Five Stars for Dancing in the White Room

Dancing in the White Room got a five star review from Michelle Robertson at Reader's Favorite

"Ute Carbone has skillfully written a highly enjoyable story filled with realistic circumstances and emotions, making it appealing to many different types of readers. The story itself has a transitional tone to it, popping from past to present, making it intriguing and entertaining, making the reader eager to read more."  
Read the rest of the review HERE

Dancing in the white room is slang for skiing or boarding in deep powder snow. The dancer is PD Bell, one of the best extreme skiers on the planet. Mallory Prescott, the woman who lives with him and loves him, is used to Bell’s exploits. A patrol woman at Whiteface Mountain near Lake Placid, New York, Mallory is no stranger to risk. But this time Bell is taking on the West Rib of Denali, highest and most dangerous mountain in North America. It’s a descent that has never been done, though it’s been tried. Five years ago, Bell had tried it. The attempt nearly killed him. Five years ago, he promised Mallory he wouldn’t try it again.

     Over the six weeks in which he’s gone, Mallory begins to question her relationship with Bell. Does he really love her? Is he in it for the duration? What has loving him cost her?  Mallory’s life choices are thrown into stark relief when her daughter Emily takes a terrible fall. Together with her life-long friend Creech Creches, she must work her way through a maze of uncharted territory at a hospital miles from home.

            Dancing in the White Room is the story of the love we keep, the price we pay for that love, and the forgiveness it takes to hold on to what is precious.

Buy links:

Turquoise Morning Press

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

For more about this book, please visit the Dancing in the White Room web page

A baker's dozen: Thirteen great books

I was a reader long before I became a writer. I love books, all kinds of books, in all their various forms. I read lots of them. There are all manner of best and worst lists at year's end and I'd like to add my tuppence to the mix. These are the best of the books I read this year. This list is by no means complete,but these are thirteen that come to mind when I'm asked to recommend a story.


13. A Perfect Victim by Patricia Dunsenbury.  The Bayou and New Orleans is the perfect setting for this richly layered book. Great  descriptions, unfolding secrets and danger lurking at every turn make this is the perfect read for mystery lovers.


12. Just One of the Guys by Kristen Higgens.  Maybe because it was set in Upstate New York, or maybe it was the great characters, but I adored this friends to lovers romance. A must for fans of sweet romance.


11. The Bone Garden by Tess Garrison. You can't beat Garrison for a fast-paced thriller. This one, set in 19th century Boston, won't disappoint.


10. Defending Jacob by William Landay.  The premise of this book is intriguing--What would you do if  your teenage son was accused of murder?  It sticks the landing and gets my vote for best ending of the year.


9. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.  A harrowing tale about the Holocaust.  I read this book earlier in the year and the characters of Sarah and her brother still haunt me.


8. Saxon's Bane by Geoffrey Gudgion. I read one of Geoff's short stories a few years back and have been a fan of his writing ever since. The lush and sensual description alone makes this a must read. And it's a terrific story, too.  A mix of suspense, magical realism, and myth that will keep you turning the pages.


7. Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. The sun washed hills of Tuscany, a perfectionist heroine and a hero who always plays the villain makes this funny romance the perfect escape read.


6. When She Woke by Hillary Jordan. This is by far the most original book I read this year. Hannah Payne wakes up after her chroming. She's been tinted red for her crime. If you loved Margaret Atwood's Handmaiden's Tale, you must read this book.


5. The Cove by Ron Rash. This was the first Ron Rash book I've read and it will certainly not be my last. The lyrical writing alone makes it worth the read. The tragic love story makes it one of my year's best.


4. Gone Girl by Gillain Flynn. I'll admit I didn't like the ending, but this book still flies high on my best list. It's one of those  books you have to keep reading when you should be working or showering or sleeping-- a page turner that keeps you guessing, with lots of surprising twists and turns.


3. The Girl With No Shadow by JoAnne Harris. If you loved Chocolat, you must read this wonderful sequel, replete with romance and fairy tales. It's delicious.


2. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. Everyone should read the wonderful story of Harold, who goes off to mail a letter and ends up on a Pilgrimage. Part humor and part pathos, it's a story that will travel with you for a very long time.


1. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman. The writing is haunting and beautifully descriptive. The characters are complex and memorable. This wonderful and heart-wrenching book gets my vote for book of the year and it may well go on my best of all time list.

Well, that's it. I hope next year is full of books as wonderful as these. What are your top reads of the year?