I think on the strength of the excerpt this is definitely a book for fans of the author rather than lovers of good writing. I liked the glamour of the setting and I'm sure the author has been wise to stick to what he knows in locating the book in a hotel ballroom. However, I found there was something about the writing that didn't grab me. There were a few things, such as overuse of commas, that if repeated throughout the book I think would begin to annoy me. An example: 'His sad, dark eyes suggest a certain, tragic kind of beauty.'