Shall We Dance? By Shelley Shepard Gray is the first tale in The Dance with Me Series. It is an extension of The Bridgeport Social Club Series, but Shall We Dance? can be read on its own. I found the story easy to read thanks to Shelley Shepard Gray’s writing. The story moved along at a swift pace and I quickly finished it. I love the setting of Bridgeport, Ohio. It seems that a friendly town especially with the addition of Shannon Murphy and her two sisters, Kimber and Traci. Shannon took a DNA test and was shocked to find she had two sisters. After the three of them connected, Kimber and Traci agreed to move to Bridgeport with Shannon who is opening Dance with Me. The three sisters are sharing the loft apartment above the studio. Shannon opens her dance studio and Dylan Lange is her first private client. It turns out that he lost the fantasy football league pool which forced him to perform a penance (Shannon really did not appreciate that word). Dylan must take five dancing lessons. I believe his friends expected the teacher to be an older woman with white hair and thick lensed glasses. When I began reading Shall We Dance?, I felt like I was dumped into the middle of an existing book. I kept wondering if there was a prequel. I liked the main characters (Shannon, Kimber, Traci, Dylan and Jennifer) who are friendly and relatable. I wish the author had taken more time to establish the characters. As this is only the first book, I am sure we will get more details on Traci and Kimber in their books (I am curious to Kimber’s last name). While we do learn about Shannon, I felt details about Dylan were missing. The romance between Dylan and Shannon started off nicely, but then it was shoved aside when a threatening note was left inside Jennifer Lange’s (Dylan’s sister) car. Jennifer went through a horrific incident about two years ago and it devastated her as well as her family. She is finally venturing out into the world by visiting a local bookstore, Backdoor Books which has a fabulous cookbook section. I loved the descriptions of the cookbook area of Backdoor Books (reminds you of a 1950s kitchen). I felt for Jennifer and I like how she handled the situation. Jennifer’s story, in my opinion, should have been a novella on its own. I felt the dancing and romance aspects of the story were neglected. The parts of the romance that I wish were featured were left out (spoilers). I did appreciate the epilogue that nicely wrapped up Shall We Dance? I enjoyed the quotes on dancing before each chapter. There is humor sprinkled throughout especially regarding the sisters’ inability to cook. There is also a puppy named Harvard who provides amusing and tender scenes. It was nice to see the sisters connecting and establishing bonds. They were getting to know each other after a lifetime apart. I thought it was sweet and touching. Shall We Dance? is an emotive story with revealed relations, a serious stalker, whirling waltzes, bibliophile bliss, racy rumbas, and scrumptious culinary creations. ( )

Shall We Dance? is the first book of a new series by Shelley Shepard Gray and this is a contemporary series instead of the Amish books that she often writes. Twenty-seven year old Shannon Murphy has convinced her two sisters to come to Bridgeport, Ohio, to live with her in her dance studio. Sounds normal, right? Well, not quite because Shannon has just discovered that she even has sisters so there is sure to be a lot of adjustment for all three of them!

This is a heartwarming story that follows Shannon, Traci, and Kimber as they explore their new relationship and there are also some feelings to explore between Shannon and a dance student. Police officer Dylan Lange doesn't seem the type to want dance lessons but he has no choice...he lost a dare and he has to pay up! Dylan is a good guy who is trying to help and support his troubled sister Jennifer but he also feels an intense attraction when he is with Shannon.

I always enjoy a story that has familiar names and places and Gray includes many references to Ohio and Kentucky in her plotline. Readers who live in these states will recognize many of the sites and places that she mentions.

As I read this story, I could imagine how all of these characters will influence the future books of the Dance With Me series and I look forward to learning more about them. Will Shannon and Dylan stop at six dance lessons or will they continue to dance with each other? Do Traci and Kimber adapt to life in small-town Bridgeport, Ohio? Can Jennifer overcome her past and find a happy future?

If you enjoy contemporary fiction with a small-town setting, intriguing characters, and romance, you will want to read Shall We Dance?

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author but there was no obligation to write a positive review. These are my own thoughts. ( )

Shall We Dance by Shelley Shepard Gray
Book #1: The Dance with Me Series
Source: NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing
Rating: 4/5 stars

Shannon Murphy is embarking on a tremendous new journey, a chapter in her life she never expected, but is, nevertheless, extremely excited about. Her two sisters, whom she only recently discovered are moving in with her and she’s opening her own dance studio. Given enough time to think about it all, Shannon may just crack from the nerves, but there’s no more time to think about it and it’s time for the adventure to begin!

Within moments of meeting her sisters Shannon is certain she made the right choice when she invited them to the move to the sleepy little town of Bridgeport. One is a tall, nerdy, gorgeous model and the other tough, no nonsense police officer. Their skills and interests are varied, but they have three very important things in common, they want to know one another, build a life together, and not even one of them can cook. In addition to her new roommates, Shannon also has a new business to run. As a former competitive dancer, Shannon is beyond her competition days, but not nearly over her dancing days. With a variety of class and private lessons, Shannon is thrilled to be dancing for pleasure rather than points.

Dylan Lange isn’t a big fan of losing, especially when the result is having to take dance lessons to satisfy the terms of the lost bet. Dylan has no intention of working any harder than he must in order to settle his bet, and then he meets Shannon Murphy. Shannon is fiery and beautiful and dedicated to dance and has no interest in teaching someone who doesn’t want to learn. What’s more, she isn’t afraid to kick Dylan out and that intrigues him. After an attitude adjustment and an introduction do-over, Dylan is not only ready to get down to business but to become better acquainted with Shannon Murphy.

In betwixt and between dancing lessons, life moves along and much of that life for Dylan includes looking after his sister who is still recovering from a brutal assault several years ago. Though the interceding years have been very hard, Dylan’s sister is finally coming through and finding herself again. To that end, she meets Shannon and her sisters and within a hot minute she becomes a member of the group. What’s more, once the sisters discover the stellar cooking abilities of Dylan’s sister, she becomes a valued and beloved member of the group.

As so often happens in life, just as everything seems to be going well, the bottom falls out. In this case, the bottom falls out for Dylan and his sister. Just as she was getting her life back, the past comes screaming back causing her to somewhat regress and her brother to absolutely lose his mind. As events play out, Shannon and Dylan draw closer to one another, Shannon and her sisters draw closer to Dylan’s sister, and Dylan’s sister proves to everyone, including herself that she won’t be ruled by her past not fear.

The Bottom Line: I am always, always going to be drawn to books about dancing and dancers and this one sure did deliver. Shall We Dance is a true super-sweet romance with all the feels thrown in for good measure. At its core, this book is all about love, support, friendship, loyalty, and what it takes to be a family. This is a super easy read filled with fine characters, a good plot, and loads of room for more books to come. I’m all in on this one and look forward to the next installment. ( )