~ Review: The Last Dance ~

PLOT SYNOPSIS:  Longing to make gorgeous playboy Emmanuel Jones notice her, shy "computer geek" Shari Jarrod transforms herself into a glamorous woman when she wins a date with him at a bachelor's auction, and as passion rages between them, Shari must convince this self-proclaimed bachelor that she is the perfect woman for him.

With Ms. Poarch’s new novel, she takes us back to Nottoway, VA, the venue of three of her previous novels, WHITE LIGHTNING, WITH THIS KISS and INTIMATE SECRETS.  In this latest installment, not only do we learn of playboy Emmanuel Jones' plight, but we also get to revisit the previous characters of this quaint little town.

Emmanuel Jones has recently decided his life needed to change.  He had given up his playboy days in hopes of meeting someone he could connect with.  Being volunteered for the Women’s Center Bachelor Auction wasn’t what he had in mind.  He was in for an even bigger surprise when he found out who had actually won him.

Shari Jarrod had recently moved to Nottaway to become the manager of the computer department at Blake Industries.  She worked 12 – 14 hour days with no social life outside of her family.  This was the way she wanted it and she was happy with her life.  So what if people talked about the dowdy way she dressed and how she never dated.  She very upset and angry to learn that her sister, Clarice and Emmanuel’s sister, Johanna had won Emmanuel for her.

Emmanuel put aside all he had heard about Shari and she buried her secret feelings for him as they embarked on their date.  They found that there was a very strong attraction between them and their passions took over.  After the date, Emmanuel wanted to continue to see her, but Shari refused to get involved with this Casanova who had dated practically every single woman in town.

I truly enjoyed this story.  There was a significant amount of interplay between the hero and heroine.  Even though there was a murder investigation being conducted, the main focus of the story, the couple, remained integral.

There were several scenes left unfinished.  This didn’t take away from the story itself, but left this reader wondering what happened next.

The murder mystery is predictable at best, but it was interesting to watch it unfold.  However, once again there were “things” left unexplained in its resolution.

As in WITH THIS KISS, the triplets as well as the other children added much flavor to the story.  THE LAST DANCE is a worthwhile addition to this series.