Another charming and amazing read from Melissa Brayden!

I have to say, I’m a bit shocked by the average reviews but hey, not every book is for everyone.

The story follows convicted felon, Peyton, and her adventure in setting up a life for herself after her release from jail. This leads her back to the town where her and her brother spent a large part of their life and where she also hopes to make amends with him for her past. She ends up setting up shop next to an endearing and almost introverted woman named Juliette and the story really takes off following their relationship which starts as a tentative friends and well, I guess you can figure out where that goes.

Characters-

Maybe it’s in contrast to the last story I reviewed but I really liked the personalization of the characters in this book.

Peyton and Juliette make up majority of the story and while I’m not exactly complaining, we were also introduced to others who I don’t think it would’ve hurt to get some more insight into.

Peyton is sunshine and positivity while also holding a natural flirtatious attitude. But even with this positivity we feel the hesitation and cautiousness that she carries with her baggage of her past. I for one find it very commendable just how natural Brayden produced this character.

Juliette is a little bit harder to read but I still loved seeing her open up to accept Peyton into her life in the various capacities she found herself considering. Would’ve loved to see more of her and her friends dynamic but nevertheless, loved her character.

Plot-

Very original and refreshing to the lesbian genre, at least to what I’ve read. I did see someone say they found the lack of variety in setting a turn off and while I do agree that the book doesn’t have much of it, it wasn’t really a problem for me.

There isn’t much for me to complain about in terms of the plot. I found it charming, interesting and natural flowing.

Writing-

Melissa Brayden managed to bring this story about in a way that was natural and engaging. From the pacing to the dialogue, everything ran smoothly. Amazing characters, hot interactions and the amazing writing to compliment it.

So yes, I recommend this book especially if you’re looking for a light story which isn’t too dark but also not too surface level.

It’s perfect for a light stress free read!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in return from an honest review.

This was a well-written read that was somewhat darker than the author's usual fare. I really connected with Peyton and her quest for redemption, as well as Juliette and her struggle to get out of her comfort zone. They had great chemistry and the book overall was steamier than any of the author's recent works. It all fizzled out a bit towards the end due to Peyton's past coming back to haunt her, but I still enjoyed the book and appreciated that the author didn't add drama for drama's sake. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

This book was not for me. I enjoyed the storyline and concept but felt the writing did not flow smoothly.

The plot itself was entertaining and I enjoyed seeing a redemption arc so carefully thought out, but that was the extent of my enjoyment. Everything else felt rushed and incohesive.

My main issue was with the characters and dialogue. Description-wise, the characters were written as clearly different in personality and appearance. However, when it came to dialogue there was no apparent difference in character voices. Toward the middle of the book, especially, it felt as though every character talking was doing so through Peyton's voice and perspective. It made seeing the bigger picture of character relationships hard.

It is definitely a fun read for those who do not want to dig too deep into the writing itself, I just found it hard to stay motivated to read once the line between characters became unclear.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about Juliette Jennings who owns a stationary store. Juliette is an introvert that has been recently divorced. Her husband starts dating her best friend and this upsets Juliette because she feels left out, now she’s lost her husband and her friend.

Meanwhile Peyton Lane, an ex con, has moved back to her hometown after purchasing a successful lingerie store from a woman, Candy, who became her mentor. Candy gives Peyton the encouragement she needs to feel good about herself and to reach out to other people. Peyton had decided to live life to the fullest now that she has her freedom.

Braydon did a good job in developing both MCs and wrote some hot scenes. I thought midway through the book that they switched roles. Early on Peyton was the outgoing and adventurous person and Juliette was shy and reserved. Later Juliette takes Peyton’s ideas on how to be more successful in her business and gets super creative with her custom made greeting cards.

There was good communication between the MCs and much of the book revolves around everyday life. The fade to black moment came toward the end even though I was anticipating it from the start. But the good part was how Juliette handled it, going all out to redeem herself.

ARC received from NetGalley for an honest and voluntary review.

'Lucky in Lace' features Peyton, who is such a unique and refreshing character to see in a romance book. Peyton has a troubled past, and she knows that she has made some terrible choices. She's looking for a second chance to redeem herself from the past, and she finds it... in a lingerie store. Peyton is the owner of a lingerie store, and she moves the store back to her hometown in Ohio.

Juliette owns the stationary store next to Peyton's new lingerie shop, and she isn't thrilled about the store moving in next to hers. Juliette is uptight and a little grumpy, and she doesn't know how to handle Peyton's friendliness toward her. Juliette is also struggling because her ex-husband and her best friend have started dating, and now, she feels like the third wheel. Juliette is looking for a love of her own, and maybe she will find it with Peyton?

As the two women spend time together, a friendship forms, but they have underlying feelings for each other. They have some steamy encounters in tight spaces, and sparks are flying for them. Both of them are hesitant to jump into a relationship because of their past experiences, but will they be able to break out of their shells and move on with each other?

Peyton's character arc was one of redemption, but it was also about her seeing her worth and realizing her self-confidence was there all along. Peyton had to face the demons of her past mistakes, in order for her to have a bright present and future. There was so much depth to her character, and I loved the journey that she went on by herself and with Juliette. Juliette also struggled to come into her own, and she stepped out of her comfort zone too.

I teared up a few points in the story, and I feel like both Juliette and Peyton grew so much. I loved their story, and I think it was amazing to see a character like Peyton in a romance. She was an unlikely main character, but I'm so glad that her story was written!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an arc of 'Lucky in Lace'.

Many thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Lucky in Lace is a story of opposites attracting, redemption, and the simple pleasures of life, all wrapped up in charming, funny packaging. It's filled with laugh-out-loud moments as well as genuinely touching ones, and is altogether an excellent example of light reading for the lesbian gaze. It's not too long, generally easy to read & competently written. Peyton and Juliette, the dual protagonists (though, really, this is more Peyton's story), are charming in their own ways.

The two characters didn't compel me, though I think that's standard for lighter romance novels. It's hard to feel attached to someone when they exist to serve a romantic narrative. In many cases, characters have felt independent of their love interest; not so here. Peyton was better in this regard than Juliette. While Peyton had believable conflicts outside of the romance, and had her own interior life that was easy to get wrapped into, Juliette's conflicts were less interesting & usually wrapped up earlier and cleaner. Her one big hang-up that isn't directly tied to Peyton - a romantic entanglement between two of her close friends - is, in fact, solved by her falling in love with Peyton. She exists to contrast Peyton. Because of my lack of investment in Juliette, I didn't enjoy the romance. It felt flat to me. It's pretty silly to have my enjoyment of a romance novel hampered by the fact that it's a romance novel, but still, I felt that the characterization of Juliette could have been done better.

The other qualm I had with the story was the plotlessness. Of course a romance novel isn't going to have the most plot, but here, there was little change in setting, pace, or circumstance throughout the book. The characters didn't have much real conflict with each other. Peyton and Juliette had one miscommunication-based third-act breakup, but it was swiftly resolved. The end of the book held most of the story, and fittingly it was the part I enjoyed the most. The epilogue and last chapter were truly sweet moments. I wish we had gotten to see more of Peyton with her brother, or Juliette with Dolores and her father (much of the story was greatly enhanced by the supporting cast, but Juliette didn't get nearly as many of those moments as Peyton did), or Cherry in general (I liked her very much.) With all that being said, this remains a solid, easy-to-get-through 3-star beach read, suitable for all varieties of lesbian romance aficionados.

M. Brayden always slays, in my opinion. But this one, y’all? Absolutely loved it. This was a great comeback story and a solid romance. It hit on just about every aspect I like in a romance novel. It felt like no stone was left unturned by the story in explaining why a character felt a certain way. I do think of the main characters shined more than the other but they did have a tougher hill to climb. Even the usual angst event felt natural instead of like a placeholder to fill a the romance plot quota. Would definitely recommend, for sure