Dancing with the Boss by Claire Guttierez

Oh, boy.

I don't think Dancing with the Boss, by Claire Guttierez, quite knows what it wants to be.

A romance novel? Well, if so, then we need some headboard rocking, you know what I mean? Annie and Tony meet cute - he's a mafia boss whose assistance she needs in order to help her brother - and he immediately falls in love with her. But other than a few tame kisses and one night between the sheets, there is precious little lovin' going on here. I'm not saying I need hard core porn, but come on.

This is typical of the schmaltz:

"We're going to dance," Tony suddenly announced. "If the robe is cumbersome, take it off."

 "You're awfully bossy."

"You're very stubborn."

Slipping out of the robe, Annie laid it across one of the chairs. The nightgown she wore had long, loose sleeves and a high-necked collar encircled with rows of delicate white lace. A soft silk, it draped her body gracefully from a gently gathered empire waist. The dark green color brought out Annie's hazel eyes.

He took her in his arms and moved her onto the dance floor. "You're the first woman I ever wanted to take dancing, Annie." At that, he moved across the floor with Annie in his embrace, following his lead. She could hear him chuckle. 

 She hears him CHUCKLE? He's got her in a silk nighty, and all he can do is CHUCKLE? Well, it is true love and all, so I guess he finds it humorous. I find it boring.

Dancing with the Boss is also a mystery, but I'll be jiggered if I can suss out what, exactly, the mystery is all about. I admit I got bored and skimmed some stuff, so the answers are probably there somewhere. I just stopped caring.

This is not a good book, nor is it all that entertaining. I can forgive a lot when it comes to romance novels, but boredom is not one.


Published by Live Oak Press and available on Amazon.com.
Thanks to NetGalley for the preview.