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j_the_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Buns.....great lol moments
This book had great laughs and some pull on your heart moments.. Two people who made work their life collide..and what happens after cannot be denied or ignored!
This book had great laughs and some pull on your heart moments.. Two people who made work their life collide..and what happens after cannot be denied or ignored!
joannam09's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
jackiehorne's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Not quite as enjoyable as the previous books in the series, given our less brash heroine and our straight-arrow hero. But still a lot of fun. Clara, on the verge of promotion to partner at a major Boston branding agency, takes on one last job to prove herself: a re-branding of Bryant Mountain House, a classic Hudson Valley resort too mired in the past to attract new customers. The hotel just happens to be in the same town where her two best friends have recently found the loves of their lives. But Clara's chance at love seems distant, given the cold shoulder the son of the hotel owner, Archie Bryant, is giving every one of Clara's suggestions for updating the iconic resort.
But widower Archie seems to get off on arguing with Clara, and soon the two are involved in keep-it-quiet sexcapades. It's not a relationship; Clara has plans to move on to the next project as soon as she's finished here, not fall in love and stay in small-town upstate New York. Her background growing up in foster care has made Clara wary of any long-term connections (besides, of course, her two best female friends). But love has a way of sneaking in in spite of Clara and Archie's best intentions...
But widower Archie seems to get off on arguing with Clara, and soon the two are involved in keep-it-quiet sexcapades. It's not a relationship; Clara has plans to move on to the next project as soon as she's finished here, not fall in love and stay in small-town upstate New York. Her background growing up in foster care has made Clara wary of any long-term connections (besides, of course, her two best female friends). But love has a way of sneaking in in spite of Clara and Archie's best intentions...
beckyrendon's review against another edition
4.0
They say it's the quiet ones...but Clara can tell you it's really the freckled ones with glasses. Clara, the last hold out in the troublesome trio from culinary school, is learning all about the buns in the Hudson Valley. The buns that everyone wants in their mouth.
Hardened Clara and Hotel Boy go round for round in this hotel rebranding. I'd say it's a death match because it is brutal. Brutally hot, filled with lusty tension, and downright "loud"...with innuendo. What were you thinking?
The last of the trio has come to the Hudson Valley but she isn't staying. She isn't making plans. She's here for work, nothing more. Not the crabby, arrogant Hotel Boy. Not the quaint town. She's not even here for her besties. No, Clara is here to work out the kinks...(reign in that filthy mind, she's not that wild) of this job. Not to experience the benefits. There are NO benefits. There is no...
Ok, fine. Clara lies to herself. I won't continue to do it. You will just have to take her word for it. But I strongly advise, before you try the buns, that you check out the surrounding areas...starting with Maxwell Farms (Nuts) and even head over to Oscar Mendoza's amazing farm (Cream of the Crop). You won't want to miss everything this quiet little town has to offer.
Book received in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed on behalf of Once Upon An Alpha
Hardened Clara and Hotel Boy go round for round in this hotel rebranding. I'd say it's a death match because it is brutal. Brutally hot, filled with lusty tension, and downright "loud"...with innuendo. What were you thinking?
The last of the trio has come to the Hudson Valley but she isn't staying. She isn't making plans. She's here for work, nothing more. Not the crabby, arrogant Hotel Boy. Not the quaint town. She's not even here for her besties. No, Clara is here to work out the kinks...(reign in that filthy mind, she's not that wild) of this job. Not to experience the benefits. There are NO benefits. There is no...
Ok, fine. Clara lies to herself. I won't continue to do it. You will just have to take her word for it. But I strongly advise, before you try the buns, that you check out the surrounding areas...starting with Maxwell Farms (Nuts) and even head over to Oscar Mendoza's amazing farm (Cream of the Crop). You won't want to miss everything this quiet little town has to offer.
Book received in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed on behalf of Once Upon An Alpha
readfrenzy's review
4.0
Alice Clayton returns to the delightful upstate New York town of Bailey Falls in this third installment of her Hudson Valley series. Her writing has always appealed to me, and once again I found myself wrapped up in a sweet love story.
Clara is a successful hotel rebranding expert who lives for her job and is constantly on the road. Her newest project is to revitalize Bryant Mountain House in Bailey Falls. It’s a historic family-owned resort that has catered to the wealthy for decades, but it is now dated and business is declining. Archie Bryant is the stuffy son of the owner who is resistant to change and instantly butts head with Clara.
I was completely charmed by these damaged but lovable characters. Clara and Archie are complete opposites, which makes them even more delightful together. Clara’s feisty exuberance helps melt Archie’s ice man exterior, while Archie’s attentive nature challenges Clara’s fierce independence. Still, Clara’s demons make her determined not to succumb to the appeal of the town or the people—particularly Archie.
As expected with all of Alice Clayton’s novels, Buns is packed full of heart, romance, and perfect comedic timing. Her strong willed, funny heroines and their faithful, patient suitors win me over time and time again. I found Buns to be a very enjoyable, lighthearted read. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll be pleased to see more of Roxie and Leo, Natalie and Oscar, as well as a surprise cameo from a certain beloved couple from one of Ms. Clayton’s other series.
Recommended for fans of:
Enemies to lovers
Second chance romance
Dirty Dancing
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.**
Clara is a successful hotel rebranding expert who lives for her job and is constantly on the road. Her newest project is to revitalize Bryant Mountain House in Bailey Falls. It’s a historic family-owned resort that has catered to the wealthy for decades, but it is now dated and business is declining. Archie Bryant is the stuffy son of the owner who is resistant to change and instantly butts head with Clara.
I was completely charmed by these damaged but lovable characters. Clara and Archie are complete opposites, which makes them even more delightful together. Clara’s feisty exuberance helps melt Archie’s ice man exterior, while Archie’s attentive nature challenges Clara’s fierce independence. Still, Clara’s demons make her determined not to succumb to the appeal of the town or the people—particularly Archie.
As expected with all of Alice Clayton’s novels, Buns is packed full of heart, romance, and perfect comedic timing. Her strong willed, funny heroines and their faithful, patient suitors win me over time and time again. I found Buns to be a very enjoyable, lighthearted read. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll be pleased to see more of Roxie and Leo, Natalie and Oscar, as well as a surprise cameo from a certain beloved couple from one of Ms. Clayton’s other series.
Recommended for fans of:
Enemies to lovers
Second chance romance
Dirty Dancing
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.**
nellesnightstand1's review against another edition
5.0
Sweet, hot and full of humor! Just what I've come to expect from Alice Clayton!
tessisreading2's review against another edition
4.0
I actually preferred this one to the first book in the trilogy, which I greatly enjoyed - the heroine's commitment issues made more sense and the hero's background plot twist was far less irksome.
anasatticbookblog's review
4.0
Buns by Alice Clayton
Narrated by Elizabeth Louise w/ a cameo by Jason Carpenter
3rd in a series of related standalone. Can easily stand alone. Romantic Comedy.
4.5 Stars
Alice Clayton has been one of my favorite authors since I read The Unidentified Redhead back in 2012. She writes smart and sassy women that I can totally relate to, makes me laugh out loud, the stories are unique, and I want to hug my kindle at the end of each one. The Hudson Valley series is no exception, and I feel like I can really see how Alice has grown as a writer in the past five years as well.
I didn’t find Buns quite as outrightly funny as Alice’s previous books, but her signature wit is ever-present, if that makes any sense. It was just a little more subdued in this installment. There was still plenty of witty banter and hotel and buns related innuendo, but I think the characters in this installment weren’t quite so over-the-top silly.
Clara Morgan is a workaholic. The third best friend of the group (the first two were the stars of the first two in the series), she grew up in foster care and has a lot of trouble letting people get close. She is married to her job, which keeps her traveling from place to place, making short-term relationships and friendships. She has a really cool job, taking high-end, family-owned resorts and modernizing them and rebranding them.
She is hired to re-vamp the Bryant Mountain House, an old Catskill resort with generations of traditions. The elder Bryant wants to retire and hires Clara, but his son Archie loves the traditions of his hotel, and he refuses to see what an outsider can do that he can’t, so things are sticky before they even meet. But when they do, the simmering attraction between them makes things even trickier.
“You really are a pain in the ass,”
he said, his breath fogging up the space—the very little space—between us.
“You’re the only person who’s ever told me that.”
“I find that incredibly hard to believe.”
Things get even worse from there!
“You’re incredibly rude, a know-it-all wrecking-ball girl who is more than a little bossy.”
I laughed in spite of myself. “What lovely things to say, coming from a pretentious, snobby, incredibly rude himself hotel boy who’d rather rattle around spooky hallways and spend time with antiques than listen to reason.”
Clara is a tiny girl who runs triathlons. She is not going to back down easily. Archie is a sad widow, still attached to his late wife, the only woman he has ever been with. He may be even more closed up than she is.
“Who chases someone up a mountain?”
“Who runs away from someone chasing them up a mountain?” I fired back.
“I just wanted to talk to you.”
“Talk to me? You want to talk to me, you ask me. You request a meeting, you send me an email, hell, you pass me a note while I’m sitting next to you at a meeting for Pete’s sake, you don’t chase me up a mountain!”
But as they worked together, things slowly changed. And I loved that it happened slowly.
"He laughed then, and it was magic. And it was into this magic that I did walk over to him, reach up toward him, not with my lips but with my hand, and gently brush back the shock of auburn hair that's had fallen down over his forehead. He closed his eyes, then instantly leaned into my touch, almost like a cat. When was the last time someone had touched this guy?"
Getting involved with someone she works with goes against everything Clara is about, but at least she knows that it can’t go anywhere because she only has a couple of months at the hotel before she moves on to the next,
"No one in my entire life had ever told me they loved me. And I didn’t really know quite how to take it in… What the hell are you supposed to do when you hear these words for the first time and your first instinct is to vomit?"
Likes:
- •I love how much research Alice does into whatever she is writing about. I learn while being entertained by her books.
- •I was so interested in the things she did in her job!
- •Seeing the couples from the first two books, but you didn’t have to know or remember their stories to enjoy the interaction.
- •I grew up going to the old Catskill resorts, so I totally pictured the place so well.
- •The supporting characters were great.
- •The pacing was wonderful. It never felt rushed or slow. I enjoyed the build-up.
- •Alice’s signature wit.
- •The fun innuendos about hotels and buns.
- •I never expected Archie to be so hot in bed!
Dislikes:
- •It took me a little longer to warm up to both of them.
- •What happened to Archie’s father? It’s like he disappeared.
Narration:
The narration was excellent and added to the book. Only the epilogue was from a male POV, but I loved that addition.
The Down & Dirty:
Once again, Alice Clayton brings us a witty, smart, well-written, well-paced book filled with fun banter, characters you relate to, an amazing town, great side characters, emotion, and just the right amount of angst. I love how much research Alice puts into her books. I felt she really understood both the old Catskill resorts as well as what they need to do to modernize and I really loved that part of the story, but I am glad it never overshadowed the romance. It was the perfect blend of work and play. I’m hoping this isn’t the last we see of Bailey Falls, but if it is, I trust that whatever Alice brings us next will be just as good, if not better.
Rating: 4.5 Stars, 4 Heat, 5 Narration
Purchase Buns by Alice Clayton
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2tANJWW
Audio: http://amzn.to/2tVfOYf
charlottenw1's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely adore these two.
Clara is so different from her two best friends and I can relate to her on so many more levels. She is determined to do everything on her own because before she's had to and she doesn't want to let anyone in because that must be a sign of weakness, right? She never expected to start this new project and fall in love with the uptight, geeky, very muscular soon to be owner, Archie Byrant. Widowed and not evening thinking about starting any other relationships with anyone, especially the head-strong, always out for an argument, rebranding specialist.
Their love story is hilarious and comical, everything Alice Clayton is so good at. Clara's story actually breaks my heart more than the others did and I never thought it would. Highly recommend the whole series.
Clara is so different from her two best friends and I can relate to her on so many more levels. She is determined to do everything on her own because before she's had to and she doesn't want to let anyone in because that must be a sign of weakness, right? She never expected to start this new project and fall in love with the uptight, geeky, very muscular soon to be owner, Archie Byrant. Widowed and not evening thinking about starting any other relationships with anyone, especially the head-strong, always out for an argument, rebranding specialist.
Their love story is hilarious and comical, everything Alice Clayton is so good at. Clara's story actually breaks my heart more than the others did and I never thought it would. Highly recommend the whole series.
blodeuedd's review
3.0
It was the cover, I had seen those other two around and I just had to read this one for the cover. I did read the first book in her red head series, that one was funny, this one did not have that humour.
Anyhow. Clara is sent to save a hotel. She was very focused, loved her job and wanted to do it right. And she has issues, she has been in foster care and now she is all I dare not love. Sometimes I wish there was a book where the mains did not have issues ;)
Archie thinks she has too many ideas (even though they are all good ideas but he is stubborn). And he has issues too, but he let go of those faster than her.
These two fight, oh but the tension is there and they just want to rip each other's clothes off. But they fight, then there is passion and they will fall in love, stubbornly ;)
A nice romance, with buns, those yummy buns...I am talking about the ones you bake! I mean hello
Anyhow. Clara is sent to save a hotel. She was very focused, loved her job and wanted to do it right. And she has issues, she has been in foster care and now she is all I dare not love. Sometimes I wish there was a book where the mains did not have issues ;)
Archie thinks she has too many ideas (even though they are all good ideas but he is stubborn). And he has issues too, but he let go of those faster than her.
These two fight, oh but the tension is there and they just want to rip each other's clothes off. But they fight, then there is passion and they will fall in love, stubbornly ;)
A nice romance, with buns, those yummy buns...I am talking about the ones you bake! I mean hello