In the Air (The City, #1) in The Indie Bookshelf

Dec 29, 2012 Megan • Reading Books Like a Boss (book blog) rated it liked it

"If we hadn't agreed to take things slow, I would kiss you senseless right now, in the middle of this sidewalk, hoping everyone would stop and stare."
In the Air was a absolute treat to read! I enjoyed every pirouette, plié, and tondue. When I saw that this book was about two ballet dancers at Juilliard in New York, I knew I had to read it. And look at the book cover! It's absolutely gorgeous.

Having just lost her father to cancer, Natalia is still a little numb when she begins her freshman yea

"If we hadn't agreed to take things slow, I would kiss you senseless right now, in the middle of this sidewalk, hoping everyone would stop and stare."
In the Air was a absolute treat to read! I enjoyed every pirouette, plié, and tondue. When I saw that this book was about two ballet dancers at Juilliard in New York, I knew I had to read it. And look at the book cover! It's absolutely gorgeous.

Having just lost her father to cancer, Natalia is still a little numb when she begins her freshman year at Julliard. Her mother isn't exactly the most loving, supportive person; in fact she's quite the ice queen. Mommy Dearest is more concerned with the number of practice hours Natalia has logged than her daughter's well-being.Of course, her freshman experience wouldn't be complete without a random potluck roommate. Enter Kingsley. At first, Kingsley came across as a rude, crazy bitch. I thought Kingsley was going to make Natalia's life a living hell. Boy was I wrong! She ended up being one of my favorite characters. Kingsley is one of those people you don't want to cross who you want to be your best friend because she'll have your back. And guess what, errybody? The second installment of the "In the Air" series is going to Kingsley and Wren's book! *yes yes yes dance*

Kingsley: "Those stares you were giving each other were hotter than the last porno I watched."

Natalia meets Samson outside of school, and they don't exactly hit it off. Okay, Natalia hates him. Samson is everything she doesn't want--preppy clothes, cocky attitude, and he calls her "doll". As luck would have it, they are paired as partners in dance class, and Natalia is less than thrilled.

Natalia: "Don't get too excited being this close to me. It will only happen when we're dancing."
Samson: "You don't seem to like me very much."
Natalia: "You don't miss a thing."

Natalia and Samson play cat and mouse. Natalia wants nothing to do with him, but Samson is a persistent little bugger. The chemistry between Natalia and Samson was off the charts. Their back and forth banter dripped with sexual tension. I LOVED THAT!

"If she only knew how much control she actually had, she could easily have me begging just to be near her."

But just as Natalia begins to come around, Samson drops a bomb. And I was all...*GASP*...Oh no, he didn't!! YES HE DID!! (I'm not going to tell you what the bomb is. You'll have to find out for yourself). This is the part where I got really super frustrated with Samson. I felt like he could have handled the situation much better. But then again, Natalia wasn't completely innocent either. Their shenanigans cancel each other out, right?

I assumed this book was going to be dual POV, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were four POVs. Now before you let that turn you off, let me tell you that the book is primarily in Samson and Natalia's POV. But Aubrey and Kingsley's POV is sprinkled in there for good measure. I loved seeing the story told from these other outside POVs. It helped me connect with these secondary characters and made me more sympathetic towards them.

One thing I liked about In the Air was that it kept my interest without being OTT (over-the-top) dramatic. I hate it when books throw in a plot twist just to shock me, especially when the twist makes absolutely no sense. The way Serowka describes New York, the school, and the general surroundings made me feel like I was there seeing it all. This is a stunning debut that left me wanting more.

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Apr 09, 2013 Laura rated it really liked it

Miss Crystal Serowka's debut novel. Did you say, debut? Yah, I don't believe it.

I'm a sucker for anything to do with the arts, so I KNEW that I'd instantly feel a connection with the characters in this book. I wasn't wrong.

Natalia is they typical person I think of when I think of a serious dancer. She's focused, she is a bit demure...as the book progresses, she changes, and I think that's one of my favorite things about her. She grows a set ;)

Samson....oh sweet, Samson.
"Once I found Samson, my ...more

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Apr 18, 2013 Nance rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary-romance, new-adult-romance, books-read-2013, nance-2013-dangerous-hero-challen, nance, e-book

Okay, so I wouldn’t think there to be too many novels written about guys dancing – especially ballet. The backdrop of this novel focuses on none other than the world phenom of Julliard. Two people meet on a sidewalk outside the established school, and they are swept away by the intrigue of each other. Natalia piques Samson’s interest with her long blonde hair, intensifying brown eyes, and lean body structure. He can’t, though, allow himself to think of another girl. He has had the same girlfrien Okay, so I wouldn’t think there to be too many novels written about guys dancing – especially ballet. The backdrop of this novel focuses on none other than the world phenom of Julliard. Two people meet on a sidewalk outside the established school, and they are swept away by the intrigue of each other. Natalia piques Samson’s interest with her long blonde hair, intensifying brown eyes, and lean body structure. He can’t, though, allow himself to think of another girl. He has had the same girlfriend, Aubrey, for quite a few years, and just thinking about Natalia would definitely complicate his future plans. So, this attraction that he feels towards Natalia is not one that is desired. But, Samson can’t seem to control his feelings when it comes to Natalia. She is the most precious fixation that he has ever encountered, and he doesn’t want to lose her. Natalia also seems to be determined with keeping the couple’s relationship to only friendship. She can’t afford to have anything get in her way of achieving her life’s dream. Natalia informs her roommate, Kingsley, that she is a long way away from home, Mount Prospect, IL to be exact, and she’s extremely focused and excited to start her new adventure in New York City. It has been in her blood her entire life. From the time her mother started training her in ballet to this particular moment, she has dreamed of this possibility her whole life. And, now she meets Samson. He’s her dancing partner, and she doesn’t miss how attractive he is in a preppy sort-of-way with his muscular physique and immense build. Ugggh! She just can’t stop thinking of him, and this disturbs her greatly. What happens between the two when they both decide to act on their intimate feelings, has repercussions for all.

This novel was a quick read that touched briefly on the dancing world in New York City. It was cute, and sweet. The novel, which I anticipated to being more of a Young Adult book, was definitely more of a New Adult novel. Some explicit love scenes were portrayed and the language was somewhat graphic. But, I was exceedingly entertained with the author’s premise of the danceworld. Having been enlightened to various forms of dance brought about my daughter’s several years of competitive artistic movements, I found the idea of training professionally at a highly established center of the arts somewhat interesting. The love story portrayed was tender and caring among the newly formed couple, which was displayed with their alternating POV’s by the author. They seemed to feed off of each other’s balance of desire to be accepted by their families. Samson desperately wanted his father to accept his love of dance without feeling guilty for not being interested in his family’s professional business. While Natalia struggled to be the perfect ballerina for her brusque and impatient mother who was her former instructor. One’s heart could really go out to these two young adults who craved rescuing from the loneliness that a life of strigent perfection and strict discipline entails. Looking forward to reading the next installment of this series...
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Apr 01, 2013 Erica Alyson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorite-books, new-adult

In The Air was a wonderful debut novel. I absolutely loved it. I was instantly into the story and invested into the characters. Samson and Natalia made excellent main characters and Kingsley was a very interesting character as well. I want more on her. I want to get more into her head.

I loved the storyline and all of it. It was a little angsty which I liked but not over the top. Everything about this book I loved and I don't want to get to into because everyone should read it.

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Dec 29, 2012 Lindsay rated it really liked it

Shelves: indie-bookshelf

In the Air is a delightful novel with a unique setting and an intriguing cast of characters. Her characters are bold, beautiful and beguiling. Even the secondary characters draw you in to the point you will be begging for the next book in the series, just to find out THEIR story.

Samson and Natalia. Natalia and Samson. What can I say? Natalia is embarking on the beginning of her education at Julliard and is still reeling after the death of her father. She is also constantly battling the emotional ...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Amy rated it really liked it

Read this book as an ARC for review. I read this book without knowing a lot of what it was about. Quickly, I discovered that the story behind the story, the death of Natalia's father to cancer, was going to be an integral part of the story line. Natalia struggles with her controlling mother, her father's death, meeting a cute co-ed, a new roommate, as well as the demands of being at Juilliard and wanting to be the best of the best in class.

The first day Natalia arrives at school, she meets Sam Read this book as an ARC for review. I read this book without knowing a lot of what it was about. Quickly, I discovered that the story behind the story, the death of Natalia's father to cancer, was going to be an integral part of the story line. Natalia struggles with her controlling mother, her father's death, meeting a cute co-ed, a new roommate, as well as the demands of being at Juilliard and wanting to be the best of the best in class.

The first day Natalia arrives at school, she meets Samson, the arrogant, self-assured co-ed. When she sees him in class later, and then paired up with him, she struggles with the conflicting feelings she has for him.

Samson is a young man with demons of his own. He has a girlfriend, Aubrey, but after meeting Natalia, he wonders if there's more there.

Then there's Natalia's mother and father. Neither are in the book very much, but both make a huge impact on Natalia. Her mother only appears to care about Natalia's dancing, not able to be the mom that Natalia wants. Her father's death has deeply impacted the things that she does. She misses him terribly, and feels a huge hole with the loss.

Crystal Serowka's debut novel had me interested from the start. I related to Natalia, with her sense of loss, trying to find herself, and her need for connection. I felt like her characters were people I could identify with in some way, despite the fact that I'm not a ballerina, nor did I go to a specialized school such as Juilliard. I think one of my favorite characters had to be Kingsley, and I really was interested in learning her back story (perhaps in another book??). I was challenged with Samson, however, because on the surface, he appears to be an arrogant rich-boy. When we get to know him more, he becomes more loveable.

This book had me smiling, had me wanting to throw my Kindle, and had me not wanting to stop reading. Serowka was able to weave a well-written story that had me engaged, interested, and had me wishing I could be a prima ballerina. This first novel was enjoyable and I look forward to the next she has to offer!
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