Plié: Wicked Moves, Book 1

I need to talk about this one. On paper, Pliè had everything I should love with enemies to lovers, forced proximity, a struggling Black-owned dance studio fighting to survive, a single dad billionaire who thinks he knows better, and a dominant-submissive dynamic in an exclusive sex club. Add in community legacy, emotional growth, and business tension? This had five-star potential. Aisha McKinney is trying to save Mrs. Brown Dance Studio, a legacy in her community. Knox Davenport is the wealthy, hyper-controlled father of one of her students who hates how she runs the studio. They clash, argue, and circle each other. Then, we find out they’re both involved in a dominant-submissive club, where Aisha is assigned to train Knox as a new dom. That part? Hot. Very hot. There were scenes that absolutely delivered. The edging scene? I get it. I get the appeal. I was seated. Here’s where things fell apart for me. The writing was just not good. I struggled hard with the dialogue. It often felt juvenile and crass in a way that pulled me completely out of the moment. Lines like “Pliè on this dick” and repeated use of words like “nut” made what could have been intense scenes feel unintentionally comedic. Instead of leaning into the tension, I found myself giggling. Not in a good way. The plot needed focus. We had business struggles, custody tension, a stalker, a secret sex tape, recovering addicts, therapy arcs, rival sabotage, family drama, and random hints of bisexual exploration that never fully materialized. At one point a threesome is teased, and then, nothing. The story just kept adding new elements without giving proper closure to the ones already introduced. The third act breakup sent me over the edge. Knox raises the rent on Aisha’s rival’s studio space, the rival retaliates with a secretly recorded sex video from Aisha's studio, and Knox tries to handle it quietly before stressing Aisha further. Aisha explodes because he did not explain every step in real time. Her reaction felt impulsive and forced, and I struggled to sympathize with it. It read like conflict for the sake of conflict. Aisha’s overthinking became repetitive. Knox’s protectiveness often crossed into control. Their chemistry was strongest in the club, but outside of it, they had a hard time connecting emotionally. I wanted depth. I wanted finesse. Instead, I felt like I was watching the potential for this story slip through the cracks. By the end, they move in together, the Christmas show is a success, the Gold Room remains open for play, and major threads are left hanging. We never find out if the senior dancers actually land those paid spots. We never get satisfying closure on some of the biggest stakes introduced earlier, like the threesome I was looking forward to. I finished this mostly out of stubbornness. There were flashes of something compelling here. The kink elements had real heat. The premise had promise, but the execution was chaotic, unfocused, and tonally inconsistent. When the story stayed centered on the club dynamic and Aisha’s vulnerability within that space, it worked. You might vibe with this more than I did if you love high-drama romance with strong D/s dynamics and do not mind crass dialogue or messy plotting. For me, it just did not come together. I really wanted to pliè into this one. Instead, I lost my balance because of disappointment.