Love in Three Quarter-Time
Zondervan Publishing, 2012
Reviewed by Diana Flowers
~5 stars *****
Life's A Dance!
In Love In Three~Quarter Time, Dina Sleiman literally sweeps us off our feet in this lovely cadence of a novel set in early 1800's Virginia. It is a time of much frippery for wealthy plantation owners; balls and dancing, beauteous gowns and coming out parties -- but underneath the guise of gaiety lie dark, buried secrets, betrayal, and forbidden lusts.
Our lovely and spirited heroine, Constance "Gingersnap" Cavendish is a natural born dancer. Totally ostracized by the townsfolk in Prince George County, Virginia, because of the horrible deeds and debts incurred by her deceased father, Constance devices a scheme to teach dancing to the daughters of the Beaumonts, wealthy plantation owners in the frontier town of Charlottesville. Unaware that they are Robbie Montgomery's family, she sets her plans in motion to give her widowed mother and two sisters a new life.
The undeniably handsome Robert Montgomery had made loving promises to Constance five years earlier as together they danced the "scandalous" waltz, only to turn his back on her when she needed him the most, leaving her heartbroken. When forced to dance together again, she is determined to guard her heart and turns her attentions to a virile, handsome, buckskin clad circuit preacher named Lorimer, who teaches her of God's love.
Both of these men have Constance's heart, but which one will ultimately win it? Why did Robbie betray her and her family and what dark secrets are both men hiding? -- and can Constance find it in her heart to forgive such unspeakable acts? Will she ever discover the freedom to love and worship God as Lorimer and his "congregation" find in their moonlit church in the woods?
This book was phenomenal! My emotions ran the gamut -- tears of happiness, sadness, laughter -- you name it! I absolutely loved these endearing, realistic characters, including the secondary ones as well. Never boring, this book is filled with twists and turns (literally!), and I found my heart soaring with the beautiful worship scenes. Filled with a strong thread of forgiveness and redemption, this is a book the reader will carry in their hearts forever -- for after all -- Life's A Dance!
This book may be purchased at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Question: What is your favorite dance? Leave your answer and your email address (if you aren't a regular around OWG) to enter the giveaway.
Giveaway: EBook copy of Dina's "Love in Three-Quarter Time."
Question: What is your favorite dance? Leave your answer and your email address (if you aren't a regular around OWG) to enter the giveaway.
Giveaway: EBook copy of Dina's "Love in Three-Quarter Time."
That is one phenomenal review Diana!! Can you believe I have this book still sitting unopened on my Kindle?? I might just have to sequester myself away from everything and everyone to make some time to read this fabulous book! :)
ReplyDeleteHmm...sounds like a plan, Noela ;)Seriously, I can only hope and dream that you will enjoy it as much as Diana did. This sort of review certainly does an
Deleteauthor's heart good.
NOELA, this one is making MARIAN'S fav list of 2013...and mine! Sequester yourself away by all means! :)
DeleteDiana, I can't begin to thank you enough for the lovely review. It is such a huge encouragement to me. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteYou are more than welcome, DINA. This sort of book makes a reviewer's work very easy. The review just flows up and out! Thank you for your kind words.
DeleteDiana now I remember why I never read your reviews before I write mine....if I do I would just throw up my hands and give up! :) Great review once again! The more reviews you write the more I'm with Carrie that there is a future author in there just dying to come out!
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated your review as well, Teresa :)
DeleteI love your reviews, TERESA! I alway say "now why didn't I think of that" when I read them, but thank you! You're such a sweeet friend.
DeleteLove the review, Diana. It makes me want to pick up the book and never put it down...
ReplyDeleteMy favorite dance is the jive. I love all things 1950s.
Have a blessed day!
Andrea Cox
andrearenee2004@yahoo.com
Oh, the jive sounds fun, Andrea. I've thought that it would be cool to write books around different historical dances.
DeleteThank you, ANDREA! That's what I strive for when I write a review and it's so easy with Dina's books!
DeleteI loved your review Diana, It sounds really good. Thanks for a chance to enter it to win. I love the name of the character in it. Montgomery LOL !!!!
ReplyDeleteBlessings
joeym11@frontier.com
And I simply LOVE your name, DIANA! LOL And I can see why you love the name MONTGOMERY as well!
DeleteGreat review Diana! Thanks for visiting with us today, too, Dina!
ReplyDeleteTY, CARRIE! Enjoyed our phone conversation today-I have sooo missed you!
DeleteWow Diana, what a beautiful review!! I was really touched by how you express yourself in this review and then you stated that books like this one make the reviewer's job easy, LOOOVE when reviews flow out that way :) I have had my eye on this book for a while and after reading your comments I'm convinced I need to review it as well :) It's very precious to me that there is also strong messages of forgiveness and redemption in the story, love it. Thanks so much Diana for your review, it really touched me :)
ReplyDeleteI don't like dancing except when I'm worshipping (don't have a fave dance), but I LOOOVE to watch dancing. My favorite movies with dancing are Step Up, Center Stage, and The Ice Princess (seen each one like 10 times). I enjoy the storytelling that comes with the dancing, but seeing these characters move always inspires me and helps me believe that dreams do come true. Hugs and blessings to you Diana, my OWG sisters and to Dina!!
I will let DINA address the dancing part of your comment when she returns, KARA, but I am so touched that my review touched you! This book touched me as well, and I feel that it will touch everyone who reads it. Alot of touches in that paragraph! lol Reminds me of that telephone commercial-Reach out and touch someone. ;)
DeleteHmm...I can't seem to respond to individual comments, but thanks Diana. Glad you liked my name choice.
ReplyDeleteCarrie, thanks so much for having me again.
ReplyDeleteKara, I loooove writing dance scenes. Especially worship dance scenes. Dance is such a beautiful visual expression. It's its own sort of language, but I love capturing it in words as well.
ReplyDeleteOh, and Kara, those are my favorite movies too. Can't miss any tv or movies with dance.
ReplyDeleteThis review really makes me want to read Love in Three-Quarter Time. I'm not much of a dancer but think the waltz looks elegant, especially when women wear long, full-skirted dresses.
ReplyDeletepmk56[at]sbcglobal[dot]net
Pam, the waltz is beautiful to watch. I especially love the Vienesse waltz. It has more of that floating feeling.
ReplyDeletelove ballroom dance "waltz"
ReplyDeleteABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com
You should enjoy this book then, APPLEBLOSSOM, which centers around the then "scandalous" waltz. :)
DeleteWhat a great review Diana!
ReplyDeleteMy brother lives in the'frontier town of Charlottesville'=) Would love to read this book...
As for a favorite dance...? I guess I have to say the Shag since I live in SC. It is the state dance after all.
Patty
pattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com
PATTY, how cool! I live in SC, too, and love to watch people dance the shag. Since I have two left feet dancing is not really my thing, but I love watching it and reading about it in DINA'S new book!
DeleteThis is a wonderful book! No need to enter me in the contest. Just dropped by to read your review. Well done. :)
ReplyDelete:) Thanks, Debbie. So glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteThank you for your kind words, DEBBIE! :)
DeleteDon't enter me in the contest, either! I've just dropped in to say how happy I am that more people will find out about this gem of a story. I'm hoping Zondervan publishes the sisters' stories as well, don't you?
ReplyDeleteSo buy the book, spread the news, share the fun!
You know, Deb, sometimes a lack of subtlety is a good thing. LOL. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteDEBRA, thank you so much for coming by to encourage DINA! I always love reading your delightful comments. :)
DeleteApple Blossom, I remember that about you :)
ReplyDeletePatty, well clearly it's not a frontier town anymore. LOL. It has the best little down town shopping/eating area ever! And the Shag sounds great.
ReplyDeleteDIANA ... you sold me, girl, but then I was already sold on Dina's work because I read Dance of the Dandelions and loved it, but you definitely put this book front and center on my TBR!! LOVE the cover, too!!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite dance? Don't laugh at me now, but I don't possess a shred of rhythm in my body. Lots of passion, yes, but no rhythm whatsoever, which means I couldn't dance at all except for one dance and one dance only -- I was a master at THE BUMP in the 70s!! Absolutely loved it and was one of the best on the floor. Too bad it only lasted a season. :(
Hugs,
Julie
Thank you, JULIE! It will be on MARIAN's and my fav list for 2013 for sure. I LOVED DotD!
DeleteJULIE, you said not to laugh but I can't help it! The Bump? You and I are almost the same age, and I don't remember The Bump at all. But I'm glad you were the master Bumper! Somehow, I had you picked for a Charleston girl. I know -- way before our time, but I can dance the Charleston -- or could anyway. lol Remember The Swim? Now that was a crazy one! :)
The bump!!! That's awesome, Julie. That was one of the first dances I learned.
DeleteI love the beauty of folk dances from different countries. I always remember the lovely Austrian dance in Sound of Music. I really love dance, so Dina's book sounds wonderful to me.
ReplyDeleteworthy2bpraised at gmail dot com
MERRY, this book will delight you, I'm sure! Full of dance and romance! ;) I love the Sound of Music and try to watch it at least once a year. Of course I have the script memorized by now. :)
DeleteNice, Merry. Our church worship dance team has done Israeli, Irish, and African dancing.
DeleteI loved your review Diana, and I think this book needs to move to the top of my TBR list!
ReplyDeleteFavorite Dance? Interesting that should come up right now. I never danced as a child/teen or even as an adult, until about 5 years ago. After being given a weight-loss challenge, to "Do something that is out of your comfort zone--try something new!", I decided to sign-up my husband & I for an International Waltz class. We had always enjoyed watching others dance & had made the comment to each other before, that we should learn how to dance sometime, but never did i,t until this challenge came up. Turns out, we both really enjoyed it & it IS good exercise too! We ended up continuing through to intermediate and even advanced! We made some good friends in the class and also our dance instructor become a friend. As we continued, we discovered my husband had a shoulder injury that made it painful to "hold form" and we also made the change in his job that now has us traveling 80% of the time. Also, our instructor moved to China and married a Chinese gal, and now he also travels for his job. I mention that part because after not seeing each other for over 3 years, it turns out, that our paths cross again, in PARIS, so we will be having dinner with him in Paris on Sunday night!
Unfortunately since we have been so long w/o further dancing, I have forgotten the steps, but we DID get to waltz the (box step--because it was all I could remember...lol) in London @ Covent Gardens, as well as in the Frederiksborg Palace Ballroom, in Denmark--even if only for a few moments!
I would LOVE to win this book--vmarney(at)hotmail(dot)com
PS I agree with one of your partners Diana--you should write a novel yourself someday. You really have a way with words. I'm proud to say I know you personally...
First off, VICKI, thank you for those sweet words. I'm proud to know you, too, and to be counted amongst your good friends. It's easier to write about something that someone else thought of than to have to come up with the ideas yourself. I really have no imagination to come up with a storyline, or at least to write 300 and something pgs. about it. lol
DeleteI didn't know that about you and Jon dancing -- that's so cool, and something I never would picture Jon doing! You will definitely enjoy this book then.
Vicki, I do a lot of dance aerobics for exercise. I especially have fun with hip hop for that purpose.
DeleteIt was also out of Jon's comfort zone too. Someday, when we are not traveling all over the place, we want to take another class, so we can remember the steps.
ReplyDeleteAs to a book--I think the two of us need to get together--people are always telling me that with all our "stories" I should write a book, but I just don't know where to start...maybe if we got my stories with your words, we might have something...LOL
Vicki
LOL I think you would do a fine job on your own...but hey, we could give it a shot! ;)
DeleteLets put it this way--it would give us a good excuse to get together, even if we didn't end up with a book out of it. ;-)
ReplyDeleteTrue! :):):)
DeleteBy the way, let me mention for everyone who doesn't win, this book is $3.99 or less for ebooks, depending on the format.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing that with us, DINA. I can announce that on my Timeline!
DeleteThanks, Diana. Great idea.
DeleteI like the twist! This looks great! shopgirl152nykiki(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteThat's a great one for the waistline and hips, VERONICA! :)
DeleteThe twist is fun. We use that for one of our song/dances in children's church.
DeleteSuch a beautiful review.
ReplyDeleteI do love seeing the waltz performed. I could not dance to save myself however.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Thank you, MARY, for your kind words. I love watching couples dance the waltz, too. Such a beautiful dance!
DeleteMary, one of my blogmates put together this lovely post featuring waltz videos.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.inkwellinspirations.com/2012/10/early-19th-century-dances.html
Thanks so much for sharing the link with us, Dina! I will try to make it over there after church. :)
ReplyDeletethat says link, DINA...it's covered-sorry. :/
DeleteHi Ladies,
ReplyDeleteI woke up this morning to discover that Love in Three-Quarter Time is on sale for the amazing deal of $0.99 right now. I have no idea how long the sale will last, so you might want to grab it while you can.
Also, for Nook readers, it's down to a low $2.99.
Great news! Diana is promoting this on FB! And I drew a winner this morning--PATTY!
DeleteCONGRATS, PATTY! You are bound to love this awesome book! Happy reading!
ReplyDelete