4.5 stars

Hannah Shepard's current goal is to save her failing bookstore, so she hosts a book-signing with bestselling romance novelist Parker Bristow, despite not being a fan of the genre herself. Fan or no fan, sparks fly between the two of them. But Parker has misgivings of her own that might keep them from getting their happily ever after. Can Parker and Hannah beat the odds and stay together, or is that kind of love simply too good to be true?

Ahh! Okay, I need to gush for a bit. I almost always enjoy Melissa Brayden's books, but this one really hit the spot for me. This was so good. I was hooked from the moment Parker and Hannah met. The chemistry was off the charts. Okay, now on to the analysis:

Characters - Hannah is a really down-to-earth character, used to living an ordinary life, so when celebrity Parker Bristow takes an interest in her, it's hard for her to believe. And Parker, despite her current fame, had a rough upbringing which has caused her to shy away from deeper relationships with others. Although neither woman is a romantic, they hit it off immediately. Brayden does a great job of showcasing their instantaneous connection. I couldn't help but cheer for them all the way through. The story is told from Hannah's first-person POV, so we can really understand Hannah's conflicted feelings—in her doubts about and her draw to Parker.
I also like what Brayden did with the side characters. While they weren't totally fleshed out, they all added a little something to the story.

Writing - Yes! I can always count on Melissa Brayden to deliver quality writing. Everything flowed smoothly, the dialogue was witty and touching and heartbreaking and heartfelt.

Loss of .5 stars - If I could change anything at all, I'd wish for a bit more action in the storyline and more angst at the end, but that's just a matter of personal preference. (Don't worry, this book never drags, and it will still get to you emotionally.)

This was a really entertaining, really cute and sweet read. I would absolutely recommend.

An honest review thanks to Netgalley. WOW. This was an outstanding read, I literally could not put it down, staying up way to late to finish this in one sweep. The angst that Brayden put into this was outstanding and pulled all of my heartstrings, all I wanted is more. These characters worked so well together and yet they didn't, I would get massively angry and then plead for them to work it out. This book is a masterpiece!

This is such sweet story. I loved Hannah at certain point I thought she deserved better, the way the author made Hannah handle the situation was so realistic and made her look like a powerful women. I loved that.

Parker tho, I hated and liked her. But mostly i understood where she's coming from.

Very enjoyable reading.

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

Ms Brayden never fails to impress me. I don't think I have read a book she has written and didn't love it. There are only two that I am aware that I haven't got around to reading.

Parker is a Romance Writer who travels all over for book signings and interviews etc. Hannah owns a small Book Shop in a small town and is struggling to keep the business afloat.

I loved this from start to finish. I fell in love with both Hannah and Parker from the beginning. The chemistry from when they first met was electric. Parker attended a book signing at Hannah's book shop and when they first saw each other, it was instant attraction for them both. I must admit though, towards the end of the book I took an instant dislike to Parker. I know she was working through some issues but I still went right off her from then til the end of the book. First time this has happened to me from all the books I have read. No doubt though, that they made a great couple.

I loved the story line, the characters (main & secondary) and the pace was just right. I would highly recommend reading this book. I could certainly read this over and over again.

This is now my new Melissa Brayden favorite and part of my all-time favorite books. What can I say? This book was pure perfection. I laughed, I cried, so many emotions! Once I reached 50%, I couldn’t put it down until I finished the book.

I knew I was getting a high-quality romance when I picked up this book (it’s Melissa Brayden after all) but it exceeded my expectations. If I could give it a 10-star rating I would, but it seems a 5-star will have to do :)

You know, Melissa Brayden, simply did it again. This time the story was not like her usual and you'll get it when you start reading. It was not all sunshine and roses. The characters had their issues but you never doubted the love that they had for each other and I was pulling for them like they were real and I actually knew them. Parker and her fear touched me; I think that this is one of my favorites.

I loved this book! Melissa Brayden is one of the best lesfic romance writers, and for good reason! She gives you everything you want in a love story: chemistry, humor, tension, and a good tug on the old heartstrings. She knows how to create main characters that are charming and lovable. The dialog is witty and entertaining, and so well done. Her supporting characters are always such an interesting ensemble; you grow to like them almost as much as the lead characters. However, you must be warned; once you start a Brayden romance, you may not want to put it down. And, you definitely will be a little sad to see it end!

This book was no different for me. I devoured the pages, keeping myself up long into the night. I was drawn to Hannah’s beautiful girl-next-door quality. She was sweet and kind and grounded. She cared about her friends, her sister and her bookstore. She had her life together, and she was okay with being single. She wasn’t a believer of fairy tale love anyway. She thought that kind of love only existed between the pages of romance novels. However, that all changed the day romance writer Parker Bristow entered her store. Parker was drawn to Hannah like a moth to a flame, and Hannah’s settled world began to tilt at the mere thought of Parker.

Hannah and Parker’s love story was a journey filled with passion, humor, friendship and heartache. I laughed. I cried. I enjoyed every page of it. This is a book I know I’ll reread. I would recommend it to anyone that loves a sweet romance with a pleasant little punch and happy little ending.

Oh My God! This has to be one of the best contemporary romance novels I’ve read in quite a while. Melissa Brayden has outdone herself with Back to September, and that is saying something since she is such an outstanding contemporary romance author.

Ms. Brayden tells this story through the eyes of Hannah Shephard using first person POV. Hannah is the owner of a small bookstore in Providence, Rhode Island called A Likely Story. The business is struggling to stay afloat, and Hannah decides to try and get a famous author to do a signing in the store to drum up business. When she meets celebrity romance author Parker Bristow, her whole world changes, not just her bookstore. Thus begins a story filled with romance, love, steamy sex, and of course some tear-creating angst.

It has been a long time since I’ve read a book that caused me to feel so many emotions in such a short period of time. The chemistry between these two characters is absolutely electric. Seeing the story through Hannah’s eyes made me fall a little in love with her (Shh, don’t tell my wife). Using a small independent bookstore as the main setting just made the story even more wonderful. Ms. Brayden created a beautiful world that I happily fell into and didn’t want to leave when I reached the last page. Back to September is definitely one of my favorite books of this year. You really must give this novel a try.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Melissa Brayden always goes to the top of my to read pile whenever a new book comes out so I couldn't wait to read this one. And even though Brayden can never disappoint me it will not join the ranks of my favourites like the Soho loft series. It has the signature romantic scenes she writes so well, but where this one went off me is in being able to connect to one main character, Hannah, and actually not really liking Parker. Could be in part because it is written in first person so you don't understand where Parker is coming from aside from the things she tells Hannah but my overall feeling was that the sweet bookstore owner was being used by the succesfull writer when she wanted a break from her fast-paced life. The story developing was as good as always, the connection is there between the characters, good chemistry and romance all around. So even with it not being her best, for me, it still is a good book which I really enjoyed reading and would recommend to any Melissa Brayden fan and romance lover in general.

I always enjoy books written in the first person, and in this story it works perfectly. We get to experience all of Hannah's quirks and self-doubt and small victories, but Parker's baggage is kept in the background until we need to know.

I thought the concept of a bookseller meeting a best-selling author was genius, especially when said author writes in a genre that the bookseller thinks is beneath her. It seemed a little fantasy-like for me for the best-selling straight romance author to actually be out and proud and not have it affect her readership, but hey, this is fiction.

I appreciated the trope-busting aspects of this book, such as the first chemistry-filled sex scene, where Hannah is okay with it being a one night stand, then going on to online dating to find a girlfriend. Chapter 8, where the two couples meet for a weekend getaway was hilariously funny, worthy of Robin Alexander comparisons. I couldn't help thinking "where's the 80% angst scene" and was totally thrown a curveball. And then another curveball.

Overall, this book was hard to put down and I couldn't wait to find out what was happening next. I loved that it took place over a year, so the reader could really get into the chemistry of the characters. My only complaint is the cover - I don't like "people" on a cover because I like to formulate my own idea of what the characters look like. And for a story that has everything to do with September, I think the beanie and heavy sweater looks a little out of place.

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.

4.50 Stars. This was Brayden in all her usual brilliance. Brayden is the queen of lesfic romance and I’m not overstating when I say that. This was everything I was hoping for. It’s so nice to read authors like Brayden where you expect a great book and she almost always delivers. I absolutely recommend this one to romance fans.

This is a story about Hannah who owns a small bookstore. The store is struggling to stay afloat so Hannah takes a chance on getting a popular romance author, named Parker, to her store for a book signing. The two meet and have an instant connection. A connection that is so strong that both of their lives will be changed forever.

I’m a big first person fan, especially if it is done well. I think it makes sense to do it in romance when the author wants to hide from the reader what the character, who’s POV we are NOT in, is thinking. We have to figure out from words and little clues what that character actually feels and what their true intentions are. Unlike third person writing where you often know how both characters feel and think. I like the little mystery of first person and that we are along for the ride with the characters whose headspace we are in, in this case it was Hannah.

Hannah is a fantastic character. Of course you are closer to her being in her POV but she was wonderful. A little quirky, witty, and honest with her feeling which I really liked. Hannah is not perfect and has her own flaws but she is a person you would want to know. Parker is the more flawed of the two characters. She is fun loving, sexy, and draws people to her, but she has her baggage that affects her to this day. These two likeable but flawed characters worked really well together.

This book is all about the romance of course. The chemistry is really nice and believable. The dialogue is fantastic in the romantic parts but also the parts with tension. I sometimes think Brayden doesn’t get enough credit for her dialogue. This romance does include plenty of drama and angst. It’s interesting that I actually think I like Brayden’s books that have a bit more drama to them. This book stomped on my heart a bit, I kept grabbing the tissues, but the flow and timing of the angst and dramatic parts is really well done. You believe the journey these two go on which includes a good ending that does NOT feel rushed.

I hate to mention this but the cover does not work for me. September is an important month to the characters so I get the tittle. But you show the month of September with a woman with a thick winter hat on? Come on we don’t wear winter hats in New England in September. Our blood is thick from the harsh winters, we don’t wear winter hats until we damn well have too. We usually have a late summer heatwave in September and are in the 70-80’s. The cover just makes no sense.

When my only big complaint is the cover, I know I have a hit on my hands. If you are a Brayden fan, especially of her books that have a little more drama in them, I think you will love this. If you are a romance fan and have not read Brayden before, you might as well start here. It’s always such a treat to get my hands on a new Brayden book, I just hope we don’t have to wait too long for her next.

Back to September is the story of Hannah, a bookstore owner, and Parker, a novelist who Hannah asks to do a signing to help save her store. They have an attraction, but different lives get in the way. This was my first book by the author. I was pleasantly surprised by the way the characters were written well and I truly enjoyed all the minor characters as well. Although this is not typically my style of book, I truly enjoyed reading this book and would definitely read another book by this author again.

This was a sweet book. This is my first read from this author, so I was unfamiliar with her style. The book has good character development and great descriptions of books. The secondary characters added so much value to the storyline. I felt like the story's conclusion had a long lead up and then a quick finish. Besides that issue, I enjoyed this book and will be reading more from this author.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cast of Main Characters:

Hannah Shephard, owner of A Likely Story book store in Providence, RI;
Parker Bristow, famous romance novelist;
Belinda "Bo", Hannah's sister, an attorney in Providence
Kurt and Luna, Hannah's employees at the bookstore, each quirky and funny in their own ways.

*****************************************
This book starts with Hannah walking into her bookstore, A Likely Story, turning on the lights and greeting the books in the store. That's really all I needed to read! But Hannah talks to other inanimate objects, like the ceiling of her bedroom, for instance. It doesn't seem strange, though. Just about right for Hannah's personality.

Hannah and Parker meet when Parker does a book signing at Hannah's shop. They are deliciously attracted to each other, but Parker lives in New York, and travels all over on book tours, so their apparently short-lived sizzle seems to fizzle. They cut their losses and move on.

Or do they?

This book has a little bit more than the usual amount of angst and drama, but it's all well-done and with reason. Parker has her own demons and you wonder if she will ever understand them, much less whether Hannah will.

I don't think anyone writes dialog like Melissa Brayden. The conversations her characters have are sometimes hilarious and always written the way people really speak. The thoughts she gives her characters are the thoughts people really think, and the way they think them.

I couldn't put this book down!

I was given an ARC of this book by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

It has been awhile since I have read one of Ms. Brayden's books (I believe the last time was the SoHo Loft series) so was looking forward to this book to catch up on her work. Long and short of it, loved this story-the 2 main characters were very believable (indi bookstore owner meets famous author). The detail Ms. Brayden has for the bookstore and the interactions going on there, I felt like I could just reach out and touch the books and the people myself. The secondary characters were also very well written, the twist with the step-sister was a good touch (not the incident (that was not good in the sense of what happen to Hannah) but just the ability to bring her world into Hannah's with such ramifications made for a good plot twist).

The other main character, Parker, was a well thought out character with lots of depth-which also made this a great read cause it took much of the book to really get to understand her (at first liking her, then questioning her, then angry with her, then back to liking her and cheering for her and Hannah). I also liked the fact that the timeline for this story was over a long period of time, not a 4 month and bang they are HEA. No this one took a long time to develop, with lots of twists and turn to really get into the characters lives, which made it that much more believable.

Bottom line, a great story from Ms. Brayden, read it in one sitting-I look forward to more from her, and will even look to purchase some of her earlier stuff I missed along the way.

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, but would have written the same opinion if I had come across this author on my own.

To see my Amazon review, it is under CC-Couldn't put it down

Melissa Brayden has such a wonderful writing style. I really enjoy her way of writing in the first person to tell a story. Back to September is brilliant in the way the characters get together and battle different obstacles in their way to finally being together. Hannah owns a small-town bookstore in Providence. She isn't really into romance novels or romance at all for that matter, that is until one of her employees pushes her to feature Parker Bristow's newest release in the store window. Further conversations result in Hannah contacting Bristow's publicist about having her do a signing at the store. When the two meet, there is an automatic connection. Hannah's real-life romance novel has begun. Without spoiling the rest of the story, the couple goes through a lot of on-again, off-again moments in their relationship until they realize just how much in love they are and that they can't be apart.

There were times that I really didn't like Parker and the way she would put up walls to protect herself, even though it is a very real thing that is done in relationships. Hannah is just the sweetest character and I found myself engrossed in the story, wanting her to reach her HEA. I think a major plus of the novel is how it looks at an evolving relationship and the different stages, the difficulties that couples go through, and how they are able to work through those things and risk their hearts for the person that they can't live without.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the sweet romance between Hannah and Parker.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Melissa Brayden is one of my favorite authors so you can imagine my excitement every time she has a new book out. This one was no exception, I had to read it all in one night, I couldn't put it down.

Hannah Shephard is an owner of a book store in Providence who's facing financial problems due to the low traffic. She considers herself an ordinary woman who actually prefers to be alone than settle in a relationship that doesn't satisfy her.

Parker Bristow is a famous author. Her books are best sellers . She is going on tour around the US and her team arranges a book signing at Hannah’s shop. Since the first moment they meet the two MCs hit it off and their chemistry is literally of the charts. The thing is that they don’t live in the same region and they ran in polar opposite circles.
Basically we follow them trying to defy time, distance and other relationships that keep pulling them apart.
Until now this book is one of my favorites 2019 reads, I recommend it with all my heart. The two mains are both so sweet and likable, their chemistry is insane and the sex scenes are amazing and emotional. I literally had to stop several times between scenes because when the story picks up its like a rollercoaster of emotions.

I loved this book! I couldnt put it down. It strayed from the typical Melissa Brayden formula but in a good way that kept me invested and guessing. I absolutely fell in love with Parker because how could you not? And it was nice to have a realistic, down to earth protagonist in Hannah, a rare kind of character in this type of book. I wouldve loved to read from Parker’s perspective if only because I adored her, but part of her story was being somewhat of an enigma so I understand that choice. Overall a fantastic book, I’m so sad it’s over and I’m as always grateful for another Brayden book! Cant wait to reread while I wait for her next one :)

You can't go wrong with a Melissa Brayden romance. Seriously, you can't. Buy all of her books.

Hannah is a semi book snobbish owner of a book store. She prefers the classics to romance novels. An employee convinces her to showcase a romantic new release and try to get the author to visit on a book tour to drum up a bit of publicity for the shop. Since it hasn't been fairing well financially.

Parker is a celebrity romance author as a result of her sharp wit and social media commentary. She meets Hannah at her book store, 'A Likely Story' and becomes instantly smitten.

This is a story of falling for someone that you probably shouldn't. Different professions, different lifestyles, different upbringings, different states, different future goals, etc. Absolutely nothing that would point to a compatible coupling.

But Brayden sure has a way of creating an emotional type of compatibility between her leads, making you root for them against all odds. Great settings, cute interactions, and realistic dialogue. You can feel yourself falling right there with these two.

That makes it doubly heartbreaking as the two of them fumble and stumble, making mistakes, and genuinely frustrating the hell out of you as you follow their journey.

I really enjoyed this one. It beat me up. I cried. Then I was put back together. Why do I continue to enter into this type of relationship with Braydens' books?!

I recommend this to people who love romance, books, self employment, Providence, Texas, LA, celebrity, social media, and being frustrated to the end of earth and back.