Book excerpt: Isabella “Izzy” Roccine has never experienced a man’s kiss, other than a tight-lipped stage kiss. She knows nothing about romance and little about life. After landing a job on Broadway, she heads to New York City with a suitcase full of dance shoes and dreams. She’s made a promise to herself to finally fall in love. When she thinks her very first boyfriend, firefighter Brandon O’Conner, rejects her because of a secret she has withheld from him, her life begins to crumble. Her career comes to a halt and she grabs a lifeline offered by a man that leads a duplicitous life. Ashe Cramer is a mega-rich socialite by night and porn star by day. He provides carnal pleasure and offers financial abundance to her, but his inability to connect emotionally means the relationship with Izzy remains empty. As Izzy’s life continues to pirouette towards implosion, she considers returning home broken. When she’s given a second chance with Brandon, she’s determined to reclaim all that’s been lost. Resurrecting her determined spirit, she fights for everything and everyone important to her. Resilient and wiser, even unbelievable heartbreak doesn’t stop her from living the life she’s always imagined. Opening Act is the first installment in the Pirouettes and Promises Series. Stand-alone. No cliffhangers.