As a faithful reader of Brayden I am once again completely thrilled with what she did with her craft. The woman has a way with words and her talent to create compeling stories and fascinating characters is unmatched. Here she creates a new world and presents to us a new group of friends to root for. The love story is absolutely delicious and will have you just wanting for more. A 5 out of 5 for sure.

Book 1 in a new series set around the Seven Shores apartment complex in Venice Beach, CA and the wonderfully named coffee shop The Cat’s Pajamas, this is Brayden at her best.

Isabel is working dead end waitress jobs to force herself to write. She gets fired, again, but just as she starts to feel the pressure her bff calls to tell her she is lined up for an interview as a staff writer on the top TV show around, and suddenly Isabel’s world is transformed.

Taylor is Isabel’s role model, a hugely successful writer now running her own show and at the top of her game, a Hollywood player. Just getting the chance to work with her is huge, but when the sparks start to fly both women have hard choices to make about their personal lives and their careers.

This is a great start to a new series. A wide-ranging cast from Isabel’s new friends at Venice Beach to the crew and writers at the TV studio and Taylors wonderful friend Scarlett. The setting is well drawn, with the complex and neighbours sketched in ready for more detail and the coffee house a perfect meeting place.

Isabel and Taylor have the classic traditional romance, the “should they, shouldn’t they – but can’t resist”, the “obstacles to overcome; work, ex’s and career choices”, the “heart-rending break-up” that we all know will resolve into a crashing HEA. But while that might sound like a criticism Melisa Brayden does it so well that the formula sinks into the background. We all know how it will end, we can predict many of the steps along the way, but it’s such an enjoyable read that we still wait with bated breath for the story to unfold.

Despite being Isabel and Taylor’s story the other characters are incredibly strong; lightly sketched but still drawn in as complex multi-layered people; Scarlett with her excellent wit and grounding role in Taylor’s life, Gia, Hadley and Autumn at the complex who will no doubt be leading future books, even the grumpy landlord and the lead barista are memorable. These characters are people we want to be friends with – and more than anything this is a celebration of friendship and that wonderful bonding between women that simply makes our world a better place.

Brayden’s writing is just getting better and better. The story is well done, full of well-honed wit and humour, the characters are complex and interesting and the whole wrapped in the excellent craftsmanship of the master.

I will admit that I sometimes get bored of reading ten or more traditional romances a month and long for something different, but “Eyes Like Those” rejuvenates my romantic side. Excellent reading, highly recommended, can’t wait for book 2.

Been fan of Melissa Brayden’s work, and this start of a new series certainly didn’t disappoint. If you like the Soho Loft series, you’ll certainly enjoy this book. It has the happy, witty, sarcastic vibe and a great cast of characters you’ll fall in love with. Small town girl with big Hollywood star story that doesn’t feel old, unreasonable and bored. The chemistry is off the charts and it’s such a joy reading this. Looking forward to other books in the series.

First off, I'm a huge fan of Melissa Brayden's work and was really excited to hear she had a new series. This book was so good and, if the rest of the series is this good, I may even like it more than the Soho loft series!

Not my typical read, not interesting and the characters were not appealing. Glad it is behind me though and I can search for a book to read and forget this ever crossed my path.

Melissa Brayden never disappoints and always deliver. Izzy is so adorable that you can’t just help but fall in love with her. This a book I would read over and over.

This was a well written classic love story that I didn't want to end! It sucked me in from the first page and it was an easy read. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

An easy 5 stars.
Another winner by Brayden for me. Like Taylor Andrews in tge book everything she touches is golden.

This is a 4.3 stars for me.

Great light read with very like-able characters, the book is definitely setting up for some steamy future romances with the other characters. I found myself looking for clues on who will be next, secretly hoping it would be Gia and Hadley, they had such great chemistry and their banter had me hoping they get their own book with the friend to lover trope that I love so much. I was a little disappointed to find out that Gia does in fact get her own book, but not with Hadley.

This story is about Isabel, a sarcastic screen writer that takes a job with her dream boss, Taylor Andrews, on her dream show. She's often up in her own world of self doubt and panic attacks, but has a quick wit and a lot of bravado that hides her self doubt from many people. As she works on the show she gets closer to Taylor who has problems of her own to deal with *cough* a manipulative bxxxx of an ex *cough*. These two have great chemistry and do not deny that they are attracted to each other, but can they get past the ex and the fact that office romances are a bad idea? You'll have to read and see.

Overall: Great read, flowed really well. I won't be reading this multiple times as with other Brayden books, but it's well written and has great supporting characters that are so delightful you cant wait for the sequels to come out.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2123196655

Bummer....love it all the way. Again well writen with everithing I need in a book. Great Charakters, the story with all it's twists and unbredictebly moments. Read right trough it and could not but it down.

I have to admit I am very excited to have a new Brayden series to look forward to. As always Brayden has provided a fantastic read. I loved her Soho series, and listen to it on audiobook often. I have read everything written by Brayden and her novels always entertain and are worth the read. Her books are always well written and full of romance. This book is similar to the Soho series as it revolves around a group of friends, who hopefully will all find love. The biggest difference is the setting, as this one is set in California. Brayden does a great job of writing in such a way to allow her readers to visualize her characters and setting. I liked both main characters, and enjoyed their story. However, I am super excited for Gia and Hadley’s books. They quickly became my favorite characters of the series. This could of course change later in the series. If you haven’t read a Melissa Brayden book I have no idea what you are waiting for. Pick this one up, you will not be disappointed.

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. Just one word, YES. This book was off the top amazing, and I just couldn't put it down. I connected with Izzy from the first chapter and as the reader is taken on a journey with her as she moves to LA to start working in Hollywood. The chemistry between the two characters was off the charts, but what really made this book into something extraordinary was the secondary characters. The girls that lived in Iz's apartment complex were amazing, and I need some sequels to them in it! Pick up this book, and you will not be disappointed.

I recently discovered Brayden when I received the ARC for First Position and I loved it. It awakened my love for lesbian romances and inspired me to go on a small buying binge for my Kindle. I was very excited to see another title by her available here and was not disappointed.

Well-written romance novels are not an easy achievement, but Brayden has created memorable, likable characters and places them in situations that continue moving the story along. I was especially partial to those that offered a behind-the-scenes glimpses of the TV show.

I was unable to review this book because of a conflict in my schedule. Sorry for any inconvenience this has caused the publisher or the author of the work. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review for you and I look forward to reviewing for you in the future.

I loved this book and cannot wait to read the next book in this series. I'll edit this review to post a complete one next week.

"Isabel Chase was right where she was supposed to be"

* * *
3 / 5

Ever since devouring Brayden's last novel Strawberry Summer I've been itching to get my grubby little book-hands on anything else by her. Eyes Like Those is sweet, sexy, and the two main character's have a lot of chemistry, but I found the plot a bit lacking in originality and it just didn't draw me in the way Strawberry Summer did.

"she'd pretty much auction off her soul for the chance. Cheap too. She'd Craiglist the sucker"

Isabel Chase wants to be a television script-writer but it's a hard industry to break into. Meanwhile Taylor Andrews' career is flying high and everything is finally going right for her - except for her ill-advised relationship with the lead actress on her show, who doesn't seem to quite get the fact that she's been dumped. When Isabel is brought on as the newest staff writer, they're immediately attracted to each. Through ex-girlfriend's, Isabel's feelings of insecurity at this being her first real writing gig, Taylor wanting her but her superior position holding her back, and Isabel's moving to Hollywood and making new friends, their romance winds it's way in a long, slow-burning manner through the book.

Eyes Like Those is absolutely an enjoyable book. It's reasonably light, fluffy, and I never felt like I was about to cry. Others have compared it to Brayden's SoHo Loft series, which I haven't read. It's the first book in a series, so it isn't entirely self-contained and the ending is a little incomplete. I loved Taylor straight from page one: she's a woman with a career that she loves, but who is constantly fighting the powers-that-be, and struggling with her own baggage. She's insecure in her own way and has a dog that she loves. But the book is more from the point of view of Isabel, who is palatable enough but become a bit annoying to me; she began to feel like a bit of a caricature of a spunky, sassy, small-town girl who's moved to a big city. But Brayden is a woman who can make a cliche work, so I just rolled with it.

"She laughed. "You call your boyfriend Fat Tony?" Clearly Isabel was pinging in the wrong direction today. "I don't. But I call my cat Fat Tony""

So what failed to spark for me? It's a mixture of a few minor problems: towards the end of the book I found Isabel and Taylor weren't so distinct, both strong-willed, defiant women who loved passionately; then there was the relationship problems, the ups and downs of their love journey, that were quite predictable - relationship professionally not work-viable, a jealous and slightly insane ex-girlfriend; and finally the girls that Isabel lives with weren't really properly fleshed out - they were important enough to warrant backstories, but never really felt like an important part of the book.

So maybe the book is a bit formulaic? But honestly, it really didn't matter too much. The writing is beautiful, the main characters solid, and I absolutely loved the setting: the TV writing process is never something I've given much thought to, and it was fascinating. I have no idea if this book gives an accurate portrayal, but it worked so well! If you are a fan of Brayden, do not hesitate to pick this one up.

When I think of a good romance writer, Ms. Brayden’s name comes to mind. I have read all her books and always look forward to her next one. This book, “Eyes Like Those” is book one of a new series. It is set in the sunny state of California where Hollywood has it stars, movie makers and all the drama that goes along with this industry.

Isabel Chase is a writer who longs to break into the screenwriters’ field. As luck would have it, a friend leaves her writer’s position and recommends Isabel for the opening. Isabel is a very talented and creative writer who easily gets the job. She understands that this will be a challenge, but what she doesn’t expect is to be attracted to her boss. Isabel’s boss is Taylor Andrews. Taylor is extremely successful at her job. She likes the fresh ideas that Isabel brings to the television show. Over the weeks they develop a good working relationship. Taylor finds that she, too, is attracted to Isabel. As one might expect, the push and pull of this attraction make up the plot of this book.

Isabel is subletting an apartment at the Seven Shores complex. It is here that she meets the other women in this series. Hadley is a very sweet woman who works in the fashion retailer business. Gia is a world-class surfer. Both Hadley and Gia rent apartments at Seven Shores. Autumn owns a coffee shop across the street from the complex.

Ms. Brayden has written a very good book. The plot is well developed as are the characters. She has paved the way for more books in the series. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I look forward to the reading more about the women in this series. Good job, Ms. Brayden!

I was given this ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

Okay. So, from the beginning of the book (in the acknowledgments) we know that it's going to be a series, but, it took me wayy too long to realize why the series is going to be called what it was called. Oops. My bad.

It's the story of the friends who live at Seven Shores, Gia, Hadley, Autumn, and Isabel. This is also the story of Isabel and Taylor's relationship.

Isabel is a new staff writer on the biggest TV show at the time, and Taylor is her Executive Producer. They start off just as friends and boss/employee, but slowly they get closer and closer. But, there are a lot of roadblocks in their way, including the star of the show, Aspen, being Taylor's ex and not quite the most sane about the breakup (and a seriously intense person, yikes).

I liked both parts of this. The friend stuff between all the women, as well as the relationship stuff between Taylor and Isabel (and some of the TV/writing things were cool too).

And then the fact that there'll be more books in this series. I loved all the characters (including the non-Seven Shores ones like Scarlet, Taylor's assistant (would love to see more of her) and can't wait to read more about any of the characters.

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books.

While I'm a really big fan of Melissa Brayden's writing and this book was entertaining to read it was so beyond reality I couldn't really enjoy it.
The basic plot is about a young woman named Isabel Chase, who get's literally the chance of a lifetime to become a tv writer under the mentorship of showrunner Taylor Andrews. The two eventually begin falling in love and drama ensues.
I spent my 20's working on scripted TV shows and for me this plot is so beyond fantasy that it's kinda ridiculous. This would never ever happen in a million years. Regardless of how talented you may be, no one writes a spec and comes from nowhere to get a coveted staff position, moves to LA for the first time and eventually ends up the showrunner through a series of random events involving a high profile actress. Is it a great fantasy? Sure, maybe, but not really because I know how hard people work to get those first staff writing jobs on a TV show. It involves spending about a decade getting coffee and cleaning the kitchen in the writer's office on various TV shows and extremely long days, hoping the showrunner talks to you long enough to realize you want to be a writer and would consider reading a spec and then maybe, MAYBE hiring you as the writer's PA so you can work another 5 years up the ladder to staff writer. Because I know all this, it was hard for me to swallow any part of this story. I'm hoping the rest in the series are a bit closer to reality or at least removed enough from my own experience that I can do the whole suspension of disbelief successfully.