The Dance by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley

Love’s recovery starts with a single step . . .

After 27 years of marriage, Marilyn Anderson is tired of playing the role of perfect wife. Her husband Jim is a successful businessman who gives her everything she needs-a beautiful home in an upscale neighborhood, the financial freedom to be a stay-at-home mom, an enviable collection of stuff. Everything, that is, except what really matters: love.

After years of trying to connect with Jim, Marilyn has had enough. She longs to experience some measure of happiness before she’s too old to enjoy it. Needing some time to herself to sort things out, Marilyn leaves to start a new job and take dancing lessons-something she has wanted to do for as long as she can remember.

Shocked to find his wife gone, Jim Anderson must sort through the past to save his marriage. With a little help from an unexpected ally, he begins a campaign to win Marilyn back. What he doesn’t anticipate is how his actions will affect everyone around him-starting with himself.

My review:
   My favorite genre' of books to read is suspense/mystery. Dan Walsh's books do not fall into that category, but he has still quickly become one of my favorite authors. When I know he has a new book coming out, I cannot wait to read it and devour it in one sitting, just as I do with a great suspense book. This book was no exception. I did read it in one sitting.

  The Dance is the first book in the Restoration Series, a set of four books that will revolve around one fictional family and their relationships. This one dealt with the marriage of a couple who has been married for twenty-seven years. I'm not married, but I still loved the story and found it to be very moving. Dancing has a big part in the book, and I thought it was very neat how the authors compared a marriage relationship to dancing in quite an ingenious way. I really liked the characters and situations/plot they have come up with for this book series.

  With Gary Smalley's relationship expertise, this is more than a love story. Any married couple would benefit from reading this book, but especially those who are in a rut and one or both of them feel neglected or unloved by the author. I am firm in the belief that a story can often help and do good where a sermon or "help" book would not. And Jesus proved that with parables.

   Dan Walsh has hit another home run with this story. If it is an indication of what the whole series is going to be like, this series will be up there with the popular Redemption Series by Karen Kingsbury. And might I add, Dan Walsh is giving her a run for her money. If you have never read his books, you definitely should, and this one would be a great one to start with. Awesome book, and a great message.

About the authors:

Dan Walsh is the award-winning author of several books, including The Discovery and The Reunion. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for 25 years. He lives with his wife in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel.

Gary Smalley is one of the country's best known authors and speakers on family relationships. He is the bestselling and award-winning author or coauthor of 16 books, along with several popular films and videos. He has spent over 30 years learning, teaching, and counseling, speaking to over 2 million people in live conferences. Smalley has appeared on national television programs such as Oprah, Larry King Live, Extra, The Today Show, and The Sally Jessy Raphael Show, as well as numerous national radio programs. Gary and his wife, Norma, have been married for 40 years and live in Branson, Missouri. They have three children and six grandchildren.


Available April 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Thanks to Revell for the review copy.