My FAVOURITE Melissa Brayden book yet!!

Lauren wanted to be an actress but it just wasn’t meant to be. Instead, she became a brilliant stage manager in a famous theater in Minneapolis, MN (in my back yard, YAY!). She was supposed to go on vacation after the last performance but that too wasn’t meant to be. There is a new production starting and an actress who is a spoiled Diva, who is on the outs in the movie community, is going to star in it and the owners want Lauren on the job. Carly is a famous movie star who has ruined her credibility by being difficult to work with. Attempting to revive her career she agrees to do a play. Use to being able to do her own thing and not used to how a play production works, she continues to be her Diva self. Lauren has no time for spoiled princesses and is not willing to pamper Carly. The two clash big time but the interest and heat in each other is more than a little distraction!!

OMG! This book is AWESOME!!! It is full of conflict, drama (on and off the set), heat, heat and more heat, love, excitement and energy. I ADORED this book. I fell a little in love with both characters. The settings were fabulous and I loved all the descriptions of the play production process and getting to “see” how it’s done. This book made me smile, made me feel all mushy and giddy and it even made me cry both tears of sadness and happiness. There is even an adorable dog too! This is truly one of those MUST READ books!!!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc.

I think I've read about a handful of Melissa Brayden's novels and enjoyed them all and this was no different. At first the premise didn't interest me much but I decided to give it a go just because Melissa Brayden was the author and I'm really glad I did.

This was super cute, funny and light and I enjoyed every second of it. I really loved both main characters and their chemistry. It was nice seeing their development and seeing them figure out the whole relationship thing. I also really enjoyed the humor in this. (there's also a dog in this which always makes every novel a thousand times better) What I really loved was that there was little to no angst in this, it was just a light, feel-good read. It also had just enough steamy scenes which is always a plus.

I don't know if I've ever read a book with the whole theater setting before but I really enjoyed and I really want to read more books like this in the future. Melissa Brayden will continue to be a sure choice for me in the future and I can't wait to pick up more of her novels.

I really loved this book and definitely recommend picking it up.

This is one more sparkling gem added to the already resplendent list of Melissa Brayden’s works. Brayden is an author with a very distinctive voice and style – there is humour, great dialogue, a little oddball hyperbole (which is so much fun) in conversations that spills over into the narrative, very easy-going and chill characters and great connection between the MCs. This one ticks all the above boxes.

After being a Hollywood darling for close to a decade, Carly Daniel is now a Hollywood pariah. Negative publicity, a party-girl lifestyle, diva demands and accusations of unprofessionalism have outpaced her popularity and she’s not getting any offers for a long time even when she is willing to audition for parts. The only work to come her way in a long time is a new play to be performed at The McAllister, a respected theatre in Minneapolis. Carly has never done stage and is not exactly thrilled either about the change in her preferred medium or that it is in back-of-the-beyond Minneapolis, but since that this the only real work offer she has, she takes it.

Lauren Prescott is the rockstar stage manager at McAllister. She’d once harboured a dream of being an actress but endless auditions resulted in zilch so she shifted her gaze to remain in an industry that drew her and made the best use of her organizational skill and organised nature. Lauren has found her niche and loves her job. When Carly arrives with all her Hollywood-ness and fame, Lauren is quick to take her to task and make her fall in line with the discipline required from a stage actress. The actress playing lead opposite Carly in the play has a chip on her shoulder about Carly’s screen background and fame and the resulting animosity is making the play fall flat during rehearsals. Lauren offers to read lines with Carly and the result is mindblowing. So much so that the director brings Lauren onboard as the co-lead.

Besides the professional drama, from the word go, Lauren and Carly have a chemistry that keeps building with each interaction. The two of them find that besides the mad attraction between them, they actually like being with each other, talking to each other and spending time together. Working as co-stars only brings them closer.

When the play debuts, Carly is glossed over while Lauren is noticed by critics and more importantly, by agents seeking to represent her. After much soul-searching, Lauren decides to give her past dream of acting a shot and goes to LA with Carly. As Lauren’s star is rising, Carly’s is sinking. Carly is determinedly upbeat and supportive of Lauren but her soul crashes and burns when she loses the only part she had on the horizon to Lauren.

Carly and Lauren are adorable (read that in all caps). We loved the way their attraction and budding romance are written. Brayden has a special understanding and affinity to the world of theatre and it shows in the depth of characterisation and personality that Carly and Lauren have. The dynamic of two people in the same profession, one fading and the other rising, is not exactly unique (A Star is Born, anyone?) but brilliantly used here.

(We must confess here that we’re not quite sure just how big Carly was before the whole negative publicity thing. There are times when we felt she was quite a huge deal and then there are times when she’s referred to as a starlet. There are plenty of things to indicate that she was big shit and then there is that bit where she doesn’t have to money to pay for her house and its upkeep. Would’ve been nice to have clarity about her position.)

We really, really felt for Carly and liked her so much that we wish Brayden wouldn’t have piled quite so much crash on her. The only thing that was a little hard to swallow was the speed with which Carly collects herself, gets her priorities into place and changes into a new person with unreal ease.

We feel that Lauren and Carly are amongst the most adorable couple ever in lesfic romances. They are both well-fleshed out and very, very understandable and empathise-able.

This one is most definitely recommended.

So first off I need to thank Netgalley and Bold strokes for the Arc in return for my honest opinion of this book. I had applied for this arc a few day days ago and was reading another book and had finished that one and had just picked another book when I got a email from netgalley with my approval. Well scrap the other book and right on to this as I had been looking so forward to it. The book did not disappoint. Its based in theater and some small extent in hollywood and has interesting takes on both by the author. Its a selfish girl meets nice girl and goes from there but Melissa again does such a great job in fleshing out the characters in the story you really feel you know them, and like them by the end. The book moves along fast and it was a one day book for me and that is fast as I don't usually complete a book that quick, I could not put it down. The end I thought was rushed a little but the epilog cleaned it up nicely though I thought a couple things in the story that happened were left for the reader to decide. Another great book by MB and look forward to many more. 4 plus from me

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers, Bold Strokes Books Inc., of 'To the Moon and Back' for affording me the opportunity to read the book and review it. This is the first book I have read by this author, and on this showing alone I can see why she is so popular.

There are several lesbian fiction novels out currently with a smiliar theatrical background, where at least one of the main characters is an actress. And engaging although most of them are, this stands out as a really good read. The main characters are multi-dimensional and appealing, the storyline is interesting, the narrative and tension and secondary characters adds to the setting. Towards the end of the book I struggled a little with some of the language. Can a person actually be the most important "aspect" of someone's life? And " a serious case of butterflies dancing a conga line through her midsection" had me baffled.

And the author uses the push-pull of their interactions and relationship to propel the story forwards. There is potential for further layers, for example exploring the identity of and purpose of the bad press from within the theatre, and despite the emphasis on personal growth, I'm not convinced that there was enough evidence of that transition, and the ending felt rushed.

However these are mute points. It was a real feel good story. I thought the theatre backdrop and the process of play production from casting to opening night were well done, interesting and gave the reader a clear insight into theatre dynamics and gave a multi-layered backdrop to the storyline and character definition.
Additionally, the ending is sure to appeal to the readers. 4.5 *

Sweet romantic story, full of cute moments, and obstacles for the characters to overcome in order to get to touch the bliss of Love.
It's my first read from this author and I'm happy to have discovered her book, I'll read more in the future.
Overall be prepared for a warm story about love and life.

This is a pretty solid romance, something usual in this author, and with all the ingredients. The two MCs are alluring and very likable and also mature and professional, each in their own way, even Carly that at first seems to be a bit crazy and lost in the maelstrom of the star system, but this quickly changes for the better. Because from the moment Lauren and Carly meet, they feel attraction and desire and none of them do much to not follow that pull.

They are in two very different parts of the show business. Lauren wanted to be an actress but did not get it and settled for being a stage manager in a Minneapolis theater that has some good reputation despite not being in a prominent place within that industry. Carly has been famous and still lives on those embers, although lately the paparazzy and her own behavior have left an image of her as unprofessional and problematic. And work proposals for her are void. Until an offer arrives for her to star in a play.

For Carly it seems that the thing is not going to work, she does not know how to act in a theater and her behavior initially is that of a spoiled star. But Lauren is persistent and for the sake of making the play perfect, she motivates Carly and in turn discovers that the spoiled star is actually a woman a little scared and lost. And along the way, Lauren finds herself again with strength to pursue her dream of being an actress.

The drama is predictable and this time there were several ways in which it could happen. And to my liking, the way chosen by the author has been quite adequate and above all tender, sweet, romantic, sentimental, touching.

So I can only say that I liked this story, I loved it and I recommend it.

To the Moon and Back reminds us of a favorite childhood story, but this version couldn’t be more complex or decidedly more meandering to a happily ever after for Lauren and Carly. There are so many obstacles for them to overcome and each obstacle is thoughtfully written and intertwined with the progression of their love affair. Moreover, Lauren and Carly must grow and overcome their own demons and flaws before their relationship can work. Rarely do see an author give this much thought and overall respect to the growth of a love affair, but Melissa Brayden never ceases to amaze or surprise us with her unique perspectives. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Had I not seen the name Melissa Brayden, I quite likely would've overlooked this book. Neither the cover or title strict me as a Brayden book, moving on...

Moving on, this story is told in my favorite style of narration, third person point-of-view and from both heroines perspectives. Yay!!

The insight into theatre life was interesting, yet not entirely compelling as contradictory as that sounds.

As always when picking up a story by this author, you can expect to find well fleshed-out characters, by the end of the book you feel like you know them personally. I could easily be friends with either or both, but I never felt myself rooting for them as a couple and I can't put my finger on why.

Around the 83% mark I found myself muttering, "please don't do it...no, please don't, don't follow that formula. Then it happened. The drama-llama reared its ugly head. I don't mind a bit of angst, but when it goes on for weeks, I tire of it.

I guess there are tropes for a reason, readers love them, so maybe I'm being a little unfair. But seriously, does every lesbian have to break up before they can get their act together? (no pun intended)

I've read many books by Melissa Brayden and I'll continue to do so. Check this one out for yourself.

Oh how I love Melissa Brayden! I’ve read all of her books and I am so in awe that every new book she writes is just as good, if not better, than the last. She is a rock star author in my book. That being said, I found this book to be great. Lauren, wanted to be an actress but at the time it wasn’t in the cards so she worked her way up and became a stage manager at a prestigious company. She’s meticulous, detail oriented, focused, and motivated. Then in walks Carly, a spoiled starlet with zero time management skills. Fortunately the two find a common ground working together and eventually began a relationship. When Lauren was enlisted to take over acting in the play, things got interesting. And as her star began to rise, Carly whose star had fallen didn’t know how to handle it. I rooted for these two because it was obvious they were meant to be. I loved their witty dialogue and steamy connection. I honestly loved everything about this book. Melissa Brayden has written another hit!!