At long last, the legendary New York Times bestselling author returns with a heartfelt novel of womanhood, a wild heart, and the healing power of love.Run, run, as fast as you can!When life throws her one setback too many, midwife and young widow Tess Hartsong takes off for Runaway Mountain. In this small town high in the Tennessee mountains, surrounded by nature, she hopes to outrun her … surrounded by nature, she hopes to outrun her heartbreak and find the solace she needs to heal.
But instead of peace and quiet, she encounters an enigmatic artist with a craving for solitude, a fairy-tale sprite with too many secrets, a helpless infant, a passel of curious teens, and a town suspicious of outsiders, especially one as headstrong as Tess. Just as headstrong is Ian North, a difficult, gifted man with a tortured soul—a man who makes Tess question everything.
In running away to this new life, Tess wonders— Has she lost herself . . . or has she found her future?
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Susan Elizabeth Phillips is my favorite author for great contemporary romance fiction and her newest release proved why she has been an auto-buy for me. This book had all the elements of a perfect story – wonderful characters, a quirky, small town with colorful secondary characters that made me laugh, a beautiful romance, plot twists galore, and most of all, the perfect hero and heroine with push/pull tension that kept the pages turning. Bravo. It’s one of my new favorites!
Quite possibly SEP’s best book ever, and I say that as her devoted fan. But wow. She gives us the grouchy alpha male she excels at writing—Ian, a rich kid turned graffiti artist with demons aplenty, and Tess, a widow still reeling from her husband’s unexpected death. The two are linked during a traumatic delivery of a baby; Tess is a midwife. The small Tennessee mountain town is perfectly drawn with a rich cast of completely developed secondary characters. Honestly, this book was perfect as far as I was concerned—a gorgeous blend of drama, personal issues, sizzling chemistry and luscious setting. A perfect ten.
No writer I know walks the fine line between romance and women’s fiction with more dazzling skill than Susan Elizabeth Phillips. DANCE AWAY WITH ME presents us with two deeply wounded people who seek solace, peace and escape in a small town in the Tennessee mountains. But life has other plans. This is an emotional read with some serious issues but it is also a Susan Elizabeth Phillips book. That means it comes with the guarantee of a happy ending.
When midwife Tess Hartsong unexpectedly loses the love of her life, she seeks escape from everything and everyone she knows and finds it on Runaway Mountain.
Ian North is a world famous street artist with a dark secret- he was abused by his father as a child and it has made him into an emotionally closed off man. One who is left with the unexpected care of a preemie baby after the mother (his friend) dies giving birth.
Tess only wants to be left alone with her grief, so when an aggressive woodsman with an infuriating attitude shows up on her doorstep demanding her help, she has to suppress the urge to run into her house and lock the door. But she’s grown to like, and care, for his ‘wife‘ and can’t leave her to give birth on her own. Unfortunately, things don’t go well and the mother dies, though not before wrestling a promise from Tess to care for tiny Wren.
Ian and Tess are forced together to watch over the baby until Ian can find the father and soon find themselves avoiding a growing attraction.
While there are some emotional moments in this story, I had a hard time investing in the characters. I enjoyed the eclectic people who inhabit the mountain more than Ian and Tess. There’s a young boy, Eli, who tries to help his ailing mother that steals the show, IMO.
As long as you don’t try to equate this story to SEP’s more famous works, it is an entertaining read.
Love SEP!
Classic SEP, on a par with her earlier books. Wonderful characters, quirky small town, heart-tugging situations. Ending is maybe a little too neat, but who cares? If you love SEP, don’t miss this one!
DANCE AWAY WITH ME goes on my Top 5 List of Most Favorite Books I’ve ever read. SEP is a true wordsmith and this story packs a punch of emotion in many regards. Both the heroine, Tess, and the hero, Ian, are tortured individuals. Only the love of a newborn baby begins melting their anger, grief, and fear, and starts them both on the healing route to recovery. I laughed-out-loud throughout the book at the witty sarcasm Tess and Ian volley back and forth at each other on the gorgeous mountain setting in Tennessee.
If this novel could be made into a movie, the only actor I could see as Ian is Jason Momoa so that is who I pictured in Ian’s scenes. This story is for those who love the artistry of words, paintings, sketches, and yes…graffiti. This story is for those whose gifts of caring and healing make them everyday heroes. Tess and Ian never give up on themselves in the face of their inner adversities.
The story contains steamy, raunchy love scenes; raw, cursing language; and explicit details of women giving birth—the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of life—it’s on these pages. All of which lead to a most satisfying conclusion to this magnificent adventure of healing and love. Bravo, Ms. Phillips!
What can I say about this book except that it is classic SEP. She really knows how to pull and twist on your emotions but also deliver witty humor and heart. She remains my all-time favorite author.
“Dance Away with Me” is Susan Elizabeth Phillips at her best! This book pulls you into the lives of Tess, Ian and Bianca in Runaway Mountain, Tennessee, and does not let you go until you have lived through this experience with them.
As with all of her standalone books, there is not a clear path these characters go through. Instead, you are pulled into there lives in this small mountain town, watch as there lives unfold and you do not want to leave this town or these characters until you turn the last page. The path is a little bumpy, but it always leaves you feeling complete when you reach the end. In the meantime, you have met some great characters and hopefully learned a little bit about their lives.
I enjoyed this book, not the usual sequence of events. Kept me interested.
A favorite author… I read everything she writes.
Excellent Book! I have seen this author’s books over several years and never chosen one to read before this time. This book was at a special price and I saw how other readers rated it as one of Susan Elizabeth Phillips best books, so I had to finally give one of her books a try. I am so sorry I waited so long! She is a fabulous author.
Her characters are created so well, I feel like I know them and I am definitely missing them now that I completed the book. The plot is unique and flows easily throughout this very believable story. The small town she invented is prefect for this story! It is full of memorable, quirky and cranky inhabitants.
I was immediately drawn into the plot and I read at every available moment to be able to stay in the story and not leave it until the book ended.
I certainly enjoyed this book and will be reading the other books this author has previously released.
Good Read!
Loved characters and dialog. Her men are always so flawed but loveable.
I am a big fan of Susan Elizabeth Phillips and have read and enjoyed all her stories about mismatched lovers who amusingly resist and fight the attraction, but eventually find true love. Written with a great sense of humor.
I really enjoyed this book. Not what I was expecting at all. The two main characters started off as enemies, and then the relationship changed. The dialogue between the two is very clever. You won’t forget this book for a while.
Wonderful read!
As usual her books are wonderful and so with this one thoroughly enjoyed it
Great author. I always enjoy her books!
Twists and turns make this story riveting.