I Hope You Dance by Robin Lee Hatcher

As much a fan as I am of Zondervan’s Year of Weddings Novellas they’ve been compiling for the past year and a half, I’ve most been looking forward to the second half of this year’s offerings. Some of my favorite authors are each taking a turn at one of these. Starting with Robin Lee Hatcher, an author I have been reading since college some twenty years ago.

Welcome back to Kings Meadows, Idaho. If you read Whenever You Come Around (which released in April), you met both Skye Foster and Grant Nichols briefly. If you did not read that book, this is a great introduction to a few of the other residents of Kings Meadows.

Skye Foster knew early on in life what she wanted to do: race horses and teach others to love dancing as much as she does. When her friends Buck and Charity plan a formal wedding and arrange for all of the members of their wedding party to take dance lessons, she dreams about the beauty of the wedding. The bride and groom dressed up, the couples on the dance floor. She longs to find someone to dance with. Someone who will give her the deepest desire of her heart, a large family. Grant Nichols has agreed to join the wedding party but since he works during the time the dance lessons will be held, he arranges for private lessons with the beautiful dance instructor. Sparks fly immediately. There is an instant attraction between Grant and Skye and they are pulled toward each other. While Grant is still trying to get away from his past, he’s learned to trust God. Even when it comes to his strong, unexpected feelings for Skye, he trusts God. Until he overhears something that makes him question everything. He doesn’t want a large family. In fact, he always believed he would never have kids. Perhaps a whirlwind romance is destined to only leave devastation in it’s path.

I always love book series because you get to visit some of the characters I fell in love with during other books. I Hope you Dance is no exception. Chet Leonard is back as are Charity, Buck, and Midge and Rand Foster. Hatcher is exceptional at making readers feel like they are part of the Kings Meadow community. I’ve said this several times before, but I prefer romance novellas where the main characters have a little bit of history with each other. While that did not happen in this one, I wasn’t disappointed or didn’t find the story unrealistic. Yes, things happened fast, but I’m sure plenty of people out there have similar stories. When you meet the one, sometimes you just know.

Available June 26 Preorder your copy now

***Booklook Bloggers and Zondervan provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.