Going Toe to Toe: A Romance by Yahrah St. John
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Web ID: 19876132Sweet, steamy, emotional, sexy, and fast-paced
Former ballerina Lyric Taylor and single dad Devon Masters have a seven-day no-strings fling in Aruba in Yahrah St. John’s Going Toe to Toe, never expecting to see each other again. However, when he realizes Lyric is his daughter Kiana’s new dance teacher, they get a second chance to pursue their intense chemistry, connection, and passion, but it must remain secret. Can they balance their passion and a deeper connection and love to find the belonging they have longed for with each other? Yahrah drew me in with her down-to-earth writing style, vivid and detailed description using the characters’ senses, and superb world-building to make you feel you are there with them each moment. Her colorful and natural-sounding dialogue fits her characters and story. She develops her complex, fallible, messy, and likable characters with sweet, steamy, funny, sexy, intimate, spark-filled, and emotional interactions and love scenes that reveal their characters and further the plot. Lyric’s career-ending injury ruined her hopes and dreams, so she’s embarking on a life-changing fresh start as a ballet teacher, opening a dance studio. She’s always only wanted to belong. Devon makes Lyric feel safe, helps her to work through her issues, and to feel comfortable exploring/expressing her sexuality. Devon was hiding from living his life in the past, and she brought him back to life. However, he doesn’t allow her or their relationship to help him heal. Devon lets his fears control his actions and still holds on to his past. Lyric stands up for what she wants and is honest with Devon about it. She deserves to have those things she needs/wants too, and if that’s commitment and marriage, then so be it. After finishing the Frenemy Fix-Up (Gems #4), which I love, I couldn’t wait to start Going Toe to Toe. While it’s a sexy, steamy read, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected to because the hero Devon is so frustrating and infuriating. He borders on unlikable, sometimes. He could have benefited from intensive grief therapy and counseling to unpack his issues about his relationship with his wife and their marriage because it deeply affected him. The sad thing is that he knew it. His sister—who I liked because she kept it real with him, called him on his BS, and did not let him get away with anything—tried to counsel him about it, but he just refused to listen. He took those issues and his anger and pain out on the most important women in his life, unfortunately, his daughter and Lyric. He needs to get therapy and grow up. Why does everything need to be about him? I’m not excluding Lyric from letting the past hold you back. Lyric has issues of her own she couldn’t deal with—her biological parents and issues surrounding her being a Black girl adopted by white parents. She’s so hung up on chasing a relationship with her birth mother that she pursues it without thinking about what she had or the pain that she might experience. Lyric had trouble letting go of past hurts associated with her adoption, being raised by white parents, its effect on her adulthood, and race issues related to being a Black ballerina. It’s totally understandable and a lot to deal with and unpack. The good thing is that her parents helped her to pursue therapy from a young age to address those issues. So, the novel has positive therapy/mental health representation. I love the interactions between the characters. The scenes with Devon and Lyric in Aruba talking to each other and learning about one another, sharing their dreams, and life experiences are entertaining. Lyric’s scenes with his daughter are sweet and their connection is genuine. These are more reasons suggesting that his inability to distinguish her from his ex and at least attempt to let his disillusionment with dancers and dancing go made little sense. St. John also explores the Gems’ relationship and how supportive, encouraging, and loving they are of each other and helpful with Lyric’s evolution and relationship with Devon and his daughter. St. John switches things up by having the husband/father be the one who wants to have children and be the parent who is more invested/attached to the daughter. However, the comparisons of whether he should be able to parent his daughter if black women can, may not work for all readers. She explores racial issues concerning microaggressions, growing up as a Black girl adopted by white parents, and racism and colorism in the ballet industry. Fundamentally, St. John shows that family is not just about genetics—it’s about who you choose to allow to share your life with. Sweet, steamy, emotional, sexy, and fast-paced, Going Toe to Toe is a perfect read for fans of one-night stands to more, vacation flings, Black love, and single-parent romances. It explores second chances, new starts, taking chances, living new dreams, forgiveness, belonging, letting the past go, and racism and colorism in the ballet industry. Afterglow Books by HARLEQUIN - Romance Carina Press Forever provided an advanced review copy via Netgalley for review. 3.5 stars
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Enjoyable Read
The Six Gems are Wynter Barrington, Lyric Taylor, Asia Reynolds, Teagan Williams, Shay Davis, Egypt Cox. Lyric is a former dancer who was injured and she is now living out her dream as a ballet dancing instructor. Devon is a single father raising his daughter Kianna. Devon and Lyric meet in Aruba and to no fault of their own with a computer mix up end up sharing a villa. The two make the best of the error and end up spending an enjoyable week together. Now that their tryst has ended Lyric and Devon find out that they both live in the Memphis area and never ran into each other. A small mishaps occurs when Devon sees an older man who is Lyric’s adoptive father greeting her at the airport. Devon jumps to the wrong conclusion thinking that Lyric was not honest with him about having a man in her life. The two meet up again at Lyric’s ballet dance studio when Devon’s sister signs up her daughter and Devon’s daughter for dance lessons. Devon is upset when her learns that Lyric is Kiana’s teacher and wants to pull Kianna out of dance class. Devon’s sister convinces him to let Kianna continue with her ballet classes since she is enjoying the class. For Devon Kianna is bringing back memories of her mom and Devon does not want to go down that road again that torn him and his deceased wife apart. Kianna and Lyric are getting along rather well and rapidly becoming great friends. With Lyric being a dancer as Kianna’s mom Devon finds it hard to open up and let Lyric into his heart. It takes a lot of convincing for Devon to get past his hurt of Kianna’s mom. He eventually starts to let down his guard and realizes that Lyric and Kianna’s mom are not the same people. With what has transpired Devon realizes that he has misjudged Lyric and now knows that the two can have a life together. All he has to do is convince Lyric to forgive him and given them both a chance at true romance. What an awesome read. With 5 of the gems matched up there is now only one gem left to find her happily ever after and that is Teagan Williams. Waiting patiently for Teagan Williams. I received an ARC via NetGalley and Harlequin Romance Afterglow and I am leaving my review voluntarily.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Hot and sweet
A chance encounter in Aruba leads to a steamy fling between dance instructor Lyric and single dad Devon. But their secret tryst becomes complicated when their paths unexpectedly intertwine back home. As their feelings grow, can they navigate past hurts to find a future together? I enjoyed the dynamic between Lyric and Devon. Their relationship is hot and sweet. I love Devon’s little girl and how she helps bring the couple together. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com