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_sylviareads_'s review against another edition
4.0
Another light, funny and sexy read from Alice Clayton. Cream of the Crop is book 2 in the Hudson Valley series. To really enjoy this story I recommened to read first Nuts book 1 in this series.
"Cheese. Cheeeeeese. What a thin, flat, nasal-sounding word for such a luscious, rich, gorgeous thing. Hard. Soft. Ripe. Grainy. Creamy. Often stinky. I’d yet to find a cheese I didn’t adore."
Natalie Grayson loves her job as an executive at an advertisement firm as much as city life in Manhattan. On every Saturday she goes to the Farmer's Market to get her weekly dose of Brie from sexy dairy farmer Oscar Mandoza.
Their confrontation are very short at the beginning but there is some strong atraction between them for sure. So when Natalie gets an opportunity to create a promotion campaign for a small town Bailey Fall, where Oscar live, she takes this job.
"“Remember, Nat, be cool,” she said, flipping the chicken cutlets.
Be cool? Tell that to my clitoris . . ."
Natalie is a beautiful curvy women who loves her body and uses it as a tool to grabs attention of opposite sex. She is sassy, bold and self-confident.
„I’d dated bad boys, and I’d fucked my share. But this guy was like . . . hmm.”
Sadly, I didn't enjoyed in this book one thing namely it were this long and sometimes boring descriptions of the scenery.
It just something what I don't like to read. But besides this I love all characters and the storyline.
"Cheese. Cheeeeeese. What a thin, flat, nasal-sounding word for such a luscious, rich, gorgeous thing. Hard. Soft. Ripe. Grainy. Creamy. Often stinky. I’d yet to find a cheese I didn’t adore."
Natalie Grayson loves her job as an executive at an advertisement firm as much as city life in Manhattan. On every Saturday she goes to the Farmer's Market to get her weekly dose of Brie from sexy dairy farmer Oscar Mandoza.
Their confrontation are very short at the beginning but there is some strong atraction between them for sure. So when Natalie gets an opportunity to create a promotion campaign for a small town Bailey Fall, where Oscar live, she takes this job.
"“Remember, Nat, be cool,” she said, flipping the chicken cutlets.
Be cool? Tell that to my clitoris . . ."
Natalie is a beautiful curvy women who loves her body and uses it as a tool to grabs attention of opposite sex. She is sassy, bold and self-confident.
„I’d dated bad boys, and I’d fucked my share. But this guy was like . . . hmm.”
Sadly, I didn't enjoyed in this book one thing namely it were this long and sometimes boring descriptions of the scenery.
It just something what I don't like to read. But besides this I love all characters and the storyline.
beebliobibuli's review against another edition
2.0
Well, not my cup of tea...
It was a group read and this book was highly recommended because the "heroine" is a plus size lady and that's why two stars were given instead of none, I pretty much liked the idea of not having a sex-bomb who eats everything she likes, never goes to the gym and still has a freaking splendid body..
The plot wasn't that unique, a girl fantacising on a guy and you know the rest. BUT, there's a little problem, not all the plus size girls have freaking wealthy parents, an amazing advertising career and can afford Channel and Prada..
Nat had a bad experience with a real ass-hole, who never forgot to remind her of her curves but not in the good way.. She speaks a lot about confidence, and being Ok with her size but I couldn't help feeling like it was more of a hiding stategy than proper confidence, anyone owning his own appartement in Manhattan and wearing expensive outfits can be confident :D
Most readers said she's hilarious but she was more of a rude person, and her behaviour revealed more her unase than her confidence..
What went between her and Oscar (the dude she had a crush on) was really vulgar, the way they expressed it I mean, making me skip a looooot of pages, I still don't get how this is supposed to be romantic (if Romance does exist) with all the uttered obsceneties -_-' any way..
Am not into YA books, at least not that kind, when I read them, it's usually a challenge, group read or rarely because of a recommendation
I really liked the idea of the plus size girl but I would have preffered someone who represents the majority of them
It was a group read and this book was highly recommended because the "heroine" is a plus size lady and that's why two stars were given instead of none, I pretty much liked the idea of not having a sex-bomb who eats everything she likes, never goes to the gym and still has a freaking splendid body..
The plot wasn't that unique, a girl fantacising on a guy and you know the rest. BUT, there's a little problem, not all the plus size girls have freaking wealthy parents, an amazing advertising career and can afford Channel and Prada..
Nat had a bad experience with a real ass-hole, who never forgot to remind her of her curves but not in the good way.. She speaks a lot about confidence, and being Ok with her size but I couldn't help feeling like it was more of a hiding stategy than proper confidence, anyone owning his own appartement in Manhattan and wearing expensive outfits can be confident :D
Most readers said she's hilarious but she was more of a rude person, and her behaviour revealed more her unase than her confidence..
What went between her and Oscar (the dude she had a crush on) was really vulgar, the way they expressed it I mean, making me skip a looooot of pages, I still don't get how this is supposed to be romantic (if Romance does exist) with all the uttered obsceneties -_-' any way..
Am not into YA books, at least not that kind, when I read them, it's usually a challenge, group read or rarely because of a recommendation
I really liked the idea of the plus size girl but I would have preffered someone who represents the majority of them
bougainvillea's review against another edition
2.0
There were some great moments here, but overall, I feel like this book could have used another round of editing. It just didn't feel pulled together. The playlist/soundtrack trope just disappeared at some point. I don't get why the main character's best friends didn't know about her past trauma despite their years-long friendship, but she spills her heart out to two random guys. I don't know what was going on with the cheese in the fancy store. I feel like the cheese maker gets to decide where he sells his cheese. There were just too many bits and pieces that didn't make sense.
I just remembered there was a reference to the gay lifestyle. Seemed really dated and took me out of the story for a second.
I just remembered there was a reference to the gay lifestyle. Seemed really dated and took me out of the story for a second.
lilyelement's review against another edition
5.0
Cream of the Crop is book two in the Hudson Valley series. This book was a must read for me since I enjoyed the first book so much. This series can be read as a standalone books but I will warn you that the couple in book one is present in this installment though they don't play a huge part. I'd recommend reading these in order because it gives more background to the secondary characters.
This installment revolves around Natalie Grayson, an advertising guru that lives in NY. She can make porta potties classy so naturally when the town her BFF lives in asks for an ad campaign that will put them on the map, she jumps at the chance. It might have crossed her mind that Hudson Valley also has the super sexy dairy farmer (Oscar) that she's had a crush on for awhile too. If only she can get past her sudden shyness every time she's around him. The extent of Oscar and Natalie's weekly talks at the local farmers market is: "Brie?" "Oh, yes." The thing is, Natalie is never shy, it's only around Oscar. She quickly became one of my favorite characters, she's plus size and so confident about everything she does.
Natalie heads to Hudson Valley to work on the advertising campaign, and also gets to hang out with her BFF Roxie while working on the project. As we can expect, her path crosses Oscar and hilarity ensues. If you haven't read an AClayton novel before, she writes in humor excellently, I guarantee you'll be laughing while reading. She finally gets over her crushing shyness and the chemistry between the two is electrifying. I wasn't sure how things would work between the two since they live an hour or so away from one another but I was rooting for them the entire time. There are of course bumps in the road for them along their journey and man it made me frustrated when those bumps occur.
Cream of the Crop is a hot and hilarious read. It's set in a small, close knit town and the characters in this one grabbed me from the start. I haven't read all that many books with a plus size girl but I think they should be more present in novels. And Oscar, is the quiet type and he was so yummy being tall, dark and handsome. He comes out of his shell around Natalie and the sexy scenes get scorching. I'm addicted to this series and hope book three comes out soon, I'll need another visit to Hudson Valley asap. If you enjoy small town books or Contemporary Romance, I strongly suggest you pick this book up!
This installment revolves around Natalie Grayson, an advertising guru that lives in NY. She can make porta potties classy so naturally when the town her BFF lives in asks for an ad campaign that will put them on the map, she jumps at the chance. It might have crossed her mind that Hudson Valley also has the super sexy dairy farmer (Oscar) that she's had a crush on for awhile too. If only she can get past her sudden shyness every time she's around him. The extent of Oscar and Natalie's weekly talks at the local farmers market is: "Brie?" "Oh, yes." The thing is, Natalie is never shy, it's only around Oscar. She quickly became one of my favorite characters, she's plus size and so confident about everything she does.
Natalie heads to Hudson Valley to work on the advertising campaign, and also gets to hang out with her BFF Roxie while working on the project. As we can expect, her path crosses Oscar and hilarity ensues. If you haven't read an AClayton novel before, she writes in humor excellently, I guarantee you'll be laughing while reading. She finally gets over her crushing shyness and the chemistry between the two is electrifying. I wasn't sure how things would work between the two since they live an hour or so away from one another but I was rooting for them the entire time. There are of course bumps in the road for them along their journey and man it made me frustrated when those bumps occur.
Cream of the Crop is a hot and hilarious read. It's set in a small, close knit town and the characters in this one grabbed me from the start. I haven't read all that many books with a plus size girl but I think they should be more present in novels. And Oscar, is the quiet type and he was so yummy being tall, dark and handsome. He comes out of his shell around Natalie and the sexy scenes get scorching. I'm addicted to this series and hope book three comes out soon, I'll need another visit to Hudson Valley asap. If you enjoy small town books or Contemporary Romance, I strongly suggest you pick this book up!
shinysue's review against another edition
4.0
Whoever decided on this cover is a monster. This is a really cute rom com and that cover is terrible.
I loved seeing a story of a plus sized woman post-trauma-unpacking. I love her confidence and the way her and her partner loves her body. I love that she doesn't compromise on her own goals.
I loved seeing a story of a plus sized woman post-trauma-unpacking. I love her confidence and the way her and her partner loves her body. I love that she doesn't compromise on her own goals.
kimmypete1's review against another edition
4.0
Not quite as cute as the first one, but still fun and hilarious.
coconutlavender's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
paddlefoot55's review against another edition
4.0
The next book in the Hudson Valley series – woohoo.
I absolutely adored the first book in the series, Nuts, but I LOVED Cream Of The Crop.
Firstly – thank you Ms Clayton for writing about an average woman. Natalie is size 18, sassy and sexy. She rocks her curves, owns each and every one of them, and has men falling on their knees for her.
Until him. Hot cheese guy. She becomes a tongue-tied mess around him. And it is just so cute to watch her try to figure out why this guy affects her.
Natalie is kind of half way crazy. She is a tried an true Manhattan girl from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.
Oscar the Hot Dairy guy is the quiet to Natalie's noise. Whereas Natalie has the gift of the gab, Oscar is a man of few words.
But a man of many smouldering looks. Knicker-combusting lingering looks across the counter.
It is definitely worth the wait to take things past 3 words with this pair.
He really is the cheese to her cracker. Did I mention that Natalie has a love that should not be spoken of for... cheese! It is kind of a religious experience for her.
So can hot farmer and city girl make things work?
For that you are going to have to read for yourself.
Cream Of The Crop is a sweet, sexy, funny read that had me hooked from the first word to the last.
Can't wait to see who the 3rd Hudson Valley series is about. I hope you don't keep us waiting too long Ms Clayton!
I absolutely adored the first book in the series, Nuts, but I LOVED Cream Of The Crop.
Firstly – thank you Ms Clayton for writing about an average woman. Natalie is size 18, sassy and sexy. She rocks her curves, owns each and every one of them, and has men falling on their knees for her.
Until him. Hot cheese guy. She becomes a tongue-tied mess around him. And it is just so cute to watch her try to figure out why this guy affects her.
Natalie is kind of half way crazy. She is a tried an true Manhattan girl from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.
Oscar the Hot Dairy guy is the quiet to Natalie's noise. Whereas Natalie has the gift of the gab, Oscar is a man of few words.
But a man of many smouldering looks. Knicker-combusting lingering looks across the counter.
It is definitely worth the wait to take things past 3 words with this pair.
He really is the cheese to her cracker. Did I mention that Natalie has a love that should not be spoken of for... cheese! It is kind of a religious experience for her.
So can hot farmer and city girl make things work?
For that you are going to have to read for yourself.
Cream Of The Crop is a sweet, sexy, funny read that had me hooked from the first word to the last.
Can't wait to see who the 3rd Hudson Valley series is about. I hope you don't keep us waiting too long Ms Clayton!
rremer's review against another edition
2.0
It took me about half the book to really start enjoying this. And while I liked Natalie from the start I felt like it took till near the end to know anything more about Oscar than that he was very attractive. Made it difficult to root for the romance for most of the book.