Title: The Blueberry Swirl Waltz (One Scoop or Two)
Author: Maria Imbalzano
Genre: Historical Romance (1950’s)
Book Blurb:
After a family crisis, Katie Hathaway must return home to help out in the family's ice cream shop. She leaves behind her dream job of teaching ballroom dance to spend her summer scooping ice cream and mixing milkshakes.
Chaz Hollander, Katie's high school crush, has also returned to town to work in his family's business. After Katie treats him to a blueberry swirl sundae, he invites her to the town's upcoming dance. The only problem is he has two left feet.
When Katie starts giving Chaz dance lessons, their chemistry ignites, and the postponement of her dream doesn't seem as ominous. But financial woes and a suspicious business deal cast a shadow on their budding relationship.
The setting for this book is based on my grandmother’s ice cream shop in Roebling, NJ and the heroine’s passion for dance comes from my mother. See two interviews of my mother along with photos from the 50s at https://mariaimbalzano.com/blog/
My Review:
All Katie wants to do is teach ballroom dancing. Just as she’s about to take the next step towards her dream, she must put it on hold and return to her hometown to run the family’s ice cream shop. She swallows her feelings and does what needs to be done. While going through her mother’s bills, she realizes just how financially strapped her mother and sisters are. She soon learns she must come up with way to generate more income or else they will lose not only the family business but their home as well. Katie reunites with her high school crush, Chaz, who has also returned to their hometown. Their romance blooms and leaves Katie wondering if her future is in her hometown or back in the big city. Can Katie make her dream come true alongside Chaz in their hometown or will she return to the big city heartbroken and alone?
The Blueberry Swirl Waltz is a nostalgic sweet romance I read in one sitting. From the first page, I fell in love with Katie. She’s such a wholesome character and how she manages to overcome every obstacle added authenticity to the plot. The setting of a small town in the 1950’s makes this a favorite of mine and will appeal to all those who love Hallmark movies. The conflicts are honestly drawn and presented well. The romance between Chaz and Katie is sweet and such fun to read. It harkened me back to a simpler time. The ending made me cheer and when I finished, I was definitely craving a blueberry swirl cone.
If you’re looking for a sweet romantic beach read to read this summer, The Blueberry Swirl Waltz is a must-read. Highly recommend! Take my advice: make sure you have ice cream available as a treat while reading.
My Rating: 5 stars
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Author Biography:
Maria Imbalzano is a retired matrimonial lawyer who now writes full time. Instead of drafting motions, legal memoranda, and briefs, although fascinating, she now spends her days creating memorable characters and taking them on their emotional journeys through her contemporary romance novels.
In addition to writing fiction, Maria is on the Friends of Thomas Edison State University Foundation Committee and is still involved with Dress for Success Central Jersey, having been a founding Board member. She also serves on the finance committee for The Present Day Club. She has received the distinguished Family of Edison Award for her work with The Thomas Edison State University Foundation, the Iron Mike Professional Achievement Award from Trenton Catholic Academy and was inducted into the Italian American National Hall of Fame.
Her novel, “Unchained Memories,” won the Wisconsin Romance Writers Write Touch Readers’ Award and the ACRA Readers’ Choice Heart of Excellence Award. “Sworn to Forget,” the first of the four-book Sworn Sisters Series was a finalist for the illustrious RONE award as well as the Book Buyers Best Award.
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Reviewed by: Mrs. N