Book Review: I Hope You Dance by Robin Lee Hatcher

Can two left feet lead to one perfect romance?

Grant Nichols is a genius in the kitchen and a klutz on the dance floor. But his friend’s wedding is shaping up to be a shindig the likes of which Kings Meadow has never seen—including dancing. Lots of dancing. Then he learns that a local dance teacher, Skye Foster, is offering dance lessons for the wedding party. The first lesson is free, so what does he have to lose?

A former rodeo queen, Skye Foster teaches children ballet and tap during the day, but with the popularity of ballroom dancing and her own love of Country Swing, she’s been teaching adults in the evenings.

Grant comes from a family of ten siblings. He was the second oldest and believes he’s had his fill of little rug rats. He’s happy with his bachelor state, despite the fact that he’s given up his ladies’ man lifestyle. Even he admits to his wilder nature and has been trying to clean up his act, with God’s help.

Skye, on the other hand, loves being around kids. She would love to find the right guy and settle down to have half a dozen children of her own.

Grant and Skye are no match on paper. But when they step onto the dance floor, they create a melody all their own.

SERIES: A Year of Weddings 2 #8
GENRE: Contemporary Romance, Christian Fiction
PUBLISHER: Zondervan
RELEASE DATE: June 30, 2015
PAGES: 74

“…no wedding was complete without dancing.”

So I’m atrociously behind on reading this novella… and on reviewing this novella. But my motto lately seems to be “better late than never” so I’m claiming that for this one too haha!

I Hope You Dance by Robin Lee Hatcher is one of the Year of Wedding novellas from last year and it can also be found in the Kiss The Bride collection that came out in May of this year. It also falls in the middle of her Kings Meadow series, but it’s fine to be read as a stand-alone.

I was intrigued by Skye when I first met her (as a minor character) in one of the Kings Meadow books, and so I’ve been eagerly waiting for a chance to sit down and read this novella where she’s in the spotlight instead of the background. Her story and Grant’s is a love-at-first-sight romance, sweet and fairly free from conflict. Lots of romantic moments as well as some humor (at Grant’s expense – those poor two left feet!). I also enjoyed the “mentor” aspect to the story, with Grant (still relatively new at following Jesus) going to godly men for advice and discipleship. This is something I very much loved about the Kings Meadow series too. Being only 74 pages, there’s not a lot of “meat” to this novella, but it’s there in more subtle ways – like Grant’s faith journey, etc.

Bottom Line: I Hope You Dance is sweet and romantic and a great choice if you’re looking for a quick read to escape the stresses of life. While it may be predictable and while the romance does progress pretty speedily, it is, after all, a 74-page novella and both of these elements are to be somewhat expected. Robin Lee Hatcher, as always, creates characters that make you smile, and her writing is spot-on and engaging.

(I received a copy of this book in exchange for only my honest review.)

My Rating: 4 stars / Enjoyed it!

KissingBook Level: 2-3 / Sweet with an occasional breath-stealing moment

Best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. The recipient of Lifetime Achievement Awards from both RWA and ACFW, Robin has authored over 75 books. She and her husband make their home in Idaho where she enjoys spending time with her family, her high-maintenance Papillon, Poppet, and Princess Pinky, the DC (demon cat).

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What about you? Do you have two left feet like Grant or are you a dancing queen like Skye?