Blog Tour Review: Rusty Nailed – Alice Clayton

In this sequel to Wallbanger, the second book in the Cocktail series, fan favorites Caroline and Simon negotiate the rollercoaster of their new relationship while house-sitting in San Francisco.

Playing house was never so much fun—or so confusing. With her boss on her honeymoon, Caroline’s working crazy long hours to keep the interior design company running—especially since she’s also the lead designer for the renovation of a gorgeous old hotel on Sausalito. So with her hotshot photographer boyfriend gallivanting all over the world for his job, she and Simon are heavy-duty into “absence makes the heart grow fonder” mode. Neither has any complaints about the great reunion sex, though! Then Simon decides he’s tired of so much travelling, and he’s suddenly home more. A lot more. And wanting Caroline home more, too. Though their friends’ romantic lives provide plenty of welcome distraction, eventually Caroline and Simon have to sort their relationship out. Neither wants “out of sight, out of mind,” but can they create their own happy mid-ground cliché?

USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton delivers another delicious, frothy cocktail of a book, shaking up her characters, stirring in laugh-out-loud humor, and serving sizzling romance straight up!

Series: Cocktail #2
Release Date: June 24th 2014
Publisher: Gallery Books
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Karen
Rating:

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Reviewer’s Thoughts

RUSTY NAILED is the sequel to WALLBANGER and in this story we meet up again with Simon and Caroline. They are adjusting to being a couple, which isn’t easy, because they are both so busy with their careers.  Simon travels the world as a photographer and Caroline is trying to make a name for herself as a designer.  They love each other, but their relationship goes through some ups and downs as they learn more about each other.  Even though Simon has never been in a relationship and has a few issues he needs to deal with, he makes a great boyfriend.  He is always thinking about Caroline’s needs and tries his best to communicate how he feels.  On the other hand, Caroline is a little annoying at times, because she is too wrapped up in herself and what is happening in her life and has a difficult time communicating how she feels.  We also catch up with Caroline and Simon’s friends who are an entertaining and funny group and add another element to the story.   Benjamin and Jillian are busy planning their wedding and honeymoon and everyone is involved in it, but it especially affects Caroline’s life.  Clive the cat is still in the picture and we know what he thinks and feels about his human companions.  He doesn’t find it easy adjusting to all the changes in his life.

To be honest, RUSTY NAILED is good, but not as good as WALLBANGER, which I thought was a perfect book.   Of course, how do you top perfection?  Alice Clayton’s witty dialogue continues to shine through in this book and I enjoyed all the banter and funny lines between all the characters.  Mitch and Caroline have great chemistry together and I enjoyed their sense of humor and their playfulness with each other.

Novelist Alice Clayton makes her home in St. Louis where she enjoys gardening but not weeding, baking but not cleaning up after, and is trying desperately to get her long-time boyfriend to make her an honest woman–and please buy her a Bernese Mountain dog.

After working for years in the cosmetics industry as a makeup artist, esthetician, and educator, Alice picked up a pen (read laptop) for the first time at 33 to begin a new career: author. Having never written anything longer than a grocery list, she soon found writing to be the creative outlet she’d been missing since walking away from the theater 10 years before.

She has a great time combining her love of storytelling with a sense of silly, and she was shocked and awed to be nominated for a Goodreads Author award in 2010 for her debut novels, the first two installments of The Redhead Series–The Unidentified Redhead and The Redhead Revealed. Her latest novel Wallbanger is a return to her trademark comedic erotica, or funny smut, that Alice has become known for.

Additionally, Alice loves spending time with her besties on Not Your Mother’s Podcast (check them out on iTunes) and has recently partnered with actor Greg Grunberg, blogger Brittany Gibbons, and actress Keili Lefkovitz on a new travel show that will begin filming in January.

Alice enjoys pickles, Bloody Marys, eight hours of sleep and a good pounding.