Review and Giveaway for Nuts (Hudson Valley #1) by Alice Clayton

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Review and Giveaway for Nuts (Hudson Valley #1) by Alice Clayton

Rating: ★★★★ 3/4 stars
Date published: October 20th, 2015
Publisher: Gallery Books
Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author Alice Clayton, the first in a brand-new romance series telling the humorously sexy tale of Roxie, a private chef who gets a taste of love—but is it to stay, or to go?

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?

What I Thought:

I'm always excited to read a book by Alice Clayton. I know I'm going to laugh, swoon, and just have a great time reading it. She always writes stories I love with characters that end up feeling like great friends. I would love to be friends with Roxie and Leo.

Roxie can't believe she's going home. She never expected a small mistake to wipe out all the hard work she's done. I mean I totally agree with her. Who freaks out over whipped cream? Anyhow, Roxie is headed home disgraced and unemployed. All she wants to do is help her mother and then head back to the west coast and get back up on her feet. Of course that's what she thinks until Leo makes an appearance.

Roxie is driven, hard working, kind, and not looking for love or anything that looks like a relationship. Leo certainly interests her and it was very entertaining trying to watch her figure out if he would okay with something with no strings. Of course it seemed like whenever she was in Leo's presence something hilarious was bound to happen; she wasn't her usual calm and collected self. I understood her frustration at being home again. Roxie felt freer in the big city environment where she wasn't judged for what she did or didn't have or her mother's behavior. Back in Hudson Valley, everyone is interested to know about what's she's been up to, and even though it's not as bad as it was when she was growing up, she still feels trapped.

I loved Leo. He's a great guy, funny, good looking, hard working, and smart too. He's a semi-bad boy. He has a good time but may or may not be looking o for something serious. Leo certainly makes me want to go out and find my own farmer but somehow I don't think I'll have much luck finding a guy like him. Roxie and Leo had fantastic chemistry. I loved how everything was paced between them. While there were fireworks going off for both of them, I liked how Leo took his time wooing Roxie. He did it in a way that didn't frighten or spook her. It really built the anticipation between them and made the story hotter. I wasn't sure when I fell for Leo, it just sort of happened.

The story is told from Roxie's point of view and I loved being in her head. She's spunky and saucy. I loved seeing her make new friends, something that was difficult for her given her occupation and disposition. I loved seeing both Leo and Roxie push their boundaries. I even loved how the plot twists Alice Clayton threw in. I certainly didn't see them coming, which kept me on my toes. I liked how thoughtfully she incorporated them into the story. I read this book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down, not that I wanted to. This book really makes me want to visit the Northeast part of the country. I felt like I was actually there in the Hudson Valley, walking on Leo's farm, in the diner, and visiting the farmer's market. This story is bound to make you laugh, swoon,and fan yourself. I can't wait to go back to Hudson Valley and fall in love with another couple, a gift Alice Clayton has.

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy via Netgalley in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*