4.5 Stars ~ Top Pick

Clara Morgan is sent up to Bailey’s Falls, New York to help rebrand the Byrant Mountain House. This is just another promising gig to her that might lead to a potential partnership at her firm. However, what should be a quick and easy score is turning into a bit of a challenge as the owner’s son challenge her every decision.

Archie Bryant loves his family house just as it is. He doesn’t want his father to rid the hotel of its natural charm. He is prepared to go toe-to-toe with Clara if it means saving the business. Clara slowly charms him and he is not sure he can withstand the battle with petite hot head any further.

I loved Clara’s character and how she dealt with the romance. Clara didn’t grow up with a strong family unit. She has some heavy baggage with her. Her work and her friends really are the only things she has going for herself. She is strong and independent. She built some pretty high walls around her to keep her safe and I admire that about her. I loved how Archie came right in and chipped away at all her defenses. He knows when and how to push her forward.

Archie is a character who takes time to grow on you. I initially thought he was stuffy and proper. However, I realized that he loves his family’s hotel and is willing to do anything to ensure that it remains the same. Archie is holding onto some serious pain and the readers get a chance to see into why he is a bit guarded. Actually, once he recognizes his attraction to Clara, he handles his past a lot better than I thought he would.

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 brushed back the shock of auburn hair that had fallen down over his forehead. He closed his eyes, then instantly leaned into my touch, almost like a cat. Jesus, when was the last time some had touched this guy?
I would have to say that I loved this book the best out of all of the series. While I do appreciate the authors ability to make me laugh or should I say holler (I did that a few times with the previous books), it was her ability to dig into the romantic elements in Buns that got to me. Archie and Clara’s story is a typical enemies-to-lovers romance. The romance takes a slow and more meaningful turn in the book. These are two characters who felt authentically perfect together.

All of the characters from the previous books were back. I loved seeing what happened with Roxy and Leo. It was great catching up with Natalie and Oscar and even Chad and Logan. Small town romances have a quaint and cozy spot in my heart.

Overall, romance readers will love this delightful, funny and romantic story.

~ Samantha

Clara is the last of the trio of friends to succumb to the magic of the Hudson Valley; a public relations guru with expertise in hotel re-branding and promotion, Clara is drawn to Bailey Falls to help re-invent the local legendary family run hotel Bryant Mountain House. The extra allure of the job is the promise of promotion if it is a success. With so much riding on the outcome of her intervention with the hotel she didn't expect to have to battle her own personal demons and find the one thing she has spent her whole life searching for.

Clara is the product of foster care, she has very deep emotional scars and abandonment issues from her experiences so young in life. Yet she longs to have the kind of relationship both Roxie (Nuts) and Natalie (Cream of the Crop) have found.

Clara compartmentalises all her emotions; she locks them away instead of dealing with them, she keeps herself separate from all of her emotions. Essentially, Clara feels like an outsider even with her closest friends, she has become trapped inside a prison of her won making - to afraid to break through her barriers and risk rejection.

The attraction between Clara and Archie is palpable from the start, although they both try to fight it partly due to their work situation and partly because of the risk of releasing their demons. The attraction translates to antagonistic banter between the pair until the inevitable lust explosion occurs.

Unfortunately, Clara not only does she have to contend with her career coming between her and Archie establishing anything beyond a limited fling but she has to also battle the ghost of Archie's wife.

Although it has been six years since Archie lost his wife to cancer he still wears his wedding ring. While I utterly adored Archie sometimes it felt as if he was walking around with a rain cloud over his head. Archie was with his deceased wife from a a very young age - from an outside perspective it would seem as if they drifted into their relationship, while there was a lot of love and affection between them it didn't strike me as a passionate relationship, unlike the one he discovers with Clara.

Clara is a work in progress, and yes she does make mistakes which hurt not only Archie but herself as well. It is only by true introspection that Clara finds the strength to push through the difficult parts in order to get to the high, similar to the way in which she tackles a marathon or a triathlon.

Buns is probably the most emotional book of the series. The inclusion and progression of the previous characters stories added to the plot. There is also a few cameo appearances from characters in other Alice Clayton books that made a fantastic addition to the story.
I think I am going to go into denial that this is the end of the series and anxiously wait to see what Alice Clayton is going to come up with next.

5 "Awesome. Incredible. Mind-blowing. Frustrating. Pretentious. Obnoxious. Freckles." Stars

BUNS was pure delight from cover to cover with characters who provided immediate connection between them and reader and a hate to something-else connection between themselves. The storyline was just engaging and I bought into it completely.

Alice Clayton brought a new friend, Clara 'Ms Morgan' into the scene and she was totally different to Roxie and Natalie (who we see with their respective partners repeatedly). She was small, atheletic, competitive, competent, bossy and untouchable. I loved her so quickly but what I loved even more was the discontent between her and the hotel owner who's business she had come to revamp, Archie 'Mr Bryant'. Archie drew me in and had me swooning simultaneously.

"Archie had taken off his jacket, loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves. Which just made my eyes flicker back and forth almost nonstop to his forearms. I was a sucker for forearms. Forget the forearm. No, you forget the forearm."

These two were like two pincushions around one another but oh man, the chemistry. It was slowly burning and I was slowly burning too. There were two tangible backstories for Archie and Clara which just made the read so much richer.

"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?"

I can say three books in, that this is my favourite series by Alice Clayton and that Oscar sure has a rival in Archie. The writing and wit was superb and I just lived the reading experience as you do with the best kind of books. A definite favourite of 2017.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through netgalley, in return for a honest review.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

4.5 stars

Clara Morgan is known for her work with struggling hotels, finding solutions to turn around landmark businesses. Though she appreciates the traditions of the locations she works in, she doesn’t keep personal traditions and isn’t tied to many people or things. She is attracted to the history and beauty of Bryant Mountain House, but finds the owner’s son hard-headed and against every change she suggests.

Archie Bryant lives and breathes his family’s historic hotel. His father has hired a branding expert to turn things around, but he is tied to the traditions and doesn’t think they need outside help to keep their hotel running.

Neither character is what one would consider open, or even particularly warm towards the other. They each have pasts that have kept them closed off. In Clara’s case, her detachment keeps her on the outside, even among her longtime friends. Archie’s hesitancy only applies to Clara, though. For the guests at Bryant Mountain House he has nothing but smiles and stories to share.

Because of the way they keep themselves reserved, Archie and Clara were at times difficult to love. Knowing Roxie and Natalie loved Clara made it a little easier to let her get away with being cold, but it took a little while to get used to it from both main characters until their backstories became fleshed out a little deeper.

But as they discovered more about each other, and found walls tumbling and secrets revealed, these two characters who kept themselves so isolated began feeling warmth and trust in another for the first time in a long time. I loved watching these two people carrying so much of their pasts as they let go of the pain and tried something new. These two may have started out as enemies, but quickly find they have more in common than it first appeared.

Returning to Bailey Falls with Clara to see Roxie & Leo, Natalie & Oscar, and all our favorite characters made for a fun, sexy read and made up for the cold moments between the characters. As Clara and Archie open up, we see more of the established characters interacting with our couple here. I loved watching as they embraced Archie as if he had always been part of the group, despite having spent most of his adulthood up on his mountain. In addition to the Bailey Falls group from earlier books, readers also meet an entirely new cast built around the hotel. Archie’s staff is as much his family as his father is, and their interactions in the book say the same.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Buns by Alice Clayton

Clara is the quintessential career woman. She loves and lives for her job which is rebranding and rejuvenating hotels. This means that she's constantly on the move and while she has an apartment, she doesn't really have a place to call home. But that's more than fine by her! She doesn't want or need to have those roots. She has her two friends who are more or less her family, her mentor, and a possible partnership in the cards. She heads down to picturesque Bailey Falls to rebrand the gorgeous but dated Bryant House where she meets the amazing Archie Bryant, owner of the delectable buns and too seeped in tradition to be willing to accept change.

I enjoyed this book though not quite as much as the previous in the series. I think this may be because while it had a small handful of funny moments, it was lacking in the humor I've come to expect and enjoy from Clayton. The reason for this is evident: both of these characters have a lot (like, A LOT) of baggage and so so much to work through. Love and trust doesn't come easily to Clara and again, while I understood it completely, I also wanted to shake some sense into her. Archie I adored although he was bloody stubborn! Overall, I think this series is great and it's one I don't hesitate to recommend. Buns is a welcome addition to the Hudson Valley family!

*arc received from Netgalley in exchange for honest review.

**Reviewed by Melinda for Joandisalovebooks Blog.

4 Hudson Valley Here I Come Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
Reading allows us to go anywhere we want...It can be a real place, an other worldly one...or some place an author has created that becomes so real in the telling...You look on the map expecting it to be there and surprise... it is!

Alice Clayton has taken an area and given it exposure a community could only dream of... She has used her talents to showcase the concept of Sustainability in Farm to Table in the past books of this series. In this entry she has taken all of the goodness from the other books...the community, the people, the closeness of those who love one another as family and friends...and given them a place which needs all of their nurturing.

Bryant Mountain House in Bailey Falls, New York was once one of those places where families would go to for all sorts of occasions. Generations had crossed it doors and history was made there...The Famous, The Royal and even the Presidential had stayed at one time or another. It had old world charm and grace. It was steeped in tradition being handed down from Heir to Heir.

She had survived through all of the ups and downs of our American history....
The Depression didn't shut her doors....
World Wars didn't bring her down....
Even the Awakening of the 60's or the changes through the following decades...

But finally it seems the Ole Gal has hit a wall...The reservations are dwindling; old timers and their families have been lured away and the rightful Heir Archie Bryant is at that "rock and hard place" position...

He loves this House with all of his being. He grew up here and everywhere he looks, he sees visions of when he was a child...sneaking cookies or famed Buns from the huge kitchen...

He had plans for the House...
But those plans are gone now....
And in many ways he is physically here but gone, too...

So his father, as a last ditch effort to save the House, has brought in Clara Morgan. Clara is The Expert of Re-branding and saving Hotels which need an infusion of life. She has been doing this for quite a while and has made a name for herself. Every new challenge is exciting and stimulating. She has the ability to see what is before her... lovingly taking all of the traditions and past of a place and restructuring the pluses to make it brighter, better and welcoming to this new generation of travelers.

Because for Clara, she is not looking to delete all the history of a place... in fact, she relishes these things...values them and deep in her heart is coveting them for her own. For Clara lost her family very early and was raised in foster care. This experience caused her to focus on not planting roots or loving too dearly...because when you care and love that way...it can all be taken away....

These two meet when Clara comes to look at the House. She tries to come "undercover" as a regular guest a day early. This way she can get a feel of the place without anyone putting on a show or best behavior. It is the way she does her assessments and then brings this information to the first scheduled meeting.

It has always worked well in the past....
Ah, not so much this time...
She crosses Archie's path and from the start it is Oil and Water...Cats and Dogs...
It is the beginning of a Cantankerous Relationship from the get go...

But you know what they say about that...There is a very thin line between Love and Hate...

Alice Clayton takes this tale and gives us so much besides a standard romance. It is her way.
She looks at loss and how do we recover from it. How do we open our hearts to accept others when they are standing there knocking at the door...willing to wrap us in their arms and say everything is going to be ok...

She gives us deep friendships that are the basis of what family can mean in today's world. Our lives have changed in many ways with the advent of living all across countries and the globe...But the need to connect and feel we belong with those who care about us and will be there during the darkest times and the happiest, remains the same through generations...We all need those connections.

This couple has its hiccups but it also has some equally delicious moments..
I Mean, It Is an Alice Clayton book...

Let yourself indulge in all the yummy goodness of the Hudson Valley... If you have read the other books, the past characters and their involvement will warm your heart...If you haven't read the past books, you will be perfectly fine in enjoying this one...

Nuts (Hudson Valley, #1) by Alice Clayton Nuts (Hudson Valley, #1)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cream of the Crop (Hudson Valley, #2) by Alice Clayton Cream of the Crop (Hudson Valley,#2)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Buns (Hudson Valley, #3) by Alice Clayton Buns (Hudson Valley, #3)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This was a delight to read. Funny, sexy and well put together. Very rarely does Alice disappoint. Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

Clara and Archie have a relatable love story that will swoon you. The awkwardness of their love blooms upstate New York town of Bailey Falls. The setting unfolds easily and the characters are compelling.

Great job Alice another sweet love story.

I’m telling you, it’s always the guys with the freckles and the glasses. They’re the ones you want to set your sights on.

Set your sights on Archie, my friends. Because oh, he was a spine-tingling, sweet, stuffy delight. And that's not even mentioning his Buns.

I'll be honest with you—I came into this book with concerns. I liked Nuts but didn't LOVE it, and Cream of the Crop left me a little cold, so I wasn't sure what I'd get from the third book in Alice Clayton’s Hudson Valley series.

I'm happy to report that what I got was an entertaining, quirky, organic read. It was a little sluggish to start—I took much longer to read the first third of this book than the remaining two-thirds—and I very much wanted to shake some sense into Clara at times, but for the most part, Bunswas a brilliant return to the fun, funny world of Bailey Falls.

Starting with the man to set your sights on Archie, there is a nearly endless (yes, that's hyperbole, but go with it) parade of lovable characters surrounding the Bryant Mountain House. Be they old friends—Leo, Roxie, Chad and so on—or new, such as the loyal hotel staff, they added much in the way of heart and humor to this simple and simply enjoyable enemies-to-lovers romance.

And it WAS enjoyable. Once I was over the initial hump (which could have been a by-product of my concerns), I laughed out loud on many occasions, highlighted several banter-laced passages, swooned and sighed over Archie, commiserated with Clara, and was moved more than once by the pasts that were mixed into the overall story.

Ooh, and I developed a craving for Archie's buns… You might, in fact, say I've set my sights on them—something I think you’ll want to do, too.

He put his hands on me. He put his lips on me. And it was all I could do to still feel the earth underneath my feet. Because when this man kissed me, I forgot everything.

~ FOUR Bossy STARS ~

Alice Clayton blends romance, humor, and heat with the finesse of a master chemist, and Buns is a drop-dead sexy and poignant love story infused with ingenious and subtle wit. Even the book’s title and cover are a testament to Clayton’s clever humor. My new book-BFF, Clara Morgan, is loyal, resilient and fun, and she’s brilliant at her job revitalizing troubled hotels and resorts. She’s on the verge of a huge promotion if she can succeed at her latest project – the historic family-owned and family-run Bryant Mountain Resort. She arrives on the job at full throttle and bursting with innovative ideas, and she immediately clashes with the owner’s son, Archie Bryant. He believes she wants to change everything and ignore their longstanding traditions, and an epic battle of wills commences. The equally strong-willed Clara and Archie fight it out through snarky, verbal skirmishes, and it doesn’t seem they’ll ever see eye –to-eye.

Clara denies she’s attracted to Archie, but she cannot ignore the sexual tension that is progressively building between them, and it reaches a fever pitch until they combust. They might have now found common ground in the bedroom, but their combative working relationship continues to complicate things, especially when they develop deeper feelings for each other. Both have complex pasts and reasons to fear falling in love, but it is uncontrollable and unavoidable. Witnessing Clara and Archie slowly begin to trust each other enough to lower their defenses and risk vulnerability is breathtakingly romantic, and Buns is an exceptionally crafted romance that is simply irresistible. I can’t wait to read it again. - Mary Dubé, USA Today's Happy Ever After

Buns by Alice Clayton
Book #3: Hudson Valley Series
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 4/5 stars
My Review:

Alice Clayton is back haunting the Hudson Valley and this time she brought Clara and Archie and whole pile of shenanigans.

Clara Morgan is many things including accomplished, self-reliant, confident, intelligent, competent, loyal, and terrified of loving anyone and putting down roots. In an effort to avoid those last two, Clara has assiduously avoided romantic entanglements and devoted her life to travelling all over the country helping hotels and resorts rebrand themselves and become more successful. Clara excels at her job and loves her life. Or so she thought.

The moment Clara steps foot on the property of Bryant Mountain House resort she knows she has her work cut out for her and relishes the challenge. The elder Archie Bryant invited Clara to rebrand the resort, but it’s his son, also Archie whom Clara is to work most closely with. If she thought the resort rebranding was going to be a challenge, well, she hasn’t met the younger Archie Bryant yet. At every turn and with every pronouncement, the resort owner with the smashing butt defies challenges, and contradicts Clara. For as much anger and frustration as Archie causes Clara, he also interests her and forces her to confront the fact she isn’t as happy with her life as she thought.

Sweet, sexy, nerdy Archie Bryant loves his home and has no desire to see its history and traditions trampled on by the likes of Clara Morgan. With her bold, brash, confidence she outlines plan after plan for rebranding Archie’s beloved resort. Clara is suggesting changes, renovations, alterations, and upheaval that makes Archie’s head spin. Inconceivably, Archie seems to be the only one among the staff who is opposed to such calamity. In an effort to save his home, Archie defies Clara at every turn, he contradicts her, and stubbornly refuses to accept her ideas. He also has to deal with the fact that he is tremendously attracted to the little firebrand and that’s not helping the situation . . . at all.

As days turn into weeks, Archie slowly begins to accept the inevitable, his resort is going to undergo changes. However, the more he gets to know Clara, the more he understands she doesn’t want to destroy his home, his resort, and the traditions of the site, but preserve them and bring them into the 21st century. Clara wants Bryant Mountain House to be restored to its former glory and that is something Archie can get behind. Being behind Clara isn’t half bad either and it isn’t long before Archie realizes the extent of his feelings for Clara. Unfortunately, as his feelings grow, Clara becomes more resistant.

Clara is very aware of Archie and his feelings and that scares the ever-loving crap out of her! So much so, that when her professional life takes a most unexpected turn, Clara uses it as an excuse to escape the uncomfortable feelings caused by Archie and his feelings. Clara has too much personal baggage to ever settle down and being with Archie for the long-term would simply be disastrous. Besides, her career has always come first and satisfied her, so why upset the apple cart now? Says Clara to herself as she sits miserably in her lonely apartment far, far away from the man and place she accidentally fell in love with . . . . . Fixing the situation isn’t going to be easy, but Clara is determined and most fall in the face of Clara Morgan’s logic, reasoning, and loud arguments 😊

The Bottom Line: I like the first two-thirds of this book and simply adored the final one-third!! The first two-thirds of this read have some great moments, some excellent fights, some great conversations with old friends (Bombshell is on a roll in this one!) and a few naughty bits, but it is in the final one-third of the book that everything shines. It isn’t until Clara screws everything up with her ridiculous notions about love, commitment, and putting down roots that the read really takes off. Fixing her mess isn’t easy and Archie is so very heartbroken that it takes a monumental move to set things right. The. Move. Is. Monumental. The highlights of this read include Archie and the characters from the first two Hudson Valley books. These richly written and developed characters populate a world that is believable, funny, emotional, and engaging. I don’t know that this is the end of the Hudson Valley series, but if it is, Buns is a fitting ending to what has been another excellent series from Alice Clayton!

"Hot damn. I love a well-dressed man who has a filthy mouth."

Though this is the third book in the series, I read Buns as a standalone. I don't feel like I missed anything, but I sure was intrigued to know more about the colorful support characters I read about in this one.

The female lead is not only bossy and opinionated, she is tiny and determined. She's worked her way up the career ladder and is approaching partnership, if she can prove herself with this next big job. Her job involves rebranding hotels who have fallen into a slump and giving them new life. Her current assignment is Bryant Mountain House in Bailey Falls, New York. She's not always well received by the owners, due to their resistance to her ideas and their reluctance to let go of traditions that are no longer working. Her reception at Bryant Mountain House is no different, though maybe even more extreme due to the son's strong determination to keep things the way they are. What is different is the sparks that fly between Archie and Clara. And they can't all be blamed on their tempers. Nope, there's a little more that is H-O-T between them. Combine their tempers and their passion and the result is some sarcastic, entertaining witty banter that will have you giggling and grinning.

Clara is immersed in her job. She lives and breathes it and not much has room beside it except her two best friends who live in a small town called Bailey Falls. Her apartment is a place she sleeps in but it's a bit of a stretch to call it "home". Just as well, because she isn't at home much anyway, her job requires a lot of travelling. She specializes in rebranding and has made a name for herself in her profession. This time her job sends her to an old luxury resort, the Bryant Mountain House. Wild guess where this resort is located? Yup, upstate New York, Bailey Falls.

Upon arrival she has her first unpleasant encounter with the owner's son, Archie and let me tell you, he seems to be exactly what you expect from a guy with such an archaic name. Old-fashioned. Proud of the Bryant traditions and history. Stuffy. And mostly composed. Unless you are a tiny whirlwind of a woman called Clara. Archie and the rebranding specialist are supposed to work together to rejuvenate the run-down resort and the cooperation goes everything but smooth.

Soon they fight over every detail and it seems whatever Clara suggests, Archie is against it just for the heck of it.

“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.”

Faster than he thought he has to admit though that Clara's strategy is successful. And that bites. It also bites that there is an undeniable spark between them and once it's fully ignited it burns bright. Clara finds herself wanting more but her past has shown her that people don't stay. They all leave at some point so she armors up her heart and seals it tight.



Clara is an immensely independent woman. She has been hurt too often and attaching yourself to somebody only sets you up for more pain. While her past is really sad she still has kept her lively and sprightly attitude and takes great pleasure in riling Archie up. Her bossiness was hilarious. Her abandonment issues are understandable but I couldn't help to get a tiny bit frustrated with her towards the end. Yet, Clara was an endearing and fun heroine.

Archie is so stiff and buttoned-up when we start out on this journey. you want to give him a hug and tickle him silly. His love and respect for his extended family runs deep. He also has had his own share of pain. Archie is a man of old stock and tradition - the pain that comes with change makes him adverse to it so he fights Clara with teeth and nails.
The more he interacts the more he loosens up though and when he does he becomes this adorable sweet guy who is crazy about Clara.

***He gazed down at me, an expression I couldn’t quite identify on his face. “You’re a bit wonderful.”***

Archie has a past we unfortunately only learn a little bit about and I would have liked to see some flashes of what he was like when he was younger. Has he always been this severe? I suppose not because the guy has a sense of humor to boot and when it comes out to play it's a blast. I just wanted to have something more substantial on him. Nevertheless he was a delightful male lead.


***My girl was wild. And loud. And obnoxious. And irritating. And bossy as all get out. And I wouldn’t have her any other way.***

Clara and Archie are so different but that's what provides the tension in this story. They complement each other and the result is better than the sum of its parts making their banter delightfully funny.

“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!”


When they give in to their desire it's downright hot and let me say...I did not expect Archie to be such a sensual man.

This was my first journey into a small town called Bailey Falls and I'm utterly charmed. I loved the side cast of this story a lot. They completed the picture of our main characters. Ms Clayton's writing style is effortless and humorous and so evenly paced, I was instantly a fan. Now I need to find the time to read the backlist of this author because I have a new favorite!

Alice Clayton never disappoints! I'll be posting about this on retailers on release day!

Once again Alice Clayton has given me a book in her Husdon Valley series...This time we have Clara - the 3rd friend who's found herself in the Hudson Valley (we met Natalie & Roxie in Cream of the Crop & Nuts)

Clara has been hired to help the Bryant Mountain House resort rebrand themselves, help bring this family business back to life. Hired by Archie's father, Clara is coming in with ideas of changing it all, to make it better. However, Archie, the stuffy - suit wearing son, isn't interested in change. He loves the rich history of Bryant Mountain isn't too interested in change.

Clara is a bad ass character (as most of Alice Clayton's heroine characters are). She's so strong, on the outside, but has a few broken pieces inside that she keeps hidden away for no one to see.

Archie is a widower, who has no interest in change in his business or personal life. But as you know - this story would be no fun if that remained the status quo!

The push and pull of Clara and Archie is epic. The angst is high. The laughs are perfectly placed.

"That man can lay it the fuck down. And pick it the fuck up. And lay it back down again!"

This story has a little more grit and sadness than I am used to with Alice Clayton (not a bad thing, just sayin)

Take a trip to Alice's Clayton's version of Kellerman's (think Dirty Dancing) and enjoy the fun and sweetness of the Bryant Mountain resort!

received in exchange for a honest review

Stuffy,stickler stuck in the past man meets woman wanting to bring his business into this century and out of the Dirty Dancing era. What could go wrong here??? Well so much yummy fun entertaining moments. Many mentions of hot cross buns that are more than just at Easter and steamy times as well as Archie is brought into a new view and has him falling in love and letting go. .

Alice Clayton has once again given us a book with laughs and love. We get a man that your heart goes out to. He is a stickler for keeping tradition as is at Bryant Mountain House but slowly comes around to Clara’s ideas for he doesn’t want to lose his legacy. He is lost in grief as well but Clara does something there too. She opens his eyes and helps him move on in more ways than one. And the innuendo Clayton gives is wonderfully weaved in to give us wild banter and hoots and hollar times.

Clara is the girl who was raised in a tough situation. She doesn’t want to be permanent anywhere and love isn’t in her cards. She likes to fix hotels and is good at it. Bryant Mountain house is her next project and she’s excited about this. She gets to see her girls again and have sometime with them. What she doesn’t expect is Archie. The man with great buns and not just the sticky hot cross kind. But he is just as stubborn as her. They both try to get the other to see their perspective but sometimes it doesn’t quite work as planned.

As they work their magic on each other we see the foundation of trust and respect build. We also get some terrific witty banter and attraction that heats the pages. both fight it due to the situation and pasts. Archie comes around faster and wow he is swoony when he does that doesn’t mean he comes out of the stone age completely with the updating of his property but he does come around. It’s Clara who is harder to see love and accept it.

this book is witty, entertaining and sweet. We get to see old characters and have some really fun times there. See a town get to embrace this wonderful place that is Bryant Mountain house. Have some great bun moments and see love abound. there is no limit when it comes to the witty humor, sarcastic fun retorts and sexy times that Alice Clayton gives us in this wildy entertaining story that has the girl being doofy and the guy see that he can keep traditions and still bring his property out of the stone ages in a way that will have it boom and also move on and find love.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! It was sweet, it was sexy and it was damned good! Chock full of laughs, tender moments and sexy times, ‘Buns’ is my favorite in the series!

Alice Clayton NEVER fails to put a smile on my face! Her writing is solid and perfectly paced; not too fast, not too slow. As well, she has perfect comedic timing. Her humor isn’t forced, it just is. But that’s not all, not only are her main characters thoroughly developed, so are her secondary characters!

Clara Morgan did not plant roots. She didn’t enjoy being in one place for too long. She loved meeting new people and exploring new towns. Moving from one job to the next, rebranding hotels, Clara rarely spent any time in her apartment. Her busy life was perfect, the perfect distraction to the thoughts and memories that were too loud, too uncomfortable and at times, too raw.

❝All joking aside, no one had ever looked into my eyes, punched through my chest and wrapped their hands around my heart and said I love you.❞

Archie Bryant was the heir to the Bryant Mountain House. He was focused, he was determined and he was lonely. The last thing he expected was to be tempted by a smart, bossy, and incredibly sexy woman, who would not only challenge his work ideas but him personally.

❝You literally, filled up my heart.❞

Reading an Alice Clayton book is like cozying up with a nice glass of wine while sitting on your deck on a nice spring evening, it’s delightful, relaxing and the best part about your day!

I will not be reviewing this book as I wasn't engaged at all

Buns is the third novel in the Hudson Valley series. Like the other two, the cover drew me in. It’s quirky but sexy. Buns is written in First person point of view. It’s definitely meant for mature readers, lots of steamy scenes.

In this novel Clara, who works at helping hotels who are in trouble, goes to work at Bryant Mountain House. Not only does she need to worry about the staff, but also the owners’ son Archie Bryant, who will inherit the hotel.

Alice is amazing at creating characters that are distinct and likable. They have flaws but it’s so great to discover how they play into the storyline. I really liked Clara, the calmest in my opinion, of the three friends. Her past, growing up in foster care, is the reason why she tries to stay unattached. I wasn’t sure what I thought about Archie at first, but I learned to like him more and more as I began to understand him.

Since I’ve read a few other novels by Alice, I was expecting them to come with humor and Buns was no exception. When you have so many characters who are fun and their conversations are full of innuendos you get a supper sexy and hilarious story.

4 stars. This was a pretty good book! This is Clara and Archie's story. Clara is in the hospitality industry. She lives her for her job, traveling around to different hotels consulting on ways they can improve their facilities and business. Clara's newest project is the Bryant Mountain House in Bailey Falls, NY. Her two best friends, Natalie and Roxie, both have recently fallen in love with the town, and their boyfriends who live there, and moved to Bailey Falls. Clara begins work on the Bryant Mountain House resort, where she meets Archie Bryant, the son of the hotel's owner, who runs it. Archie is very resistant to the changes Clara wants to make and does everything he can to halt her progress, but he gradually begins to see that the changes are good ideas. And he gradually, begins to fall for the fun and outgoing Clara. She is cautious about getting involved with him, knowing that when her project is over her job will take her elsewhere. She also is afraid to get too comfortable in her feelings for him because she was raised in the foster care system, where she learned that all homes and relationships are temporary. But Archie is pretty convincing and Clara has to decide to take a chance on love and finding a new, permanent home with Archie.

This book was actually a really cute, sweet romance. There was very little angst and pushing away in the book. The couple did start off as enemies and became lovers. But they had chemistry right away. I liked Clara and Archie a lot. They were really good together. I did wish for more resolution and a farther into the future epilogue. It seems Ms. Clayton likes to leave her readers to make their own conclusions about how the relationship goes in the future.

I loved the glimpses of the other couples in the series and I LOVED that Caroline from Wallbanger (one of my fave books) had a part in the story too. . I liked the hotel setting and the characters who worked there. The story was different and interesting. The writing was good as always. Overall, I really enjoyed Clara and Archie's story! I think this is my favorite of the three books in the series. I will definitely look forward to more from Ms. Clayton in the future!

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 ;)

Conclusion:
A nice romance, with buns, those yummy buns...I am talking about the ones you bake! I mean hello