Title: Interpretive Hearts
Series: Dreamspun Desires 94
Author: Amanda Meuwissen
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novel (197 pages)
ISBN: 978-1-64405-740-7
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (19 Nov 2019)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖 4 Hearts
Reviewer: Prime
Blurb: Love is easy once you learn the steps.
In the competitive world of dance, Teddy was a flawless performer and hardass choreographer who students feared and admired in equal measure. But hip surgery ended the glamour and drama, and now Teddy is recovering at his beach house, lost and listless.
Until he meets Finn, his neighbor, who is too perfect, gorgeous, and kind to exist—but very ill timed. In a seaside town as small as theirs, they can’t avoid each other, especially since Finn is also Teddy’s new physical therapist. But Teddy isn’t the man he used to be, and though Finn flirts shamelessly with him, Teddy can’t believe a has-been dancer is worthy of someone so young and full of life.
Finn’s sunny smile is also hiding heartache. Pursuing Teddy challenges both his professionalism and his self-preservation, but if he can convince Teddy to trust him, maybe they both can heal.
Purchase Link: Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Review: Interpretive Hearts is a standalone romance by Amanda Meuwissen for the house line Dreamspun Desires. I didn’t really know what to expect, to be perfectly honest. I’ve read only one other book by the author in the past and I really couldn’t remember it from the top of my head. However, the blurb grabbed and add in that Dreamspun Desires is something of a guilty pleasure for me, then I was ready to give it a go.
The first character we are introduced to is Teddy. He’s a professional dancer – a skilled performer and as he got older he stepped with ease into the role of an equally skilled choreographer. He has the admiration of various members of the dancing community, as well as his very own enemy that seems to delight in rubbing in the fact that he now had Teddy’s job after surgery has changed Teddy’s whole life. Teddy, as with every other dancer, knew that that the performing part of his career was limited, and unfortunately the same is true for choreography. Vital hip surgery has left Teddy confused and is happy to keep to himself in his beachside condo. The physical part of recovery is difficult, but he had never realised that the mental side of recovery was just as difficult.
Things begin to change when Teddy bumps into one of his neighbours, Finn. Teddy feels an instant spark of attraction but because of the surgery he holds himself back. Especially when he feels humiliated when Finn needs to help him inside to his home after a minor setback. The complications continue when it turns out that Finn is also Teddy’s physical therapist, helping him with his rehab. Because now Finn, who also felt the attraction, is torn because Teddy is now his patient and therefore off limits for any personal relationships.
There is angst as Teddy works through his recovery and Finn comes to terms with his attraction to a patient. Overall, it is really enjoyable and the characters took on a really nice depth that made their romance feel realistic. Fans of romances that involve professional in the arts will like this one. This is the a sweet story of one character on his journey to recovery and the man that becomes important to him for multiple reasons.