The Dancer’s Promise By Olivia Horrox

‘The Dancer’s Promise’ is the latest book by Olivia Horrox.

When their father loses the family fortune, and their mother locks herself away, sisters Grace and Clementine are left to raise themselves in a grand London house that is slowly falling apart around them. Each of them is determined to one day restore their fortunes and their family name and make a promise to do just that. Clementine dreams of being a star on stage, a celebrated ballerina who will tour the world, earning fame and fortune. She is adamant she won’t put her fate into a man’s hands but take charge of it herself. Grace, in contrast, sees security in a good marriage. Their eligible new American neighbour, with wealth, charm and looks, seems like the perfect match. But when Clementine falls unexpectedly in love, it throws both sisters’ lives into turmoil and forces each of them to ask if they are prepared to break their promise for a chance at true love.

If you’re a fan of historical fiction with some romance thrown in, then this book is for you. Seen from the narrative of Clementine, an aspiring young ballet dancer who dreams of escaping the confines of her house and her controlling mother. She believes that her new neighbour, a handsome American called August is her saviour even though he only has eyes for her older sister Grace. Using her friendship with her ballet dancer partner and friend Rudi, she hopes to make August jealous and instead stirs up some new and unexpected feelings.

I really enjoyed this story, at only 277 pages, it was easy to sink into and get swept away in the magical and romantic world of ballet. Clementine is a lovely character, she’s at her happiest dancing the floorboards in Rudi’s arms and wants nothing more than to escape her mother, who’s a horrible and nasty character who relishes in hurting her daughter and this does makes for sad reading at times. Sadly Clementine’s father has passed away and she has only happy memories of the man, despite what her mother says.

The story is set in the 1930’s, a wonderfully glamour of fashion and opulent parties but sadly, it’s also a time where a woman does not always get to marry for love but instead for convenience, as Clementine’s mother wants to marry August as they’ve no money.

The story focuses on many things, the strong bond of sisterhood, grief as well as new beginnings, ‘The Dancer’s Promise’ was a delightful book to get absorbed in, beautifully written and set against a captivating era, this book is a must for all fans of historical fiction.

You can buy ‘The Dancer’s Promise’ from Amazon.