Scan barcode
A review by kimber_reads
A Midnight Dance by Joanna Davidson Politano
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.