Synopsis

Sometimes to follow your heart, you have to break the rules.

Amish girls don’t dance. Dancing is against the rules, and Nora Beiler always follows the rules…until a runaway logging truck shatters her world forever. Desperate to heal from the accident, she enrolls in Shuffle off to Fitness, an exercise class at the local senior center. She never dreamed it involved tap-dancing…or just how much she’d love to dance.

Exiled from Nashville, country music star Tucker McClure has no one to blame but himself. Weekly gigs at the local farmers’ market keep the demons at bay. The last thing he expects is to find himself in an old folks’ fitness class…dancing with a girl who makes him question everything he ever thought he wanted.

Will the past drive Nora and Tucker apart? Or can love bridge the gap between hearts and worlds?

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Review

What a sweet romance novel! It’s not all champagne and roses for Nora and Tucker, but there is enough conflict to create a little tension for these two.

Nora is Amish, lost her husband, and is raising her daughter. On top of that, she was badly injured in an accident and had her hip replaced at 32. Due to her culture and lifestyle, her rehab isn’t going as well as expected until her doctor recommends an exercise class at the senior center. I don’t know about you, but I am not sure how I would feel being referred to a senior center for rehab. However, this is the best thing that could happen to Nora. She realizes she loves to dance, she becomes friends with the Englishers, and falls in love.

Tucker is a country & western singer that ran into some trouble and is trying to find his way back. Luckily, his grandfather is in the same exercise class as Nora. They don’t hit it off but soon realize that they have a lot in common despite their differences.

I admire the Amish for the simple life that they lead. I can’t imagine living that way, but if that is how you were brought up, you don’t know any different. However, exposure to the outside world can cement your feelings or draw you into another life. Nora struggles with many things and isn’t always pleasant to be around. Considering all that she has gone through, it isn’t surprising that her outlook in the beginning is so negative.

I enjoyed watching the characters battle their issues and come out as better people. Nora’s daughter, Rebecca, is quite the spitfire. She may be 10, but she is going on 20. She is smart and loves to ask questions. She also isn’t afraid to give her opinion.

I had forgotten that this is the second book in a series, but you do not need to read the first book. I had read the first book over a year ago, and it didn’t dawn on me that this was part of a series since the main characters from book one only make a guest appearance. But things started clicking when they did make the appearance.

Overall, a sweet read, and we give it 4 paws up.

About the Author

Wendy Rich Stetson is a New York City girl who still considers the Central Pennsylvania countryside to be her home.  She grew up road tripping in a 1979 VW camper van, and she keeps a running list of favorite roadside attractions from coast to coast.  Now an author of sweet, small-town romance, Wendy is no stranger to storytelling.  She’s a Broadway and television actress, an audiobook narrator, and a mom who likes nothing more than collaborating on children’s books with her teenage artist daughter.  Wendy lives in Upper Manhattan with her family of three and rambunctious Maine Coon kitty.

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