Review: "Come Dancing" by Leslie Wells

Synopsis:  Julia is a book-loving publisher’s assistant. Jack is a famous British rock star. “Opposites attract” is an understatement.

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.

My Thoughts:  Come Dancing is a fun, romantic, 'follow your heart' kind of read.  The characters are interesting, the romance is hot and heavy AND it goes into detail about the book publishing business.  How much cooler does it get?!

Likes:  I loved reading about Julia's job in publishing.  It was fascinating to see kind of an inside view of the business (albeit the 1981 version).   It sounded like a pretty awesome job!  I liked Julia as a character a lot.  She was really smart and I liked that she spent too much time in her head because it made her seem 'real'.  The setting of this book was pretty awesome; New York City in the 1980s sounded like an exciting place to be.  Also, the 80s clothes!  Julia's outfits were epic.  The relationship between Jack and Julia is pretty hot but has its issues and is definitely not your typical 'all puppies and rainbows' type relationship that are often described in books.  The relationship was kind of far-fetched so the fact that it wasn't perfect all the time made it seem a little more believable.

Dislikes:  As I said above, the story seemed a little far-fetched at times but who doesn't dream of falling in love with their favorite rock star?  It was also a little slow at times; there is only so much 'should I call him? Is he going to call me?' type dialogue that I can take before I get bored. 

Overall, Come Dancing is a light, romantic read perfect for a day on the beach (or a day when you wished you were on the beach). 3 stars.

About the Author:

 

Leslie Wells left her small Southern town in 1979 for graduate school in Manhattan, after which she got her first job in book publishing. She has edited forty-eight New York Times bestsellers in her over thirty-year career, including thirteen number one New York Times bestsellers. Leslie has worked with numerous internationally known authors, musicians, actors, actresses, television and radio personalities, athletes, and coaches. She lives on Long Island, New York.