BUNS is the third in the Hudson
Valley series by
the effervescent Alice Clayton. The first two books had a
relationship between the book title and the hero's
occupation. NUTS
featured a farmer who gave the heroine
walnuts, and CREAM OF
THE CROP featured an
artisanal cheesemaker. Based on the title of BUNS, I
expected out hero to be a baker. Clayton has shaken things
up a little for this one, though. The hero runs a family
resort hotel that is known for its hot cross buns, served
every year at the hotel's fancy Easter dinner.
Alice Clayton writes zany books filled with over-the-top
characters and laugh out loud moments. I don't think I
would be brave enough to choose a Clayton book for a plane
ride if I were feeling particularly introverted that day,
because if reading a Clayton book in public, I'm going to
get a lot of attention because I'll constantly be cackling
madly. That being said, BUNS does not have quite the same
level of puns and tongue in cheek dialogue that Clayton's
other most recent offering have had, so if you're looking
for sheer silly exuberance, start off with the first book
in the series.
If you're looking for a solid enemies to lovers trope
with big-hearted characters, BUNS is your book. Archie
Bryant, the grumpy Catskills hotelier, and Clara Morgan,
almost-partner in a Boston branding agency, butt heads from
the get-go. When the sexual sparks stars to fly though,
hoooo boy! I love how Clara finds not only the romantic
love that she didn't know she was looking for, but also the
family she's always craved. Their Happily Ever After is
highly satisfying. Clayton delivers another fun and funny
winner in BUNS.
The third in the hilarious yet sizzling hot Hudson Valley
series from New York Time and USA TODAY
bestselling author Alice Clayton.
Clara Morgan is living the dream, if you can call rebranding
hotels that are desperate for a new life and running any
kind of marathon a dream. Which she does. But the career she
loves and the endurance races that keep her adrenaline
pumping have kept her too busy to put down any roots.
Growing up in foster care, she’s never been able to
establish traditions of her own, which may be why she’s
fascinated by the rituals that generations-old family
resorts are known for. She’s especially interested in the
Bryant Mountain House, and not just for their secret recipe
for the yummy, gooey, can’t-get-enough-of Hot Cross Buns….
Archie Bryant, the man with the Buns, is fifth generation
and one-day-owner of the charming yet run-down Bryant
Mountain House in Bailey Falls, New York. He’s determined to
save his family’s legacy from the wrecking ball the
old-fashioned way—by gritting his teeth and doing what needs
to be done. There’s no way Archie will be influenced by the
new hotel branding expert his father brought in to turn one
hundred and fifty years of tradition on its head just to
attract a faster, younger, slicker crowd. But when some of
Clara’s ideas start bringing in new, paying customers,
Archie can’t deny that she may have just given him a shot at
keeping his resort open.
It’s sticky, it’s messy, it’s sweet, it’s Buns.