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One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: An M/M Romance (Ballet Boys) Kindle Edition

3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 50 ratings

A stuffy composer meets a flirty ballet dancer. Can these opposites make music together, or will their dreams pull them apart? This is a sweet and steamy MM romance set against the sun-soaked hills of Los Angeles.

Joshua

I should be applying for grad school. Or looking for a job. Anything to get out of my awful rut. But instead, I'm obsessing about the dancer I hooked up with at the ballet studio. Who would have thought a gig playing the piano would lead to the hottest sex of my life? Before we got down to it, I think I promised to help out on a dance concert he's producing. I was in such a lust haze I barely remember. He'd better text soon. I wonder if he's still interested in seeing me in a *very* unprofessional capacity.

Brandon

I can barely focus on the upcoming dance concert or my move to New York. I'm thinking about that cute pianist instead. Did I tell him I'm moving? Things happened so fast between us I can't remember. I've never had an experience like that where I was totally unraveled by a stranger. If I wasn't about to move across the country, I would definitely want to go another round. But I'm leaving, so no more hot domination games with Joshua. I've got to keep things professional and not fixate on the way his elegant fingers moved across my body.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back is the first book in the Ballet Boys series. Each book is a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, I suggest starting with book one. Learn more about what kind of content to expect in this book on my website, CydSidney.com.

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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B7C5BZVY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (July 26, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 26, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 546 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 136 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 50 ratings

About the author

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Cyd Sidney
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My name is Cyd Sidney and I write queer, romantic tales that are sweet but also steamy. I’m thrilled that you’re here and hope you’ll join me for the ride!

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
50 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2023
    Joshua hasn't quite got his life back together after he had to drop out of grad school to help his mother nurse his dying father. Then there was the breakup with his toxic ex-boyfriend. He thinks he should try to go back to school but hasn't quite got the confidence to apply. In the meantime, he does small web gigs and plays piano. Joshua is filling in for another pianist at a ballet school when he meets Brandon, one of the instructors. There's an instant attraction between the two, and Brandon brings out thoughts in Joshua that he'd never dreamed of.

    “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back” is another entry in the limited-time-relationship category. Joshua and Brandon meet in Los Angeles just as Brandon is preparing to move to New York to start his own dance company. Despite the chemistry between them that is obvious to both men, they still hold back on discussing their feelings and the obvious solution - that Joshua moves to New York to be with Brandon.

    While I generally don't like the over-used “Men don't talk about their feelings” cliché, we get to know Joshua and Brandon well enough that their hesitation to address the elephant in the room comes off as natural and understandable. Both characters are quite believable as typical, albeit very talented, twenty-somethings.

    Their experiments in light BDSM play are rather sweet, as well as underlining the intensity of the relationship Brandon and Joshua are developing. The point of view switches between the two, chapter by chapter, so we know everything they're feeling, in addition to what they're not telling each other.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2022
    This is one of those books that I thought was just a lot of steamy scenes held together by a flimsy plot, but as the book goes on it gets down to the story that I was looking for. Joshua Goldman is 23yo but acts and dresses like he is much older. He’s been through a lot in his short life. Currently, he is playing piano for Lonely Oaks Ballet School and designs websites after a tragic period of time that changed a lot for him. As he plays the piano, he develops a crush on one of the male dancers, Brandon DiNova who is only a couple years younger but from Joshua’s standpoint, has his life together. Their story will intrigue and the ending will satisfy.
    If you like sweet and steamy gay romance, you will want to check out this book. I volunteered to review an ARC of this one through Gay Romance Reviews. First in a new series and I’m waiting to see who is next.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2023
    I enjoyed this story. It is a sweet and cute tale of a wannabe, maybe, baby dom and his ballet baby.

    Kinda.

    It is not a long story, so no deep dive or character development. We get some 🌶🌶🥵🥵 scenes and some angst with a HEA.

    I struggled with keeping the characters straight in the first few chapters, but I eventually caught on. There are a few grammar issues, but nothing terrible for a self-published author- I will 100% be back to read more from Cyd Sidney!
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2022
    Novella in series (Ballet Boys). Quick read. Light BDSM. Joshua wants to be a composer, but is struggling to find his direction and recover after his father’s death and a recent bad break up that leaves him floundering. When Joshua is hired as a temporary pianist to accompany ballet rehearsals, he has an unexpected heated hookup with Brandon, a ballet dancer and instructor. As Brandon and Joshua work on an upcoming performance they also explore a new D/s relationship. But Brandon is soon departing for New York, and Joshua knows there is a time limit to their relationship, so communicating feelings takes a back seat to fear of feeling too much. There is more background for Joshua’s motivations, and this certainly could have been a longer story if delving into both men’s histories, but given it is a novella it still showcases both men’s insecurities and quick feelings. Overall some steamy interactions between likable characters and the pull of “what could be” if they take the risk to be together as they work towards their HEA.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2022
    Joshua and Brandon connect unexpectedly, but with definite chemistry. In addition to the undeniable physical spark, their interests align nicely (a dancer and a musician) and it is, for the most part, fun to watch them together on the page. Neither are really sure what to do with what they’ve found with each other (or even what it is) and both could definitely stand to communicate more— both mainstays of a romantic plot, put to good use here. I would have liked to understand who the characters were, beyond the surface details (name, age, emotion in the moment, etc). There are references to things in the past / qualities each possesses that are aren’t really shown or developed over the course of the story, and while that’s somewhat understandable (this is a fairly quick read) it was sometimes frustrating to have hints without clarity. Overall, however, I enjoyed their story.

    *I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2022
    I really liked this book! I didn't know what to expect, but I was happy to find a classically trained pianist and composer, Joshua, in a leading role. He has a nice mom, too. Brandon is a dancer with a small group and plans to move to NYC soon. Joshua is the sub for a rehearsal pianist, which is a hard job--you have to pop into place and help the dancers hit their marks in practice. These two find insta-lust and take it to the supply room just like that. But something more compels them to keep seeing each other and appreciating each other's talents. Joshua has an anticipatory broken heart. Finally, their friends push them to confess their feelings. Joshua's composing took off after a big name in dance heard his work. Brandon's talent was never in doubt. And the relationship between the two is never in doubt after about 50% of the book. Sweet, with lots of heat and a little angst.
    I received an ARC via StoryOrigin and left this review voluntarily.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Maureen Crothall
    3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read
    Reviewed in Canada on June 5, 2023
    A sweet and sometimes funny novella. The one thing that bugged me was the total blankness of these guys getting a clue, I felt like yelling "Come ON!!!" Clueless and hurting each other. Anyway, aside from that it's rather cute and sexy and a lovely read.
  • Ms. C. L. Montgomery
    3.0 out of 5 stars Cute
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 29, 2025
    This was a cute short story and showed promise but it lacked depth and character growth. It all just felt rushed.

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