emmeline7's review
5.0
This story was magnificent- from its first page through the Author's Note!
Nothing about this story went the way that I thought it would, and I loved every minute.
Nothing about this story went the way that I thought it would, and I loved every minute.
randikaye's review
4.0
Though I have never danced myself, I have always been enchanted by ballet ever since I was a little girl. I have also previously enjoyed books by Joanna Davidson Politano as well and find that she has such a unique way of telling a story, so when I saw that her newest novel was about ballet, I was all the more excited to check it out. While I must say that for me, this was not as great as some of her others that I have read... that does not mean that it was not still a fantastic read! This had such a beautiful blend of mystery and romance and drama that you couldn't help but be drawn into. I particularly loved the message of faith weaved throughout the story so beautifully as well. Overall, this is beautiful story and one that fans of historical fiction are sure to enjoy.
**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.
**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.
amelia990's review
3.0
I feel like I read two different books. The first 2/3 was well written, and then the last 1/3 was hard to follow and made little sense when it wasn't being overly preachy.
kimber_reads's review
5.0
A Midnight Dance by Joana Davidson Politano is a historical romance set in the Romantic Era in London. It is full of mystery, romance, and characters struggling with their faith in God and their sense of identity.
The story is told from the perspective of a young girl named Ella, who is the daughter of a famous ballerina, Delphine Bessette, whom the world believes died in a fire. Ella, finds herself dancing in the same theater where her mother danced and supposedly died. Ella knows almost nothing about her mother’s life before the fire, and doesn’t even know who her father is. As Ella tries to unravel the mystery surrounding Delphine Bessette, she discovers that Jack Dorian, a choreographer at the ballet theater, is also fascinated with Delphine Bessette and has information that Ella needs. Ella and Jack begin spending more time together, working through the mystery and helping Ella improve her dancing. Soon Ella finds herself becoming fond of Jack. But can Ella give up her closely held childhood dreams and promises made to her mother for a chance at happily ever after with Jack?
This story is so well written! As a dancer myself, I loved all the dancing and completely understand Ella’s love for dance. There was a great balance between the dancing, romance, mystery, and Ella’s faith in God and each of these elements played an essential role in Ella’s story. I loved the many mysterious elements in this story! There were many plot twists that I did not see coming but made perfect sense. In the very beginning I was hoping that Ella would find a home and family that welcomed and loved her, fulfill her dream of being a principal dancer, and fall in love with the man of her dreams. And she did all of those things! But none of it came about the way I initially thought it would, in fact, it turned out better than I thought it would!
And of course, because this is a romance, I have to talk about Jack! I love how Jack and Ella compliment each other. Jack is friendly, energetic, thoughtful, he pushes Ella when she needs a push, serves those less fortunate than he is, and overall is just a genuine and happy person. Which is particularly amazing considering his tragic history! Ella in contrast is quiet, determined, she strives for perfection, and could easily be described as rigid. I loved seeing Jack help Ella loosen up and enjoy life! And I loved seeing Ella help Jack rediscover his faith in God.
One thing that really struck me was how Jack and Ella had very different perspectives about the same God. Ella believes in being as morally clean as possible. She does her best to remain virtuous in her lifestyle, she loves the Bible, she loves to attend church, she strives for perfection and being obedient to God’s laws. Jack on the other hand loves to serve others and is willing to place himself in situations that others would deem unclean and immoral in order to serve the people who struggle even more than he does. I feel like both lifestyles are accurate descriptions of living in Christlike ways. Christ was exactly obedient and morally clean but He preferred to associate with the lowest of the low so He could serve them. Bringing Ella and Jack together was like bringing together two halves of a whole. I love that they were able to show each other different ways to be Christian and that they were both able to grow from those experiences.
Overall, this is a fantastic story about love, faith, and ballet, with a healthy dose of mystery and tragedy. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys wholesome historical romance, faith filled messages, and the intrigue of a good mystery.
The story is told from the perspective of a young girl named Ella, who is the daughter of a famous ballerina, Delphine Bessette, whom the world believes died in a fire. Ella, finds herself dancing in the same theater where her mother danced and supposedly died. Ella knows almost nothing about her mother’s life before the fire, and doesn’t even know who her father is. As Ella tries to unravel the mystery surrounding Delphine Bessette, she discovers that Jack Dorian, a choreographer at the ballet theater, is also fascinated with Delphine Bessette and has information that Ella needs. Ella and Jack begin spending more time together, working through the mystery and helping Ella improve her dancing. Soon Ella finds herself becoming fond of Jack. But can Ella give up her closely held childhood dreams and promises made to her mother for a chance at happily ever after with Jack?
This story is so well written! As a dancer myself, I loved all the dancing and completely understand Ella’s love for dance. There was a great balance between the dancing, romance, mystery, and Ella’s faith in God and each of these elements played an essential role in Ella’s story. I loved the many mysterious elements in this story! There were many plot twists that I did not see coming but made perfect sense. In the very beginning I was hoping that Ella would find a home and family that welcomed and loved her, fulfill her dream of being a principal dancer, and fall in love with the man of her dreams. And she did all of those things! But none of it came about the way I initially thought it would, in fact, it turned out better than I thought it would!
And of course, because this is a romance, I have to talk about Jack! I love how Jack and Ella compliment each other. Jack is friendly, energetic, thoughtful, he pushes Ella when she needs a push, serves those less fortunate than he is, and overall is just a genuine and happy person. Which is particularly amazing considering his tragic history! Ella in contrast is quiet, determined, she strives for perfection, and could easily be described as rigid. I loved seeing Jack help Ella loosen up and enjoy life! And I loved seeing Ella help Jack rediscover his faith in God.
One thing that really struck me was how Jack and Ella had very different perspectives about the same God. Ella believes in being as morally clean as possible. She does her best to remain virtuous in her lifestyle, she loves the Bible, she loves to attend church, she strives for perfection and being obedient to God’s laws. Jack on the other hand loves to serve others and is willing to place himself in situations that others would deem unclean and immoral in order to serve the people who struggle even more than he does. I feel like both lifestyles are accurate descriptions of living in Christlike ways. Christ was exactly obedient and morally clean but He preferred to associate with the lowest of the low so He could serve them. Bringing Ella and Jack together was like bringing together two halves of a whole. I love that they were able to show each other different ways to be Christian and that they were both able to grow from those experiences.
Overall, this is a fantastic story about love, faith, and ballet, with a healthy dose of mystery and tragedy. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys wholesome historical romance, faith filled messages, and the intrigue of a good mystery.
gretchenlouise's review
5.0
Breathtaking, brilliant, and beautiful. A tale of the Victorian ballet in which mystery and romance dance in and out of the pages, with a final scene as unexpected as it is unscripted.
You don’t need to own a pair of ballet slippers to enjoy Joanna Politano’s latest. I am not a dancer (one week of ballet lessons as a child proved that!) yet I found the tale positively riveting. Whether you’re a fan of The Phantom of the Opera or just want an eloquently-written historical Christian romance, A Midnight Dance belongs on your to-read list.
(Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read A Midnight Dance. I’m already looking forward to Joanna’s next title!)
You don’t need to own a pair of ballet slippers to enjoy Joanna Politano’s latest. I am not a dancer (one week of ballet lessons as a child proved that!) yet I found the tale positively riveting. Whether you’re a fan of The Phantom of the Opera or just want an eloquently-written historical Christian romance, A Midnight Dance belongs on your to-read list.
(Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read A Midnight Dance. I’m already looking forward to Joanna’s next title!)
arthur_pendrgn's review
3.0
I was unprepared for the Christian aspect of the book as I was unfamiliar with Politano. Ella's questioning of her faith/purpose/God near the middle of the book seemed an exaggerated reaction to a small catalyst. I loved the idea of dancing to the psalms.
The denouement of the mystery seemed too abrupt (rushed), and Ella's eventual success is fantastical due to her long absence from the stage. Also, I missed somehow how the stage caught on fire. It seemed odd that a theatre that had just burned down would once again run that risk.
Overall, though, I did enjoy the book, especially Jack. I had suspected Mama Jo to be a villain, so the reveal was a surprise to me.
The denouement of the mystery seemed too abrupt (rushed), and Ella's eventual success is fantastical due to her long absence from the stage. Also, I missed somehow how the stage caught on fire. It seemed odd that a theatre that had just burned down would once again run that risk.
Overall, though, I did enjoy the book, especially Jack. I had suspected Mama Jo to be a villain, so the reveal was a surprise to me.
punandprose's review
3.0
Bought this on a whim because I found it for really cheap. The only thing I knew about it was that it was about dance in some way and that it had pretty high reviews.
I admire any author who writes a book, and this book has some lovely passages. But, sometimes a book just doesn't work for you. This one didn't for me. The descriptive dance scenes were too long, and I had no clue what was going on. I ended up skipping all those moments.
The story felt a bit underwhelming. I expected a Phantom of the Dance Ballet type story, and instead, it was rather bland and didn't feel like much happened. Also, the more the author wrote how masculine a man was when dancing ballet the more I felt the opposite as I pictured a man prancing around in tights. Eeehh, no, thank you. That's not masculine to me at all.
Then Ella was quite unremarkable. She has no standout personality or character traits or even flaws. Come to think of it, none of the characters have any personality. Everything about this book is surface level, and we never dive deeper.
Lastly, I appreciate bringing faith and God into stories when it's done right. This felt a bit overdone. It didn't feel authentic, but rather, it felt forced into moments and a bit unnatural for the setting.
Anyway, this book is well-written but maybe a little unmemorable with only surface level everything.
I admire any author who writes a book, and this book has some lovely passages. But, sometimes a book just doesn't work for you. This one didn't for me. The descriptive dance scenes were too long, and I had no clue what was going on. I ended up skipping all those moments.
The story felt a bit underwhelming. I expected a Phantom of the Dance Ballet type story, and instead, it was rather bland and didn't feel like much happened. Also, the more the author wrote how masculine a man was when dancing ballet the more I felt the opposite as I pictured a man prancing around in tights. Eeehh, no, thank you. That's not masculine to me at all.
Then Ella was quite unremarkable. She has no standout personality or character traits or even flaws. Come to think of it, none of the characters have any personality. Everything about this book is surface level, and we never dive deeper.
Lastly, I appreciate bringing faith and God into stories when it's done right. This felt a bit overdone. It didn't feel authentic, but rather, it felt forced into moments and a bit unnatural for the setting.
Anyway, this book is well-written but maybe a little unmemorable with only surface level everything.
breezymor's review
5.0
“What I want is for you to fly.” - Jack Dorian
This book was amazing beyond words! It satisfied every intellectual part of my being and I simply adored it
This book was amazing beyond words! It satisfied every intellectual part of my being and I simply adored it
mtnest's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Death of parent