NUTS (Hudson Valley #1) by Alice Clayton-a review

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About the book: Release Date October 20, 2015

After losing almost all of her clients in one fell swoop following an accident involving whipped cream, private chef to Hollywood’s elite Roxie Callahan gets a call from her flighty mother, saying she’s needed home in upstate New York to run the family diner. Once she’s back in the Hudson Valley, local organic farmer Leo delivers Roxie a lovely bunch of walnuts, and soon sparks—and clothing—begin to fly. Leo believes that everything worth doing is worth doing slowly…and how! But will Roxie stay upstate, or will the lure of West Coast redemption tempt her back to Tinseltown?

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REVIEW: NUTS is the first installment in Alice Clayton’s new, contemporary, adult HUDSON VALLEY romance series. This is billionaire farmer Leo Maxwell, and professional chef Roxie Callahan’s storyline.

Told from first person point of view (Roxie) plus an epilogue from Leo, NUTS follows Roxie on her return to her hometown of Hudson Valley when her business as private chef to the rich and famous succumbs to a disastrous smear campaign by a former client. With Roxie’s return, our heroine finds herself managing her mother’s small but busy café (as her mother heads out to participate in The Amazing Race) where the locals frequent and handsome billionaire farmer Leo Maxwell supplies the owner with fresh fruit and produce. What ensues is a building relationship between Leo and Roxie- one with an expiry date at the end of the summer. Roxie has plans to head back to Hollywood where the bright lights and warm weather call to her heart.

The relationship between Roxie and Leo begins accidentally-not once, but twice-as our couple fall into one another’s arms one disaster after another. Roxie is no stranger to $ex or men; she goes for what she wants and Leo is ripe for the picking as a summertime fling. But all does not go according to plan when Roxie begins to lose her heart to a man who hides a secret back home- a secret Roxie appears to be the only person not in on ! The $ex scenes are seductive without the use of graphic sexual or erotic imagery.

The secondary and supporting characters include many of the diner regulars, as well as Roxie’s over the top, flamboyant, hopeless romantic mother Trudy. We are also introduced to Leo’s friend and fellow farmer Oscar Bailey-a man who has caught the attention of Roxie’s best friend Natalie. Natalie has a thing for home-made cheese, and Oscar is the local dairy farmer with a cheese booth at the local market. Roxie’s high school crush Chad Bowman introduces the love of his life Logan O’Reilly-Logan and Chad become a staple at Roxie’s weekly cooking class.

Alice Clayton’s continues to write sweet, sexy, funny storylines with plenty of sexual innuendo, barely disguised foreplay, and lots of sexual chemistry; her stories are heartwarming; a delight to read with charismatic characters and happily ever afters. Alice’s comedic timing throughout the storyline is fresh and animated.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy