Freestyle: 1 (Academy of Stardom)

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The love for dance, the power of it as an artform bleeds off the page, elevating dance to a living, breathing character of this complex story. Before I knew it, the seconds, minutes and hours went by and I become so absorbed in these characters story that I didn’t want it to end.

I know the basics of dance, but I did feel like it took me a while to understand what was happening during the dance scenes. This book ends on a cliffhanger but all the books are completed so you don’t have to wait to see what happens! I’m a glutton for punishment and will likely read on but I really think imma jump into some fluffy nonsense to tame this fire in me first 😅 Here’s to hoping Pen and the guys can find their ways out if this crazy masked party and the clutches of Jeb and her brother. Having to deal with so many horrible men in her life only kind of makes up for some of her absolutely asinine behaviors or words.I also really didn't care for the major villain being a closeted gay or bi man who acts cruelly towards Pen because she catches him with a man. Flashbacks play a great deal in the first book, and it leads to the reader not only knowing Pen and her men, but also knowing what broke them apart.

I really like how the hints of their pasts and hints of something more to be revealed is interwoven over the story, even while my mind is spinning on WTF happened and trying to stay patient as it's only book 1. While I wanted more of a dance school drama this is that plus a whole lot of gang activity as the future harem are part of it as is the heroines brother and sadly they’re all dragged in.Over the past few days I’ve been seeing posts for LYRICAL by Bea Paige, and after reading the blurb I just knew I had to read this trilogy. I was doubly that an artform so VISUAL, so experiential, and so tied to music could be adequately conveyed in writing. Yes, the author provided flashbacks when they were together, year through year, from they first met to their last days. I loved Xeno, Zayn, York and Dax equally; they all had different personalities and they fit perfectly with Penelope (Pen). Lyrical is book two of this dark gang romance, featuring gangsters who can dance, and deals with adult themes and some subjects you may find upsetting.

I know it needs to be like that for the story but I just prefer it when it’s all squished at the front so I can get on with the present. It’s more that I had issue with the stupid manipulations that get the group into the mess that leads to a separation between them all for a few years. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. The flashbacks going back to when they first met was what I was living for as you got to experience the start of their friendship that soon turned into something bigger, something that was unavoidable. If you’re into your men on the criminal side, who are alpha hot holes, sprinkled in with some enemies to lovers vibes and one thing I cannot forget this series is centred around DANCE!Nothing could prepare you for the turns of events and the twist and turns that this book presents itself. Pen and her men have a messy past and this is truly a love to hate to love romance and it was done so well. I tried to keep these at a minimum, but as I am talking about the whole series, it did become a little hard. This is former best friends nearly lovers turned enemies with second chance to fight for each other, with gangs and dance.