Enjoy the Dance (Lili’s Review)

Title: Enjoy the Dance (Dancing #2)
Author: Heidi Cullinan
Publisher: Heidi Cullinan
Release Date: October 11th 2016
Genre(s): Contemporary
Page Count: 224 pages
Reviewed by: Lili
Heat Level: 2 flames out of 5
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Blurb:

Dance with your heart, and love will follow.

Kindergarten teacher Spenser Harris has carved a quiet, stable future out of his tumultuous past, but his world turns upside down the night a homeless teen appears on his doorstep—a boy whose story mirrors the one Spenser has worked so hard to overcome. The decision to shelter Duon is easy. What’s tricky is juggling the network of caregivers in Duon’s life, especially Tomás Jimenez.

Tomás wouldn’t have hesitated to take Duon in, but his plate is already full working three jobs to support his family. Though Spenser’s carefully constructed walls are clearly designed to keep the world at bay, Tomás pushes past Spenser’s defenses, determined to ensure the man is worthy of his charge. As the two of them grow closer, Tomás dares to dream of a life beyond his responsibilities, and Spenser begins to believe he might finally find a home of his own after all.

But Spenser and Tomás’s world is poised to crash around their ears. Duon’s grandmother isn’t sure she wants him to be raised by a gay man and challenges Spenser’s custody. Tomás’s undocumented parents could be deported at any time, and all the while the state of Minnesota votes on a constitutional amendment against marriage equality and the US Supreme Court debates whether or not Spenser and Tomás get a happily ever after. All they can do is hold tight to their love, hope for a better future…and remind each other to enjoy the dance.

I was torn with this book as far as what to rate it.

There were things to consider- the quality of the writing, plot, and my overall satisfaction level.

What worked for me:

-The characters: Tomas, Spenser, and Doun.
-The storyline. It’s so relevant. It touched on immigration, DOMA, same-sex marriage, foster care. These are all important matters that should- need to be addressed.
-I enjoyed the slow burn between Tomas and Spenser.
-The epilogue was well done, I thought.

All this being said- as much as the plot was one of my highlights- it was also it’s Achilles heal. It was too much- everything felt crammed in. I also wasn’t so thrilled with romance not being front and center. I’m sorry, but I missed it.

Overall, I “liked” didn’t “love.” I feel guilty that I didn’t enjoy it more. The events that took place in the pages of this book have affected the life of so many, but in the end, I have to go with how I felt once I finished and that feeling was just ok. 3.5 Stars.