Freestyle: 1 (Academy of Stardom)

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It wasn't done terribly here but I still didn't love it and I feel like it pushes authors to use very heavy foreshadowing and we definitely got that here. If you’re into your men on the criminal side, who are alpha hot holes, sprinkled in with some enemies to lovers vibes and one thing I cannot forget this series is centred around DANCE!

If you love dance, your men on the criminal side, alpha hot holes and the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers trope, this is for you.Let's all feel bad for Pen, who literally has no redeeming qualities whatsoever other than carrying for her little sister. And in the flashbacks there's that part when Xeno fucks his latest girlfriend near the baysement they hang and she hears all of that, and gets a little hurt. Since I've always had a weakness for movies and shows about dancing it wasn't a big surprise how quickly I was into this book and how easily and how much I enjoyed it. But Pen herself answer my question in that part of the book saying that they did not battle this because they respected Xeno and might've lose him if they did.

On the other hand there’s a whole lot of annoying drama, man whore and OW messienss, and gang/mafia exploitation. Not to mention, Bea so carefully sketches the emotional architecture of Pen to each guy- carefully constructed so that each relationship feels not only intimate and fully realized but also fundamental to the bones of these characters, and fundamental to the crew. I wasn't sure how dance would translate in writing but Bea did such an amazing job and had me feeling every move. It’s dark, it includes a reverse harem and there are many triggers and content warnings that you will need to be aware of. If you love dance, your men on the criminal side, alpha hot holes and the enemies-to-lovers trope, this is for you.

Took me a while to get familiar with all the characters and remember what name goes with what character but after I did, I rolled into the story without much trouble. I love dance movies, but I haven’t read many if any dance books, and I didn’t know what I was missing. Diving in my little millennial heart was 100% ready for a similar vibe to Save the Last Dance or Step Up with the added elements of a RH relationship.