Second Night Stand
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
One hook-up is about to become one seriously hilarious situationship in this vibrant and lively romantic comedy about taking chances . . . and breaking the rules.
Prima ballet dancer Lillian Jackson is all about control—on stage and in bed. Which is precisely why she keeps her hook-ups to one night, and one night only. No strings. No phone numbers. No scones in the morning. There’s no room for mistakes, especially now that her dance company’s survival depends entirely on winning a million-dollar cash prize in one of America’s biggest reality competitions. That is, until one night with a certain curvy, blue-haired siren changes everything . . .
As burlesque dancer “Blue Lenox,” Izzy Wells is the queen of on-stage seduction. Almost no one knows that she’s close to losing everything—her theater, her home, and her troupe—unless she wins this competition. Now she’s going toe-to-toe with a gorgeous ballerina in front of the world. The chemistry between them is hot, but even more distracting are the feelings they’re starting to develop. There’s no way Lillian can fit Izzy into her life, and Izzy knows better than to fall for someone who can’t put her first. But if they can make it through the show with their hearts and dreams intact, they just might win the biggest prize of all.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Karelia Stetz-Waters (Behind the Scenes) and her wife, debut author Fay Stetz-Waters, lay out their mission to "share our vision of a happy relationship through romance" in the acknowledgments that open this light lesbian romance. Unfortunately, the ensuing narrative becomes disappointingly bogged down in the protagonists' mommy issues. Lillian Jackson is a Black ballerina, driven to pursue excellence by the mental soundtrack of her mother's icy, perfectionist commentary. Meanwhile, white burlesque dancer Izzy "Blue Lenox" Wells only wishes she were the focus of such maternal concern. Instead, she was abandoned after a childhood of neglect. Each woman avoids relationships to better manage their emotional chaos, but that doesn't mean they can't indulge in some casual sex when Lillian picks up Izzy at a Portland, Ore., dive bar. The women are unaware they've both auditioned for a reality talent show, meaning this hookup will be far from their final encounter. Lillian's ballet company and Izzy's burlesque troupe both make the cut, setting up a rivals-to-lovers trajectory that wallows in dysfunction for 15 chapters—Izzy even muses that she falls "for her mother in hot lesbian form every time"—before a greenroom blackout thankfully spurs a break in their emotional logjam. The rest of the story unfolds as a warm, almost wish-fulfillment happily ever after, but it's a touch less convincing after all the self-absorbed angst. This misses the mark.
