Once Upon a Twilight!: Alice Clayton

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Book Review: Buns by Alice Clayton

BUNS
Hudson Valley #3
Author: Alice Clayton
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: May 23, 2017
Review Source: Simon & Schuster

Clara Morgan is living the dream, if you can call rebranding hotels that are desperate for a new life and running any kind of marathon a dream. Which she does. But the career she loves and the endurance races that keep her adrenaline pumping have kept her too busy to put down any roots. Growing up in foster care, she’s never been able to establish traditions of her own, which may be why she’s fascinated by the rituals that generations-old family resorts are known for. She’s especially interested in the Bryant Mountain House, and not just for their secret recipe for the yummy, gooey, can’t-get-enough-of Hot Cross Buns….

Archie Bryant, the man with the Buns, is fifth generation and one-day-owner of the charming yet run-down Bryant Mountain House in Bailey Falls, New York. He’s determined to save his family’s legacy from the wrecking ball the old-fashioned way—by gritting his teeth and doing what needs to be done. There’s no way Archie will be influenced by the new hotel branding expert his father brought in to turn one hundred and fifty years of tradition on its head just to attract a faster, younger, slicker crowd. But when some of Clara’s ideas start bringing in new, paying customers, Archie can’t deny that she may have just given him a shot at keeping his resort open.

It’s sticky, it’s messy, it’s sweet, it’s Buns.

This was such a fun read, as are all Alice Clayton books. We are back in New York where Clara is brought in to completely update a luxury resort. She is very much looking forward to making the hotel really shine when her almost boss, Archie, is not happy about all the changes to come. The two are definitely at odds with each other but have an undeniable attraction going on. Perfect set up for an amazing story!

I loved this book! It has been my favorite book so far in the Hudson Valley series. Which is saying a lot because I really loved the other books also. Seriously Alice Clayton can do no wrong, I always enjoy every single one of her books.

I love Clara and Archie! Clara is an amazing woman. She is strong, talented, smart, and beautiful! The total package! I want to be her when I grow up. Archie is set in his ways and traditions. He's so stubborn that he reminds me of my husband. I laughed out loud many times reading this book and seeing the banter between the two characters.

I am rating this book 4.5 stars because it was such a fun, romantic, story. It kept me entertained the entire time and that's hard to do with my ADD. I highly recommend this book and all of Alice Clayton's books!

Book Review: Roman Crazy by Alice Clayton & Nina Bocci

ROMAN CRAZY
The Broads Aboard #1
Author: Alice Clayton & Nina Bocci
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: September 13, 2016
Review Source: Gallery Books

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.

The Story: Roman Crazy starts out with Avery Bardot walking in on her husband of eight years, with his secretary bent over his desk. The expected thing for her to do, according to her husband and his family, is to turn a blind eye and work it out together. "It's your world, too. Don't forget that Remingtons don't get divorced." The thing is, Avery doesn't consider herself apart of that world and seeing her husband in that compromising position, forces her to take off her blinders. Avery's long time friend, Daisy, calls her and recommends just what she needs, a vacation in Rome. When Avery gets to Rome, something in her awakens that she didn't realize she was missing, her passion. Passion for life, passion for art, and passion for love. What she didn't count on was seeing the one person that could have been "the love of her life."

The Likes: The thing I loved most about this book was the fantastic descriptions of the setting. I have never been to Italy, I don't speak any Italian, the closest I have come to Italian food is Olive Garden; but this story absolutely makes you fall in love with all things Italy. I could picture myself living there and traveling to all the places Avery traveled and trying all the food Avery tried. I now have a new, must see, bucket list country to visit. I really liked Avery and Daisy's relationship. Their dialogue was so funny at times, I laughed out loud. I wouldn't expect anything less from Alice Clayton and Nina Bocci. I LOVED the hero of this book. Marcello Bianchi is so incredibly sexy and passionate that he earned a top spot in my book boyfriend list. I'm a big fan of second chance novels and Alice Clayton and Nina Bocci did not disappoint with this one.

The Dislikes: I only had a couple of issues with this book. The first thing was that it was kind of slow for me personally. It felt like it took a while for things to pick up. Once things did pick up, I couldn't put it down. I also felt due to the slower paced beginning, that the ending was a little rushed.

The Rating: I am giving Roman Crazy a solid 4 stars because I really enjoyed the writing. Alice Clayton and Nina Bocci make a great duo and I can't wait to read more from the two of them. Alice Clayton has been a favorite author of mine and I will definitely be adding Nina Bocci as a favorite also.

Interview with Nina Bocci & Alice Clayton #RomanCrazy + Giveaway

Roman Crazy
The Broads Abroad #1
Author: Nina Bocci & Alice Clayton
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 13th 2016
Review Source: Gallery Books

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

Interview

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and a unique or quirky habit of yours.
Nina: I listen to a weather app while I’m writing. Mostly thunderstorms which sounds weird but it’s sort of zen and it prevents me from singing along while typing (which happened before I found the app : )
Alice: I either need total silence or music with no lyrics. Nina actually told me about the Harry Potter soundtrack station on Pandora, it’s all movie film scores which is pretty good to write to and NO SINGING. But occasionally, especially when I’m writing a sex scene, I go back to listening to Prodigy. Firestarter is great sex scene music.

At what point did you start writing fanfic?
Nina: Oh, boy. I would say the first time was probably junior high school and Sweet Valley High books. The most extensive fandom participation before Twilight was Harry Potter. I was/am a HUGE Snermione fan. Please don’t judge me. Twilight though is the fandom I’m most grateful for because I made so many lifelong friends there.
Alice: I started writing fanfic sometime around 2008, just before the first Twilight movie came out. It’s been the only fandom I’ve been involved with. I loved it.

Did you do any writing before hand?
Nina: I’ve always written something but usually really bad poetry for school competitions. Honestly, it’s abysmal. A ton of short stories, also for contests. I’ve won a few as well but that was as a kid.
Alice: Nope, the first piece of fiction I ever wrote was Twilight fanfiction, what ended up becoming The Unidentified Redhead. In fact the only things I’ve ever written have ended up being published. I completely backed into this career in the most wonderful way.

How was the transition from fanfic to published books?
Nina: I detoured from writing fic to publishing myself through the path of publicity, which I love dearly. Being on the other side of things has been a test to my patience and very likely a test to Gallery our lovely publisher. I have a tendency of inserting myself into everything because I can’t shut the PR side of my brain off! Sorry, Kristin, Diana and Liz!
Alice: When it happened, it was both amazing and awful. It’s easy to forget but at the time there was an enormous backlash from within the online writing community about publishing fan fiction. Once Fifty Shades of Grey came out, and then Wallbanger and Beautiful Bastard it just got worse. While readers were discovering these books and loving the characters and storytelling and entire community of fan fiction readers were making it their life’s work to troll the internet stirring the pot and doing everything they could to tear us down. Publishing Wallbanger is the single best decision I’ve ever made in my adult life, and I don’t regret it for a second. But that early success and the memory of it definitely has a strange underbelly when I think back on it.

What inspired you both to write Roman Crazy? How did you come up with the title?
Nina: I had just come back from Italy when a friend told me about her divorce/marriage explosion. It was just a completely awful situation and no amount of kind words or gestures seemed to be helping. I was on the phone with Alice and really just joked about my friend needing a trip to Italy to have a torrid affair with a gorgeous Italian as a way to get over it. Alice said, why just Italy, why not all of Europe. And thus, Broads Abroad was born.
Alice: There’s a fascination I think, especially for American women, about Europe. Specifially the men. Specifically hot men. Specifically hot men with gorgeous sounding accents. And as we get a bit older and a bit nostalgic for earlier crazier days, there’s something great about the idea of having an escape in Italy, or France, or wherever. Just throwing a leg around whatever you want in Europe, an ocean away from your real life. There are so many opportunities for adventure, for romance, that it just seemed to be begging for a romance series.

What are 3 things you must have while writing?
Nina: Thunderstorm app, hot tea and my dog warming my feet
Alice: Coffee, a quiet house or a crowded Panera.

What is your favorite books/authors? Any recommendations?
Nina: That’s like picking a favorite child. I would say check my Goodreads. I do fill that out pretty frequently. I’m lucky enough to work with a ton of amazingly talented friends and authors.
Alice: I always say this, my all time favorite book is The Stand by Stephen King. I reread it every summer. Although this summer I’m behind on his last few books so I finally just finished 11/22/63 (incredible) and am about halfway through Revival (trippy). Also on my auto buy list is anything by Tiffany Reisz (The Bourbon Thief is wonderful) and Ruthie Knox (About Last Night is the best contemporary romance I’ve ever read.)

There are many books out there, is there one that you said to yourself "Man I wish I had written that!"
Nina: Harry Potter
Alice: Harry Potter. And Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Nina Bocci is a novelist, publicist, eternal optimist, unabashed lipgloss enthusiast, constant apologist, and a hopeless romanticist. She has too many college degrees that she’s not using, and a Lego addiction that she blames on her son.

ALICE CLAYTON worked in the cosmetics industry for over a decade before picking up a pen (read laptop).

She enjoys gardening but not weeding, baking but not cleaning up, and finally convinced her long-time boyfriend to marry her.

Now, about that Bernese Mountain dog

GIVEAWAY

The lovely Nina & Alice have shared a sweet giveaway! One lucky reader of this site will have the chance to win a $25 gift card to BN and a chance to win an ARC of Roman Crazy! Just enter below for your chance to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton

Cream of the Crop
Hudson Valley Series #2
Author: Alice Clayton
Reading Level: Adult
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 12th 2016
Review Source: Gallery Books

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton brings her trademark blend of funny and sexy to this second contemporary romance in the brand-new Hudson Valley series!

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?

This is an Adult novel recommended for ages 18+ due to mature subject matter.

I LOVED it!! Another awesome book by Alice Clayton!

Natalie Grayson, a plus size girl, grew up struggling with insecurities. She had one messy relationship which forced her to do some soul searching. She moved cross country and reinvented herself. She gained a whole lot of confidence, a sexy wardrobe, and then moved back to her hometown, New York. I love her!! I love that Alice had her embrace her curves and know that she was drop dead gorgeous! Natalie is a very take charge, go getter, and proves that in her work. She is successful in career and in her relationships. She has proven she can get any man she wants and "can have them eating out of her hand". However all that confidence flies out of the window when a sexy farmer comes to play.

Oscar is soooooo SEXY!! He is the quiet, brooding, extremely hot type. He very quickly got added to my sexiest book boyfriend list!! The chemistry between Oscar and Natalie is scorching!! Alice Clayton can soooo write the sex scenes! I definitely recommend some water and a fan with this book.

As always Alice brings her humor to the story line which never disappoints. I love her writing style! The picture she paints of New York, both city and country (Hudson Valley), make me want to pack my bags right now and move there!

My only complaint is that I wanted to keep reading! It was a quick read and I read it in one day. I loved this book! Go read this book now!!

Book Review: Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton

Cream of the Crop
Hudson Valley Series #2
Author: Alice Clayton
Reading Level: Adult Fiction
Genres: Contemporary Romance | Humor
Release Date: July 12th 2016
Review Source: Gallery Books

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton brings her trademark blend of funny and sexy to this second contemporary romance in the brand-new Hudson Valley series!

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?

Boom!

Alice Clayton just dropped the mic with this follow up novel in The Hudson Valley series. You normally don't expect the sequel in any series to be as great or better that the first novel, but Clayton had no issues at all proving me wrong. I LOVED LOVED LOVED Cream of the Crop, this Rom Com will have you in stitches and blushing at the same time. The first book Nuts was great, but Cream of the Crop has Natalie and she freaking rocks! Of course Oscar isn't too bad himself, sexy farmer that makes cheese is very appetizing, lol!

Cream of the Crop is a refreshing story about two people that normally wouldn't be caught in each others different worlds, but gravity has them crossings path all the time. And when they finally meet one on one, it the the Fourth of July between those two. All this takes place in the best backdrop that Clayton describes throughout the novel.

So do yourself a favor and pre-order this book, you are going to love it as much as I do. Clayton delivers books that will make your day so much better with her steamy-laugh-out-loud novels.

If you haven't read the first book in The Hudson Valley series, I strongly suggest that you do. That way you are familiar with all the characters in Cream of the Crop. And you can check out reviews from Jaime and I of Nuts that we shared HERE.