This ARC was gratefully provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Alice Clayton is one of a select few authors that I'd like to spend time with, preferably with plenty of alcohol and hijinks. She writes her novels like I think. Her phrasing comes straight out of my brain and I love it! Her books all make me laugh and enjoy my time away from my everyday life--they are a true diversion from the everyday. For that alone, I will always be a fan.

With this, the third in the series, she's continued to develop the Bailey Falls gang. Clara and Archie are good additions to this crew. At one point, I thought I needed to know a bit more of Clara's backstory and then I decided that it would have taken the story to a dark place and I further decided that I didn't want the story to go to a dark place.

A good, light and sweet story. Perfect summer read.

I really enjoyed this third book in the Hudson Valley series. Clara and Archie clash from day one. She's been hired by his father to renovate and modernize the hotel that has been in Archie's family forever. Archie is horrified by her suggestions and wants everything to stay the same. Clara and Archie have to learn compromise and somewhere along the way they fall in love. Witty, humorous, sweet, and steamy, Buns is a fun romance read!

Lately, I've read some contemporary romances that have been good but not great. They've just been a bit lackluster and left me craving a really great read. Buns was that really great read.

In Buns, Clara has been given the task of helping make Bryant Mountain House profitable again. She has all sorts of great ideas, but unfortunately the owner's son isn't quite on board. Clara knows she's right and is willing to do what it takes to make Archie Bryant see reason. When some of Clara's suggestions work, Archie realizes he needs to give her a chance in more ways than one.

Having read the first two books in the Hudson Valley series, I was pretty sure I was going to love Buns. As always, I loved Alice Clayton's witty writing. It wasn't as over the top funny as the previous books, but that didn't bother me. The amount of humor in the story went well with Clara's personality. There were still many hilarious moments, but there were also some serious and soul-searching ones. I loved how they balanced each other out.

Clara was a more serious character than her friends. She based her life on the achievements she wanted to complete. Clara had her two close friends, Natalie and Roxie, but other than that she was a lone wolf. She didn't see love or family in the future for herself. Her career was everything. That made her relationship with Archie come as a shock to her. It was fun to see Clara all flustered at the idea of a relationship with uptight Archie.

I adored Archie. He had a couple hang ups of his own, but for the most part he knew what he wanted. He put faith in all of the things Clara didn't. I loved how he dealt with Clara's fears, and didn't hold them against her. He was just a really great guy. I would have loved to get his perspective on the whole thing, but it wasn't necessary to the story.

Another really fun thing in Buns was getting to see some of my old Bailey Falls friends. Natalie will always be my favorite Hudson Valley girl, and she added some great moments to this story. I also loved seeing Chad and Logan again. I wish those two would get a book of their own! Oh! I can't forget this! Fans of Wallbanger will love a visit from our favorite neighbor and decorator, Caroline!

Buns was a great addition to the Hudson Valley series. It was so much fun to explore another part of Bailey Falls and get to know Clara and Archie. I loved the sweet romance wrapped in humor. Buns restored my faith in contemporary romances again.

This was the first book that I have read from the Hudson Valley series and I would say that this can definitely be read as a stand alone.

I loved the chemistry between Clara and Archie; their relationship starts at loggerheads but the sexual chemistry really comes through and slowly but surely they start to break each other down. This story was sweet and sexy and overall a lovely romance. I really enjoyed it would be happy to recommend it.

I was provided with a copy of this book from the Publisher via NetGalley; there was no inducement or obligation.

“You forgot a detail that I never mentioned?” “I forgot a detail I read in your file. Won’t happen again.” “My file?” “You don’t think I’d let my father hire someone to turn our entire world upside down and not do my due diligence to make sure she’s qualified, do you?” My eyes boggled. “A file. You’ve got a file on me. Wow.” “Wow?” “Wow as in, dude, that’s weird.” Now his eyes boggled. “Dude? Did you just call me dude?” “Dude, I also called you weird. How did you miss that part?”
Good start?” Yeah, that’s not how I’d describe these two and that isn’t even the first time they meet!
Clara Morgan is used to doing it alone. Her childhood is something she’d prefer not to reminisce about. She’s always been responsible for herself, always taken care of herself; she never thought someone with her background could ever live the life she’s currently living. Hotel restoration is her specialty and it takes her all over the country. This type of lifestyle isn’t one that ends with a house with a white picket fence, a husband, two-point five kids and a dog or cat. Nope, it’s on the go, living in a different place for months at a time and dealing with stubborn owners of hotels in desperate need of a rebirth but don’t want to admit. That’s no problem for Clara; she eats guys like this for breakfast. Until she come across Archie Bryant. His but the boss but not quite the boss and he’s giving her opposition at every turn…and turning her on.
Bryant Mountain House has been in Archie Bryant’s family for years and one day he will be the proud owner of this family run business. It may need a touch up here or there but in no way does it need to be bulldozed and rebuilt and with his father bringing in Clara Morgan, that’s exactly what will happen. Archie is sure she will take away all the charm, history and traditions his hotel has to offer. The more he and Clara butt heads over the direction the makeover should take, the more he finds himself wanting to get her naked.
Once again we find ourselves back in Bailey Falls but this time Archie and Clara keep us sitting the edge of our seats. These two give foreplay a whole new name. These two take more swipes at each other than two wet cats chasing the same mouse! It really is verbal foreplay and it’s amazing.
“Are you always this crass when you speak to a boss?”“My boss is your father, and he hasn’t made me nearly as irritated as you have.”“Ms. Bryant, let me tell you—” I held up my hand. “Stop. Literally, stop. I’d love to go another ten rounds with you on who’s got the bigger dick, but honestly—”“If that’s actually in question, then perhaps you have something to tell me that’s not visually apparent?”
Like her friends Roxy and Natalie, Clara is just as in your face. I have to say, I was very impressed with Archie’s flippantness. With his description I didn’t think he had it in him but that stuff shirt gave as well as he got. Once these two decided to give into their desires, there’s a major hurdle and that hurdle would be Clara herself. With her background, she has not clue how to open up, how to be a part of a couple, how to be dependent on someone else. She’s keeps secrets, she avoids things; the fact that she becomes so comfortable with Archie and gradually lets things about her past slip out, terrifies her; and when she’s afraid her walls go up stronger and higher.
While Archie tries to get beyond her walls he doesn’t push, he’s actually rather patient with (more so than I would be); but Archie has his own issues. Losing his childhood sweetheart Cancer, he too steers away from his past. He knows the more he asks of Clara, the more of himself he will have to give. When he finally decides to go all in Clara digs her heels in deeper.
While these guys were funny, there are some really heartbreaking moments. Listening to Clara relive parts of her childhood make you just want to crawl into the book and hug her. As much as she loves Roxy and Natalie, she’s not sure either of them will ever completely understand her.
“You can’t understand because until Leo came along, you didn’t give a damn about falling in love. You thought it was bullshit, that it was a waste of time, that it was for suckers. And you, Nat, you literally left a trail of men behind you, wasted in love with you as you moved on to the next guy. Now, am I pleased as fucking punch that you’ve found the loves of your lives? Of course, because you deserve it, both of you, I’m so happy for you, but neither one of you ever got fucking left in your life, and you don’t know what that feels like. You don’t, Roxie, because you never took a chance before Leo and you don’t, Natalie, because you made sure you never got in too deep with anyone. So neither of you were ever left behind, thrown out like trash, all alone. I have a job, a job that I love and is my life, my entire life. I won’t ever put myself in a position to be left again, which is why I can’t afford to fall in love, goddammit, so please, don’t push this on me, okay?”
And when she calls her friends….
…why the hell were my eyeballs leaking again? Did I get hot mustard in them? Without much though, I picked up the phone and dialed. I called Roxie, and she called Natalie. And we had a three-way. “You guys, something’s wrong with my eyes,” OMG, I found myself yelling at my kindle…”Go help her!”
If life hadn’t gotten in the way, this would have definitely been a book hangover. What I really liked about Clara getting her head out of her butt. Archie didn’t make it easy for her. He didn’t make it terribly hard but he didn’t make it easy either and neither did his or Clara’s friends.
Another home run for Alice Clayton!!

Personally, I think the cover and title are a bit misleading - or perhaps I was suck at reading between the lines (yes, this naive reader really thought the buns would be prominent in the story. Heh. My mistake). That doesn't mean I don't like this book though. Heck, I love it - it's darn entertaining!

Buns is the third installment of Alice Clayton's Hudson Valley series. Not only I haven't read the previous books in the series, this is the first time for me to read the author's works too! And no, I had no trouble enjoying the story, so it's safe to say the book could be read as a standalone.

Although, given the chirpy first person POV, it still took a while for me to warm up to this story; rather like a diesel engine that took longer to heat up. The bouncy feel to the opening chapter almost got me to drop the book. But I stubbornly strode through and boy was I rewarded in the end!

Buns introduced a mix of uproarious circumstances and heartbreaking reflections on the main characters: the freckled, ginger-haired Archie and the perky and petite Clara who narrated the story from her POV. With baggage from their past, throughout the pages both learned to find ways to let go and embrace new future - though not with the same speed as expected - because, sheesh, where's the fun in that? Right!

Bumpy start aside, this book is a really nice introduction to Alice Clayton for me. I loved how she portrayed Clara as strong and vulnerable at the same time with her animated yet forlorn expressions throughout the pages. Archie proved to be a formidable match to her smart but often naughty mind, outspoken sass, and standoffish outbursts. I really enjoyed having their relationship developed from adversaries to mutual respect then - finally, FINALLY - inseparable couple; how they handle each other - well, the bar went high for Archie, he was pretty marvelous and patient - then owned up to their mistakes and making it right.

Not to be out-looked was also their gang of friends, the former MCs from previous books in the series. These were quite a riot with endless innuendos and potty mouth between them, that really made me want to track the series back and grab the two previous books to read. Clearly, I've been missing out!


Advanced copy of this book is kindly provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Buns by Alice Clayton is one of the best romantic comedies I have read in a long time - and I have read quite a few as this is my favorite genre. And this cover? YUM!!! It's so eye catching it would be hard for readers not have their attention grabbed by it. With that aside, this book is wonderful! It's smart, funny, charming, and a fun journey for readers. I certainly recommend it!

This is my first Alice Clayton book and now I'm asking myself what I've been waiting on? I loved every minute of reading this book and all of the characters just took my heart. Even though I hadn't read Roxie or Natalie's stories, it didn't matter, but I will be going back to find out how they hooked up with their men.
This had humor and heart. It really made me think and I wasn't expecting that. Both Clara and Archie had heavy things from their pasts. Watching them deal (or not) with them was frustrating at times, but totally understandable. And the chemistry between them...it was fiery. I loved when they argued, but I loved it most when they let it go and gave in.
Archie may be one of my favorite book boyfriends ever. He was just perfect, despite that he wasn't. Who wouldn't want a kind man like that in their life? I want more of Bailey Falls and these couples. I am hooked and an official Alice Clayton fan.

Well I keep reading them. I don't know if they're getting tired or I'm just too busy with my own romance these days, but this one didn't catch me as much as the first one or two and definitely no as much as the Redhead series. I think part of that is the unnecessary vulgarity and immaturity of the female characters. (Seriously, the men are all at least twice as mature as the women in this series, which just seems unrealistic!) Scrape that away, and Clayton still has some measure of the good character development she usually has, but that is also pretty superficial too - girl with a sad foster child past and widowed guy to the manor born. So that all makes it a bit flat. Still, it was nice to return to Bailey Falls and I really enjoyed getting a look at what goes into running and rebranding a hotel. It made me think a bit about Capon Springs, West Virginia, in fact. Despite the unevenness, it was an enjoyable and quick read. Though I'm still sad that the main character was a hotelier and not a baker... there were not nearly enough food descriptions in this one!

Alice Clayton is consistently fantastic and this was a great finale to her Hudson river series. I love that theses books are smart and sexy. A great read!

Alice Clayton is one of my favorite authors. Her romantic comedies have great banter, are laugh-out-loud funny, and still bring the sweet and the heat. (Side note: The Sweet and The Heat sounds like a good band name.)

Buns mostly fit that bill, but missed the mark in the second half. It started off great, I loved the premise and the tension between between the two main characters, Archie and Clara. I love a book where the love interests hate each other in the beginning. It really helps build it up until it boils over as passion. But once they realized that they liked each other, it started to go downhill for me.

They seemed to go relatively slowly from hate to like and then really fast from like to love. It didn’t make sense at all to me; I just didn’t feel how they got there. And once that tension was gone, I didn’t really get their chemistry at all.

I also felt like the climax of the book was forced. It seemed like a lot of unnecessary drama and it was really rushed. I got the vibe that Clayton had a lot of fun writing the first half of the book, and then wanted to get the second half over with as quickly as possible.

Now, all of this is not to say that I didn’t enjoy the book. I did. I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I’m used to enjoying an Alice Clayton novel. The sex actually seemed kind of minimal compared to what I’m used to from her. Not that I need that to drive a story, just an observation. Overall, it was pretty light and fluffy and ultimately an enjoyable read, just not one that I’d recommend putting at the top of your TBR.

Buns
Hudson Valley, Book 3

I Picked Up This Book Because: I requested this from Netgalley because I’ve loved every Alice Clayton book I’ve read including book 1 of this series.


The Characters:

Clara Morgan Petite dynamo, resort rebranding genius, stubbornly self sufficient
Archie Bryant: Resort owner, stalwart widower, caring companion

The Story:

This book was a good time, as I’ve come to expect from Alice Clayton. Clara is smart super independent and just the pick me up Archie needs. Archie is the caring soul that Clara needs. They fit well together.

The Random Thoughts:


4 Stars

I love this town! I love each and every character. Clara is my favorite, she is just broken enough and full of spunk and spite. Archie is so geeky hot! He is the subtle hottie that will slap you right in the hoohaa!

Clara was hired to help, it's her job. To take something old and make it vital again. Archie is kind of in need of being made vital agian too.

I enjoyed every page, once I started I couldn't put it down. I laughed, I cringed, I seriously swooned and Alice Clayton's sexy words can really make me squirm in my seat. She has such a way that it's hot and will over heat you before you know your even over heated. I love this town, I love these characters and I don't know what they feed these men but this town produces some hot ones.!

6 Stars for Archie's Buns!!!

I could probably spend five paragraphs expounding on my love for Alice Clayton but since I'm not a writer, I'll just say that I am SO glad Alice quit her day job to write. Her humor is on point and this book was everything I needed to pull me out of a bit of a reading funk.

This book also reminded me just a touch of Dirty Dancing (the setting of the resort up in the mountains!) which was so nostalgic and made my heart flutter. The movie is even mentioned in the book.

One of my favorite things about Alice is that she can have you laughing your 'Buns' off and yet still bring plenty of emotion to the table with her characters and stories. If I wasn't laughing, I was swooning or tearing up.

Clara and Archie are just perfect for each other. Archie is kind of an ass initially and is not open to Clara's involvement in his family's resort. But Clara is a smart cookie and works her magic which combined with her business sense, wins over Archie (mostly anyway) and the resort staff.

Previous characters in this series make a few appearances and it's just perfect how the author can weave them in without overshadowing the main storyline. And for the Wallbanger fans, Caroline makes an appearance that literally had me snorting with laughter. Seriously, one of my favorite parts of the story.

Archie and Clara have smoking chemistry and there's plenty of heat to balance the humor and emotional parts of the book. No spoilers on the rest of the storyline but please, please read this book! I do recommend reading in order if you're interested in the previous books as you'll get more enjoyment from the side character's storylines.

All the stars!

One of the most adorkable books in the series thus far! From the get go you are thrust into a meet-cute of epic proportions. Love-hate with a side of good intentions lends itself to making this an un-put-down-able, laugh-out-loud read.

Clare is smart, capable, and ready to take on the world of old hotels that need a little oomph! Archie is aged beyond his years and is a pocket protector away from being overly stuck in his ways. The two of them slam together with abrasive hilarity, making Buns one of the best funny-sweet reads of 2017. Beach reading perfection!

5 Stars
Tanja

This is my first time reading this series and yes even this author. I have read that she writes so very funny books so I wanted to check out this story. I found it a fun story with some complicated characters. While its #3 in a a series it can stand alone and I was not lost.

This is the story of two very different people who come together over work. And they are very opposite, though they need to figure out how to work together. Its a little bit of a hate.love - love story and Archie is also a widower.

Clara is workaholic and very good at her job, and recently she got an offer for a promotion if she did well on this last project. Archie and his families hotel has been around a long time but he needs to make it popular again.

These two are two can't stand each other, they couldn't agree on anything and well thats what made this book fun. I love a good hate/love romance.

Bailey Falls strikes again, indeed! Alice Clayton nails it with a big time chemistry, laugh out loud moments and ultimately the sweetness of discovering that a go-getter doesn’t have to keep running to be whole and happy. Hands down, my favorite of the series.

This series just keeps getting better and better. Clara and Archie's story was absolutely lovely. Ms. Clayton has an uncanny ability to combine vulnerability with strength and humor with drama. She has never done it better than in Clara and Archie's tale. I am sad to think this is the final book in the series-but if it is-it's a wonderful way to conclude it.

A book that captured my attention, spoke to my heart and one I will definitely read again and again countless times.

3-3.5 Stars

Buns is the 3rd book in the Hudson Valley series, but it can be read as standalone. Although, I don't recommend that because the first two books in the series were amazing!

I was a little disappointed with this book compared to the other two. It didn't have the humor, wit, and sexy connection that Nuts and Cream had. Plus the title wasn't really relevant to the book- other than the fact that they sell hot crossed buns at the hotel where Archie works.