Author: Ernesto Patino

Publisher: Indigo Sea Press, LLC

ISBN: 9781630662721

Many of us are aware that for thousands of years the heart was considered to be the seat of the human soul and until this day people continue to equate emotions with the heart. And if you are one of those individuals who enjoy reading about the possibility of the soul of a deceased person coming back with a transplant of a heart, you are probably going to enjoy Ernesto Patino's latest novel, One Last Dance.

The yarn is quite straightforward and Patino gets quickly to the point. It begins with the account of a young man, Marco Anissi finding himself in a hospital bed after a car accident wherein he hit a light pole to avoid running over a dog. Coincidentally, ten years previously and during the same month he had hit the same light pole killing his fiancée, Susan.

Marco could not help thinking to himself that perhaps Susan was trying to send him a message. Upon learning of his thoughts, Marco's sister, Angela is quite concerned about her brother and tries to dissuade him from going down this path and moreover contacting his former professor, whom she considers to be a flake. Apparently, the professor had an unusual theory about how an organ, like a heart can possess part of a person's soul. Nonetheless, Marco is determined to find out what is going on and consults with the professor who tells him that it is possible that Susan's spirit was still with them, and that the accident was her way of reaching out to Marco. This sets off Marco in trying to find the person who received Susan's heart, which he knows will not be an easy task.

His first instinct is to telephone Susan's parents and perhaps they can give him the information he desperately needs. Unfortunately, Susan's father is very angry and tells him in no uncertain words not to call again. Four days later, Marco receives a letter from Susan's mother, who unlike her father, did not hold her daughter's death against him. In the letter she indicates the name of the recipient of Susan's heart, Julia Tinsley with a Tampa address. Marco follows up only to discover that the recipient had moved to Tuscon, Arizona and that she was a dance instructor.

Now that he knows where Julia lives, he moves to Tuscon and tracks down the dance studio where she works and he enrols in dance lessons with her. Upon his first meeting with Julia he immediately feels a strong connection to her particularly that she agrees to be his dance instructor despite the fact that she only takes advanced students.

Unfortunately, Marco is informed that he has a brain tumor and must immediately undergo a very risky surgery and may not survive the operation. Marco continually puts off the operation as he is most concerned with Julia who is not doing very well with her transplant.

A love triangle is thrown in along the way involving Julia's on and off boyfriend who is not exactly excited about Marco's pursuing of Julia.

Patino weaves an engaging story that is delicate and thoughtful where we have an extraordinarily look at romance and friendship forming the key elements in the story, and which is interwoven with the strong belief that the heart is the source of love and emotions. He has a keen eye for the interaction of his two principal characters, Marco and Julia, and we become very much involved in the yarn as it shifts back and forth revealing their feelings toward one another. In addition, he has found just the right balance between thoughtful, entertaining and thought-provoking, while at the same time avoiding a tale that could easily have become dark and emotionally devastating.