Cream of the Crop (The Hudson Valley Series Book 2)

Adoration. I simply adore this book. The combination of funny, sexy, and sweet left me no choice but to give this book 5 crowns. It is hands down one of my favorite books of the year. The reason that I love this book so much is because of our heroine, Natalie. I admire her adventurous and bold spirit, her hilarious internal dialogue, and her take-no-prisoners attitude towards men, well, all but one man. After struggling with body issues, Natalie has come to own her plus-size figure, and Alice Clayton gives the appropriate attention to this part of her character without dwelling on it. The message of “love your body” is loud and clear for the reader without beating us over the head with it. The fact that there is a whole discussion on comma placement in reference to her a** had me laughing so hard, and it truly conveyed the confidence Natalie has in herself and her body. The fact that she had gumption to even verbally spar with Oscar over this comment proves that she was able to bounce back from a previous troubled relationship that hurt her self-worth, ultimately making the reader sympathize with her. The musical soundtrack that runs through her head is just one more attribute that makes her such a likable character. Also, the ramblings of Natalie, particularly when she is around Oscar, only makes her more endearing. This full-on confident city girl is left a blubbering mess when faced with the man who asked her, “Brie?”. I love everything about her! I am not sure in all my years of reading romance novels that I have ever loved a character in the way I love her. I am completely crushing on her! Natalie Is so awesome that it makes sense that the hero must be as fantastic, and Oscar doesn’t disappoint. He is a great hero. He is calm, quiet, and reserved, really the opposite of Natalie. He is also very mysterious, as he divulges little to no information for most of the book. Even though he seems uncommunicative and standoffish with others, this man can create some serious heat, especially when he is churning butter. When he is with Natalie, his emotions come out, and the reader slowly starts to fall in love with him, just as Natalie does. In terms of the plot and pacing, it is well done. The story never seems rushed or like it is dragging on. The interactions in the farmer’s market at the beginning is really sweet and it sets up the relationship for them when she starts to work on a new assignment for work. The antics that ensue when they are together really helped to develop their relationship and move it past the lust stage. Some might think that the conflict is weak or is resolved too easily, but it fit the type of story Alice Clayton created. The resolution is realistic and reflects how a real couple would handle difficulties in a relationship. This is a funny and sweet romantic novel, and I feel as though the conflict and resulting resolution fit with who the characters are and the type of story the author is trying to tell. I liked Nuts and loved Cream of the Crop, so I will sit here and anxiously await the third book in the series. Watching Clara tackle Archie’s hotel is going to be another hilarious addition to this series. ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton Book #2: Hudson Valley Series Source: Purchase My Rating: 4/5 stars My Review: Release day for a new Alice Clayton book is one of my favorite days of the year! I have been completely smitten with Alice Clayton and her breed of awesome since I first read Wallbanger a couple of years ago. I now go into her books expecting yet another 4½ to 5 star read and for the most part, that has always happened. For the most part . . . . Likes: Hudson Valley: This is a definite plus for me as the scene was set so beautifully in Nuts, book one of the Hudson Valley Series. Clayton doesn’t disappoint here with her descriptions of the area, the surrounding communities, the amenities, and the people who populate the region. I swear, Clayton’s descriptions make me want to drop it all and move right on out to the country. Natalie: Oh, Natalie!! I love a woman who can’t open her mouth without R-rated falling out and Natalie Grayson certainly fits the bill. From top to bottom, Natalie is big, loud, smart, funny, sexy, and totally lacking an internal edit button. Natalie has worked hard to become the confident and successful woman she is and she isn’t afraid to acknowledge her achievements. Natalie has embraced every aspect of her being and body which gives her an unparalleled confidence. Oscar: I will always, always, always love me a tatted up man!! I will always, always, always love a strong, kind, and respectful man and Oscar Mendoza certainly fits the bill. Though Oscar was introduced in Nuts, we didn’t learn much about him and we still don’t until about halfway through Cream of the Crop. While I would normally chafe at so little backstory, it works for this character. Oscar is quiet, reserved (except in bed!), and a man of few words. Very people in town know his story so it is appropriate that he reserves telling anyone about himself until he is close to them. Case in point, Natalie (aka Pinup). When his story finally does come out, it just adds to his awesome. The plot: Yeah, it’s always nice when you like the plot but, as I’ve said before, a weak plot can be carried by strong characters. Luckily, Cream of the Crop has both strong characters and a really good and believable plot. There’s no stretching here to make things work, there’s no convoluted crap that makes little to no sense. What there is, is the story of a country boy falling in love with a big city girl and the issues they face making a go of their relationship. Oscar is already living in the Hudson Valley and Clayton gives Natalie two very good reasons to be there as well, her best-friend is from the area and her job. Furthermore, Natalie already “knows” Oscar since she is a frequent flyer at his weekly booth at the Union Square Farmer’s Market. The interactions between Natalie and Oscar, especially in the beginning are so funny and sweet. It makes their eventual hook-up to real romance all the better. The naughty bits: Yeah, this is one my favorite parts of this read and an area of writing where Clayton really shines. Natalie is just and brash, bold, and confident in the bedroom (and the barn and the truck . . .) as she is everywhere else. She is a curvy women and she has found a man who truly appreciates her size and her willingness to play with him sexually. The naughty scenes are more than just sex, they are encounters that are often peppered with humor, mishaps, and genuine emotion. If you’re in it just for the sex, you’re going to be disappointed. Clayton’s naughty bits are always so much more than just the sex. Dislike: That one scene: Yes, I only have one dislike in this entire read but it is significant enough that it dropped my star rating down to a mere 4 stars. Late in the read, Oscar is visiting Natalie in the city and attending an event with her. Oscar’s behavior is abhorrent and so totally out of character that I was left totally confused. Even the explanation for his behavior in this one scene is wonky and makes no real sense to this character as a whole. Normally, something like this would just turn me off the character but when I thought long and hard about that scene, it began to feel more like a writing error than a character error/misstep. The Bottom Line: With the exception of that one scene, I adored this read. Everything comes together so beautifully in this book from the plot to the characters to the descriptions of the scenery, it is all engaging and entertaining. Once again, Alice Clayton has killed it!! I laughed out loud, I wanted to choke the life out of a character or two, I was saddened, and I totally rooted for both Natalie and Oscar. From the opening page to the last line of the epilogue (with the exception of that one scene!) I was hooked, totally and completely.

I'm still trying to get my thoughts together. What a ride. Alice Clayton once again delivers her signature hot and hilarious. Although Natalie's cheese obsession made me hungry. Too bad I can't eat cheese products. Natalie had a crush on a certain dairy farmer but she had a problem. She couldn't say more than 3 words to him. The advertising company she worked for got a big job. Bring more city folk to their small town. She jumped at the job because her bestie Roxie lived there and there's a big chance she'll run into the dairy farmer she's been fantasizing about. Oscar was mysterious. No one in Bailey Falls knows his story and he likes it that way. Until Natalie comes bouncing into his life. Her great comma big ass was her best asset. He loved her confidence. Natalie's confidence about who she is was the best part of the story. She was on the curvier side but she was a man eater. Chew em up and spit em out. No complications. I couldn't love that even more. Especially when romance novels are full of skinny main characters. Good job Alice Clayton. I loved Oscar. He was a grouch but he had layers. It was like peeling an Oscar onion. He gradually changed over time because of the new woman in his life. The woman who consumed every thought. This story is fun. Take out all the angst and enjoy the story. Add Alice Clayton humor and you'll enjoy your trip to Hudson Valley. Is there a love triangle? Nah. Not really. Is there a tortured main character hiding from their past? Yeahhhhh you could say Oscar's doing that. But the way it's all mushed together and you get a light romance story. One of the reasons I love reading Alice Clayton books so much.

I love ALL of Alice Clayton's books. My favorite being the Redhead series, and the original--Wallbanger. But Cream of the Crop really struck a chord with me, because it's about a woman who lost herself in a bad relationship when she was younger, was emotionally abused, and then found herself again. I identify with that on a deep level, and a lot of things in her story rang quite true, and I am happy to say that I confidently survived my own situation and can relate with that aspect of this story as well. Finding new love is tough when you've been hurt badly by someone who was *supposed* to love you but didn't know the first thing about what that really means. It's even tougher when you have trust issues--but that's MY story, not necessarily this one... But I do suspect that one of Alice's next stories may touch on that, because she dropped some clues about Clara in this story which makes me think she's next, and her story might be the other complement to my own life story along with Natalie's story. This Hudson Valley series may become my second-favorite Alice Clayton book series... Or who knows--maybe even the favorite. But it's hard to beat out Grace & Jack... Bottom line -- ALL of Alice's books are great! Well written. Quite smart. A little dirty. Foodie's dream. And while there is familiarity throughout her characters, they are never exactly the same as any other character she creates. Some writers write the same basic character in every story, and if you've read one book of theirs, you've read them all -- but not with Alice. I pre-order every book she writes, because I know it will be great. When I need a laugh, when I need an escape from my reality, when I want to unwind, when I want to read a little classy smut, when I need an intelligent distraction... I can always count on Alice. She hasn't ever let me down. Buy her books. You won't be sorry. Unless you despise a little swearing and sex... Then you'd best stick to the Christian Leaders-Approved Safe Reading List for Obedient Women and leave the mature subject reading to those of us who can handle the real world. ;-)

I am actually disappointed in this book. it was a three stars for me this time. i was highly anticipating this sequel to it's previous book in the series because Oscar was a character that stood out to me and i wanted to know what his story was. let's just say that Natalie while i was interested in her character when she was first introduced in Nuts ( Roxie's book) i really disliked her here. why is that? well this is the second book i read where a plus size woman is basically depicted as a confident woman, after going through a horrible relationship that tore her down and lowered herself esteem , Natalie Vows to herself that she would never let another man do the same. so what does she do? she becomes an attention whore. the way her new confidence is depicted in this book is that she apparently dresses how she wants and apparently sleeps around with any man that so much as gives her an ounce of attention without any commitments. why? why is it that some authors think that a plus size woman needs a man's attention to basically prove to herself that she now has high self esteem and is beautiful ( if this was not the author's intention, well this is how Natalie came off to me). to be honest and i am saying this as a plus size woman myself, none of it seemed real. Natalie's confidence felt forced not something that came naturally to her. i am not saying that plus size women can't be confident. if anything it took me a long time to accept my plus size body and admit to myself that i am beautiful whether i am a size 18 or 2 doesn't really matter i am beautiful inside out. but not all plus size women go around proving it to themselves by sleeping around with men that give them an ounce of attention to prove that they too are beautiful. like i said this is the second book i read this year where a plus size woman was depicted this way. i won't name the other book because it's just too upsetting to even think about it. Natalie came off as obnoxious and to be honest i hated her. I loved her confidence in the beginning of the story up until she started talking about sleeping around with any guy she so much as laid eyes on. at the end of the story she basically once again changed for a man. i don't care if the situation is different she still changed. another thing about the characters in this story i didn't like was their background stories. Oscar's background story and his ex-wife situation seriously had me hating him at the end of the book. the issue in reality was never resolved and the author just wrote it off like it was no big deal. yes we get it that they were friends for a while and that is okay. but his ex crossed the line countless of times and Oscar acted like it was the most normal thing in the world for it to be okay. and Natalie handled it by getting over it pretty quickly and not paying much attention to it after a certain event that happens in the book. both Heroine and Hero had no chemistry whatsoever. i didn't see the chemistry between them it all happened so fast and even when they realized they were in love i didn't believe it. it was like pulling teeth when it came to these two characters. like i said i was disappointed in this book because i expected something much better. the parts meant to be funny weren't all that funny and the way Natalie was obsessed with Oscar was also cringe worthy to even read. Oscar's attraction to Natalie we never really see till the end of the book and even through i cringed the whole time because there just wasn't any depth to these characters. hopefully Clara's book is next and can make up for this one. still i gave it a three star because it started off great but just went down hill from there. sorry Ms. Clayton please don't hate me.

-I do love me some cheese: I’m not gonna lie, I have a weakness for cheese. In my food and in my entertainment. So, the fact that this series is set in the Hudson Valley and definitely more for the foodie/romance lover was a draw for me. The first book, Nuts, was definitely all about the food, especially with a heroine chef. I enjoyed that Oscar’s profession as a cheesemaker was shown through scenes at the farm and with his cows in a way that never forgot that entertainment is the primary goal. Now, here’s the skinny on Natalie’s loves - with Oscar and with Bailey Falls. -Here’s the skinny: Natalie has an ongoing obsession for cheese, and she has the curves to show for it. Now, Natalie’s big, bold and beautiful and men fall over themselves to talk to her. She glories in it, as she should. There’s only one time where we see her less than ballsy and that’s when she’s waiting in line for Oscar’s cheese. She loses the ability to speak. Seriously. Vowel sounds are about all she can manage. It’s adorable, especially considering how confident she is in her abilities and her curves. When she’s given the opportunity through her company to work on an ad campaign for Bailey Falls, she gets to spend more time there, where she gets to fall in love with Bailey Falls and Oscar, since he’s the dairy farmer next door to her best friend Roxie’s boyfriend (yes, they’re the couple from the first book). That’s when we’re off to the (romance) races. -Natalie is an incredibly relatable heroine: BBW heroines? Love them. They come in all different personality types, but Natalie’s my favorite kind - the one who knows she’s curvier than average, but knows it’s confidence that makes a woman attractive, not the size of her assets. She’s not superhuman and certainly has moments of insecurity, but it’s more about her past than the size of her fantastic big ass. She has a great sense of humor, and her charm flows throughout the book. Since this is told in first person from Natalie’s perspective, I was happy that she was so easy to spend a few hours with. Now, while there’s some big emotional reveals as to what had a part in creating the woman we see today (which I quibbled with whom she had the big confessional moment, but I digress), on the whole… -It’s very light: Now, I love me light and fluffy at times. I like a trip down all the different paths that romance can take you, but I’ll admit I’d rather stroll down the lighter side, than run screaming down the dark. Anyway, I think this has some super Norman Rockwell kind of fluffy times when you get to explore Bailey Falls with Natalie and it’s about as idealized as small town America can get. It’s lovely, but *takes a moment* since this is a foodie book, I have to go with the food analogy - I needed a bit more salty to counteract the sweet. There were opportunities to deepen the story, especially when the story turned towards Natalie and Oscar’s pasts that seemed to be bypassed for the fluff and the sex. Fluffy smut can entertain and it certainly does here. It’s just the desire for a bit more emotionally. Which leads me to… -Oscar the caveman: Oscar was introduced in Nuts, and he was monosyllabic and sexy. NOw, I know that he’s really shy..and monosyllabic and sexy. Yes, I loved that he loved Natalie, just as she is. I enjoyed the snippets given of his past and why he came to Bailey Falls. I just wished that it was more than just snippets and actual time had been spent in his head as well, especially since he’s a man of few words. At the end of it all, I felt I knew Natalie very well. I just wished that I knew Oscar well too. I just thought Oscar was hot. Which, you know, not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon, but there could have been a bit more time spent showing his feelings through some dialogue. The Bottom Line (3.75 stars) I really enjoyed my time in Bailey Falls again. If you’re looking for a light, funny contemporary with a love of cheese, I think you’ll like Cream of the Crop. For more reviews, visit [...]

This is one of those series where the second book is just as brilliant as the first, if not better. I loved going back to Hudson Valley and catching up with Oscar and Natalie this time. I don’t think anyone will be shocked to know that Oscar is a farmer, and he has moo cows as Natalie calls them. One of the things he does exceptionally well is make cheese, and he is making a good name for himself and his Creamery. So much so, that Natalie wants to use him and Leo for that matter, in her advertising campaign she’s been asked to do, to bring the city folk to the country. Natalie is a city gal through and through. She has a top ranking marketing job but she secretly would love to make her own cheese. So when she meets Oscar face to face..she’s tongue tied! And I loved that about her, that she can be a strong and confident business woman, and even in her personal life too, but when she meets someone she connects with straight away, she’s flustered and flushed. The chemistry these two have is off the charts. He is her caveman and she’s his pinup girl. So apt for both of them. The problem is not if they are a good fit, it’s if they can find a way to blend city and country and compromise. And for me, that’s what being in a relationship is all about. Initial attraction is fabulous but it has to stand the test of time, and longevity won’t happen if someone is being pig headed. Another thing I adore about these books is they are told in the first person, in the heroines pov, but the epilogue is told in the heroes pov, and it’s fun to finally get inside their head. I’m going to hold off judging who my favorite couple is, because I would have told you hands down it was Roxie and sexy Leo…..but the voom voom voom of Natalie and Oscar just can’t be beat. So let’s see if Clara and Archie can topple them off the top spot.

Alice Clayton did it again. I loved everything about this book. I knew from the mention of both characters in the book Nuts that this would be a fun read. She had me a broody, strong and silent man. So what is it about? Natalie is a plus size Manhattan princess. She is a marketing guru that has a big crush on the dairy farmer she sees every Saturday at the farmer's market. Oscar doesn't say much, but she's not her usual outgoing self whenever she interacts with him. Even though she is a plus size girl she oozes confidence despite what others may think of her size. I think I related to this the most. She wasn't your typical barely plus size, but she was a size 18 that doesn't apologize and has all the confidence in the world. It also wasn't like all the other books where her size was a big focus. It wasn't. It was a part of the character, but not a major part that overshadowed everything. I loved that all the characters from the previous book were sprinkled here and there. Roxie of course was there with Leo and Polly. Chad and Logan are great too and i'm glad we got to hear from them. Usually I get annoyed at having way too many previous characters because they can overtake the book and make it more about updating where they are versus creating a new story for the couple. Highly recommend this book. There were a lot of laugh out loud moments along with really sweet moments. It was light and there was nothing too deep and heart wrenching. Just what I was in the mood for. 5 Stars