4 stars. Skyler Ruiz is a news reporter who gets a big break by getting a job in San Diego, where she would be working a much bigger market than her small town. It is the same station where she has a crush on the anchorwoman, Caroline McNamara. Carrie is not nice to Skyler at first and Skyler does not what she did to get on Carrie's bad side. When she sees Carrie at a party, she finally sees Carrie with her guard down and finally gets to know her. They both do not know where their relationship is going and are surprised by the outcome.

I enjoyed this novel a lot. I only did not give it 5 stars since the middle of the book felt like it dragged a lot. Around 60%, I felt like everything was going too well and I had to concentrate to stay in it. I liked how the book ended and where Carries and Skyler's journey went. I liked their interactions and how Carrie first did not like Skyler and then finally started to see her in a different light. I liked how their story evolved and how they both changed throughout the book. This is a good book if you want a decent romance. Melissa Brayden is a good writer and this is definitely a decent one of hers.

Featured presentation: Exclusive by Melissa Brayden

Tune in to KTMW at 5 and 10 for exclusive coverage of the day’s news!

Cast: Skyler Ruiz is a young reporter, ready for the big time. Caroline McNamara has been a stalwart of San Diego news for the past decade.

The Plot: Skyler moves to San Diego when she gets a job as an on-air reporter. She has the news desk in her sights, but she is willing to slowly work her way up. Caroline (Carrie for short) is the current anchorwoman for KTMW in San Diego and she is starting to feel the pressures of aging with regards to her on-air presence. Despite the potential conflict due to their jobs (older vs younger woman in broadcasting) Skyler and Carrie strike up a friendship which quickly turns to more.

The blazing: I loved the portrayal of Skylar’s career! She arrives in San Diego with quite a bit of on-air experience, but that doesn’t help her a lot since she previously worked for a small news station in an equally small town. She is willing to do what it takes, which means taking on any story that comes her way. The camaraderie between her and her cameraman Ty is absolutely incredible – this is the type of working relationship we all desire. This is all crafted out against the backdrop of the cutthroat media world bringing a sense of effortless realism to the setting.

The bright: Carrie is the colleague/friend/girlfriend we all want! She is under no illusions about her future with KTMW in San Diego, but refuses to allow it to mandate her relationships with others, especially her relationship with Skyler. Her maturity is refreshing in a world where people will stoop to revolting lows to maintain their image…

The bleak: I didn’t really feel a connection between Skyler and Carrie. There was more chemistry between Skyler and Ty, her cameraman… Skyler’s reaction to Carrie’s future plans also totally baffled me. Maybe in the light of Skyler’s relationship with her mother it shouldn’t, but it felt out of place.

And then there’s the death of one of the characters… I’m not sure what the purpose of this was, but maybe that’s just me…

The burned-to-ashes: Nothing.

And then The Plot Thickens into a pleasant read, despite some shortcomings in the romance department. Ms Brayden’s background in media shines through and Skyler’s career is the star of the show!

Studio: Bold Strokes Books

Closing credits: I willingly leave this review based on an eARC copy graciously granted to me by Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley.

I have enjoyed many of Ms. Brayden’s books and this is one is no exception. Be warned though you should have some tissues close at hand. This story is based in San Diego and with Ms. Brayden’s writing style you truly feel like you are there.

The MCs, Skyler and Caroline (Sky/Carrie), are easy to warm up to, even if Carrie comes off a bit icy at first. There is a bit of an age gap (about 9+ years) so I enjoyed the maturity of the dialog that came with this (that and I’m a sucker for older women). There are many supporting characters-loved Emory, Sarah and Grace were throughout the story (even a bit of side story with them) from Heart Block (no you don’t have to read HB but I would highly recommend it just to fall in love with Emory and Sarah, I did 7 years ago). There are also new characters that I loved and broke my heart (no spoilers). Oh and there is just one adorable dog, Micky that I couldn’t get enough of <smile>. One more thing, Ms. Brayden’s use of they/them pronouns with Grace’s friend Bobby was just wonderful, inclusiveness is needed now more then ever.

Overall Ms. Brayden gives us another winner in a heart warming, but sometimes heartbreaking, story. The characters stayed with me long after I finished the book and hope to see them possibly again in the future.

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

You can see my Amazon review under CC-a beautiful story

Melissa Brayden has the power to make you love the characters from the very first pages. Nothing new with this story. I loved Skyler and her busy mind. The way she sees the world and thinks about everything felt very relatable. When she meets Carrie irl after having been a fan for years, she is instantly attracted to her and I could feel that attraction between them from the get go. I loved how they switched from flirty talks to serious ones and thorougly enjoyed all the scenes they had with the side characters that were just as flashed out as the MC's.

I may have stayed up way too late to get through this book on a work night but it was fun spending time with Skyler and Carrie so no regrets whatsoever. Not sure if it's needs to be said but the steamy scenes were very well excecuted and hot. For a first time reading an age gap book this was definitely a good one to start this trope with.

ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher (Bold Strokes Books) in exchange for a honest review.

exclusive by melissa brayden
pub date: march 15, 2022

the book was told solely from skyler ruiz's pov, a small-time reporter with dreams of making it into a bigger news market where she can deliver news that actually make a difference. she was one day presented an opportunity to apply for a position in a popular network in san diego, which is also where her long-standing celebrity/anchorwoman crush is working, caroline mcnamara.

ironically, instead of feeling a connection with skyler because she was the only voice of the story and we are of the same age, i felt more connected with caroline/carrie. i maybe nowhere near her age, but i've caught myself thinking about the same insecurities she had regarding her age. i haven't read a lot of books that tackles aging and how it affects women in a proffessional manner and i appreciate the author for inserting it to carrie's narrative and for handling it well. i just hoped that we also got an insight into carrie's mind to give more depth to her character.

as much as i wanted to enjoy the romance because some of the tropes are new for me (age gap and workplace setting), it seemed rushed and i didn't really feel the chemistry between the mcs until the last 10-20% of the book. also, i wasn't convinced about the fallout. i feel like it could have been avoided if only they both acted as adults and make proper communication. i mean, it wasn't impossible and they could have at least tried.

overall, i still think that it was a pretty good introduction for me to the works of melissa brayden and i'm looking forward to reading more of their stories.

3.5/5 ⭐

thanks to @netgalley and @boldstrokesbooks for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Exclusive by Melissa Brayden is a wonderful read. An age gap workplace romance with a side of secrecy and abandonment issues and a healthy amount of steamy scenes.

The chemistry between the MCs was off the charts for me. I cannot pin point exactly which component made this work exactly but it felt like the chemistry was making the pages vibrate! The easy comic banter, the sexy glances, the quick stollen moments and their overall understanding of one an other just sealed the deal.

However, this doesn’t mean I did not want to shake Skyler violently on a few occasions. This is likely due to the fact that the book is told from her perspective and therefore her flaws and insecurities are at the forefront. I could definitely relate to her abandonment issues but wanted to scream when she started to detach herself from her love instead of fighting for her. Uncharacteristically for me, I even shed a few tears, because the pain and feelings of not being worth hit were so well portrayed. However, I feel like, perhaps, Carrie was not as much to blame as she was and I would have loved for Skyler to make a grand gesture as well, just to show some growth and acknowledgement of her own shortcomings. It feels like one of the driving factor in their divide was that Skyler felt she was not a priority or as important to Carrie as Carrie was to her, but Carrie’s words and actions, in my eyes showed that she was! Sky just seemed to be blinded by her trauma and unable to see it. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed how it all came together in the end. This is a true romance, just like I like them. Love, feelings, fears, tears and chemistry.

Lastly, I love how Brayden ties her whole universe together. In this case, it was nice to revisit Sarah and Emory (and witty Grace!) from heart block, although I had a slight panic attack there for a moment. This makes the HEA so much more tangible!

** ARC generously provided by the publisher through NetGalley

I have to admit, I was actually kind of bored through a large chunk of this book. It just felt like it dragged and was a bit repetitive in terms of just showing how "lovey-dovey" the two main characters were. I think this could have been avoided if the book were third person, and possibly from both characters' perspectives.

I also didn't actually like the main character very much. She made some choices that I just didn't like and I don't think she made good progression through the story. Because we don't get to know her love interest as well, she felt flat and I didn't get a good sense of her motivations.

Melissa Brayden is one of those authors who puts out great books consistently. I loved the characters in Exclusive and felt like they had great chemistry together from that first meeting. Skyler’s dialogue is witty and I laughed more than a few times reading through her responses. Carrie provides a great counter balance to Skyler’s high energy levels and they compliment each other and seem like a well matched duo. It was great to get glimpses of the characters from Heart Block too! I loved Sarah, Emory and Grace in that and they made this book all the more engaging. If you are in the mood for a low angst romance this certainly fits the bill!

Happy days of meeting up with old favourites for a updated glimpse into their lives. I would have liked more of them, but that would have distracted from another lovely romance burgeoning in the news rooms. Excellent sass as always from this author. Usually I like one character a little bit more than the other, but here I really liked them both. There’s a great honesty about how they try to balance their careers and romance as well as the effects of old insecurities. Reading this book is like a warm (and passionate) hug.

3 stars. Any Melissa Brayden book is going to be cute and heartwarming, and this book is no exception. However, I ran into a few bumps with this one that dampened my reading experience.

Exclusive is told from the first-person POV of Skyler Ruiz (30, Guatemalan American), who’s just landed a job as a reporter in San Diego. There, she gets the chance to work alongside her news anchor crush, Caroline “Carrie” McNamara (~40). Skyler is an adorable, weird ray of sunshine with a penchant for moose and a precious dog named Micky. I was instantly taken with Skyler’s narration, and I initially thought this might be a five-star book (but alas, that didn’t happen). Carrie seems like an ice queen at first, but we quickly realize that she isn’t. She’s a lovable woman with a passion for her job, though she’s feeling the unfortunate pressure of being a nearly-40-year-old woman in a high-visibility field.

As expected, Skyler and Carrie have great chemistry and I loved their dialogue and banter. I did, however, wish that their relationship had more buildup. I was excited by the idea of Carrie being an ice queen and there being some delicious *tension,* but the relationship turned domestic and steamy so quickly that I was a bit disappointed.

This book sort of a companion novel to Heart Block: Skyler is Sarah’s cousin, and we get plenty of scenes with Sarah, Emory, and Grace. Exclusive takes place eight years after Heart Block, and I loved getting to see what those characters are up to now. It isn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Sarah and Emory: in this book they’re facing an unexpected challenge together, which just shows how strong their relationship is (but rest assured, they both end up okay!).

(I can’t remember if Skyler was mentioned in Heart Block, though: I feel like since she and Sarah are so close, it would have been weird if she wasn’t, and then was poofed into existence for this book.)

Unfortunately, during the conflict, I thought that one character sacrificed too much while the other got off scot-free. I think more communication between Skyler and Carrie was necessary to avoid this. And while it likely wasn’t intentional on Brayden’s part, there was some manipulation going on that left a bad taste in my mouth. I think they’re a cute couple and everything, but I don’t see them working out long-term. Sigh, I’m just not vibing with Brayden’s conflicts these days.

Also, something happens during the conflict section that ruined the tone of the book for me. I feel like this book had enough drama already without adding that sudden sad event, and I don’t think the event left as much of an impact on the rest of the book as it should have.

Though this book fell a bit flat for me, I’d recommend it if you’re in the mood for a workplace romance with great dialogue, lovely side characters, and lots of *drama.*

content warnings: graphic sex, cancer, car accident, death of a side character, violence, hospitalization, blood, manipulation, dubious consent, alcohol (recreational), past parental death

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Skylar Ruiz is a reporter for a local TV network reporting on the mundane. She manages to get her big break by securing a job in a large network in San Diego where she starts work alongside her idol and crush Caroline McNamara. When Skylar fills in for Caroline their relationship takes an interesting turn.
Melissa Brayden books are always great to read. Her characters have chemistry, there's humour in her storylines and her books make you feel good. It's a pretty predictable storyline but still enjoyable nonetheless.

Went into it with high hopes seeing some of my favorite tropes by one of my favorite authors; age gape, celebrity crush, kind of an ice queen but unfortunately was let down. It was hard for me to buy into the relationship with only Skylers POV. I felt like I never really got to know Carrie and couldn’t feel the chemistry between the two. Plus, I wasn’t really a fan of Skyler to me she came off as immature and in need of a therapist to deal with her fear of abandonment so that likely didn’t help with my view on the book. I think having Carrie’s POV would’ve helped me buy into the relationship a bit more because I never really got to see how Carrie viewed Skyler and their relationship.

Overall, it’s a good book but not the best I’ve read from Brayden. The relationship between Skyler and Carrie was sweet and many will probably love it. Without Carrie’s POV something just felt like it was lacking for me and I never got stuck into the relationship. With her POV that might’ve changed.. (and I would’ve probably had a crush on her).

Skyler Ruiz begins a new job as a reporter in the San Diego market working with her teenage crush Carolyn McNamara. There is a small bit of an enemies to lovers trope, but the book felt very fresh in part do to the news room setting. The story is told primarily from Skyler’s perspective, and while both characters were strong, I particularly enjoyed learning more about Carrie.

The setting felt fresh and interesting and the chemistry between the mains characters was great. There were also enough twists and surprises to keep the story from feeling predictable.

I really liked Skyler and Carrie together. So much so, that I would have liked to see a bit more of the characters in both the getting-to-know-each other and deeper connection/romance phases.

A great story, and one of my favorites from Brayden.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Melissa Brayden is an automatic read for me and she has never disappointed me. If I want romance, witty banter and sizzling chemistry I just need to grab one of her books and I know for sure I'll get what I want.
Only downside for me, and that's a purely personal thing, is that the story was told in first person from Skyler's point of view. I usually dislike that point of view because you can really get into the head of one character, but are hardly privy to, in this case, Carrie's thought processes and that always leaves me a little less connected to the relationship.
This newroom romance with an age gap trope is an exellent read and I enjoyed it immensely, there was a darker topic interwoven in the plot and we got to catch up with Emory, Sara and Grace from Heartblock. All things together it made for a solid romance book I would recommend without hesitation.

Melissa Brayden is one of my auto-buy romance writers, and if you don't know her just give it a try and see for yourself why her books are so good
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I had forgotten how subtle and smooth her stories are, how the characters walk their path and find the person who brings them to love, it is as perfect and unique as later, without you seeing it coming, it leaves you with your heart on the verge of tears. And the ending is always down to earth and makes you want to reread the entire book again.
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Soft, charming and perfect, as always. This romance has various tropes, celebrity crush, age gap, grumpy sunshine and portrays the challenge of daring to ask for what you want and trust the other
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Skyler Ruiz is a reporter for a small local network and dreams of having more big stories to tell, when the possibility of a job at San Diego's main news channel appears she is ready to show that she has what it takes.
Her dream job brings with it a challenge every day and having a desk next to the incredible Caroline Mcnamara could be a plus if she would stop treating her as a threat to her chair as a news figure.
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The chemistry between them begins to change as they realize they have more in common than they think, and with those new feelings come new challenges.
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As always I cried a little and smiled non-stop towards the end, I really enjoyed it a lot and I only give it a single star because the single points of view make me suffer
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Thanks to Melissa Brayden and Bold Stroke Books for give me this Beautiful Book in exchange for my honest opinion

The chemistry between Caroline and Skyler was electric and Melissa Brayden wasn’t joking when she said this book had a lot of kissing, not that I minded one bit. I loved the dialogue and easy banter between all of the characters. I found myself smiling and also laughing often.

I’m knocking it down to 4 stars as there were two darker topics that I was not expecting, and while they were woven in thoughtfully, they weren’t needed in my opinion.

Based on the description of this book, it’s known that the main characters worked as a news anchor and reporter, but the details about the news stations, the newsroom and those workplace politics were spot on. Being a marketing professional and working with the media often, I’ve seen the in and outs of TV and she nailed it.

The Ninja Turtles reference and Michelangelo *chefs kiss*


I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable read, although it definitely had darker undertones than the lighthearted romances I had come to expect from Melissa Brayden. The two leads had chemistry from the start and their scenes were both fun and sweet at the same time. I especially connected with Sky and her struggle to make it as a reporter. Her relationship with Ty was also very sweet. The newsroom setting was interesting. However, the angst level jumped up significantly at the end, with both leads’ hidden insecurities coming to surface. Overall, it was a well written book but didn’t grab me as much as some of the author’s previous works.

So many of my favorite tropes! Age gap, opposites attract, melting the ice queen, celebrity crush ... plus A Star is Born! Throw in the cast of Heart Block and Easter Eggs from Strawberry Summer and Entangled, and I'm a happy reader.

I adore first person, and Melissa Brayden is one of the best at executing it. But in this story I would've liked to experience Caroline's POV as well. At 40, she obviously has a lot of life behind her that we don't know about that contributes to her character. It's why I withheld the fifth star in an otherwise near-perfect book.

I like to envision someone in my head while reading, and because we hear about how gorgeous and stunning both MCs are, I settled on Blake Lively and Victoria Justice. You're welcome.

Exclusive is a definite winner by Melissa Brayden. The book tells the story of two intelligent news women in San Diego who are immediately attracted to each other but who hold back for different reasons. Skyler Ruiz is the newbie reporter and Carolyn McNamara is a veteran anchor and the person who inspired Skyler to become a journalist.

Without giving away too much of the story, after Skyler and Carrie become romantically involved, they have their ups and downs. But their chemistry is so intense and their love for each other is too strong in the long run. The last twenty percent of the book was emotional, had tension, heat, and a happy ending. 4.5 stars

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

I discovered Melissa Brayden back in 2013 when I read Heart Block and I was surprised to see a romance author who did not fall into clichés and I’m happy to report that 19 books later she still hasn’t fallen into the cheap cliché trap that so many authors seem to fall into.

In this novel she gives us the love story between Skyler Ruiz and Carolyn McNamara, two reporters from San Diego. While I didn’t feel their chemistry right away as has been the case with other of her books, when I eventually saw the connection between them it felt very real. It wouldn’t be a Melissa Brayden novel without witty banter between the characters and very interesting secondary characters which were perfect in my opinion. We get to spend some time with Sarah, Emory and Grace from Heart Block which gave the story a touch of familiarity.

At this point I’m not sure if my reviews are biased because Melissa Brayden is one of my favorite authors, but after reading other positive reviews, I think it’s safe to say it’s a very good book :)