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One Last Dance: It's Never Too Late to Fall in Love
A story about finding love at any age, One Last Dance is the delightful tale of Morgan, aged 89, and Dixie, 79, two mature individuals on seemingly divergent paths. Despite their disastrous first meeting, complete with a ruined birthday cake, broken eyeglasses and insulting remarks, it was obvious to bystanders, even then, that the two were fated for each other. Dixie and Morgan begin to date and ultimately decide to move in together ? for economic reasons, they agree. But the business-only relationship changes and strengthens as the couple unite to combat illness, scandal, and a near-fatal accident. The story also reveals how past insecurities, humiliations, and fears can haunt a person throughout his days. Dixie fears intimacy. Morgan has concealed important details about his divorce, his estranged children, and his lost job. And all the while, a mysterious intruder lurks, bent on vengeance for past wrongs. He invades their lives, exposing their most intimate secrets and lies.
- GenresFiction
422 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 26, 2007
Mardo Williams was in his nineties when he began to write ONE LAST DANCE and asked his daughters to finish it for him if he himself was unable to do so.
The daughters, an actress/author and a retired high school English teacher, did finish the book. The result was a book which addressed the joy and the problems of a late-in-life romance. What a marvelous job of character development!
I am a slow reader, wanting to picture everything in my mind before moving on. The book is over 400 pages long, but I didn't want to stop to eat or sleep or anything else. I first read the book in May, then again in September to refresh my memory before our book discussion group met.
The author advocated living life to the fullest no matter what one's age. His daughters verified that Mardo Williams did indeed live according to that premise.
It was a treat to meet the daughters who came to our town and gave a very interesting presentation to our group. Now my autographed copy of ONE LAST DANCE is one of my treasures.
The daughters, an actress/author and a retired high school English teacher, did finish the book. The result was a book which addressed the joy and the problems of a late-in-life romance. What a marvelous job of character development!
I am a slow reader, wanting to picture everything in my mind before moving on. The book is over 400 pages long, but I didn't want to stop to eat or sleep or anything else. I first read the book in May, then again in September to refresh my memory before our book discussion group met.
The author advocated living life to the fullest no matter what one's age. His daughters verified that Mardo Williams did indeed live according to that premise.
It was a treat to meet the daughters who came to our town and gave a very interesting presentation to our group. Now my autographed copy of ONE LAST DANCE is one of my treasures.
January 16, 2026
One Last Dance: It’s Never Too Late to Fall in Love by Mardo Williams had my attention from the beginning. Written by Mardo Williams in his 90s, he instructed his two daughters, Kay and Jerri, to complete the work in the event that he passed before the book was published. In granting their father’s wishes, an emotionally gripping story was born about love, loss, and the tricky specimen that is time. The story follows our two main characters, Morgan and Dixie, as they navigate their later years and come together to partake in one final journey.
As someone in her twenties, I was initially worried that I would struggle with connecting emotionally with these two senior characters. I have not yet experienced the struggles of old age, and the thought of retirement has become almost laughable in the current state of today. But through the exceptional writing and inclusion of Morgan’s grandson, Tony, I was able to relate more than I thought possible. The roller coaster of emotions that each character displays is extremely realistic and ties into my own personal experience with family. Williams has inserted a sense of authenticity into each character, and we, as the readers, are able to believe in them and cheer them on to the finish line.
I greatly enjoyed the multi-POV of the main characters and believe this enhanced the overall reader experience. In the beginning, we laugh at Dixie and Morgan’s “meet-cute” and cringe as they begin navigating the choppy waters of moving in together. We witness Tony making his initial poor decisions, while simultaneously seeing the uncertainty and fear in Dixie and Morgan as they hear whispers of strange happenings and unknown lurkers. This device continues to thoroughly develop the plot as we watch the two elders fret over the state of Tony, and then we are rewarded when Tony decides to turn his life around.
The author also did a wonderful job of enveloping the reader into the story by utilizing vivid imagery and building unique settings. I could practically smell the antiseptic cleaners in Whispering Pines, hear the sputtering engine of Morgan’s beat-up (American) car, and run my hand along Dixie’s prized burgundy drapes.
If there’s one key takeaway from this book, it’s truly that you’re never too old to embark on new journeys and take risks. I hope other readers (young and old alike) choose to pick up One Last Dance: It’s Never Too Late to Fall in Love by Mardo Williams and bear witness to two love stories that stand the test of time.
As someone in her twenties, I was initially worried that I would struggle with connecting emotionally with these two senior characters. I have not yet experienced the struggles of old age, and the thought of retirement has become almost laughable in the current state of today. But through the exceptional writing and inclusion of Morgan’s grandson, Tony, I was able to relate more than I thought possible. The roller coaster of emotions that each character displays is extremely realistic and ties into my own personal experience with family. Williams has inserted a sense of authenticity into each character, and we, as the readers, are able to believe in them and cheer them on to the finish line.
I greatly enjoyed the multi-POV of the main characters and believe this enhanced the overall reader experience. In the beginning, we laugh at Dixie and Morgan’s “meet-cute” and cringe as they begin navigating the choppy waters of moving in together. We witness Tony making his initial poor decisions, while simultaneously seeing the uncertainty and fear in Dixie and Morgan as they hear whispers of strange happenings and unknown lurkers. This device continues to thoroughly develop the plot as we watch the two elders fret over the state of Tony, and then we are rewarded when Tony decides to turn his life around.
The author also did a wonderful job of enveloping the reader into the story by utilizing vivid imagery and building unique settings. I could practically smell the antiseptic cleaners in Whispering Pines, hear the sputtering engine of Morgan’s beat-up (American) car, and run my hand along Dixie’s prized burgundy drapes.
If there’s one key takeaway from this book, it’s truly that you’re never too old to embark on new journeys and take risks. I hope other readers (young and old alike) choose to pick up One Last Dance: It’s Never Too Late to Fall in Love by Mardo Williams and bear witness to two love stories that stand the test of time.
November 12, 2017
A great book that tackles a subject dear to my heart, romance and relationships with mature characters.
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January 26, 2026Read my full review here!
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August 30, 2011
Mardo Williams’ One Last Dance is proof that romance isn’t dead, there’s life after 80, the sins of the parents can be redeemed, and old age and youth both have lessons to teach and to learn. The story waltzes through an honestly depicted world of assisted living, Social Security, hospitals and sweethearts. Lyrical prose and perfect dialog create delicious humor and pathos while the characters weave their way through all the expected trials of a good romance novel. Will Dixie end up with Morgan or with his best friend? Will Morgan ever learn to see things her way? Will she ever stop setting rules? And will Morgan’s mysterious past catch up with him and tear things apart?
Romantic novels are meant to engage the emotions and leave the reader feeling good. This story of 90-year-old Morgan and 80-year-old Dixie achieves its aim delightfully. The characters are beautifully real, with the problems of aging adding depth and a time-dependent urgency to romantic entanglements. The plot’s nicely woven to bring in youth and old age, and everything in between. And the writer’s gentle hand with sex, politics and religion, his skill with creating scenes of ballroom and flowers around the lawn, plus his own experience of aging, brings a wonderful authenticity to it all.
Morgan’s heard if you reach 90 you’ve got every chance of making 100. If I could still be like him at 90, I’d go for 100 too. I feel like I’ve met these characters, and my only regret is the author hasn’t lived to see his creations dancing on the page. A perfect romantic novel for real people of real age, with honest promise for the future.
Disclosure: I read this novel in the romance section of the Dan Poynter Global eBook Awards.
Romantic novels are meant to engage the emotions and leave the reader feeling good. This story of 90-year-old Morgan and 80-year-old Dixie achieves its aim delightfully. The characters are beautifully real, with the problems of aging adding depth and a time-dependent urgency to romantic entanglements. The plot’s nicely woven to bring in youth and old age, and everything in between. And the writer’s gentle hand with sex, politics and religion, his skill with creating scenes of ballroom and flowers around the lawn, plus his own experience of aging, brings a wonderful authenticity to it all.
Morgan’s heard if you reach 90 you’ve got every chance of making 100. If I could still be like him at 90, I’d go for 100 too. I feel like I’ve met these characters, and my only regret is the author hasn’t lived to see his creations dancing on the page. A perfect romantic novel for real people of real age, with honest promise for the future.
Disclosure: I read this novel in the romance section of the Dan Poynter Global eBook Awards.
January 25, 2017
This is our selection for our January book discussion -- a great romance and a somewhat emotional read, especially since it was written by a man!
The lead characters in this story are 89 year old Bryce "Morgan" and 79 year old Dixie Valentine. It covers their lives for 1 1/2 years and when things are good, they're really good, but when things are bad ...
The lead characters in this story are 89 year old Bryce "Morgan" and 79 year old Dixie Valentine. It covers their lives for 1 1/2 years and when things are good, they're really good, but when things are bad ...
February 5, 2008
89-year-old Morgan meets 79-year-old Dixie and the two fall in love. Yippee. It's a nice love story, but the things that happen to these two old people in just the course of a year strains credulity.
February 28, 2009
A nice reminder that people over a certain age (80) still have plenty of life left to live. In our youth-centered society, it's easy to forget.
March 1, 2009
Wrote a review for it here
January 8, 2011
I think I'm just not great with traditional romance.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews