Official Description: Kaito Watanabe has finally nabbed an interview with his idol, Cristian Alvarez. Kaito is a journalist who’s spent his entire life looking up to the figure-skating champion. Cristian’s passion on the ice unearthed a love of dance in Kaito and made him believe in the power of artistic expression.
Now Kaito is face-to-face with the man he’s always admired. He believes himself insignificant and ordinary, a moth drawn to the light Alvarez casts. He can’t allow himself to believe Cristian’s flirtations are anything but natural charm—but Cristian has other plans. The tension pitches higher, legs and fingers intertwine, and Kaito begins to wonder if his fantasies have a shot at becoming reality.
My thoughts bit: There’s a surprising amount of character development in the short span of this novella. Kaito is a serious journalist and he’s been following Cristian’s career for years. When they meet in person there is definite chemistry, but Kaito’s lack of confidence forces him to write it off as one of those things.
There are lots of little details that build intimacy in this novel: perfect descriptions of facial expressions, coincidences like matching key chains, men and their pets. The story moves quickly but still gives the reader enough time to sink into the plot.
In this book, Ashton briefly explores the relationship between two men, one of whom is famous. Of course, there is a lot of insecurity and there are mixed messages. The prose is tight and manages to be expressive at the same time. The descriptions of physicality were beautiful, whether the men were skating, dancing or in a passionate embrace. As a dancer myself, I appreciated the way the author wrote about movement! So beautiful!
This novella is too brief at only seventy-five pages, but I was amazed at how much I came to enjoy the characters in so few words! I will definitely pick up more books by this author and look forward to whatever they will write in the future!
The warnings bit: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of. In this book: unless you have a feline phobia I can’t think of any reason this book might trigger someone
I received an ARC of Another Dance by L.A. Ashton from NineStar Press via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Kinzie Things 