This was a wonderful story. The small town setting with the childhood relationships renewed is ideal for a nice weekend read. Well thought, detailed, and simply pleasing. I will be reading more by this author ASAP.

4 Stars. This book was very good and I couldn't stop reading. This book is about Devyn Winters, a real estate broker in Philadelphia who is tasked with closing every unit in a multi-million dollar building. She is from the town of Dreamer's Bay, which is a quintessential small town, where she tried to block out all the memories from her childhood. She spent the whole time hiding who she was and being someone she did not like. Devyn is forced to come back when she gets a call about her sister, Jill, who is missing and no one knows what happens to her. When Devyn gets to Dreamer's Bay, she runs into Elizabeth Draper from high school. Elizabeth is the owner of an odd job company called On the Spot and knows everything about the town of Dreamer's Bay. Elizabeth is the one to organize the search party to hide Jill. Once Jill is found, she stays and visits Jill on the regular, unable to stay away from beautiful Devyn. Devyn does not seem to want to stay in Dreamer's Bay, but why can't Elizabeth stop herself from wanting to spend more time with her?

This is a great novel. I enjoyed every second of it. It had a good, unique plot. I enjoyed the sister being a main part of the plot. Devyn and Elizabeth have great chemistry that builds as the novel goes on. Their interactions are good and their relationship changes at a good pace. They do not start to have something too soon within the book, It made sense in the context of the novel. Devyn changes throughout the novel, and it seems to be a very realistic change. I have read many Melissa Brayden novels and I really enjoyed this one. It was an easy read and there was a point in the middle of the novel where I did not want to put it down anymore. I would definitely recommend it.

A perfect summer read. Lie back with a glass of your choice and read about romance and getting it together with the high school cheerleader you used to dream about. A bit less sassy than the usual Ms Brayden’s stories, but that felt right for these two women, and there were still plenty of glances and flirting banter written with the typical American charm. I had to look up what the heck a Cornhole game is. It looks like a lot of fun, but the UK splat a rat is hard to beat.

This was my first novel by Melissa Brayden and it was awesome. The characters were beguiling, funny and charming. It takes place in a small town, where former uber popular ex-cheerleader (Devyn) leaves for the big city and sweet, perky and kindhearted girl (Elizabeth) stays behind. Elizabeth can be a little too perky but she's just adorable and is well loved by everyone. We have all known someone like her, haven't we? and then Devyn, money and career obsessed but comes back to town when her sister Jill is in a car accident, but Elizabeth is there taking care of her already. Mismatched but delightful and enjoyable lesbian romance. Not to be missed!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the opportunity to review such an enjoyable book.

Bold Street Books has a winner in Melissa Brayden. Beautiful Dreamer, (to be) published July 16, 2019, is fabulous! I love the characters and the story lines. Elizabeth is a sweet, gullible and extremely intelligent, positive and fun small town girl. She runs her own small business and looks at everyday life with a smile and gusto. Devyn grew up in different circles in the same small town but ran off to make her fortune in the big city as soon as she was able. Devyn’s sister Jill is in a terrible car accident which brings Dev back home to the small town where she and Elizabeth form a friendship. Dev is so wrapped up in her career that she has zero personal life and well, has forgotten the things in life that truly matter.

Brayden has won me over with her writing and I am looking forward to the next story by her. Actually she has quite a few of them already that I need to read! Highly recommend this sweet and fun lesbian romance!

Devyn is a high powered real estate agent in Philly. But, when something happens to her sister, she gets pulled home to South Carolina.

Unlike Devyn, Elizabeth stayed in town and made a life for herself including a gig company On the Spot. She is there when Devyn comes to the Sheriff's Office looking for her sister and they connect and start the back and forth in their relationship and there was a lot of back and forth.

Unfortunately, while I liked 3/4ths of the book, at the end, no- just no, no. All of a sudden the facts about Devyn are horrible and everything is somehow her fault. Even just wanting to have a career or money is somehow bad/evil? I mean, I get that these days you're evil if you say out loud that you'd like to make some money, but, the end of the book was so absurdly one sided that it made me sad.

I really did like the first 3/4ths of the book, but, the last 1/4th really just sapped the joy from the novel.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Bold Strokes Books.

This is really good, y'all. It's a feel good romance with leads that have their hearts in the right place, but just don't always know how to express themselves, and a wonderful group of side characters that help round out a wonderful cast. The setting is perfect, as the town of Dreamer's Bay feels like its own character at times. I also thought the pacing was just perfect; giving the leads enough time to get to know each other before they hop into bed with each other. It's a perfect slow burn that gives enough time for the simmer before the romance actually takes off, which is right up my alley.

Speaking of the leads, Devyn and Elizabeth are perfect. They each are genuinely good people, even though what drives them is different in the beginning, they both realize that they have way more in common with each other than not. It feels like Devyn had the most growth in her, as she seems to change a lot from the beginning of the book, but she's still as driven to do well in her profession by the end of the book... just on a smaller scale. Elizabeth, doesn't change all that much from when we are introduced in the beginning of the book, but there's some surprising depth there that just gives an already sweet book just that bit of extra meaning.

With some beautiful locales, great side characters, and steamy sex scenes, this already was set up to be a wonderful romance, however the charming leads and their chemistry made this a top notch read. I couldn't wait to see what the characters would say or do next, and Braydon's quippy and imaginative writing just makes it more engaging. Super great read, and one of my favorites for this year.

Every time a Melissa Brayden book is heading to the bookstores I make sure to get my hands on it as quickly as possible. Her books are not to be missed by any fan of feelgood romance between two ladies.

This book did not disappoint, the main characters were super likable and I found myself connecting to them quickly, the supportive cast are people you either have or would like to have in your life. It reminded me of her book Strawberry Summer with the small town setting, easy going living and friendly neighbors.

The romance between Devyn, an all work-no-play,emotionally closed off broker from Dreamer's Bay who has made it big in Philadelphia and Elizabeth, who stayed in the town all her life and is a perky, upbeat and very warm person, is satisfying. Thrown together by a tragedy at the start of the book, the pace was realistic and the conflict was to be expected. I could understand both parties and the aftermath was believable time-wise. The other side of that coin is that I did think the end of the book felt a little bit rushed with the writer leaping over big spaces of time which is why, for me, the re-connection of the characters was less satisfying than the first part of the book.

All in all though another good book from Melissa Brayden, if you like her other books don't hesitate to pick this one up!

Enjoyable read with interesting characters. Elizabeth Draper, what a wonderful and warm person that you hope will find a long-term loving relationship. Devyn Winters, quite the work-a-holic, not understanding that there is more to life than working and making money. People and relationships are so much more valuable and important. This read with a focus on social class, family, friendships, and appreciating the people around you made me smile and think about some of the same issues both characters were experiencing. I also enjoyed the small town setting and the secondary characters.

This is the story of:

Elizabeth Draper, a jack of all trades, owner of "On The Spot", a service she provides to the townsfolk, running errands, walking dogs, doing small repairs in their homes, and yes, even helping with dance lessons. Elizabeth is quite a "people person" and she was schoolmates with...

...Devyn Winters, snooty real estate broker in Philadelphia who is apparently happy to have escaped Dreamer's Bay, a place she considered dreary and too small. She is the sister of...

...Jill Winters, an elementary teacher in Dreamer's Bay, South Carolina a tiny town between Wilmington and Hilton Head.

Jill Winters goes missing after a karaoke night with her friends at a local bar. After a few hours have passed with no sign of Jill, Elizabeth calls Devyn in Philadelphia to tell her that her sister is missing. Devyn jumps on a plane, leaving several huge real estate deals behind to help look for her sister. And that's where the story takes off!

With the passage of time and some really, really enjoyable dialog, Elizabeth and Devyn become attracted to each other, but Devyn doesn't believe she could ever leave Philadelphia and her multi-million dollar real estate business to again live in Dreamer's Bay, a little town she once found boring.

This is the first book I've read from this author, but I am looking forward to reading others in her collection.

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Brayden books are one of those releases you mark in your calender, i am a big fan of hers and this book did not dissapoint!

It starts so damn exciting with the disappearance of a sister, pulls you in with its charmig little town and its activities that makes you dream of such a place to live in, makes you unable to put down the book with the schmexy story of Devyn and Elizabeth cause haaaawt damn and also awwww feelings.. you know that purrfect mix that makes hopeless romantics like myself just swoon

If this is a book you are thinking about reading then yes YES do it!

I will pretty much read anything that Melissa Brayden writes. This was a solid book. It won't become my favorite by her, but it was well written and sweet.

Every book doesn't need to have crazy conflicts or coincidences. Everything about the story made sense and progressed normally. I could actually see this happening in real life. Sometimes I have a hard time picturing a story playing out in real life, but this wasn't one of them.

Both of the mains were enjoyable and they worked well together. Another plus was that the secondary characters were well written.

I do wish that communication issues (or no communication) weren't conflicts at the end. For someone who is so assertive I didn't necessarily feel like Dev would ghost Liz even if she was feeling overwhelmed. Some of the ending was a little predictable but compared to the rest of the book I can't gripe too much.

This is a sweet, feel-good read.

A Nice Read!
Another well written book by Melissa Brayden. Similar to Strawberry Summer (my favorite of Ms. Brayden's books - yes I saw that Carrington's department store reference!), the setting of this book is a small town where life is simple and everyone knows each other. Elizabeth, a kind hearted woman who enjoys the simple things in life reconnects with Devyn, who is very driven and thrives in a fast-paced world. Could Devyn survive and appreciate small-town life?
I enjoyed reading this story because it explored how 2 people with completely different approaches to life could have an influence on each other and how they approach life. While Elizabeth's approach to life was refreshing, I must say that on a few occasions (based some of the things she did or said), I found myself asking "how old is Elizabeth again"?
Overall, the main characters are well developed which makes it an enjoyable read!

Like every Melissa Brayden book I've read, this did not disappoint. As always, the biggest draw of the book is the characters. The main characters were very well written and likable. Each character had a unique personality, including the secondary characters, and they stay faithful to their established personality the whole way through.

The story was very engaging as well. I found myself laughing often at the humor and I even teared up a couple of times, especially near the end of the book. The ending as well felt very believable. The characters had to work a bit for their happy ending without everything falling into place too neatly.

When one has read all the books written by an author one can’t help but compare them. I place all of Brayden’s books in one category except Strawberry Summer (SS) which is exceptional and in a completely different league. The latter reminds me of the quality of writing the author is capable of producing. Beautiful Dreamer comes closest to SS in its treatment. It’s believable — slow burns usually are; all the characters, important and otherwise, are complete human beings; the dialogues are realistic; and the humour is refreshing.

The set-up is quite similar to SS. Two small town girls – one in love with the town, the other escaping it. The book also has a Gilmore Girls feel to it, with the abundance of festivals and typical small town characters. It all adds to the charm of the narration.

Though it’s hard to accuse Brayden of not bringing in enough emotion to a story, the end does feel a little deficient in that respect. One of the protagonists’ speech in the end seems a bit forced, perhaps because there isn’t enough detail about how she is feeling in that moment while saying all those things. Even when the lovers finally reconcile, the moment demands a more emotionally charged reconciliation (a hug, tears, for instance) rather than a sexually charged one. The sex should’ve come in a little later.

A note to the publisher: There were a few annoying typos like ‘“piece” of mind’, which I hope will be taken care of in the final publication.

Melissa Brayden does it again with this novel. Going back to hometown(s) is a familiar premise in lesbian fiction and Brayden's execution is not original but enjoyable.

The two characters are entertaining extremes and whilst their connection doesn't always seem genuine, it somehow works.

Devyn Winters is a gorgeous, driven and very successful real estate broker from Philadelphia. She's just won a contract and if successful will catapult her as the most successful broker in Philly.  Her sister, her only remaining family member, has gone missing which is totally out of character which leads Devyn back to her home town, small town Deamer's Bay. Here she finds Elizabeth Draper. Elizabeth is the kindest soul you'll ever meet, only wants to help people and make them happy.
I've read most of Melissa Brayden's books and she has it all worked out, angst, witty dialogue , she draws you into the characters and even if they're flawed, she has you cheering for them. I loved the drive in Devyn's character which was at complete odds with Elizabeth's whimsical character.  They were such opposite personalities but you still felt the chemistry. It wasn't my favourite Melissa Brayden book but I still enjoyed it and I'll still give it 5 stars just because Melissa Brayden is one of my favourite authors.

Melissa Brayden created a perfect small town Southern slow burn romance in beautiful Dreamers Bay, South Carolina. This well written book had a little bit of everything including wonderful main and secondary character development, a tragic event that draws the main characters of Elizabeth and Devyn together, a cute dog, angst and stife, romance, hot chemistry, and witty dialogue. I'd highly recommend reading this book. 5 stars

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

WOW!!! That is really how I feel about this book. It was...WOW. I haven't read all of Brayden's books but I have read a few and I do love her writings but this one is hands down my new favorite from her (that says a lot because I absolutely love Ready or Not and that series).

The story takes place in small town Dreamers Bay somewere in North Carolina. I loved how Brayden described the town without bogging down the story. It was a part of the character development, how they say it. The secondary characters were done in the same fashion. Instead of bogging the story down with countless small town people, each character had a role (though some smaller than others) in the development of Lizzie and Devyn's world and romance. Although I do wish Scout has a bigger role...I mean the dog was hero.

Anyway, Lizzie and Devyn are great characters. Though the story was about the two of them, it was more about Devyn and how she came "home" in more than one way. It's a slow burn romance in a way. Definitely not instalove. And I do love how the story didn't just end with Devyn's return and everything being okay. Also great was that there was no unnecessary drama or angst. Everything felt realistic, purposeful.

Can't say enough about this book expect read it. Enjoy it. I certainly did!

***ARC provided by Netgalley for honest review provided by me :) ***

It’s become automatic that when it’s Melissa Brayden you’re surely going to have a good one.

Beautiful Dreamer (a clever title by the way) is like a distant cousin of Strawberry Summer. And this is another home run for Brayden. She hits every element that I want to see in my romance stories— funny, witty dialogues, well written internal monologues, lovely setting and characters, brilliant phrasing of words. Everything. This is a very enjoyable light read for me. You can’t help but smile for the most part. This is a kind of book that you want to read at the end of a stressful day at work. Either you will get inspired by Devyn’s success in her career or be soothed by Elizabeth’s optimistic, perky attitude. or maybe both. And like all the other MCs in Brayden’s stories, they complement each other well and were never short of chemistry. Props also to the cover of this book, it’s as attractive as what’s inside.

Brayden is truly special, perhaps the rightful owner of the title Queen of Lesfic.