Sweet, slow-burn f/f romance
Just a few days ago the sister-novel to Marigold „The Last Lavender Sister“ won a goldie award for best sapphic romance. Now another sister of the Lavender Family, Marigold, who holds her family together is off to meet her, ahem, enemy. Because that‘s how this sweet romance, set in rural Kansas, starts.
And it also starts with excellent food (foodies will again rejoice!) or rather a day off in Marigold‘s sister‘s restaurant: the critic is acerbic and Marigold rides to the rescue. And off it goes. There is a lot of introspection about the power of social media and influencers and into the role of families and achieving happiness: I loved those insightful nuggets which enriched the story. And I loved this enemies-to-lovers romance which comes totally naturally. Esp. the inevitable stumbling stones are well done.
I already mentioned that this is again a delight for foodies (me!!!) and there is a lovely dachshund as well although I have never heard of a snuggly, sweet-tempered dachshund who is quiet all day - must be a new breed or it is seriously ill ::)))

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is left voluntarily.

Marigold is a romantic, a caregiver, a middle child and the one that gives of herself to everyone around her. She is a person you want as your best friend, to be peas together in your pod. And her story is wonderful. Marigold lives in small Homer’s Bluff, Kansas and runs a shop selling lavender related products with her sister Violet. Her family owns and operates a large lavender farm. Her other sister Aster owns and is executive chef at an upscale comfort food restaurant named for their mother. The restaurant gets a snarky and poor review by a famous food critic. Marigold in response makes a video calling out the meanness or the reviewer which goes viral.

Alexis Wakefield is use to handing out brutal honesty in her reviews. She is always truthful but can pile it on thick in the name of entertainment. She wakes to find calls to boycott the SF Chronicle who fires her and is taking big hits on her large social media following. Not sure where to hide out she returns to Homer’s Bluff. She is enchanted with the town where the locals support their own but still welcome her. Marigold is wildly attracted to Alexis and doesn’t know what to do with all her feelings.

This is a feel good, enemies to lovers romance. Brayden again shows why she is the queen of banter. The sister-speak is honest and caring and comes with familiarity between characters. The couple also has their own way of wordplay. And holy moly I love the food and how Alexis embraces bites and tastes from hamburgers to pies. This is a low angst romance. I slowed my reading way down as I was nearing the end for fear of some huge drama. But Brayden delivers a realistic, loving and satisfying conslusion.

Extra kudos for showing loving and supportive family moments. And of course I consider Carrot the amazing dachshund one of the stars of the book. This is a stand alone sequel to The Last Lavender Sister (June 2022). Treat yourself and read both. I think my only negative is that I had hopes that Violet might get her own story. Sigh. I’ll have to accept she is straight. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

This story is part two of the Lavender Sisters series. This is about Marigold Lavender, MG, who works in her family gift shop selling items grown and made from her family farm. MG is a romantic dreamer and wishes to find her soul mate. Marigold’s younger sister Aster owns and runs their own restaurant and is the mc in book one of the series.

Alexis Wakefield is a food critic writing for the SF Chronicle and has a huge social media following. Alexis visits Asher’s restaurant and leaves a scathing review. Well MG can’t stand anyone treating her family badly so she records herself reproaching Alexis for her mean and nasty review on line in response to the bad review.

From the start this is an enemies to lovers tale. With lots of snarky comments between the MCs. They definitely have a love/hate relationship throughout the book.

I loved the Lavender Sisters book one and I enjoyed seeing those same characters in this second book in the series. And this book was good, but not great. I liked Alexis’s character and Marigold was ok. I wished she would stand up for herself more and have had a more interesting job.

ARC received from NetGalley for an honest and voluntary review.

This was such a cute, wholesome read. For starters, it had so many amazing vibes and tropes. We get small town girl x big city girl, grumpy x sunshine, and tight knit family. Also, amazing descriptions of food! I loved both Marigold and Alexis. Marigold was such a bright, sweet character. She was so loyal to her family, and her relationships with her siblings and father were so incredibly wholesome. Marigold is always looking out for everyone. Of course, in doing so she often put herself and her happiness last. Over the course of the book, she learns to do things for herself and make her own path. Her character development is amazing, but it could have been a little faster. Alexis was also an amazing character with great development. She learns to open up and show her true, loving self. She discovers the true meaning of friends and family. Together, Marigold and Alexis make the perfect couple, full of love and passion. I enjoyed watching the ice between them thaw and a sweet yet fiery relationship blossom in its place. Overall, this was an adorable read and I highly recommend.

Alexis Wakefield writes a mean review of Marigold Lavender’s sister Aster’s restaurant which makes Marigold very angry and puts Alexis’ career in jeopardy when she posts an angry review of Alexis on the internet. I’ve never been a fan of the enemies to lovers trope, but Melissa Brayden executed it perfectly in this novel. The chemistry between the characters is off the chart and if you’ve read other books by this author, you will recognize the usual banter between her characters that makes you laugh out loud.

The novel is set in the same town of Homer’s Bluff as The Last Lavender Sister, which is the previous novel in this series. Brayden makes the small town feel real and alive, full of characters that you would like to meet in real life. She has a way of describing small towns that makes you wish they existed so that you could go visit.

To this date I haven’t read a book by Melissa Brayden that I didn’t love, and this series has to be my favorite of hers.

"Marigold" by Melissa Brayden is an absolute gem of a novel with enemies to lovers, small town romance, and incredible family moments. It's a captivating tale of love, personal growth, and self-discovery that will leave you with a smile on your face and a warm heart.

Brayden's writing is captivating and evocative, painting a vivid picture of the characters' emotions and the beautiful lavender-filled setting. The chemistry between Marigold and Alexis is electric, and their slow-burn romance had me eagerly turning the pages, rooting for their happily-ever-after. I absolutely adored Marigold's family in this, their characters are well-developed and add depth to the story, providing insight to their close-knit community. I haven't read "The Last Lavender Sister" yet, but it's officially on the top of my TBR.

The pacing was perfect & kept me engaged and invested in every twist and turn of MG & Alexis's journey. I identify so strongly with the character of Marigold -- spunky, family-oriented, from a small town with little romantic options -- so I enjoyed seeing her relationship with Alexis blossom over the course of the story.

"Marigold" is a heartwarming and uplifting read that left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to any sapphic romance lover. Thank you NetGalley and Boldstrokes Books for the ARC of this incredible story!

I could not stop smiling while reading! I loved Marigold and Alexis's journey together. Their arcs were believable and the characters, all of them, are so sweet. I wish it was just a little longer in the best way. Marigold is sassy and the spice is sweet.

I adored the first in this series. You don't have to have read it before this but do read it at some point or you are missing a great book.
This starts with typical Brayden dialogue between two sisters. It's a bit like stepping in to a conversation between two people you don't know, but they know each other well. You are swept along and a bit unable to match pace and comfort level to join in.
By the time the second conversation happens, a chapter later, they are my besties! A hallmark of Brayden's writing.
I read most of this with a smile on my face. Zippy dialogue and comparatively little angst, what's not to like.

Marigold Lavender (MG) loves to daydream and make believe her perfect love in multiple settings and scenarios. After all, with her beloved family at the forefront in her life, dreams for her own are reserved for moments in her head; even if she craves them.

MG loves her sister Aster’s creations in her restaurant. She was hyped up and anticipated that food critic Alexis Wakefield’s trip would surely put Aster’s restaurant on the map but alas, it crashed and burned spectacularly. So, even if Alexis took her breath away, she struck back with a vengeance.

Alexis Wakefield does not mince her words. If a restaurant is not up to scratch, she tells it like it is. That is, until the force, in the name of Marigold Lavender upended her life and she returns to the very place she fell to lick her wounds and take a hard look at herself.

Melissa Brayden’s ability to craft, tear and build/rebuild characters, circumstances and plots is a gift to the F/F community. How else would readers fall in love with current leads while remembering with fondness Aster and Brynn in her previous book The Last Lavender Sister? While this book is big on love between family, passion is definitely not lacking between MG and Alexis and the power it holds to make one want to be better for the person you love.

I just reviewed Marigold by Melissa Brayden. Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC.

I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Marigold since I read Brayden's The Last Lavender Sister last spring. When Marigold dropped her sexuality during a casual conversation with her sisters in that book, my heart started racing, and I knew her story was brewing. And Oh boy I'm thrilled with the result!

Marigold Lavender's life revolves around caring for everyone else while putting her desires on the back burner. She's loyal to a fault and when Alexis Wakefield publishes a rather scathing review of her sister's restaurant, Marigold retaliates by posting a well-intentioned rebuttal which causes Alexis's career to crumble.

Alexis's carefully constructed world is rocked and she's forced to take a good hard look at who she's become. I thought that her character arc would be at the forefront of the story, however, Marigold's growth and development are right there with hers. The way Marigold and Alexis help each other learn and grow is really special. Plus their chemistry is absolutely delicious.

Brayden's ability to infuse witty charm and dialogue into this story makes this book a highlight. The lives of those in the Lavender family are real and very relatable and their love, loyalty, and affection for one another runs throughout the core of this book. When a book can roll me through a gamut of emotions, as this one does, I know I have a winner on my hands.

Marigold by Melissa Brayden is a perfect addition to the Lavender family saga and I truly loved every moment!

I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

vitriolic food critic alexis wakefield writes a column about her views on the food that she eats and on the places that she visits, her column and social media are high octane

but her world is about to collapse when she writes her review on aster lavenders place because her sister marigold is angry....

the review was scathing in its attack and marigold goes on the warpath...her video released to the world goes ballistic and send alexis world crumbling as she is sacked from her job and loses her standing with her fellow colleagues... no one wants to associate with her

picking up the pieces alexis re-visits the town that brought about her downfall and maybe just maybe she can find her life again

wow i have to say i thoroughly enjoyed this book... such a lovely christmassy feel to it... and i always feel hungry after reading this one

5.0 stars because, after a slow start, I found it to be an absolute delight to read.
Marigold Lavender lived in an imaginary world. She had a love affair with life and her family. She simply needed to take care of everyone. Fiercely loyal, when her sister’s restaurant was reviewed by a renowned restaurant critic and horribly criticized, Marigold retaliated and fired off a scathing video against the critic calling for a boycott of the SF Chronicle. It went viral, causing the critic to lose her job when the public rallied behind Marigold.

Alexis Wakefield, a very popular food critic for the SF Chronicle, had a huge presence on social media that could make or break you with her snarky reviews. After she lost her job and her social media popularity, she ventured to the “nowhere” Kansas town of Homer’s Bluff, the scene of the “crime” where she’d take a look back on herself and re-examine the caustic tone that had made her so popular.

Of course the two ladies met, were wildly attracted to each other, recognized it but didn’t know what to do about it. Marigold, a hopeless romantic, lived completely in her own world of flash fantasies, dreaming of her perfect future with her perfect wife. Alexis realized that she lived in a pretentious world where she had no real friends, but only colleagues.

This was in no way a corny rom-com. It was full of delightful, spicy bantering and one-liners, joyful characters and content. It was also the very sexiest ever, and at the same time, the wittiest and tenderest.

My thanks to bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Marigold Lavender aka MG that everyone calls her puts everyone else needs before her own and she like that way but it’s stop her for living her own life. When her sister Aster gets a bad review she goes on the offense and attacks Alexis with her own review that goes viral resulting in Alexis losing her job. Alexis is unapologetic about her reviews but she fair even if some thinks she comes across as a bully when she loses her job she goes back to Homer Bluff to do a little soul searching while there she gets to know Marigold family and all the while hers and MG feelings for each other become more intensified and Alexis realizes she had been haste to write that review when she actually tastes Aster food and realizes she good. I enjoy this read I like that Alexis and MG both realize they were wrong about the other I love how Lavenders family have such a close bond and how they basically welcome Alexis into the fold although I was getting annoyed with Marigold because she thinks her family will fall apart without her that she almost lost Alexis because of it. I actually like that for once the person who lives in small town decides to leave it to be with the one they love because it’s always the other way around.


I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Marigold has a heart of gold- yes, the pun is intended. Until her little sister is attacked by the seemingly heartless food critic Alexis. And then all gloves are off. An enemies to loves written in the unmistakably Brayden style. It has character development, steam, drama, romance and a HEA, what more could one want? A recommended read.

Free ARC via NetGalley

What's not to love about Melissa Brayden?! She is the absolute best author out there right now, and I always look forward to her stories. I love the way she developed these characters. I really grew to love the growth and maturity that came from Alexis' character. This was such a beautiful love story! Something else that I really enjoy about this story was the humor! Melissa knocked it out of the park. I found myself so many times giggling at the dialogue. Melissa always describes her characters so well. I couldn't put this one down! I highly recommend it for your summer story time reads!

This was a wonderful read. It wasn’t one of your standard enemies-to-lovers books where the main characters get off on the wrong foot but the issue is resolved pretty quickly. The animosity between these two was quite mean and very real - the initial chapters felt quite dark, in fact. The author had done a fantastic job of transitioning from that into sexual tension and then romance. I loved Alexis as a character - she was so strong willed and unapologetic about her feelings (even when Marigold was not the easiest person to be around!) and I loved seeing her growth throughout the book.