes her to new experiences, from exclusive nightclubs in SoHo to the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood; from mind-bending recording sessions to wild backstage parties. Yet Julia is afraid to fall for him. Past relationships have left her fragile; one more betrayal just might break her.
As she fends off her grabby boss and tries to move up the corporate ladder, Julia’s torrid relationship with Jack takes her to heights she’s never known—and plunges her into depths she’s never imagined.
With a fascinating inside look at publishing, this entertaining story of a bookish young woman’s adventures with a rock superstar is witty, moving, and toe-curlingly steamy.
*I was gifted the ebook by the author in exchange of an honest review.
I read Come Dancing a few weeks ago but wanted to let it soak in before writing a review. Let me just say, the story was quite enjoyable. Loved the 80s setting and how the main character worked in the publishing industry. I found her likable and her daily life to be quite interesting. Her relationship with Jack, a rock star, is one that doesn't happen often and seemed unlikely, but I'm happy they pulled through. Although, there were times I wanted to snap at them both.
Julia was trying to step up as an agent in her company, and not without facing problems with a sleazy boss. She already had a lot on her plate and then when Jack came along, more was added because she wasn't used to being apart of his lifestyle. I liked that she was hard to get and made him realize that just because he's a musician doesn't mean every woman will fall at his feet. Julia gave him quite the work, and the process of him trying to win her over was quite funny and sweet.
However, there were times that Jack's unflattering musician ways would pop up and Julia would deliberate these things, but she never said anything. She'd started to develop strong feelings for him but still wouldn't speak out against certain things that would upset her. She'd often use his status as an excuse and say he didn't owe her any loyalty. Now, if this was some fling on her part and she wasn't as emotionally invested, I would understand what she was saying and ignore it. But no, she liked him. A lot. So I wish she had spoken out more in the beginning, then maybe when it all had built up towards the end, they wouldn't have ended up in that situation that caused a problem between them. Just saying.
Still, the story was interesting from start to finish. I loved the writing and how vivid the descriptions were. I felt like I was tossed to the 80s with how Wells described the setting and how things as important today weren't back then, some not even released yet. That was a big plus in the story. I also liked Julia's best friend, Vicky, and how carefree she was. I feel like her role in the story was to keep Julia relaxed when she'd get too high-strong on something.
Other aspects of the story included Julia's relationship with her mother and how something that happened in the past between her parents sort of made Julia distant. She'd blamed her mother for a lot of things, but I'm happy that they'd managed to resolve their issues and were able to move on.
There were other things well constructed in the story, from the activities of rock stars--lavish parties, tours, women, and other unappealing stuff--to the workings of the publishing industry. But the strongest thing about Come Dancing was the blossoming relationship between Julia and Jack, and how deeply they felt for each other. I feel the characters and overall plot was greatly developed and I look forward to reading the sequel. Good job Leslie!
About the Author
Leslie Wells has edited forty-eight New York Times bestsellers in her over thirty-year career, including thirteen number one New York Times bestsellers. She has worked with numerous internationally known authors, musicians, actors, actresses, television and radio personalities, athletes, and coaches. She lives on Long Island, New York.
