Review: All is Fair in Love & War (3.5 stars)
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 7, 2011
This sequel follows our heroine Sonya Garrison, as she begins the next phase of her life training at the DiRisio Academy in Rome. Sonya is following her dream of becoming a ballet dancer as well as continuing her romance with basketball player Will Maddox.  Will plays basketball for the Rome team Lottomattica. If you remember from Book 1 (The Queen Bee of Bridgeton (Dancing Dream #1)),  Will saved Sonya by finding proof that Sonya's sister, Sasha and the Bitch Brigade were framing Sonya for cheating, thus preventing her expulsion for academic honor code violation at the Bridgeton Academy.In this novel, Sonya's plate is full of personal and professional drama. First, she is being trained by the ballet taskmaster Alejandro and all that comes with training to be the best.  She has the partner from hell in Pierre, who seems to enjoy causing Sonya's downfall, literally. Sonya is also dealing with Will continued insistence that they get married even though she is only 17 years old. Now, her sister Sasha has arrived at her doorstep in Rome, claiming to have changed and wanting to make amends to Sonya.Add to that, a new hip-hop instructor named Damian Karl comes to town.  In him, Sonya gains a dancing partner that is so attuned to her, it is as if they are one while dancing. Sonya and Damian develops feelings for one another, and soon Sonya is forced to make a choice between her first love Will and her dancing partner Damian Karl.I am going to be in the minority but I have to say that I had no problems with Will's actions. All is fair in love and war, right? Is Will supposed to help his rival gain his lady's love? Will was protecting his own interests and it was okay with me. If Sonya really wanted, she could have emailed, texted or called Damian for answers, right? Well, Sonya didn't fight for what she wanted and Will did.One gripe that I have is that, it doesn't appear that Sonya has learned from her previous issues. I find that she is still entirely too gullible and childish in her decision-making. She leaves herself dependent on Will, but then gets mad when he maneuvers her towards the direction of what HE wants. Same thing with Damian. By being overly passive, she basically lets others make decisions for her. I had hoped she would take charge of her life and be more in sync with her own needs and desires. I hope that in Book 3, that Sonya finally stands up and grabs the bull (her life) by the horns and steers it in the direction that she wants. I want to see her grow up, but I have to keep reminding myself that she is only seventeen.I enjoyed the author's writing style, but I would like to see more character development for the secondary characters like Damien and Will and roommate Anna Marie.  I look forward to Book 3, where I believe Sonya will finally come into her own.******I won this book from the LibraryThing Members Giveaway******