Cream of the Crop

Book: Cream of the Crop
Series: Hudson Valley #2
Author: Alice Clayton

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?-Goodreads

Review: Natalie Grayson is a 5 star character. She's a size 18, fit woman, who is smart, successful, sassy and self confident. She's also a fiery redhead so I imagined Christina Hendricks when reading it. 99% of the book is told from her point of view and I really loved her. She is FIERCE! But you know who wasn't fierce? Her love interest, Oscar. Natalie deserved a kick ass man and he was just...blah. There is a quiet, introspective man and there is a quiet, boring man and he was unfortunately the latter. I understood their lust but not their love, they barely even spoke. There was also a subplot with Oscar's ex-wife that I found weird. The explanation was friendship after divorce but the whole situation felt off. 

Overall, Natalie's overall amazingness saved this book for me. 

Grade: 3/5