Review: Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton

Series: Hudson Valley Bok #2
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 320
Rating: 4 Stars
How I Got It: Gift for Christmas
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Gallery Books

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

Manhattan’s It Girl, Natalie Grayson, has it all: she’s a hot exec at a leading advertising firm, known industry-wide for her challenging and edgy campaigns. She’s got a large circle of friends, a family that loves her dearly, and her dance card is always full with handsome eligible bachelors. What else could a modern gal-about-town wish for? The answer, of course, is...cheese.

Natalie’s favorite part of each week is spending Saturday morning at the Union Square Farmer’s Market, where she indulges her love of all things triple cream. Her favorite booth also indulges her love of all things handsome. Oscar Mendoza, owner of the Bailey Falls Creamery and purveyor of the finest artisanal cheeses the Hudson Valley has to offer, is tall, dark, mysterious, and a bit oblivious. Or so she thinks. But that doesn’t stop Natalie from fantasizing about the size of his, ahem, milk can.

Romance is churning, passion is burning, and something incredible is rising to the top. Could it be...love?

Review

I read this very quickly-like most Alice Clayton books. It was also funny and pretty light and fluffy.

Natalie was a typical Clayton heroine. She is outgoing, confident, and sexual. So, I don't have a lot in common with her, but can still appreciate her. She's also a bigger girl at size 18. That definitely isn't something you see often especially in a sexually-bold woman.

The romance is a very physical one. Maybe too physical. I like sexual chemistry as much as the next person, but I need emotional connections, too. I actually started to skim the sex scenes because they felt so unnecessary. But it was really nice when Natalie and Oscar would have an actual conversation.

As usual with first-person romance I would've liked a look into Oscar's perspective on things.

This series reminds me  a lot of Sarina Bowen's True North series. It's definitely more fluffy, but similar. I actually was getting the two settings confused. While I enjoyed them both, I like the Sarina Bowen books more.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Review: Roman Crazy by Alice Clayton and Nina Bocci

Series/Stand Alone: unknown???
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 326
Rating: 4 Stars
How I Got It: Gift for Christmas
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Gallery Books

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

 

Avery Bardot steps off the plane in Rome, looking for a fresh start. She’s left behind a soon-to-be ex-husband in Boston and plans to spend the summer with her best friend Daisy, licking her wounds—and perhaps a gelato or two. But when her American-expat friend throws her a welcome party on her first night, Avery’s thrown for a loop when she sees a man she never thought she’d see again: Italian architect Marcello Bianchi.

Marcello was the man—the one who got away. And now her past is colliding with her present, a present where she should be mourning the loss of her marriage and—hey, that fettuccine is delicious! And so is Marcello…

Slipping easily into the good life of summertime in Rome, Avery spends her days exploring a city that makes art historians swoon, and her nights swooning over her unexpected what was old is new again romance. It’s heady, it’s fevered, it’s wanton, and it’s crazy. But could this really be her new life? Or is it just a temporary reprieve before returning to the land of twin-set cardigans and crustless sandwiches?


A celebration of great friendship, passionate romance, and wonderful food, Roman Crazy is a lighthearted story of second chances and living life to the fullest.

Review

I didn't know what to expect from this. Historically, I've loved Alice Clayton , but I had never even heard of Nina Bocci. Overall, I enjoyed it. There was a decent amount of humor, but not the laugh out loud kind I'm used to from Ms. Clayton.

The characters were good and interesting. I love the friendship between Avery and Daisy. And I especially liked Avery's relationship with her parents. You don't often see a healthy one like that. Avery is likable even though I have nothing in common with her. It would've been nice to get more of Marcello-that's the flaw of a story in first person.

Part of the story is Avery's personal development in finding herself again. That I really appreciated and thought it balanced out the heavy romance elements.I was and continue to be hesitant about Avery going into such an intense relationship so quickly. The authors navigated it well and I do like Marcello and Avery together. And some important and realistic conflicts came up for them.

I thought this was supposed to be a series, but I don't see that on Goodreads. I feel like there's a little bit of sequel bait with Daisy. So, I am a little confused if there will be more. I'll read them if there are.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

January Wrap-Up (2017)

January was a very busy and stressful month for me. Mostly that was caused by work. I took on some extra responsibilites for most of the month that left me incredibly worn out and exhausted. But I was still able to read 8 books (or 7 books and 1 novella) and I'm incredibly grateful for that.

I've been re-reading a paranormal series I read while I was in college. So, I don't remember a lot but it also doesn't require a ton of my concentration or energy to read and enjoy. I do plan on doing a series review on my YouTube channel in the next few months.

Speaking of which, I'm actually getting more on top of my YouTube content. I've caught back on my posting which has taken a lot of the pressure off. I've also been focusing on posting ahead of time and taking my time with developing my content instead of bulldozing my way through.

All but one of the books I read got a 4 star rating so it was a fantastic reading month from that perspective as well.

These are the books I read and the ratings I gave them.

The Darkest Kiss-4 Stars

The Darkest Pleasure-3 Stars

Hard Hitter-4 Stars

The Grift of the Magi-4 Stars

The Darkest Whisper-4 Stars

The Darkest Passion-4 Stars

Roman Crazy-4 Stars

The Darkest Lie-4 Stars


Thanks for reading!
Holly

Review: Nuts by Alice Clayton

Series: Hudson Valley Series Book #1

Format: Papberback

Pages: 308

Rating: 5 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Funny

Publisher: Gallery Books

Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads

After losing almost all of her clients in one fell swoop following an accident involving whipped cream, private chef to Hollywood’s elite Roxie Callahan gets a call from her flighty mother, saying she’s needed home in upstate New York to run the family diner. Once she's back in the Hudson Valley, local organic farmer Leo delivers Roxie a lovely bunch of walnuts, and soon sparks—and clothing—begin to fly. Leo believes that everything worth doing is worth doing slowly…and how! But will Roxie stay upstate, or will the lure of West Coast redemption tempt her back to Tinseltown?

 

Review

This was exactly what I needed. My last read was very emotional and I needed something more lighthearted and funny. And Ms. Clayton didn’t let me down. Wallbanger is still my favorite, but this was a great story with some funny characters. It definitely reads like a romantic comedy and is a little unrealistic, but it works for me.

Roxie was a fantastic main character. I thought she was funny and easy to like. She had some commitment issues, but they weren’t too heavy like some stories. And I liked how much confidence in herself.

Then, there’s Leo. Such an adorable and sexy farmer. I was attracted to him and wanted more scenes with him.

It was nice to read about two characters that are attracted to each other and just act on it. There are so many stories with slow burn and angst that a lightish summer fling is a breath of fresh air.

Like a lot of Ms. Clayton’s books food is a huge part of the story. I really like characters who are passionate about something and Leo and Roxie definitely care about food. They are a little different, but it’s enjoyable to see them go off on tangents. And it made me want to start going to my local farmer markets.

There was just enough sequel bait to interest me, but I’m not dying for the next book. If you’re liked any other Alice Clayton books you should definitely check this one out. And if you like romantic comedies and don’t mid some sexy times you should give it a shot.

Thanks for reading!

Holly

Last Call by Alice Clayton

Series: Cocktail Series #4.5

Format: Paperback

Pages: 135

Rating: 4 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

I'm definitely sad to see Caroline and Simon go, but this was a great first read of the year. These two are right up there with Becky Bloomwood and Luke Brandon on my favorite couples list. And this was a great conclusion. It isn't anything groundbreaking if you just want to spend some time with the characters this will satisfy.

This still had Caroline's humor. And the great adventures of Wallbanger and Nightie Girl continue. And it was fun to see all of the characters lives changing. I love that Ms. Clayton allows her characters to still be themselves even though they are getting married and/or having babies. Plus, there are tons of tid-bits if you've read any other Alice Clayton bits.

My one major complaint is that there was not nearly enough Clive. He was hardly in the story and I loved reading about him and Simon. It seems like a small thing, but it did bother me. I do wish this was longer, because I could always spend more time with Caroline and Simon.

Unfortunately, this being over means I've read every Alice Clayton. she did say, in the acknowledgments, that she's working on a new series. But who knows when that'll actually come out. I'll be buying it though.

Thanks for reading!

Holly

Top 10 of 2014

Here are my top 10 reads of 2014 in no particular order.

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

The Program by Suzanne Young

Easy by Tammara Webber

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Making Faces by Amy Harmon

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

The Lux Series/Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale

I also did a video on this if you want to check it out:

Thanks for reading!

Holly 

Most Anticipated Books of 2015

These are the books I’m most anxious to read in 2015. Off course there are other books I’m planning on reading and buying, but these are the most exciting. Most of these are part of a series I’ve been reading. And I broke them down by month.

January

Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost (Night Prince Series)

Last Call by Alice Clayton  (Cocktail Series)

February

The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead (Bloodlines Series)

March

Fall With Me by J. Lynn (With Me Series)

Confess by Colleen Hoover

May

Nowhere but Here by Katie McGarry (The first in a new series)

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (The first in a new series)

The Heir by Kiera Cass (The Selection Series)

September

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare (The Dark Artifices)

Sweet Temptation by Wendy Higgins (Sweet Series from Kaidan’s perspective)

Unknown

The Boy Most Likely by Huntely Fitzpatrick (This follows one of my favorite side characters from My Life Next Door)

I also did a video talking about this. You can check it out here:

Are there any books you can’t wait to get your hands on?

Thanks for reading!

Holly 

Mai Tai’d Up by Alice Clayton

Series: Cocktail Series #4

Format: Paperback

Pages: 254

Rating: 4 Stars

How I Got It: Purchased

                This was another great Alice Clayton novel. She has not disappointed and this was no exception.

                This story was a lot like Screwdrivered. I feel like it’s more about Chole’s personal growth than the romance. And I loved going on that journey with Chloe. She’s a character I immediately cared about. Her past could make her bratty or annoying, but Ms. Clayton does a spectacular job of making her down to earth.

                Then, there was Lucas and their relationship. Of course, Lucas is fun and sexy. Something I’ve noticed in Ms. Clayton’s books is that she knows how to write chemistry. Her characters always have a sexual tension you feel whenever they’re together, but it isn’t over-powering. She’s also great at packing a romance so it doesn’t feel rushed.

                And the dogs. I’m a huge animal lover and grew up around dogs. She treated the issue of rescues and pit bulls well. She was respectful and shown a light on an issue in our world. And just like her sexual tension it wasn’t over-the-top. This wasn’t a PSA.

                This book also felt like six degrees of separation for the Cocktail series. I got to see characters I wasn’t expecting.

                Definitely a great read and can be read as stand-alone. But Wallbanger is still my favorite.