Dance of Desire by Christopher Rice - Review

My monthly 1001 Dark Nights fix!

This year I made a few New Year’s resolutions.  One, as you might know was that I intended to experience a cocktail every month for the entire year – one that I had never experienced before.  I had every intention of sticking to it, I mean how hard could it be? Really?  It’s drinking.  But as is the way with all such promises, life and reality got in the way.  Cocktails are expensive!  The other was a promise to myself that I would review the monthly offering of the 1001 Dark Nights author.  They are steamy, romantic, sweet, and dark offerings so how hard could it be keeping that resolution either.  Hmmm.  I find that, as usual, I have been a little remiss in keeping my word, even if it was only to myself.  So reality is not a monthly offering but either a famine or a feast.

We’ve had the famine, so now the feast.  I’ve just posted one, now here is another.

This is only the second book I have read of Christopher Rice’s.  I loved the first.  I love this more.  Why I don’t own everything he’s ever written I don’t know.  Not enough time in the day I guess, but I’m determined to make him a regular in my growing kindle library.

Dance of Desire is the tragic story of death, of how it changed the course of history, changed the promise of young love to something taboo; forbidden.  Having to bury deep the burgeoning attraction they have only moments previously found for each other to become brother and sister has damned the promise of young loves fulfilment between family friends Amber and Caleb.

They are left angry, hurt and desperate.  They are forced into a life never anticipated and must accept it now as normality.  It seems to me, in their intention to honour Amber’s father in his decision to keep his friend’s teenage son safe, every moment of their lives from that point on was a futile dance of denial, and in that denial only obsession blossomed.  What might under other circumstance have been relegated to little more than teenage hormones - a first crush - through tragedy and longing became much, much more.

The story beneath Christopher’s pen, was a thing of beauty, his words flowing with empathy and feeling, his descriptive phases conjuring wonderful pictures in my mind, and the tragedy lightened with dashes of humour that had me laughing out loud even as my heart bleed for them.

Christopher Rice doesn’t just tell people’s stories he reveals their souls.

«««««

Sydney Whyte

Rating Chart

«……………….A no goer

««……………Alright, but not a re-read

«««………..Liked it

««««…….Loved it

«««««…Amaze-balls – ticks all the boxes!!!