Melissa Brayden

Small bookshop owner Hannah Shepard and famous romance novelist Parker Bristow maneuver the landscape of their two very different worlds to find out if love can win out in the end.

Back to September

Izza

3.5 stars | I wanted to love this a lot more. That said, it's still pretty good and Brayden went with something different.

Lucia Correa

5 Stars – Brayden is Back in Back to September!

For whatever reason and unlike most readers, I couldn’t get into Brayden’s Seven Shores series. For the most part I loved her previous books. The first book of the series, Eyes Like Those, I stopped and started but I couldn’t finish. I even tried the audiobook. I was so disappointed; I didn’t pick up any of her new books. Therefore, I haven’t read a new Brayden in quite a while.

This book came up on my Netgalley list and I decided to give it a shot. Brayden is Back in Back to September! I was so happy because I could not put it down. 

Hannah Shephard owns a small bookshop in Providence, RI, just a couple of blocks from the main drag. An ideal location. She did well the first few years, but now the bookshop is in trouble. She has two longtime part-time employees, Luna and Kurt. They are loyal to Hannah and love working there, despite the minimal pay. Luna convinces Hannah to request THE best-selling romance author, Parker Bristow to stop by for a book signing during her tour. In truth, Hannah admits she is a book snob. She doesn’t understand how people can love the whole romance genre. But they sell a lot and to her surprise, Parker agrees to visit her store. Needless to say, the book signing brings in a large crowd of book buyers and even a local TV news crew. Parker is not just an author, but a celebrity with a large twitter following and a media darling. Hannah is impressed that Parker is as kind as she is beautiful.

This is told in Hannah’s point of view. I think it was very effective to really get to know Hannah and yet Parker is sometimes a bit of a mystery. Or in other words, you sometimes you just want to ask Parker “What the hell were you thinking?”

I loved all the characters. You want to be in Hannah’s small circle of friends and I suppose you are when you read this book. I want Hannah or Lola to match me with my perfect book(s). You’ll probably disagree, but Hannah and her sister, Bo reminded me of the relationship of the TV series sisters Kara/Supergirl and Alex. (This stuff pops into your (my) head when you are sleep deprived).

Hannah’s Perfect Match also reminded me of my favorite Podcast – Modern Mrs. Darcy’s “What Should I read Next? Anne Bogel asks a reader every week, what are 3 books they loved and one book they “didn’t” and she will give them recommendations. Granted I don’t read the majority of the books they discuss but I just enjoy listening to book lovers talk books. https://modernmrsdarcy.com/what-shoul...

Another side note - Sad news. One of my favorite independent bookstores is very close to shutting down if they don't find a buyer ASAP. It's called Mysterious Galaxy and it specializes in Mysteries and SciFi/Fantasy/Paranormal etc. Its a relatively large store so it was a surprise to me. They would get some big name author signings. Many times because they supported authors early in their careers and the authors remained loyal.

My one quibble with the book – I don’t understand the cover. The book title is clever, but the book cover? Where I live when I think of September, I think HOT, sweltering heat. Not knit hats. Or maybe she is remembering the last September in mid winter? Whatever, Read This Book Next.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

KADY BURNS

Of course I finished this one in a day. Melissa's writing does that to me. Loved this one and related to Hannah so much.

Building a bridge between two worlds can be tricky. Hannah Shephard likes her life, her job, and her perfectly cozy apartment around the corner from her shop. She’s never been one to take big risks and would much rather stay in on a Friday night with a warm cup of decaf and her favorite mystery novel, so why do her friends insist she needs more? Plus, Hannah has bigger problems to focus on. She’s in trouble. Well, her bookstore is, and if she doesn’t find a way to bring in some more cash, she’ll be closing the doors of A Likely Story for good. When world famous romance novelist Parker Bristow accepts her request to come in for a signing, Hannah might finally be able to drum up some much-needed attention and save the shop. What she didn’t anticipate was an unexpected evening and a woman she wouldn’t soon forget. A real romance is off the table. Parker is flashy, sought after, and Hannah is just, well, Hannah. But for Parker, it seems like Hannah might be a safe place to fall. The question is, what kind of falling are they doing?

Jude Silberfeld

There’s been a lot of internal screaming while I was reading this book. And ache. Because it’s so good. Melissa Brayden is an automatic read for me at this point, and I didn’t even glance at the blurb before opening her latest book. So it came as a very good surprise that, as a romance writer, she created a character who is some sort of a book snob and won’t showcase a book in her bookstore because it’s a romance novel. « I’d read a handful in my teens and enjoyed them well enough, that is, until I outgrew them. » Yeah, Hannah Shephard is one of those. Brilliant idea. And so of course she had to fall for the author of said book, Parker Bristow, because how could she not?

Then Brayden did something I definitely didn’t expect: she stopped everything right there.

I guess even smart people can be stupid sometimes. I mean, Parker and Hannah get along really well, the chemistry is out of this world and they go on to get other girlfriends? What are you thinking, people?! That’s me, screaming in my head. I want to be clear that I wasn’t screaming at the author (that has happened with others, never with Brayden) but at the characters. Their behaviour was believable, and they both had their reasons – and baggage – to act the way they did, I simply didn’t want them to.

Also, I don’t do conflict. I hate it. It makes me want to throw punches and that’s not me. That weekend at the resort? Argh.

So it’s fair to say I had a lot of feelings. Which, in truth, couldn’t make me happier. I loved this book. If I didn’t have so many yet-unread books on my list, I’d probably read it again, like right now. I love Melissa Brayden’s books, I love the way she writes, I love the characters she creates (I think I’ll always be a little bit in love with Jessica Lennox), I love that some are lesbians and some – like Hannah – are bisexual and it doesn’t feel artificial, I love the wit and the quirkiness, and, most of all, I love the dialogue. I’ve rated every Brayden book I’ve read (I still have a few to discover) 5*, which I’m willing to admit is, in some cases, probably a tad overrated, but it’s all because of all these feelings and the dialogue. I’m a sucker for playful banter and heartfelt declarations of love, and Melissa Brayden writes both (and more) splendidly. Hence the 5*, once more.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Megan Cooper

Okay, so I absolutely adored Beautiful Dreamer and was stoked to read Ms Brayden's newest book.   I was expecting a wonderfully sweet and endearing slow burn romance with engaging characters, witty banter, small town shenanigans, Henley shirts - hell I was expecting  sunshine and unicorns.  What I got was ...angst.  Gloriously heart-wrenching angst.  The highs were euphoric and the lows were devastating.  At points I had to put the book down and take a calming breath as the story unfolded.

Hannah Shepherd an independent bookstore owner who is struggling to keep her business afloat.  When she has the opportunity to host a book signing by one of the top romance writers, she jumps at the chance to bring more clients despite the fact that she's a bit of a book snob who's never read a romance.  Enter Parker Bristow, bestselling novelist, internet influencer and darling of the talk show circuit.  Despite her fame, Parker is down-to-earth and charming.  An easy rapport develops as she invites Hannah for dinner.  There's a phenomenal chemistry between the two - physically and intellectually - and their attraction quickly escalates.

This is an on and off again romance - which totally cranks up the angst-o-meter.  As a reader, you know that they belong together and the more they are apart the higher the frustration - dating other people or stupid insecurities just make you want to throttle them both.  Call me a book nerd, but I found the scene where the two of them are relaxing on the couch reading their books almost as hot as the sex that happens soon after.  So often romances are all about the physical attraction and there's not much time for talking or spending time outside the bedroom. The level of comfort and compatibility  between Hannah and Parker just amps up the raw physical attraction that the two share.

The story is told from Hannah's first person POV and you get a front row seat to the gamut of emotions she experiences.  Considering herself staid and boring - she's resolved to settle for a relationship based on friendship.  With Parker,  she's swept up in the intensity of the  attraction and the brightly burning, all encompassing passion.   Parker is bewildering and addictive - and despite the pain and betrayal Hannah's unable to resist the pull of the depth of her feelings for her.

After I read Back to September I was pretty much wrecked and had to take a few days to formulate my thoughts for my review. Once the angsty high that had completely sucked me into the book wore off, I began to have some misgivings with Parker and her actions.   If  I had been a character in the book, I probably would have offered to knock Parker around on Hannah's behalf.  Okay, I probably would have given her a really stern glare - while her back was turned - and surreptitiously played "You're No Good" on constant repeat in the bookstore.  I've gone back and forth on this - and what I've settled on is that Ms. Brayden is a talented writer who is able to completely bewitch her readers.  On paper, Parker's actions were cowardly and callous and put Hannah through hell; but,  in Ms. Brayden's book, it freaking worked.

Postscript: I haven't read a lot of Ms. Brayden's novels, but I did notice that a plot device used (twice) in Beautiful Dreamers was used in this book as well - I'm hoping that this is coincidence and not a signature plot device as its a pretty heavy handed way to get the MCs back together.

Definitely Recommended

Back to September

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