Tabs’ review of Cream of the Crop (Hudson Valley, Book 2) by Alice Clayton
Contemporary Romance published by Gallery Books 12 Jul 16
Alice Clayton returns to Hudson Valley for more raunchy romantic comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the series, Nuts, so I was totally ready for big-city advertising executive Natalie and taciturn country dairy farmer Oscar to get their turn at bat. And what a great turn it is.
Natalie Grayson loves New York City. It’s where she grew with her wealthy but incredibly loving family and where she’s got a great job. She also secretly longs for the country. She even has a secret shrine set up with pictures and everything. When her best friend’s small town, Bailey Falls, commissions Natalie’s firm to put together an advertising plan to increase tourism, she jumps on the opportunity. She can pop on the train for a long weekend, visit Roxie (the heroine from the first book in this series, naturally), indulge in her country obsession just a bit, and maybe finally bump uglies with the hot Bailey Falls dairy farmer who she gets tongue-tied over every weekend at the downtown farmer’s market. It’s a win-win-win scenario, really.
Natalie dominates this book and she made me cheer so damn hard on a number of occasions. First, it’s still rare to see a really sexually aggressive heroine in romance, but Natalie knows she’s sexy as hell and she greatly enjoys bringing men to their knees. She’s also a plus-sized woman and doesn’t apologize for it in the slightest. She has a line where she talks about women her size dressing like “they’re apologizing for taking up space” and, hooo boy, did that resonate really strongly with me.
“Size-eighteen women were supposed to be timid. Size-eighteen women were supposed to be shy. Size-eighteen women were supposed to be grateful for any male attention, and to feel especially honored if a good-looking man paid attention to them. Fuck all that noise.”
In addition to Natalie being awesome, Oscar, the gruff dairy farmer, could not be dreamier. He’s an easy-going guy. He runs his dairy farm, gets along well with his ex-wife, and coaches kids’ football on the weekend. He’s a quiet guy who does what he likes and says what he means. He’s a great foil for loud, messy Natalie. They compliment each other well.
Once the story gets going with Natalie’s country adventures, it doesn’t take Oscar and Natalie too long to get into a groove and start a casual relationship. Natalie is definitely not looking for anything permanent, but it’s hard to deny how great being in Bailey Falls and being with Oscar makes her feel. Oscar and Natalie both have personal obstacles and hangups to overcome before they can forge their happy ending, but it sure is entertaining watching them do so.
This book is a great romantic comedy. It made me first bump the air with joy at times. It made me laugh my ass off every couple of pages. It made me smile like a loon. I love this series and cannot wait for more. I really wish Alice Clayton’s backlist wasn’t so expensive, because I just want to go read absolutely everything. One day. One day I will.
Grade: A
Summary:
Manhattan’s It Girl, Natalie Grayson, has it all: she’s a hot exec at a leading advertising firm, known industry-wide for her challenging and edgy campaigns. She’s got a large circle of friends, a family that loves her dearly, and her dance card is always full with handsome eligible bachelors. What else could a modern gal-about-town wish for? The answer, of course, is…cheese.
Natalie’s favorite part of each week is spending Saturday morning at the Union Square Farmer’s Market, where she indulges her love of all things triple cream. Her favorite booth also indulges her love of all things handsome. Oscar Mendoza, owner of the Bailey Falls Creamery and purveyor of the finest artisanal cheeses the Hudson Valley has to offer, is tall, dark, mysterious, and a bit oblivious. Or so she thinks. But that doesn’t stop Natalie from fantasizing about the size of his, ahem, milk can.
Romance is churning, passion is burning, and something incredible is rising to the top. Could it be…love?
Other books in this series:
