Review: Buns by Alice Clayton
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Buns by Alice Clayton Series: Hudson Valley #3
on May 23rd 2017
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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.
Rating~ 4 – 4.5 stars
This new instalment in the Hudson Valley series is about Clara Morgan and Archie Bryant.
Clara Morgan loves her job, rebranding hotels and giving them new life gives her the warm fuzzies anyone can wish with their job. Clara prefers running from one job to another, never really setting, she has an apartment but its more to keep the stuff she’s collected than actually live. As a foster child and a with drug addict of a mother, Clara never really had much stability in her life and was never around a family to become actually a part of the family.
Archie Bryant happens to be the complete opposite of Clara, he is the son of owner of the Bryant Mountain house in Hudson Valley, a hotel which has been in his family for several generations. Archie’s whole life has pretty much been on that mountain and losing his wife some years earlier has made the hotel is sole focus. Archie is extremely reluctant to change anything in the hotel, especially when it’s coming from the hurricane made Clara.
Anyone who likes enemies to lovers would surely enjoy this! With their sparking chemistry, the ever present lust and the fights between the two are highly entertaining. Even though they both want to resist each other and keep things professional somehow they just seem to end up kissing huh! 😛 They both want the best for the hotel but fight often about what Clara thinks would be helpful and what Archie thinks doesn’t need to be changed.
I really loved Archie! He had been in love with his wife forever losing her had changed him, just as meeting Clara had! He wanted to know about Clara as a person, it was pretty obvious that he was in love with Clara, and just wanted her to see and be with him. He was lovely with her, very understanding and loving. I also really liked Clara, she pretty much grew up alone and except her two best friends she never really had someone who really cared for her and loved her. She had a few personal demons that made it difficult for her to see that all she needed to do was give herself a chance to be happy, love and settle/belong somewhere but when she finally does, it’s full speed ahead.
Quibbles: View Spoiler »
Overall, a very enjoyable book with great banter and two lovely individuals who deserved love and a happy ever after.
About Alice Clayton
Alice Clayton worked in the cosmetics industry for over a decade before picking up a pen (read laptop).
She enjoys gardening but not weeding, baking but not cleaning up, and finally convinced her long-time boyfriend to marry her.
Now, about that Bernese Mountain dog.