4.5 stars. This book was soooo much fun! The first book in the series left me with tentative hope for this author, and book two really delivered for me. Estranged childhood best friends to lovers is one of my absolute favorite tropes. Plus there’s an “only one bed, but we’ll sleep in it at different times” à la The Flatshare. And a break from England is always refreshing in a Victorian-era HR.

Sunny and Angela’s relationship is sweet and tentative. They’re both trying to guard themselves and protect their family/friends, while dealing with a very broken friendship and a marriage of convenience.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!

"The Dance of Desire" is a "Beauty and the Beast" retelling, with quirky variations. Angela and Sunny met as children and are fast friends, until Sunny starts having feelings for Angela and doesn't know how to deal with it. By the time they meet again, Sunny has spent a lot of time away from society, and Angela has accepted her lot in life to have a perfectly suitable marriage, the kind that is "normal" in society. But when her most suitable groom proves to be most unsuitable, right at the moment of exchanging the vows.

Sunny, by now a surly Earl of Sunderland, offered the best solution: a marriage of convenience. And even better, one that they will live a year in the outskirts of Paris, secluded from society. What both Angela and Sunny did not count on, of course, was that time away gives them the chance to get to know each other once again, and better. Their invisible servants are matchmaking. And true love has a way of finding the light, no matter how in the dark it's kept. Despite their best intentions and their flimsy safeguards--not sleeping at the same time, so they do not share the bed (ha!), the bonds of marriage gives them a sense of intimacy and partnership, rediscovering their friendship and their life's passions, and facing adversities and adversaries together.

This was such a sweet read, and was a romantic slow-burn before the steam turns up--contrary to what I would usually expect from a Beauty and the Beast retelling. (This is not a complaint, more like a heads up to those, who may, like me, have expected spicier Beauty and the Beast renditions.) The slow simmer worked well to get Angela and Sunny to the closeness they've been building as childhood friends, and to pay off with the passion of a man and woman who've also grown emotionally attached. I loved seeing Angela and Sunny, who are their own persons and each battling their own demons, come together and face the world as a couple--stronger together than apart.

I received an ARC through the author on #Netgalley. This review is made voluntarily, honestly, and for free.

P.S. My copy had some typos and several instances of using "discrete" to mean "discreet," which happened quite a bit for me to recommend one more copy-editing round to hopefully have happened before the final release. It doesn't take away from the story, but it just might be a little bother to grammar sticklers.

A well developed book where friends become enemies and then marry for convinience (and revenge).

Angela truly does not see the depth of Sunnys feelings for her and sends him on a downward spiral by refusing his marriage proposal. A year later, he is back to rescue her by marrying her when she faces scandal at the altar. Over the year they agree to keep their pretend marriage in place, feelings are renewed and grow deeper.

A lovely read, well written with lots of angst.

This one was a bit of a miss for me. I would have really loved to see the character's together more on the page. It just wasn't for me, but another ready might love it!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a charming sequel in the Muses of Scandal series. Angela was such a strong and interesting secondary character in the first book that I was hoping she'd become a main character in the future. In this book, Angela has realized her dream of having a proper marriage, but her wedding is disrupted in a terrible way. Her best friend, Sunny, steps in to marry her on the spot. Unfortunately, Angela turned Sunny's proposal down in the last book and he is consumed by anger and a desire for revenge. The couple moves to Paris to live separate lives in misery.

Except, this is Angela, the sunshine character. While she's devastated by the turn her life has taken, she find small bits of happiness in dance and taking care of animals. Eventually, Sunny thaws and realizes his earlier feelings are still with him. While Angela and Sunny's relationship evolves, he's dealing with a gossip columnist who threatens one of his friends and Angela is worrying about her mother, who is traveling to find her father.

While this book does standalone, it's more satisfying if you've read the first book and understand the full backstory of Angela's family. The pace is pretty fast and it's an entertaining read. I think I devoured this in a day! I'm looking forward to Lyra's book!

Sunny and Angela have been friends since forever, and he's been in love with her for just about as long. One year ago, Sunny finally proposed to Angela ... and she not only turned him down, she sent him a letter so final that he left the country. Present day, Angela is marrying another man and Sunny is attending the wedding when he gets the chance to step in for the groom. But now that they're married, they're both determined to get it annulled as soon as they can. But since they're stuck together for the next six months, any romance reader can see that these two aren't getting an annulment any time soon...

The beginning of this book is very strong. It's great to see a bumbling character not change, exactly, but to develop their own main character energy. Sunny hasn't gotten fit, lost weight, or become a rake; but he's less trusting of Angela, and as her view of him changes, so does ours. Maybe we're just too immersed in the romance world, but it was frustrating to read the relationship progressing so slowly. There is only one bed in their manor, and yet for months - MONTHS! - they manage to avoid even having a conversation with each other. We just wanted some more progression of the relationship; maybe dinners together? Actually sharing the bed (like, at night)??

That said, like the first book in the series (The Poetics of Passion), the world Ross has created is very intriguing. Her prose flows well, and we were invested in the relationship. We just wouldn't mind more romantic romance!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

This book was so sweet! I absolutely adored this grumpy sunshine historical romance. The writing style is very enjoyable and the characters have good character development. The chemistry between Sunny and Angela is written well.

I sat down and read this book in one sitting! It will grasp your attention and keep you wanting more until you are finished. I loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author.

This book was a really fun riff on Beauty and the Beast. Kittens and ballerinas! Need I say more? Plus the French setting reminded me of Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête, which is one of my favorite films period.

Sometimes when life gets too hectic, you need a palate cleanser, like an amazing romance. This is that amazing romance. For those who read the The Poetics of Passion, this book picks up the story of Musa's sister, Angela (and you don't have to have read the first book to enjoy/understand this one). In Poetics, Angela refuses the proposal from her childhood friend Sunny, and she plans on marrying another. At the start of this novel, Angela is a bride about to be married. Of course, things don't end up as planned, and she and Sunny, a new earl, are thrown together.

I loved the roller coaster of the story: friends who become enemies; enemies who grow in love. The French setting of this historical romance provides a fascinating background to this story that is a riff on Beauty and the Beast. Ross had enough twists to keep me sucked in, and I loved that the subplot with the woman Sunny was supposed to marry. A lovely romance.

Though a slightly slower developing romance than I normally read, it was quite enjoyable. The characters, while dislikable at times, were very human with their emotions, making me better understand their perspectives. Friends to lovers, dueling, miscommunication, and… KITTENS! What more can you ask for!

Thank you NetGalley and the author for this e-arc!

"The Dance of Desire" is a fun, witty, novel that fans of "Beauty and the Beast" and historical romance are certain to enjoy. From the book's synopsis, I knew the story would be set in 19th century Paris and include the worlds of high society and dance, two premises right up my ally. As with any new author, it took me a chapter or two to settle into Delphine Ross's writing style, but once I'd made the adjustment, I was hooked for the journey. What is not to love about the grumpy/sunshine trope and kittens! What I particularly appreciated is Ross's attention to detail and the fresh story, and the high level of writing one can expect in a historical romance. Although I was frustrated with Sunny's motives and disposition at first, once Ross reveals the reasons why he did what he did, I couldn't help by fall for him too. I only wish Angela had a few more dance scenes as that is always my favorite part of any dance-inspired book. "The Dance of Desire" is a breath of fresh air and I can't wait to check out other books in this series.

9/10 Stars.

All reviews are my own. Thank you to Muse Publications, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op, and Net Galley for allowing me to enjoy this book ahead of its release.

Sunny was unlikable for the first half of the story with his urge for revenge. It seemed like halfway through the author learned that annulments for non-consummation aren’t a thing and had to write themselves out of a corner. And for a forced proximity/ marriage of convenience, I wish we had seen more of a development of their relationship. Too much telling rather than showing and too many subplots prevented me from cheering for Angela and Sunny. It got more chaotic as it went along and I never cared if they got together.

I liked book one better and while this was a miss for me, I’d still give book 3 a try.

I absolutely adores this book from the very first page! The characters had so much personality and depth and humor. Their childhood friends to lovers story was so sweet and I just adored everything about it!

Welcome back to another edition of, "I have no impulse control!" I was entranced by this cover that's just full of details and once I found out the MMC was called "Sunny" but was supposed to be "beastly?" Well, I couldn't resist.
The Dance of Desire is a light-hearted romance with some of my favorite tropes. Friends to enemies to lovers, beauty and the beast inspiration, marriage of convenience, to name a few. The book starts off with a bang, and the pace varies from there. It feels like there's always something crazy happening, and as entertaining as it was, the characters suffered for it.
TDoD is not a long book, so the constant action draws you away from the characters. Even though they were supposed to be secluded in France, there were hardly any scenes of them getting closer/living in such close quarters. There were lots of time skips, so we moved from action scene to action scene.
Angela and Sunny were both a little frustrating, because they were supposed to have been great friends but neither seemed to know much about the other. I would have liked to see more of those quiet moments where they become friends again.
There are a lot of big moments for the side plots, too, which are kind of unbelievable, but if you enjoy an action-packed, light romance with grand gestures and lots of villainy, you'll like this one.

When Angela’s wedding day ends in disaster, her old friend Sunny, the Earl of Sunderland, suggests a one-year marriage of convenience to avoid scandal. Angela reluctantly agrees, but finds Sunny cold and distant. To avoid attention, they flee to Paris—only to discover their emotions are not so easily controlled, especially when faced with close quarters and unexpected revelations.

This beauty-and-the-beast romance is charming and emotional, with a fast-paced plot and relatable characters. I’m really enjoying this series.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

When Angela Bartham is left stranded at the altar on her wedding day, Sunny, the Earl of Sunderland offers a marriage of convenience that will last exactly one year. Angela agrees, knowing that with her family’s scandalous background, that she has no other option. Yet Sunny, who was once her dearest friend, now obviously loathes her. He proposes that they will quietly annul their unconsummated marriage and he does his best to make it clear that he cannot stand the sight of her. To avoid the chattering crowds, Angela and Sunny flee London to spend their year of marriage in Paris. Yet in the gothic feline-laden chateau, they’re forced to share the same bed, even if at different times of the day, and communicate through notes left on the pillowcase. However, their dance of desire soon seems likely to destroy everything, including their friendship.
Whilst Sunny feels that he is the beast to Angela’s Beauty, she never imagines him as such. To her, she is the friend who she longs to be with. Her sadness and reluctance to wed Sunny, is heartfelt and yet, the reasons gradually revealed as she begins to realise that she is in love with Sunny. I so loved reading from both Sunny and Angela’s perspective and marvelled at their ability to hide their true feelings. This is a five-star read, that comprised not only a beautiful love story but also had some engaging secondary characters such as Hélèn. I look forward to reading more about the Bartham family.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Angela and Sunny’s love story was lovely. I adored Sunny in the first book, and seeing his evolution as a character was one of my
favorite elements of this book. This development wasn’t without bumps along the way; sweet Sunny is a jerk at times. But that too was part of his growth.

I enjoyed seeing Angela’s development as well. She did not seem all that complex in the first book, and I was glad to be proven wrong here. On the surface, she may seem like a cliched heroine; she loves kittens! And pink! And ballet! But Angela’s cheerful disposition is very much a performance. I’m glad we got to see behind that here.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read and enjoy this book. All opinions are my own.

If you read The Poetics of Passion, you may recall the glimpses into Angela and Sunny’s relationship. Friends for years, she turned down his marriage proposal in that book, ending with him departing for Europe, their friendship over. Meanwhile, Angela got engaged to someone else… and that’s where The Dance of Desire picks things up. The disastrous wedding that starts the book is quite unexpected, and the way things rapidly turn out is even more surprising. I was certainly hooked right from the beginning!

Angela and Sunny were once friends, but now he sees her as an enemy. And this marriage they now find themselves in is, in his mind, an act of revenge. To escape the gossip, Sunny takes Angela to his French chateau near the Bois de Boulogne of Paris. It’s rather gothic, and only one room has a bed. That paired with Sunny’s rules make it a bit of a prison for Angela. This marriage of convenience, meant only to avoid further scandal for her family, will also be a short one, with plans to quietly annul it after a year. But what will a year of forced proximity do to their friendship… and the feelings of love Sunny still harbors deep down?

I loved getting to know both Angela and Sunny. They each have their own backstories, adding depth to how they’ve interacted up until now. Sunny also has secrets about what’s been going on with a French woman, Hélèn, in recent months. Despite his beastly attitude lately, I had a soft spot for Sunny and for how unworthy he’s felt for most of his life. Angela’s previous rejection only adds to his feelings of inferiority, and I just wanted him to know he’s amazing the way he is!

Another thing I loved is the Beauty and the Beast vibes. That is one of my top three favorite Disney movies, and I always love seeing retellings of it. Here, we have the French setting and the gothic chateau (not quite a castle), and even if Sunny doesn’t quite look like a beast, he’s been acting like one. Here, the staff go mostly unseen, which works with the theme. I enjoyed seeing Angela lose herself in ballet, and I was especially delighted by the basket of kittens that shows up in their home!

The Dance of Desire has some exciting action and a touch of mystery surrounding some of the French characters. But I also loved how tender the relationship between Sunny and Angela is, with former friends learning to get along again, perhaps slowly become even more than just friends.

The Dance of Desire is a charming and heartfelt book with depth, angst, and a bit of thrilling action. It easily combines a few different romance tropes with a lovely fairy tale retelling, ending up with a novel that is at once original and sweetly familiar. I’ve enjoyed the Muses of Scandal series and look forward to continuing it. According to the author’s note at the end of The Dance of Desire, the next book will follow Lyra Bartham, one of the twins, in a “Romeo and Juliet-inspired tale of forbidden love.” Consider me excited to read that as soon as it’s available! And I hope there will be a fourth book for the other twin, Theo, after that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

The Dance of Desire is the second Muses of Scandal novel, and I went into this completely blind having not read The Poetics of Passion. I was excited to see that the Muses of Scandal series seems to be about a single family, which means that you do get to see those relationships develop and from different perspectives. With that said, I do agree that this is effectively a standalone and not having read the first one did not impact me much at all, beyond wanting more details about the first couple's story as Angela has thoughts on her sister's match and career choices occasionally throughout the book.

This book was a great light and fairly low-stakes read with an endearing and quirky cast of side characters. With more historical romance books I always worry that it will feel dry, or slow paced, since society gives a such a strict structure of rules for how men and women should interact. But in this book, the world felt full of color and the characters were so full of life and personality, I was enjoying myself immediately.

The history that we're given for Sunny and Angela felt real and deep, giving weight to the intense emotions we are shown later. The pacing around the wedding and the conflicts immediately after felt a bit too rushed for me, but nothing that really shook me out of the story or my enjoyment. Once we're at the estate where most of the book takes place the story becomes a Beauty and the Beast retelling - the conversations between Sunny and Dubois (his estate's caretaker) during this time felt very reminiscent of Mrs. Potts and the Beast, which was very charming and funny at times.

Ross did so well in juggling conflict and secrets that push the plot forward, while revealing things at the perfect time to keep the characters likable (lovable, even!) and their relationship progressing without too much to forgive or look past. Anything that I felt would turn me off to the couple ending up together got resolved in ways I didn't quite expect and that I was completely satisfied with.

Overall I had so much fun reading this book, I rated it a 4/5 stars. I can't wait to go back and read the first Muses of Scandal book now!

The Dance of Desire is a historical romance, featuring Angela Bartham, daughter of a notorious couple who created a scandal when they ran away together, and the Earl of Sunderland, who is a childhood friend that Angela christened Sunny. The story starts promisingly enough as Angela is about to marry respectably to try to elevate her family from where they've fallen since her parents' disgrace. The tension is created from Sunny's appearance at the wedding, as he has been in parts unknown since Angela turned down his marriage proposal. This is somewhat a beauty and the beast story, as Angela is considered a diamond, whereas Sunny has always felt like an awkward, ungainly second son. Angela's rejection--she's nursing a hidden lost love, and she has never considered Sunny romantically--solidify Sunny's feelings. He comes back cynical and cold. When Angela's betrothed turns out to be completely objectionable and she's left standing at the altar, Sunny steps in and marries her, telling himself that it's for revenge, even though it's clear he still loves her.

Oh, this book was close. I did really enjoy quite a bit of it. The writing is talented, and my attention didn't wander (Lorraine Heath and the ilk, I'm looking at you). But there were so many quibbles (if Angela was avoiding scandal, how did she not do any research on her obviously scandalous fiance?!). a subplot with Sunny's planned French fiancee (didn't do anything for me), and the fact that Sunny's coldness and distance was so contrived (there's only one bedroom in the home that they escape to, so Sunny sleeps in it during the day, and Angela at night? What?).

Four stars for almost getting there.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.