The Dance by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley

The Restoration Series Pairs Bestselling Relationship Expert Gary Smalley with Celebrated Novelist Dan Walsh  

 

Combining the literary talents of bestselling author Dan Walsh and the relationship expertise of bestselling author Gary Smalley, The Dance is the first novel in The Restoration Series. Readers will get caught up in these flawed but sincere members of the Anderson family as they rediscover genuine love and start a transformation that ultimately affects all of them. Based on the principles behind Smalley’s bestselling The DNA of Relationships, Walsh expertly weaves proven relationship advice to restore a marriage into this powerful novel.

 

In The Dance, readers will meet the Anderson family amidst crisis. Jim Anderson is a successful businessman, and his wife, Marilyn, is the perfect wife. Jim never expected to come home one day and find Marilyn gone. What will it take to restore their marriage before their problems shatter the entire family?

 

Smalley previously collaborated with New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury on the wildly successful Redemption Series introducing her readers to the beloved Baxter family. After seeing the impact those characters continue to have with readers, Smalley partnered with Walsh to create powerful storylines that transcend words on a page and begin to impact readers’ marriages and relationships.

 

“I’ve learned what a tremendous impact novels can have on the real relationships of readers,” says Smalley. “And when I read Dan Walsh’s work, I knew—this was a guy who can tap into the needs of the heart.  I’m thrilled we could work together to create the story of the Anderson family.”

 

Other novels in the series will following the Anderson family as Walsh and Smalley continue to draw from The DNA of Relationships as well as several other of Smalley’s bestselling books on marriage and family relationships.

 

Walsh’s writing is known for enthralling the reader and creating emotional connections with his characters. In a review of his last novel, The Reunion (September 2012), USA Today’s Happily Ever After said Walsh has a “… gift for pulling the heartstrings and encouraging a slow build of tears within his reader.” Similarly RT Book Reviews wrote, “Walsh is so gifted that the reader becomes a part of his stories.”

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. For more information about Walsh and his books, visit his web site at www.DanWalshBooks.com and follow him on Twitter at @DanWalshAuthor.

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 more than 60 books. He has spent over 40 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 and TODAY, as well as numerous national radio programs. Gary and his wife, Norma, have been married for 48 years and live in Branson, Missouri. They have three children, all in full time ministry to families, couples and orphans, and they enjoy their wonderful relationships with their ten grandchildren.

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books for everyday life.  For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

Here's my review of this enjoyable book:

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley and their publisher for sending me a copy of "The Dance" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me.
 

“The Dance” by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley is an amazing work of romantic fiction that presents Biblical concepts without beating you over the head.  This tale of a less-than-stellar marriage depicts several issues with “the church” and shows several communication gaps between people.

Marilyn has walked out on her marriage.  It all began 25 years ago on their wedding day when her new husband, Jim, wouldn’t dance with her.  Ever since that humiliating moment, she’s tried to pretend to have the perfect life, but she just can’t do it anymore.  Now, she has an apartment and a job and she’s just signed up for dancing lessons so that she can start living.  Jim is so wrapped up in himself that he has a tough time relating to Marilyn’s “abandonment”.  But when he fears that he will lose her for good, he steps out of his comfort zone and takes a hard look at what needs to change in himself.

At first I was disappointed that this fictional couple had the lifestyle they did, but I quickly learned that part of the message of this book is that money cannot buy happiness.  Another part of the message is that the church should be love, not legalism.  The self-sacrificial way that love is put on display is lovely.  This was an engaging read that I would recommend to others.