Book Review: "Unforgettable" by Trish Perry

Summary from BN.com: Rachel Stanhope tries to see the good in everyone.

But Josh Reegan tests even her good graces when they meet outside her Arlington, Virginia, dance studio in 1951. He's attractive, yet his cynicism and cockiness are hard to tolerate.

A journalist and former World War II Air Force pilot, Josh considers ballroom dancing a frivolous waste of time. Although Rachel's confident nature is a refreshing challenge, he wouldn't tangle with her if his newspaper hadn't assigned him to cover her studio's competition in New York City.

Between the melodrama of ballroom antics and the real drama of political corruption, Rachel and Josh have their hands full. The last thing either of them expects is mutual need and support. But once they stop dancing around the truth, the results are unforgettable.

There are many reasons why I enjoyed this book. One, it is set in Northern VA where I live. Two, the main female character is older than most heroines in a romance novel as she is in her thirties. Three, it's a Christian fiction book and it involves dancing and shown in a positive light!

The story is set in the 1950s and Rachel is a young woman who owns a dancing school. This is something you don't see a lot of during the time period, a young woman who owns her own business. She's rather resourceful in running her place as well as a very good dancer as well. Through some twists she comes across some extra help which leads to her competing in several dance competitions. She also finds herself competing for the heart of a young man.

I wasn't a fan of Josh's view on males and dancing. The book never says it out right but it seems pretty obvious that Josh thinks guys who dance are feminine and possibly even gay. He thinks that real men do not dance and those that do obviously aren't real men. Of course the whole irony in all this is that he's a reporter for the newspaper writing for the Style section. I loved the chemistry between him and Rachel because right from the beginning she is not afraid to go toe to to with him. It's great seeing her match him word for word on some of his arguments as well as putting in him in his place several times. I totally believed their relationship.

I didn't find this book to be preachy or even talking about faith that much at all. It does mention characters going to church and they do mention their faith. But that's not the real focus of the story even though it is present throughout. The story is more focused on the romance and dancing which I appreciated very much.

The only qualm I had was the very end and Josh's decision about where he ended up working. I would have liked him to go against the grain instead of picking the obvious answer. However this is such a small qualm and doesn't have any effect on the rest of the story. Simply put, this is a delightful book that features a lovely romance story set in the 1950s and features lots of dancing that will sweep you away. I hope Perry writes more books in this time period as it was a joy to read.

Unforgettable by Trish Perry is published by Summerside Press (2011)

This review copy was provided by the author