The Stranger (Blitzed Book 1)

ABSOLUTELY CAPTIVATING !!!
Title: Dance with a Stranger (Currently republished as The Stranger)
Series: Blitzed
Author: Deanna Roy writing as J.J. Knight
Designation: Book One of 4 Book Series, Full-Length(220 pages), Can Be Read As A Standalone, HFN Ending
My Rating: FIVE CAPTIVATING STARS*****
*Although my review is not shown by Amazon as a verified purchase, I do own all four books of this series under their original titles.
**This book was originally published as Forbidden Dance by Deanna Roy, the first release in a four-book series entitled Lovers Dance. It has since been re-released as Dance with a Stranger (later changed to THe Stranger) and the entire four-book series has been retitled the Blitzed Series. This book can be read as a standalone with a happy-for-now ending, but I highly recommend reading the entire series since all four books chronicle the relationship journey of ballerina Livia Mason and reality television dance star Blitz Craven aka Benjamin Castillo.

Oh my, oh my, oh my! I LOVE this book! I adore contemporary romance and completely infatuated with stories featuring dance, but combine the two and I’m in heaven, and Deanna Roy/J.J. Knight just delivered the perfect combination of both! I became a Deanna Roy fan several years ago after first reading her heartwarming Forever Series and became even more entranced with her work after discovering her alter-egos, JJ Knight and Annie Winters. As JJ Knight/Deanna Roy, she pens spicy and emotionally gripping Contemporary New Adult Romance and as Annie Winters, she writes riveting and sexy Contemporary Romantic Suspense. I developed a complete addiction to her Vigilante Series co-written with Tony West under her Annie Winters pen name. I love Knight’s comfortable, easy-to-follow style and sweet, sultry prose. There’s nothing better than curling up in my favorite chair with a glass of wine and brand new book by J.J. Knight/Deanna Roy! And no one writes what I like to call ‘Dance Romance’ like Deanna Roy. I discovered this firsthand after reading The Billionaire, a delightful standalone Contemporary Billionaire Friends to Lovers romance originally released as The Billionaire’s Ballet and later retitled again as Dreamcatcher’s Dance, which is actually the prequel to this series where we meet several of the characters in this book. But don’t fret, as I said, it’s also a standalone and can be read later.

But as usual I digress, so let’s talk about this book. The Stranger is a captivating, fast-paced, and exceptionally well-crafted and edited contemporary romance that can be read as a standalone. It does NOT end in a cliffhanger but has what I like to call a happy-for-now ending. However, there will be four more books in Blitz and Livia’s story and you better believe I’ve already preordered my copy of each. The narrative is beautifully written in the first person with a single perspective from the female protagonist, Livia Mason. But guess what? As an additional bonus, the author has included a very special scene from Blitz’s point of view at the end of the ebook… and I loved it! The dialogue is smart, well-executed, easy to follow and flows effortlessly. I loved the premise and world Roy developed for this story and they were all extraordinary but it’s the cast of realistic, relatable, engaging and very endearing characters who completely steal the show along with my heart. I was immediately drawn into this story by the sweet, innocent and very naive Livia Mason, and I nearly swooned for our hero, handsome professional celebrity dancer Blitz Craven aka Benjamin Castillo. These two characters could not have been more different, yet they were perfect for each other. Their attraction was immediate, their interaction electric, their passion undeniable, and their chemistry was so hot it sizzled! *sigh* It’s just so dreamy! Knight skillfully combines every one of these elements to craft a heartwarming story filled to the brim with heartbreaking drama, agonizing angst, sweet romance, and steamy sex. This is not erotic romance but it is hot and somewhat explicit but in a very loving and caring way. Did I like this book? No, I loved it! Would I recommend it? You bet and I am but only for adult readers. Will I read this author again? Absolutely! I’ve already preordered the other available books in this series. And finally, was I entertained? Completely! I snickered, snorted, snuffled, sniffed and sobbed throughout the entire book but by the end, I was happy, satisfied and well entertained! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!

Nineteen-year-old Livia Mason loves two things in life. The first is dance which she started only two years ago, and the second is a secret, one so dark only her parents know, or at least they know part of it. But even they don’t know everything and if they did, they’d never allow her to continue her ballet lessons at Dreamcatcher’s Dance Academy. It’s the reason Livia lost everything, and the reason her father felt compelled to leave his job, uproot his family and relocate them four years ago, moving away from everyone they knew… and it was all her fault. She was no longer allowed to have any friends nor any kind of social life. Her parents would not even allow her to attend public school. She had to settle for finishing her education through homeschooling, but hopefully this year she would be able to take her SAT. She wasn’t even allowed to have a phone and all her actions were monitored closely by her very strict parents. But despite the shadow of her past mistake, her life was finally beginning to fall into place… until he showed up at the Dreamcatcher’s Dance Academy… Benjamin Castillo aka Blitz Craven, playboy, man-whore extraordinaire, and star of his very own reality TV dance show Dance Blitz. He’s only at Dreamcatcher’s to garner some good publicity, repair his damaged reputation, get his career back on track and reclaim his show. But with one kiss and one simple dance, everything has changed. He says he wants her, but does he really care for her? He claims he wants her to be with him, but does he love her? Why would a handsome celebrity like Blitz with a reputation for being quite a Don Juan with the ladies want someone like her, a sheltered naive nineteen-year-old woman with no worldly experience, who is slowly being suffocated by her restrictive overbearing parents? A man like Blitz Craven could have any woman he desired, so is this just another ploy to add her name to his long list of conquests and public indiscretions. Will she become just another notch on his bedpost? Can Livia afford to trust Blitz with her heart? But more importantly, can she trust him with her secret? We’ll see! Oh my! This one will definitely tug at your heartstrings!