Love Like This is the fourth and final installment in Melissa Brayden's Seven Shores series and the third in the series I've read (Sorry, Autumn. I have your book; just haven't gotten to it yet!). The series follows the same group of four friends who all live in the same apartment complex and feature heavily in each other's stories, and Love Like This follows Hadley, the group's resident ray of sunshine. It's fitting that Brayden chose Hadley's story to finish out the series.
After watching her friends Isabel, Autumn, and Gia all find their person and fall in love, it's finally Hadley's turn. As the assistant manager of a clothing store on Rodeo Drive, she's charged with finding a new designer to bring in more interest and clientele. Enter Spencer Adair, a pragmatic designer who doesn't believe in happily ever afters, only happily for nows. The only problem is that Hadley isn't sure she can settle for anything less than forever.
I actually don't have a lot to say about this. It's a cute story. I liked it a lot, but I didn't love it. That might have to do with the storyline. Although Brayden doesn't hit you over the hit with fashion information, it's still not really an interest of mine. I couldn't connect with this book in the same way I could with Gia's, because I love sports, or Isabel's, because I love writing.
However, Brayden's strength, in my opinion, has always been her characters. I really enjoyed being in Hadley's head because she's bubbly, optimistic, and sees the beauty in everything. It's a refreshing perspective. And, like in the other Seven Shores books, my favorite aspect was the friendship between the four main characters. I liked Spencer a lot, too, and thought she was a good match for Hadley. I also appreciated that she's explicitly black. She and Hadley have a frank, though short, discussion about their different backgrounds. It was nice to see Brayden include more characters of color. I loved Spencer's parents and best friend and wish they could've been around for more books.
In conclusion, Love Like This kept me reading. It just didn't...thrill me, I guess. My biggest complaint is that I wish Brayden had given us a bit more in the epilogue about how everyone's lives were turning out, but maybe that's me wishing this series weren't over! Overall, this is a lovely, quick, warm read that I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys f/f romance.
Thanks to NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books, and Melissa Brayden for the e-copy.
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