November 12, 2014

RELEASE DAY REVIEW: Second Position (Dirty Dancing #2)


Melody Grace continues her new Dirty Dancing serial with SECOND POSITION, releasing today. If you need to catch up and read First Position yet (and you REALLY need to read it!), you're in luck - it's only $0.99 today.

Second Position (Dirty Dancing #2), by Melody Grace
Published November 12, 2014
Publisher: self-published
Format: e-book, provided by the author
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * iBooks
 

Rating: 4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Dancing with the perfect partner is like the most exquisite climax of your life.
Can you feel it? The way our bodies rock together. My hands pinning you down, my mouth sliding over your hot, damp skin. Each hard thrust driving deep to that place you never dreamed possible. Every breathless cry hurtling you closer to the edge.
Beyond words. Beyond thought. Beyond reason.
Free.
I’d all but given up on perfection like that. Until I met her. Annalise.
Her body is pure motion; her spirit, a caged bird just waiting to be set free.
I will claim her. I will possess her.
I will teach her the most erotic dance of all.


The sexiness is ramped up to nuclear proportions in the second act of Melody Grace's Dirty Dancing serial. In SECOND POSITION, not only do Annalise and Raphael continue to connect in the physical sense, but they actually start to get to know one another. They talk about their likes and dislikes and what drives them in their dance. We see them share dreams and fears and offer support and loyalty.  The building of a relationship against the backdrop of an ancient city and set to the music of Swan Lake and hip hop are making this series into something special. 

Annalise is freaking out because of her injury, but an unexpected reprive gives her more time to prepare her dance and spend time with Raphael. Soon, she finds her life being pulled even more strongly in two different directions. On one side, she sees her mother's dream of her being a prima ballerina nearly within her grasp. And, on the other side is the forming of a new dream born of freedom to choose and to be with someone she loves. 

Raphael has seemed so completely in control of everything in his life before now. I loved that, in Second Position, we see a much more vulnerable Raphael. He opens up to Annalise about his aspirations regarding his dance, but also the guilt and self-doubt that comes along with it. He doesn't want to let down his friends or ruin the sure thing that he has going on in Rome. But, the sure thing isn't what excites him. It's very real stress that he's feeling, and it was nice to see him open up to Annalise. 

And, really, Annalise is the only one who could possibly understand where he's coming from. It's the creation of this bond that really starts to solidify them as a real couple. In First Position, they had just met, and sure, there was a lot of lust going on with both of them. And, certainly none of that goes away just because they are getting to know one another. But, I had this longing for them to have something REAL. It seems like they both deserve that, after trudging through their lives so far, being what other people want them to be. They deserve to have something for themselves, and where that connection was lacking in the first installment of this series, it finally explodes to life in this one. 

Their commitment to be something more to one another is not without its pitfalls, particularly for Annalise. As she decides to help Raphael reach for his dreams, she has to continue working toward her own. Or, rather, her mother's dreams for her. No one ever asks her what she wants, except for Raphael. Annalise's mother, her instructor and even the people she considers to be her very best friends all have an agenda and what they think is the best thing in mind for Annalise. I can't even begin to imagine what that feels like inside a 19-year-old's head. I wanted nothing more than for Annalise to tell them all to go eff themselves. Maybe I'll get lucky and get my wish in the final book. 

Raphael is also dealing with the backlash from his decision to move on from his street dancing and try and make a more honest career out of his dance. His best friend Luca thought they'd run a restaurant together. His partner Francesca (a biotch with a capital B) is jealous of his new found connection with Annalise. His family thinks his pursuit of dance as a career is foolish. It seems the cards are not stacked in his favor. 

And, as much as I hate to admit it, the ending of Second Position was a deliciously well-done cliffy. Just when it seems like Annalise has found the balance she needs and the way to make everyone happy, a bomb is dropped in the middle of it all. I'd like to say that I know what side she'll end up on when it's all said and done. Melody Grace has never once let me down. But, how Annalise gets there is sure to be an emotional and drama-filled trip. Only a few weeks left to wait until we find out for sure. 

THE DIRTY DANCING SERIES RELEASE DATES:

FIRST POSITION -- 11/5

SECOND POSITION -- 11/12

THIRD POSITION -- 12/1

About the Author

Melody Grace is the New York Times bestselling author of the Beachwood Bay series. A small-town girl turned SoCal beach lover, after spending her life with her nose in a book, she decided it was time she wrote one herself. She loves steamy romance novels, happily-ever-afters, and lusting after fictional menfolk. She is author of USA Today & international bestselling Beachwood Bay series.


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