All Comments on 'Valentines for Cinderella'

There are so many subtleties in this story. I'm completely in love with your leading man. Wonderfully done!

Another good contender for the Valentine's Day Stories. I really enjoyed this.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and it brightened up a cold, dull day in deepest Yorkshire. I couldn't help imagining Darcey Bussell as 'Mel': yummy! More of your romance repertoire please.

You won't be surprised then to know that a young Darcy Bussell (as in "Prince of the Pagodas") was one of the ballerinas I had in mind when I described Mel.

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Though I had some trouble getting past him actually kissing her feet. A pointe dancer's toes are usually pretty banged up.

but to me the truly excellent romance story shows in words and deeds that the protagonists are wonderful people and worthy of each other. He was rich and sharing, she was beautiful and talented. But her character development was not, to me, exposed in the story.

An interesting background, well written. I hope this comment is taken as constructive and I look forward to your next.

I am not a fan of ballet, just the music. But I am a fan of a story with a happy ending. Now I am going to see the rest of your work. 5

I know this will sound a little silly, but as I read this story I formed my vision of Mel in my mind. After finishing I read the comments mentioning Darcy Bussell. Not being familiar with ballet or Ms. Bussell, I googled her and discovered this beautiful woman appeared almost exactly as my vision of Mel. At least to me you brought her to life in my mind exactly the way she appears in real life. As a side note, if most ballerinas are as beautiful as Darcy, I'm going to be paying a lot more attention to Ballet. Keep up the fine work.

Your story brought back old memories of a dancer I saw nearly 30 years ago in Giselle. Her name was Alessandra Ferri and she absolutely enthralled me with her beauty and grace. I have never forgotten seeing her dance. Thank you for your wonderful story.

She was one of the greats of the last few decades and I think she had a long career, for a ballerina.

I've never seen her perform in person but we used to have a video of her as Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet" and I've seen an impressive short of her dancing in an empty warehouse around a guitarist on a stool.

Imagine that, another author to keep our Romance category romantic! Thanks a bunch. Feel quite free to fill us with more real romance stories.

As the title of this comment suggests, this story is something rare. Not a story where lust features as the central motivator, nor one where the building of a relationship happens off the page. This is a well written story about how an initial mutual attraction builds into a full fledged romance and beautiful relationship.

I took Ballet as a small child and dreamed of dancing the 'Nutcracker' one day. Sad to say it was never realized, but I do love watching it every year and had my imagination wonderfully peaked again with your beautifully romantic story of a ballerina and a *gulp* lawyer? Hehe. Thank you so very much for such beautifully 'drawn' characters, a lovely storyline and a sappy, gushy, exquisite ending! Please, please keep writing!! 5*'s!!!

Great story I usually don't read more than 3 pages but I was hooked best live story I've read in a kings time

You beat me out for third place in the Valentines contest, but it was well deserved. It was a bit more romantic, and therefore, more Valentiney. Loved the story, you did a great job and seem to have some knowledge of the ballet community.

Nicely written, intelligently plotted and with a little humour.

And the sex was good, too !

I had to look up a few things (Moo Goo, pas de chat ?) but You Tube is a handy source), and I actually learned a few things.

Thank you.

HP

It was a sweet and lovely story. The sex was really secondary to the plot.

My wife is a former dancer. I'm an actor, not a dancer, but did Drosselmeyer in a ballet production of Nutcracker.

A great story of how romance sometimes works. It's very seldom easy and it's usually a long hard hill to climb, but when it clicks, if it does, I don't think there's any better feeling in this world. I loved this story. 5 Stars, of course.

If a person wanted to read a romantic story - then you certainly provided a great one for them. You had it all. Hero’s, villains and supporting cast. Thank you!

I really needed a little romance.

This was excellent!

Loved all of it!

Would have liked to see Ray drop Paul! The villain should always get his! Lol!

As a ballet (I used to dance, my 9-year-old is in her sixth year, we have a real in-home studio for practice, let's not get started on how many professionals I know around the world...), I appreciate a story that actually gets almost all the details correct, down to union and how quickly a production can change while it's going on. I've seen Sugarplums dropped at the end of Balanchine's pas, own crystalled pointes worn by Cinderellas, and yeah, the way a car ends up littered with leotards and shoes and gear. Beyond being giddy to see ballet done right, the character of Ray and his career is spot on, and he's a great character.

I haven't seen any theaters that let people unknown walk around backstage though. I've always had to have badges. When my daughter's in professional shows, she also is badged and has to check in. I don't see how Ray would have been allowed. The rules are especially strict when a production has children, as Nutcracker does, and at least one version of Cinderella. Also every show I've been involved with has had dancers out of costumes almost immediately instead of getting to wait on stage. I haven't been with every company, just some on the west coast, so this may be just a couple unusual differences I haven't experienced.

I do wish we'd seen more of a character arc for Mel. I understand being career-driven, but she started off thinking only about dancing, and ended that way, whereas Ray was willing to slightly derail his own career for her. I must have missed how he came to be so involved in the core of the company other than just overhearing a couple people talk.

All in all, this is a well-done story.

I'm happy to see that people are still enjoying my Valentine's story.

You're right, of course, that strangers wouldn't be allowed back stage. I took some literary license there, but it's also a symptom of a dance company that is coming apart at the seams. The artistic director is abusing drugs and dancers, the ballet mistress and the dancers are in nearly open revolt, funding is dropping, and the executive director is looking for solutions. Ray is one of his solutions.

I have seen dancers stay in costume after performances for planned events -- including a wedding proposal in front of the assembled company.

I'm writing another dancer story now. It will be more erotic than Valentines for Cinderella, more tragic than romantic, and more focused on personal lives than on professional lives.

Great feel good story.

It was a decent story. Didn't have that unnecessary drama or clichés that makes me roll my eyes. It was the kind of story I was hoping to read.

As for criticism, I'd say you need to work on dialogues. People talk. It can be mundane or interesting, but they still talk. It creates a rapport between characters and, IMO, defines them to some extent. Having characters make a good conversation would make the story flow much faster. Also, scene transitioning could use some more grease. It's rough and definitely needs work.

Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed reading this.

I wish I could write a simple - sentence prose like this. It’s harder than it looks.

A lovely story, very enjoyable.

So well done, I love your two romances and wish you wrote more. 5*

Very good story. Cute an so enjoyable. Thank-you

One of my favorites. I have reread several times.

Pretty boring. They just had a meet-cute and then that's it happily ever after. No seduction romance tension just bleh