At the beginning of The Last Lavender Sister are doughnuts. If you’ve followed Melissa Brayden on social media for more than five minutes, you know how important doughnuts are to her. Aster is the youngest daughter of the Lavender family, the only one not working for the family business. The one whose name people don’t remember, hence “the last Lavender sister”. Her boutique doughnut shop is wonderfully successful but Aster’s dreams go beyond smartly-named heavenly pastries. There’s so much to explore food-wise and she’s thinking of leaving her boring small town and applying to culinary school in Boston. Just before she takes the plunge, Aster meets the vet who is temporarily taking over the town practice and sparks fly, hot, swirly sparks that both women try to harness into friendship and nothing more. Because Aster will be leaving soon and even if she didn’t, Brynn, the new vet, would.

I am so grateful for this book. I’m a huge fan of Melissa Brayden’s books. I’m incredibly proud that I got to translate two of them (which is why I keep mentioning it, it’s not bragging, I simply loved every second of it) and I wish I’d had the opportunity to work on more. I love the way she writes, I fall in love with almost all her characters, she makes me hungry half the time with her food descriptions, and I have a never-ending crush on Jessica Lennox. Kiss the Girl was my first Brayden romance and I have AfterEllen (before they became all TERFy) to thank for that.

In recent years, however, while I’ve enjoyed Brayden’s new releases (even when she’s not at her best, she’s always a good writer), they didn’t touch me as much, they didn’t feel as exhilarating as her older ones. With each new one, I was thinking, will this be the one? Is Brayden back at the top?

This time. This time I think it’s the one.

Melissa Brayden left the old tried-and-true but boring-by-now formula behind and gives us something new. It’s both new and one hundred per cent Brayden, which is what I’ve been hoping for for a while now. It’s also a slow burn, with some gorgeous writing. I’ve had to take some breaks while reading to delight in a turn of phrase here and there, and that’s the best feeling.

One of the things I loved is that Aster is all about communication. She says what she has to say, asks questions when she wants answers. She may be the baby of the family and some people might not notice her, but she’s not a pushover. She wants what she wants. She’s brave, she’s determined, she’s kind, she’s relatably flawed. Brynn is at first the mature one in the relationship, but as time goes by, both characters grow, each in her own way, Aster by asserting herself and Brynn by opening up, letting the suffering she still struggles with since the breakup that led to her moving to Homer’s Bluff show more and more. She’s honest about it, honest about the fact that it somewhat dictates her actions. Both characters are very self-aware and that’s what makes the relationship plausible. That and the chemistry. Aster and Brynn are freaking hot together.

I love Brayden’s trademark banter but in recent books, it felt over the top, holding the fort while everything else was scrambling to find its footing again. She’s toned it down in this book and guess what? It’s still funny, it’s still quirky, and it stops before becoming tedious. It’s like getting the best of Melissa Brayden again.

The previous best with a bonus, though. One thing is better than before: despite all my love for the characters Brayden writes, I’ve often felt that their voices weren’t distinct enough. That they all spoke the same, with the same mannerisms, the same sense of humour. To different degrees but with the same basis always. Not Aster and Brynn. When I hear them in my head, there’s no mistaking one for the other.

Also, food is my love language. Granted, I don’t cook. Dyspraxia gets in the way and I don’t have enough patience. I don’t know which one is the chicken and which one is the egg but the result is, I don’t cook. Cook for me though, and I’m in love (just ask my wife, she knows all about it). So Aster wanting to cook for Brynn? Major swooning here. Add the fact that books are fundamental to this relationship and my day is made. There’s this perfect metaphor but it’s 84% in so I can’t share the quote but I love it. It’s perfect for this book, it’s perfect for these characters, it’s perfect for a lot of readers I think.

Side note: one of my favourite scenes to translate in Kiss the Girl involved carrots doing carrot stuff (get your mind out of the gutter, please) and I smiled every time carrots were mentioned here too.

Yes, The Last Lavender Sister is fluffy. Yes, it’s predictable, to some extent. No, it’s not perfect, I have once again issues with the editing and proofreading, and why does Brynn read straight romance when so much excellent sapphic romance is everywhere now? None of this however diminished my enjoyment of the story. I’m a very happy camper right now.

Three and a half stars. I have to say that this was a disappointment for me. Although I liked the premise, some part of me had the impression before I even opened the book that this would be one work by Brayden that I liked more in concept than in execution. And I was right. I could not get on board with the many time lapses, the many events and circumstances keeping Aster and Brynn apart, even the stifling isolation from the rest of the world that seems to be a result of focusing on two characters over the span of years. (For example, what was that whole subplot with Sage and Taylor? It was like neither of the characters were particularly important enough to warrant anything other than gossip and telling their story through tired dialogue, when in fact one was Aster's sibling and the other Brynn's best friend.)

I don't know if part of the disappointment was because this book was very different from Brayden's previous release, Exclusive, which I loved with a passion. (I think that felt more serious and had better pacing.) In general, I'm wondering if I just don't get along with Brayden books set in small towns, because I felt a similar disappointment with Strawberry Summer. Or maybe there's just some part of this nostalgic, second chance style that I have no appetite for. In any case, my appreciation for Brayden's writing hasn't been diminished by one disappointment, as evidenced by my picking up the Soho Loft series, which has been at the top of my to-read list for a while.

This is the cozy sapphic romance, reminiscent of your average Hallmark movie, that I Personally Deserve. It’s sweet, it takes place in a donut shop called Hole in One, there is a family with Theme Naming, it’s a suepr easy read, it’s got excellent dialogue that never feels forced. Four stars. I really recommend it.

This might be described as a meet cute, but as it is a Brayden book, you know there will be more to it than that. I enjoyed the mains getting to know each other and us getting to know them. Again, naturally in most Brayden books the characters, including secondary, are 3d rather than flat. The dialogue zings and most was read with a smile on my face. The plot arc managed to be fresh, temporary vet in a small town, meets local, but it is the local that is leaving and part one of the book ends with that.
Part 2 starts a bit of time later, and didn’t see part of it coming, many bits of it coming. Suddenly the cosy comfy first part is replaced by tension. I’ve read a number of books recently where pace has dropped due to a lack of tension, but the pacing was fine as there was enough other stuff going on. Part two finishes. I’m in shock. The writer hasn’t cheated with me but it is not going as I expected. Part three begins and there is no way I will be doing anything else before continuing to read! Oh!My!Goodness! I thought I was desperate to read part three but that is nothing compared to the way I feel going in to part four! Well!
A lovely book, with a bumpy path for the mains, but a really smooth ride for the reader. I was surprised by bits, laughed at bits and loved it all.
I’ve rated it 5, because it is the complete package, it entertained me, it amused me and it made me smile, but of all the plot surprised me.

Got to admit, the title piqued my interest first, then the cover.

This book is extremely ‘warmly’. I absolutely love books where the main characters go back home to their small town village, where they are an extremely close nit community and have large loveling homes. The last lavender sister ticked all the books for me.

It's an amazing storyline, does get a little repetitive in places, but it's a sweet romance where you hope that the two get there happily ever after.
It's a lovely easy read and quite easily one of Melissa Brayden's better books.

I've given The Last Lavender Sister a 4/5.

This story follows Brynn and Aster on their journey to each other. It's a bit different than most others I've read by this author. It takes place over several years and it's told in small snippets showing their interactions with each other as young adults. They initially meet when Brynn temporarily takes over the local vet's office and are introduced by a friend. Aster feels like she blends into the background of her animated family and struggles to find a place for herself outside of the family business. They both feel a pull to each other but go through several stages in life where the timing isn't quite right for them. I really liked both of these characters and their story was fun to follow. Their series of near misses kept me wanting more for them and kept the story going. I liked that they felt they needed to understand themselves a bit better before driving into their forever relationship. The Lavender family was a great cast of supporting characters throughout. I loved Tyler and Sage too. Great book I'd highly recommend.

At one point I thought this was one of Melissa Brayden’s best books, but after finishing it I decided that this is her best one, or at least my favorite book of hers :)

The book is listed as 264 pages long for the paperback edition, but to me it felt like a much longer novel, in a good way. The story didn’t feel rushed, and she had enough time to develop the characters, mainly Aster Lavender, and even the town. I loved the small town the author showed us in her Tangle Valley trilogy, and even in this standalone novel she was able to give us enough information about the small town of Homer’s Bluff to feel like we were there. I loved all the characters and I hope we eventually get another book (or maybe a couple more?) set in this town.

I highly recommend this book, particularly if you enjoy slow burns.

I really enjoyed The Last Lavender Sister by Melissa Brayden. It has all the staples fans of her work have come to expect - likeable characters, witty dialogue, a little angst and a classic love story.
The plot unfolds over a period of several years and follows the life of the youngest Lavender daughter, Aster, as she finds the confidence and courage to go after the life she wants.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books Inc., and Melissa Brayden for the Digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Second Chance Romance
Food
Dogs

Aster Lavender is always thought of last in terms of her siblings and tired of the lack of excitement in her life. That is until Brynn Garrett moves to Homer’s Bluff, temporarily. Brynn is moving to the small town to ease her recent heartbreak in Chicago and switch places with the current small town veterinarian for six months. Upon meeting, they became instant best friends. Will they become more?
Aster is quite a likeable character. She’s passionate, talented, and smart. I liked Brynn in the beginning, but as the book went on, she seemed to use her excuses as a crutch. It was repetitive. Not the “will they, or won't they?” narrative that I like, but to each their own. Overall, I did really enjoy this book and I am excited to read Melissa Brayden’s other ones.

Really cute book. I loved the relationships between all the sisters. Aster was such a low-key character, she loved to cook and read , but you could also tell that she's very mature for her age. Brynn was older and a Veterinarian, but she seemed more immature for some reason she just came across as very young in nature. I liked how their relationship developed which was slow and steady, even though there was a bit of angst and drama sprinkled throughout their relationship. The author did a great job with the supporting characters as well they really helped to move this story along. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family and I look forward to what this author writes next.

We meet Aster Lavender who is used to being a wallflower compared to her siblings and longs to leave her home for something more. Brynn arrives as the town's new veterinarian and the two of them become reading bench-mates who enjoy each other's company. I enjoyed the slow burn. The descriptions of taste and smells of the food in the story are wonderfully written too. I loved how Aster grew to be more confident after leaving her home and that she realized her own self worth. Brynn's trauma from her ex was understandable and made it hard for her to trust. We know they belong with each other, but timing and circumstances hold them off. I will say that the letter chasing with Aster's family and friends is one of my favorite parts of the book. Brayden doesn't disappoint with the chemistry between her two leads and her latest book is an enjoyable read. 4.5/5

I was on edge the entire time. Fell in love with Aster right from the start. Still conflicted about Brynn. Between this and strawberry summer, I think I might be a masochist enjoying all this heartbreak. It was a pleasure reading this book.

Many thanks to Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley for a gifted copy of The Last Lavender Sister by Melissa Brayden. The author's note tells me that this is Melissa's 21st novel which is exciting. She is one of my go-to authors for sapphic romances that I know I will enjoy.

I gave this one 3 stars for a couple of reasons. First of all, it relies heavily on the miscommunication trope and in this case, it is dragged out for years instead of weeks or months. That heavily impacted my enjoyment of the story. I also appreciate that the author seemed to want to do a standalone but there was so so much going on in not a ton of pages and I would rather have had one book per couple or at least not 5 different storylines happening simultaneously. The romance between Brynn and Aster dragged on for so long not actually being a relationship that I almost stopped rooting for the two of them. That's hard when it's a romance.

The book is well written and I liked it and the characters. But the miscommunication trope over years and years was too much and impacted my love of the story.

The Last Lavender Sister comes out July 12, 2022.

Brayden is one of the few writers I trust with my heart because I know after the angst and the hard road she gives me a good HEA
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I had to wait to write this review because the engagement is deep and I have a hard time detaching myself from the characters. When I love them I love them with all my heart and when I dislike something it is difficult to let it go
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Aster is a beautiful character, I just loved her from the beginning to the end. She is the quiet and shy one in the family, the baby sister of the Lavender clan and the only one who does not work on the family farm.
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Passionate about books and cooking, she built her own business, a small but beloved donut shop, living every day in quiet Homer's Bluff until her best friend decides to go to school and bring a replacement for her vet clinic
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From the first moment Aster sees Brynn, she is lost in an unusual magnetism, but for Brynn, Aster is just her best friend's friend.
With so much to rethink and reposition in life after a breakup, the last thing she is looking for is a relationship. But in the first brief encounters with Aster something begins to open up between them and a beautiful Journey start
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The book is divided into parts and this is how the story unfolds for a few years where both change but the feelings are always intact
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Maybe there I screamed and cried a little not only because I'm passionate about my books but also because it's the effect of Melissa Brayden's writing. She is one of my auto-buy authors
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Thanks to Melissa Brayden and Bold Stroke Books for give me this beautiful book in exchange for my honest opinion I really enjoyed reading it

My heart always identifies with quiet and shy characters. Ones that don’t stand out in a crowd and don’t love being the center of attention. Aster Lavender is that person. She is over looked by her town and even her own family at times. Not in a mean way, she just doesn’t stand out compared to her siblings. As the book begins she is 28 and runs her own gourmet doughnut shop in the small town of Homer’s Bluff, Kansas. When a new veterinarian, Brynn Garrett comes to town, Aster knows she has met her person.

But this is not a rom-com and Melissa Brayden is going to take this romance on an emotional journey. Brynn likes Aster and her shy, direct way of speaking. Brynn on the outside seems confident but she has just come from a relationship that scars her deeply. Aster and Brynn share moment's getting to know each other, reading books together or caring for their new dogs. Then the story takes a couple of time jumps. The first fits as it allows Aster time to grow and get confidence in herself. The second one is frustrating to me, because it felt heart wrenching and a little cruel.

Brayden is one of my favorite authors and I trust her to bring me to a HEA during an emotional roller-coaster ride. Of course I wish Dr. Garrett will get some counseling to overcome her trust issues. I was sad for time they lost together. But I love the moment Brynn decides to try again and the sweetness of her grand gesture. And I knew it would be during a rainstorm because Aster’s conversation with her mom foreshadows it. I am not certain if there will be a series but the story is left open for a future romance for Aster’s sister Marigold. I recommend this to anyone who doesn’t mind a little angst with their romance and enjoys seeing characters grow and evolve. This isn’t my favorite book by the author but the characters stood out to me and I’m sure this is one I will read again. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

With any Melissa Brayden book you know you are in for a treat. And this one delivers on several fronts, fair warning it’ll make you crave artisanal donuts. And that’s a bad thing when you don’t even know where you can get those and you end up just eating a grilled cheese sandwich…

Aster is the last in line of the Lavender brood, who are all named after some type of flower/ plant. She feels that way in her small town as well, no one remembers her, the quiet one, the last one, the little Lavender. She longs to get away, experience bigger things. In comes Bryn, who covers the vet clinic of her friend Tyler (who is entwined with the Lavenders in her own way). She relishes the slower pace of the small town and enjoys the wonder that is Aster. They start what up front might have seen like a unlikely friendship, but they are perfect. So perfect I kept thinking just get together already! Aster is adorable and awkward, I’m on the same page as her with all these social interactions. Bryn is nursing a broken heart and just gets in her own way.

The story takes place over a very long period of time in which the relationship between our two mains keeps changing. With everything that happens, or doesn’t happen, I’m not sure how much I actually enjoyed that. While the ending never feels rushed I do feel like it seems fast. If I were to mention one thing that really just irked me and doesn’t sit right with me: the I love yous. I can’t tell you why because I’ll spoil too much of the story so you’ll have to find out yourself why I have some issues there. That being said, I do have issues there but it is worth the read to find out why. And the relationship, the character growth, it’s just too good to not read

This story is a bit mixed for me.

The first third of the book is very very sweet, and the rest of it is spent with our MCs not together, in a relationship/sleeping with other people. There are long gaps where the MCs are not in touch with each other, and the story jumps years ahead a few times. The ending is abrupt and the relationship goes from 0 to happy heteronormative ending in a very short time.

I did like Aster a lot, although I could have done without the constant sibling involvement. I like her honesty and her sweetness. I didn’t like Brynn very much. Her double standard when it comes to relationships makes her seem selfish and unlikeable. The push-pull lasts way too long and is caused by Brynn not wanting to commit to Aster but not wanting to let her go, which seems very unhealthy to me.

This is a nitpick, but reading books is such a huge part of the story, and Brynn reads straight romance?! Does lesfic not exist in this universe?

Overall the writing is smooth and polished, it’s a nice, easy read but I found the issues with being annoyed by the characters overshadowed the technical value. This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I know she’s a powerhouse in lesfic, so I’m sure I’m an outlier in my opinion.

TW: parental death, implied cancer

My rating: three stars

Another great Brayden hit. This one is an emotional rollercoaster. Just when you think all is well for the romance, a curve appears. The story starts slow with all the character background and then starts to build and build , only to fall back to a slow pace. Then it starts building again. I couldn't read fast enough. Aster's evolution was very real and interesting. And Brynn made me mad. But both characters are great together. I smiled a lot, cried a bit and warmed with the romance. The ending treasure hunt is very clever.
And I'm assuming we will see Marigold in a future book.
I highly recommend this book. A true 5 star for me. It pushed all my buttons.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review

As far as Melissa Braydens books go I will always want to get my hands on the newest as soon as possible. Even if it's not completely up my alley. like this one, it is still miles better than a lot of other romance books out there.
The dialogue, characters, setting and plot are very well written as always, Aster is a very likeable character as the shy, slightly nerdy underappreciated sister of the Lavender family. As for Brynn, I felt she was less developed as a character, but all in all I was rooting for them.
Not one Braydens best in my opinion, but still a great read and in all honesty, every romance reader should pick up her books!

***Thank you Bold Stroke Books and Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book***

OMG Melissa Brayden has done it again, what a fantastic book. Seems a little different from her usual style of writing, no comic moments but don't let that put you off.

Aster and Brynn are great characters, Aster shy and some may say social awkward and Brynn a stunner who carries hurt from a past relationship.

The story is over a few years with ups and downs, love and sadness,

Would I recommend: Yes if you like MB books then you'll love this one .