This Time, With Feeling

Thank you to PenPinery and Author K.T. Lane for this ARC. I am happy to leave my honest review.

This was a wonderfully sweet sapphic love story that was so fun to read. The book cover was really bright and cute and captured my attention immediately. I was excited to read a sapphic ballerina story and it did not disappoint. The writing style sucked me in right away. Lane beautifully describes the dancing from the beginning to end. She is careful to describe the elegance and grace required of ballerinas and shows tremendous respect for the sport.

Violetta (aka Violet) is a tough as nails prima ballerina. She has worked herself to the bone to leave her tiny town in Russia and become the youngest principal dancer for the New York metropolitan ballet. She truly loves ballet and is not one to shy away from the intense work necessary to be the best. An incredible young woman, I was captivated by her very early on. She is so hard on herself and always strives for perfection but is feeling suffocated by it. When she is humbled by an injury and forced to work with the ballet’s resident physical therapist, her whole wood turned on it’s head. She embarks on journey of self discovery, self acceptance and self love.

Mia is an ambitious young physical therapist eager to escape her parents and stifling life in Connecticut. She accepts a job for the Metropolitan Ballet and to embrace a bolder future and boy does she. She is remarkable. Patient, pragmatic, kind. Her character is written with a sort of healing presence in everything she does. She’s taken with Violet’s beauty instantly…her icy exterior…well that took time to thaw. The two of them are forced to work together after Violet injures her ankle and what follows is a slow burn love story that I really enjoyed. The two had a wonderful chemistry and built a unique and real connection. Their relationship builds organically and their love grows in a believable way.

The writing is intentional and soulful. Lane’s prose is meaningful and it really made the story memorable. Violet is her own worst enemy and sabotages her burgeoning relationship with Mia as she chooses to remain in the safe but prison-like life with her boyfriend. Nevertheless, she finds her way to her true self and back to Mia just in time. I was rooting for these two all along and was thrilled that they chose each other to create their HEA!! Unfortunately, this story does not contain any spice at all and for me that was a bummer. I truly enjoy a good bit (or even a small bit) of spice to feel fully immersed in a love story. I still enjoyed this sweet wlw story but did really miss that aspect. I do, however, definitely recommend this book for all lovers of sweet, tame, swoon worthy slow burn sapphic romance with a happy ever after!