2.5 stars

This book fell a little flat for me, which is unfortunate because I really love this author and find her other titles to be really engaging and gives characters that you want to route for. I did really like the setting and the actual plot, I found this world of ballet so fascinating it was just unfortunately hindered by what felt like the wishy washiness of the characters and their relationship.

book given in exchange for an honest review

Sadly the book quickly declined for me. It began pretty decently and reminded me of the movie black swan but afterwards it became a bit... Repetive and while I can see why some people would like it, it didn't do anything for me.
The romance, which is a very important part, didn't make me root for them. I didn't hate them but I also couldn't care for the characters.
If you like a contemporary read with a Sapphic relationship, definetly check it out!

Today was a day that I most certainly did not want to watch anything on TV. I didn't even want to be on a channel adjacent to one that might be showing the inauguration. So, I decided to protest in my own way.

I turned off the TV, cuddled up with a blanket and my cats, and I read a book. A book written by a woman. A book about women. A book about (*gasp*) lesbians.

Today, I wanted a love story. I wanted a happy ending. I wanted it to last.

I chose First Position by Melissa Brayden (Bold Strokes Books). I've had the book for a while and hadn't gotten around to it quite yet. I thought today was a good day to read it. A lesbian romance. Yeah, that's what I needed.

Anastasia Mikhelson is the rising star of the New York City Ballet. She’s sacrificed creature comforts, a social life, as well as her own physical well-being for perfection in dance. Even her reputation as The Ice Queen doesn’t faze her. Though Ana’s at the peak of her career, competition from a new and noteworthy dancer puts all she’s worked for in jeopardy.

While Natalie Frederico has shown herself to be a prodigy when it comes to ballet, she much prefers modern dance and living on her own terms. Life is too short for anything else. However, when the opportunity to dance with the New York City Ballet is thrust upon her, it’s not like she could say no. Dealing with the company’s uptight lead is another story, however. When the two are forced to work side-by-side, sparks begin to fly onstage and off.

I think this just might be Brayden's best work to date. If you've read my reviews of her previous work, you know that I enjoy Brayden's novels. I think she is one of our most prominent voices in Lesbian Romance. But First Position has gone to a new level.

I love the characters in this book. Ana and Natalie are delightfully different. One uptight, one laid back. One who is a technical perfectionist, one who dances what she feels.  One introverted and focused, one extroverted and kind of winging it. Real opposites. But, as the saying goes, opposites attract. What's really delightful, though, is that this is a "slow burn" attraction. They don't hit it off right away. They aren't secretly lusting after each other right away. Brayden allows the relationship time to build and grow. They find a path from grudging respect to friendship to attraction. As they travel that path, they also grow as individuals. Brayden really upped her character development game here.

As always, the secondary characters are just as richly developed and used well to advance the story. I admit that I wanted a bit more resolution for Jason. Without giving anything away, let's just say that I wanted to know more about where he landed at the end of the novel. This was not a big thing, certainly not a deal-breaker. But he was the one character about whom I thought, "Where is he now?"

Overall, First Position was tightly written and sharply edited. I noticed a real honing of the language. Favorite words and phrasings were significantly reduced when compared with Brayden's previous novels. But Brayden's unique voice as an author was not lost in any way. Instead, I think it was more clearly revealed. I think there is still room to improve with future books, but, again, this was in no way a deal-breaker. Character voices were distinct, the narrative was clean, and the dialogue was crisp. All-in-all, excellent.

Though some of the writing and character points are cliche, this story is a good example of its genre. Anyone looking for a classic romcom storyline with wlw characters will love this book.

I really enjoyed this one! Melissa Brayden has a great natural writing style that suits a story like this. It feels appropriately big and romantic (not to mention fairly dramatic) when it needs to be, but also low-key and intimate when it suits the story. Bad dialogue is the easiest way to make me hate a book when it's so focused on its characters and their interactions, but the dialogue in <i>First Position</i> is charming and natural. The characters are well-written and the leads have palpable chemistry, so I was invested even throughout some contrived story beats. All in all, a well-done and enjoyable romance with an interesting background in professional ballet.

Ballet! And lesbians! and lesbian ballet! I liked it! The only downside was that the author added a totally unnecessary plot twist to create more drama and it made me want to scream! There are so many more realistic things that can happen in a relationship without adding ridiculous curve balls. That being said I enjoyed the chemistry between the two main characters, and my library doesn't have a lot of f/f romance, so I put Melissa Brayden on our list of authors to look out for.

I'm a huge fan of Brayden and this story was great. The two main characters were really the focus of the story with secondary characters firmly in the background. At the beginning, the story reminded me of the movie Center Stage then took on a little bit of Waiting in the Wings and then finished off as it's own tale. One thing I absolutely love about Brayden's works is that characters come back giving an idea about where they are now without detracting from the story. And if you haven't read previous works, you feel like you missed anything. I hope this is not last we read about Ana and Natalie. Definitely worth the read!!!

When I read romance novels I know they'll be formulaic, but this one had a climax that actually surprised me.

An honest review thanks to Netgalley. This is a great story; I love how Melissa Brayden brings in characters from her previous books, we can see two different couples that have been in her other books. Ana and Natalie are amazing and have great chemistry, their passion for dance and their love story brings you into their world. THis is a great book that you will definitely enjoy!

I loved loved loved this book! I don't know why it took me so long to get around to it when I've been waiting to read it forever, but I finally did and can honestly say it was worth the wait! Ana and Natalie are such a great couple. I love books about dance, theater, etc.

This was a great read, as are all of Melissa Brayden's books in my opinion! I loved Waiting in the Wings so I enjoyed revisiting the performing arts, it adds another element to the romance plot. I thought both characters were well developed and I found the whole opposites attract thing enjoyable. Overall a great read, I always devour Brayden's books in a day and am them left anxiously awaiting the next!