Feature and Giveaway: Beautiful by Christina Lauren, Nothing More by Anna Todd and Roman Crazy by Alice Clayton and Nina Bocci

A FREE-SPIRITED GIRL IN NEED OF A BREAK.

A MAN WEIGHED DOWN BY RESPONSIBILITY.

A ROAD TRIP VACATION WHERE ALL BETS ARE OFF.

OH, AND A LOT OF WINE.

After walking in on her boyfriend shagging another girl in their place, Pippa Bay Cox ditches London for the States to go on a drunken road trip with Ruby Miller and some of her Beautiful friends.

Scaling the career ladder is the default way to deal with heartbreak—and to just deal—for Jensen Bergstrom. Absolutely buried by his drive and workload, he rarely takes time for himself. But when his sister Hanna convinces him to join the gang on a two-week wine tour, he has a rare moment of cutting loose. Of course, it’s only once he’s committed that he realizes the strange girl he met briefly on the plane is coming along, too. She might be too much for him…or he might realize his life has become too small and needs her to make it bigger, crazier.

With this circle of friends there’s always something going on: from Chloe and Sara’s unexpected personality swaps to Will’s new domestic side to Bennett’s text message barrage and George’s own happily-ever-after. In short, their adventures in love, friendship, and hilarity are nothing short of Beautiful.

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ARC Review: Roman Crazy by Alice Clayton & Nina Bocci

I have been a fan of Alice Clayton's since I first read Wallbanger. I absolutely loved that book and have enjoyed everything I have read from her since. I was excited to see what a book from her and Nina Bocci would be like, since this is the first I have read from Nina. While there were things that I liked about this story and I did find it entertaining, I have to admit that this one didn't work entirely for me personally. 

After catching her husband cheating on her and getting a divorce, Avery heads to Rome to get away and spend time with her best friend Daisy. Avery never expects to run in to the man that she once fell in love with while in college. Marcello was always the one that got away, but now that Avery is newly single and looking for an adventure, can she find a way to have a second chance with him? 

I liked both Avery and Marcello. They were easy characters to like, and I felt both the chemistry and connection between them. I am a huge fan of second chance romance stories, and these two definitely had some history that I found interesting. But I have to admit that as much as I wanted to get behind their story, I found it kind of difficult to really see what had happened in the first place. I just felt like it was a bit weak and didn't entirely make sense.

The other big issue I had here was a personal one, and one that is likely not to be a problem for most readers. I mainly read romance novels at this point, and because of that when a story is said to be in the romance genre I want that to be the focus. Not that I don't want there to be a good story to go along with that, but I do expect that to be the main part of the story. I felt like this book was more chick lit than it was romance, with much of the story focusing on Avery herself and her adventure in Rome. I loved the rich backdrop that Nina and Alice gave us, and I really felt like we were there right alone with the characters. But if I am honest, I found myself skimming through parts at time because I was bored and didn't care about some of what was happening. I wanted more of the focus to be on the relationship and romance between Avery and Marcello and at times that got lost in everything else. Overall, it was still a good story filled with humor, adventure, and love. I just personally wish that the focus had been the couple rather than the adventure. If you are looking for a great summer read about traveling with romance, this is definitely one worth checking out. I am interested to see what these two authors write together in the future, and I did enjoy this book even with the criticisms I did have.

**ARC Provided by Bocci PR**

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Feature and Giveaway: Roman Crazy by Alice Clayton and Nina Bocci

Avery Bardot steps off the plane in Rome, looking for a fresh start. She’s left behind a soon-to-be ex-husband in Boston and plans to spend the summer with her best friend Daisy, licking her wounds—and perhaps a gelato or two. But when her American-expat friend throws her a welcome party on her first night, Avery’s thrown for a loop when she sees a man she never thought she’d see again: Italian architect Marcello Bianchi.

Marcello was the man—the one who got away. And now her past is colliding with her present, a present where she should be mourning the loss of her marriage and—hey, that fettuccine is delicious! And so is Marcello…

Slipping easily into the good life of summertime in Rome, Avery spends her days exploring a city that makes art historians swoon, and her nights swooning over her unexpected what was old is new again romance. It’s heady, it’s fevered, it’s wanton, and it’s crazy. But could this really be her new life? Or is it just a temporary reprieve before returning to the land of twin-set cardigans and crustless sandwiches?

A celebration of great friendship, passionate romance, and wonderful food, Roman Crazy is a lighthearted story of second chances and living life to the fullest.

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ARC Review: Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton

I honestly don't know exactly how to feel after finishing Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton. On the one hand I genuinely enjoyed parts of this book, and there were some really great moments here. But I also had a few things that I didn't like and didn't work for me, and that left me with mixed feelings overall. One thing I can say though is that Alice Clayton definitely knows how to write a wonderful blend of humor and steam, giving you just the perfect amount of each to keep you flipping pages and not wanting to put her books down. 

After a childhood of being known as the chubby girl, Natalie Grayson has it all. Embracing her curves and gaining some confidence, she now has a fantastic job that she is great at and can have any man she wants. But the sexy owner of Bailey Falls Creamery seems to be the one man that turns her into a pile of mush. Every Saturday morning she heads to the farmer's market to see him and each week she is only able to utter two words to him while buying some of his amazing Brie. But when her work sends her to Hudson Valley, she knows that now is her chance to make him see her as more than just the woman who buys his cheese every week. 

I really liked Natalie most of the time. While she did have her moments of being a bit high maintenance, she was also strong and confident. I loved how she had overcome her feelings of not being enough and all that she had been through in her childhood and past relationships. She went after who and what she wanted, and made no apologies. Oscar I struggled a bit with if I am honest. He was sexy and had some great moments with Natalie. But there were also times that I hated how he treated her, and I wanted nothing more than to throttle him. He seemed surface deep to me for the most part, despite getting details on his past. While the chemistry was really strong between these two, I wasn't 100% sold on their emotional connection.

I think part of my problem buying into the relationship between these two was the fact that Oscar's ex was so prominent in his life still. It was way too much for my taste and Natalie had a problem with it for the majority of this book. But Oscar basically told her to suck it up and get over it, and Natalie was suddenly okay with it. That didn't work at all for me, and honestly didn't quite ring true for her character and all that she had grown into after her past. Frankly I got sick of Oscar's ex being around so much and seeming to never give up, and I was even more sick of Oscar shrugging it off and continuing on like her butting in and dropping by constantly was normal. He seemed more concerned with her feelings at times than Natalie's, and that was no okay with me. So while I liked parts of this story, I didn't love the book as a whole. Unfortunately some of those things just never left me able to really get behind Oscar and Natalie's relationship and I just didn't feel like they were as solid as they should have been. I know I will read more from Alice Clayton in the future, but honestly this one wasn't my favorite of hers.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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Feature and Giveaway: Cream of the Crop by Alice Clayton

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton brings her trademark blend of funny and sexy to this second contemporary romance in the brand-new Hudson Valley series!

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?

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ARC Review: Nuts by Alice Clayton

I have to start by saying that the problem with authors who are well known for a certain thing is that...you know the author for that thing. You go into a book with high expectations to get the author's "thing" and it's much easier to be disappointed. I think that's what happened to me with this book. I had heard so much about Alice Clayton's irreverent humor that I was dying to be dazzled and while I thought the book was good, I certainly thought it would be funnier maybe? I'm a very assertive reviewer most of the time but I have to say, I'm second guessing myself because so many other reviewers swear this book delivers all the humor Alice Clayton is known for. If that is true, I can only conclude that maybe I wouldn't have found the other books as funny either? I don't know, that's all I could come up with.

Even with my feeling that I didn't get the expected laughing fits, I can still honestly say that this book is good. Short background, Roxie returns to her small town diner after life in the big city chewed her up and spit her back out. The diner is owned by Roxie's hippie of a mother who I think provided an interesting contrast to Roxie and a lot of entertaining banter. While Roxie is helping to run her mother's diner (so her mother can be on the Amazing Race, lol) she meets Leo and is instantly attracted to him.

The interactions between Leo and Roxie are entertaining but sometimes Roxy just got on my nerves. Roxie's angst and discontent over being back home and her constant guarantees that she was returning to her big life in Hollywood aggravated me. Leo saved the day. First, Leo's interactions with Roxie are pretty funny and I think most readers will enjoy them. I did. Also, Leo is just perfect book boyfriend material. Leo isn't even my type and I still had a crush on him. Leo's a farmer and a hipster but his understanding of Roxie along with his care for her are just exactly what you want in a man (even a fictional one). Roxie warms up and realizes that if home is where the heart is then her home is with Leo. At that point her character became much more likable for me.

I personally love how much this book talks about food and not just because I'm always hungry (read: greedy). There are detailed recipes and cooking scenes in this book which seem perfectly authentic. To me that means that the author spent some time researching and was well informed and I really appreciate that effort. Random side note, Roxie's issue with bees was also an add in that I found to be truly hilarious.

The sex scenes in this book are on the milder end of the spectrum but fit into the overall story. There is tons of good dialogue and the book moves at a good pace. Alice Clayton's writing is superb and even though you might not guffaw as much as some predictions, I think you will thoroughly enjoy this book.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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Audiobook Review: Rusty Nailed by Alice Clayton, Narrated by Heather Smith

Rusty Nailed is the second book in Alice Clayton's Cocktail series, and is the continuing story of Simon and Caroline. Readers will want to make sure that they have read Wallbanger first before starting this one. I couldn't wait to get more of my favorite Wallbanger and Pink Nightie Girl, and this story was really good. I will say that I enjoyed the story itself much more than I did the audiobook though, and I was disappointed with the audiobook version.

Caroline and Simon are now together, and are figuring out how to balance their new relationship with everything else going on in their lives. Simon is still traveling the world as a photographer, and Caroline is busier than ever working as a designer for her friend and boss Jillian. When Jillian heads off on her honeymoon, Caroline and Simon agree to house sit for them. As Caroline and Simon are just starting to settle into their relationship and everything going on, Simon decides that he is tired of so much travel and wants to stay home more. But he also wants Caroline to stay home more as well, and Caroline isn't ready to slow down after receiving the biggest opportunity of her career. Can Caroline and Simon navigate their new circumstances and find a balance, or will all the changes be too much for them to overcome? 

I loved Simon and Caroline in the first book, and I loved them just as much here. These two are hilarious. They are perfect for one another, and they could not be hotter together. Caroline and Simon did a great job of making things work in a tough situation, and I really enjoyed seeing how they figured things out together. They made the most of their time together, and they were super supportive of each other. I liked seeing how their relationship grew and changed as they got even more serious about one another. I was glad to see that they were able to deal with the drama from their friends, and handle the arguments that they had without letting things destroy them. This book was different than your typical romance, and I really loved that they didn't seem to follow the typical white picket fence dream. These two weren't in a rush to get married and have babies, and I thought that suited them perfectly. 

My biggest problem with this one was the narrator of the audiobook, Heather Smith. I didn't feel as though her voice fit the character at all, and I felt like her performance was overly dramatic. She seemed to overact a bit here, and I found it really annoying. One of the things I love the most about Alice Clayton's books is that they are flat out hilarious, and at times they border on over the top when it comes to the humor side. I personally love that and think she does it perfectly, but it is a lot at times. When you add an over the top narrator that makes everything even more dramatic, it becomes ridiculous and irritating. Unfortunately I felt like Heather Smith took a great story, and somehow made it to where I couldn't enjoy it. So while I would give the story itself four stars, I would give the narration two stars if rated separately. Because of the fact that I didn't like the audiobook but did like the story, I feel like a three star rating is where I would average the two versions of this story. I think that fans of this series and Alice Clayton will really enjoy seeing more of these characters, but I would definitely recommend reading this one rather than listening to the audiobook.

**Audiobook Provided by Publisher**

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Review: Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

I absolutely loved this book! There aren't even enough words to come close to telling you how much I adored everything about this story. Wallbanger is the first book that I have ever read by Alice Clayton, but I had been hearing great things about Wallbanger and knew that I had to check it out. This is by far one of my favorite books I have read this year. The characters are fabulous, the writing is amazing, and this book was laugh out loud funny! I find myself saying LOL often, but in the case of Wallbanger I was literally laughing out loud. My husband kept asking me what I was reading and what could possibly be so funny. I cannot honestly remember the last time that I had such a good time reading a book.

Caroline has a great job as an interior designer and has just moved into a great new apartment courtesy of her friend and boss. She never imagines when she decides to sublet that she will be kept awake all night. Turns out her apartment's walls are extremely thin and her new neighbor likes to entertain late at night. After several nights of little to no sleep, she decides to confront the wallbanger and tell him to quiet down. When Caroline shows up banging on Simon's door in nothing but a pink baby doll nightie things quickly get interesting. The attraction between them is instant, but with his harem of girls, Caroline has no intention of anything ever happening between them. But it really is a small world and they run into each other at a friend's party and come to a sort of truce. Things between them quickly change however as they become more and more friendly. Before long they are hanging out together often, and the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Will they finally give in to the attraction they feel and can Caroline be enough for him to leave his harem behind?

Oh how I loved Simon. He was sexy and confident, while being sweet and lovable. He was also extremely charming and impossible not to fall in love with. Despite his harem and wallbanging ways, you couldn't help but find him extremely likable. I also really loved Caroline. She was funny and independent, and completely unafraid to say what she thought. She is exactly the type of heroine that I love from page one and can't help but root for. Her character was so refreshing and different from so many other heroines I have read lately, and I have to say she is definitely one of my all time favorites. I loved how witty she was and her thoughts and personality, as well as the nicknames she came up with kept me in stitches the entire book. I loved the banter between Simon and Caroline. It was so much fun to watch these two verbally spar and go back and forth. They also had a ton of chemistry and I loved watching them circle each other as they got to know the other better. I really just loved everything about Simon and Caroline, and I loved that their relationship was slow to progress. It was nice to see them go from their first meeting to being friends and hanging out to more. These two are definitely a perfect couple, and I know that they will always be one of my favorites!

Overall this book is beyond amazing! It is funny and sweet, while being witty and sexy. This story is everything that I could possibly ask for in an entertaining and romantic read. I loved Caroline and Simon, but I also really loved their friends and Caroline's cat Clive. I loved the end of this book and thought that it was the perfect ending to this story! If you haven't read this story yet, you are seriously missing out! This book will be one that I know I will reread over and over, and will always be one of my go to books. I absolutely cannot wait to read more from Alice Clayton, and I can already see her being an auto-buy for me. I was sad for this one to be over because I was having such a great time reading this story. I just wasn't ready to give up Simon and Caroline and I would absolutely read anything about them I can get my hands on. Yes I'm a little greedy when it comes to these two, but they left me with a serious book hangover and I just can't help myself! For me this one is a must read, and I can't tell you enough of why you should immediately get this book!

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