I received this book complimentary from NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

Kate is surprised but happy when she scores a spot in a televised dancing competition. She is initially paired with Merle, but she must work with Aleksis after a scandal. Real feelings develop as they work past their differences, but can they work that out, too? It's a fun behind-the-scenes tale of a dance reality show competition.

A really fun and charming read with an enjoyable premise and gorgeous characters. I would highly recommend.

I picked this one because I read it was ‘like seeing the Strictly curse play out in real time’ and I am a huge Strictly fan! Except in this story, it’s not celebrities on the dance show, it’s just us regular people, and I loved that idea! I would love to go on Strictly but seeing as I’m clearly not a celeb that’s never going to happen so it was so nice to see that idea on a page!

And like the description hinted, there’s definitely some spice in this book, with Kate, the main character, getting involved with her dance partner, Merle. The spice was good 🔥 but I won’t lie, it happened way too quickly for my liking and I don’t think I was a fan of all the insta-love in this. I was however fully invested in the dance show itself 😂

I liked the way the story went, the characters definitely had chemistry, and there was a little more to the story than just the spice which I liked. I won’t lie, it wasn’t one of my favourite romances, but I hadn’t read a book in a while that had me hooked and I read this one quite quickly considering the reading slump I had been in before I picked it up! 👏🏼

It’s definitely one for a romance reader who likes Strictly! 🪩💃🏼

There's a lot to love about The Dance Deception, especially as I love anything dance and romance related.

A new dance show - Fire on the Dance Floor - invites non-celebrities to compete with professional partners to win £25k.

Kate is at a crossroads in her life, and when she gains a place on the show she throws herself into the experience. When she's paired with pro dancer Merle, there's no doubt sparks are flying. His methods of training are, ahem, somewhat unconventional. But they work. And the rehearsal scenes are hot.

But leaked photos of them mid entanglement reveal that Merle is a prize pig and Kate ends up having to swap partners.

Enter Aleksis. Despite a rocky start, they soon become the couple to challenge Merle for the top spot. But Merle isn't going to play fair it seems, and so they up the ante.

Sexy, charming and light hearted, this was a joy to read. If I had any small constructive criticism it would be that some of the sex scenes were a little repetitive and didn't really add anything to the story. But overall, I loved The Dance Deception.

This was a good book but the writing lacked a connection for me. I couldn’t get into the characters and couldn’t feel a connection to them.

Just okay read. I wanted to love it, but ending on just like it.
This one just was not for me. Just 2.5 stars for me

The concept of this book was excellent - the material just wasn't for me. Maybe someone else would love this, but I was highly frustrated with the characters, which made this a challenging read to finish.

Kate's not respecting herself was hard to read, and the total lack of self-control didn't make sense for the portrayed past. I just felt like it wasn't the character I was expected based on her backstory.

The fake dating that Kate and Aleksis get into seems unnecessary, but that is exciting.

There was a lot of spice in this one, but the backstories and the characters didn't keep me interested.

"The Dance Deception" by Becky Ward is a thrilling mystery full of unexpected twists. Engaging from start to finish.

Gently and sensitively interwoven with some heavier, much more intense emotional undertones than I ever expected to find in a story of this kind, this was a book I found to be absolutely impossible to put down.

A lovely, light hearted, easy read. Sizzling good fun and a must-read for any fans of Strictly. I really enjoyed it and would look for more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really struggled to finish this book - I did but really found it a chore and was hoping the ending might improve but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.
The repetition about his bum was sooo annoying and completely unnecessary and didn't add anything to the book.
She was just irritating and I can't believe that anyone would be that silly to literally not care that a guy filmed them naked without their consent just because she thought they were hot - like that makes it okay?! and then for her to keep wanting to go back for me even though she knows he's married and a complete shit was just so jarring to read (especially her begging at his feet).

Im really sorry but it just wasn't for me - that doesn't mean other people won't find it an enjoyable read.

I love dance-centered reality TV shows and there have been some GREAT reads in this genre. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of them. It was a struggle to finish this one -- I found the characters unlikeable and I feel like I didn't get enough of Kate to really root for her.

A fun and flirty fake dating romance novel with all the glitz and glam of strictly thrown in. There was too much steam for me but you can just bypass these pages.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

As a fan of Dancing with the Stars, I was so eager to read this one! This was my first novel by Becky Ward. The spice hit you full force in the first few pages. Definitely not a slow burn by any means! I liked the unconventional way the story was told. It's definitely not what I've been used to in what I've been reading lately. There is a LOT of a drama, spice, angst, and a douche-bag womanizer that Ward does a great job of making us hate (all good things I promise). This has strangers to lovers and second chance romance tropes. If you are looking for a spicy, quick read for the beach then I definitely recommend.

Unfortunately DNF at 20%. Just I couldn’t get into it and then story felt very forced. I didn’t see the chemistry between Kate & Merle and didn’t really like Merle anyway, the sex seems to just happen out of nowhere with no build up and just yeah didn’t really care unfortunately.

A fun read, but the plot was a little slow at the beginning and I was confused about where it was going to go. The sex scenes also felt a little gratuitous at the beginning because there were so many with the male character that we knew wasn’t going to end up with our main character. Overall, it was a really fun concept and as someone who loves reality dance competitions I was thriving off of the setting and drama that was happening behind the scenes!

The Dance Deception by Becky Ward

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Avon and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Kate Wareing is astonished when she secures a place in a televised dance competition. Especially as it means she’ll be paired with a professional dancer to compete for a life-changing cash prize.

When she’s matched with gorgeous French dancer Merle it quickly becomes clear that he’s just as keen to work on their chemistry as their routine.

But when the competition is rocked by a scandal, Kate’s forced to switch to a new partner, Aleksis , who is just as devastatingly attractive as Merle – but seems to hate her.

With the odds stacked against them, Kate and Aleksis embark on a showmance to try and win over the public. But what happens when Kate’s feelings for her fake boyfriend become all too real? And how far will Merle go to sabotage her chances – both in the competition and in love?

My Opinion

This was a fun read. I have seen some mixed reviews but for me it worked well. The idea of a televised dance competition is not new, but the way this had been done was enough to hold my attention. Personally I would have loved to know a little more about what happened after the series had finished.

Rating 4/5

have to go with what other people are saying here. This is a difficult read. The summary seemed interesting and I was excited for it. I'd be never scene a book set in this industry before so it was refreshing but there's no depth, and lots of spice but no real plot.



Thank you Netgalley and Avon books UK
for the ARC in exchange for my review!

All a bit sad, overdone and obvious. I felt uncomfortable during the early scenes, at how Kate could allow herself to be taken in and used in such an obvious way. Not my cuppa tea, sorry.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for review.