Member Reviews
I'm still loving this series! Fun, cute, sexy... it's a great quick read. Loving all the candy's!
3.5 Stars
The book follows hot as sin “Magic Mike” lookalike Dax Vaughn who arrives on Becca Stone’s mountain retreat looking for peace and quiet. What he gets is a two week “one night” stand providing multiple orgasms to a fantastic cook with a dancer’s body (Becca). The story was lovely, and I loved Dax, however I was not swept up in their romance. I could not relate to either Becca and I found her to be emotionless, and although the sex scenes were super hot, I found them to be passionless. That said the last 25% of the book things started to feel right and I found that I was more invested in both them and their relationship and I was looking forward to seeing where the story would take them. Even with all my moaning I must say it was an enjoyable well written entertaining book. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Loveswept for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I like the story but I wasn't as hooked as the previous book. Dax Vaughn goes on a camping trip to wind up the he meets Becca Stone in a bar and they hooked up for a night. Dax was drawn and starts pursuing her but Becca has committment issues and she tends to run away. The story has a potential but Dax and Becca's romance lacked the chemistry. The sexy times may be steamy but it's not enough to ignite their romance. Plus, I am annoyed with Becca. She's immature and I don't buy most of her reasons.
In the end, I'm glad these two got together and worked on with their drama. Overall, this is a quick-paced read and if not for Dax, I wouldn't be able to finish this book. He's such a fine and sexy man. Out of the three books in Real Love series, this is my least favorite. Arm Candy still wins my heart.
I absolutely love Jessica Lemmon's writing and this book did not disappoint. Although this book is part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone. This story follows Dax and Becca through a blizzard and is hot and steamy. Great book!
"Tell me what I want to hear Princess." "Yes" Then my kindle melted and that is Dax and Becca.
Dax needs a vacation so he books 2 weeks away at Becca's brothers Mountain Lodge, packed his hiking, camping, fishing and any other gear he could pack in his Jeep and left Ohio and his two bars in the capable hands of their managers. His mother is now settled after Dax/s father died a couple months ago, he's still telling from that loss and his best friend who is just a tad obnoxious is crashed on his couch in Dax's one bedroom apartment- again. Dax needs peace and quiet. Books the cabin the furthest away from the Lodge and when he arrives during one heck of a monsoon is relaxing in the bar. Quietly and alone.
In walks our Becca. All legs and sass and late because of the weather and she works here for her brother and he rudely dresses her down and fires her in front of the guests. To add to that, he doesn't stop there. Tad- the name fits him so well... is a real dick. He's a whiney, bratty jerk and God bless his wife, I don't know how she can stand him. When Tad leaves to go home, Becca has already spotted Dax and decides to go for it. She can do one night. That's her thing. Becca doesn't have a good track record, with work, men and life in general. Her self esteem stinks. Dax is just what she needs.
When the weather has these two stuck together for several days and Dax is slowly relaxing and this one night turns into several and then some, they take hikes, fish and pretty much live like normal folks. Becca does have a gift, she's got a couple, but the one that Dax is taken with his her cooking.
She just makes up recipes and she wows him with her food. He does so much for her. These two steam up whatever space they're in and even that was just smooth. But don't cross Dax. I love how he speaks for Becca at a family dinner and puts Tad in his place. Once he sees the family dynamic he understands.
I love this book, my favorite of the Real Love series. Dax is wise, very aware of Becca and her feelings, has a great grasp on people and he's a real man. I loved Becca too. She's real. What she sees as her shortcomings are very real issues we all face at some point. I loved how their relationship evolved, even the monsoon weather! Like Jessica said, when things get tense, she got teary eyed. I wasn't sure what I felt, but it was like the bottom just fell out for me. Completely lost. As to what happens... read the book. There's much to read there. I love a man who knows what he wants and isn't afraid to go after it, book or not.
Jessica, you really hit this one out of the park and it's fantastic. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars and I'll read it again. My favorite in the series. It's a great read for anyone.
**arc from NetGalley and Loveswept in exchange for a fair review**
This one was SO good! It's different from the others in the series, not only in location, but in feeling as well. Dax and Becca's story was one of pain and healing, and I cried a little at the end. I absolutely love this series and would highly recommend it!
This is a part of a series, but can be read as standalone. What starts of as one night stand becomes a 2 week affair. These two are going thru some situations in life, that being around each other help navigate..not my favorite of the three, but not a 2 star.
Even though this is book number three in the Real Love series, it’s very much a standalone. You only get a glimpse of the previous characters towards the end of this book so if you haven’t read Eye Candy (and why not?!) or Arm Candy, you won’t be lost.
Eye Candy was the first book of the series and I fell head over heels for that story. Arm Candy was a little more ‘angsty’ but still great. Unfortunately, I didn’t seem to connect to the characters in this story as much as the others and that’s okay. We all like various characters, personalities, storylines and some more than others.
While Becca is the person that is always the one to move on to new people, places, and jobs, there is some sadness in her background. When she and Dax meet, they agree it’s just for the one night but bad weather helps to extend their time together. There is some scorching hot scenes between the two and some fun banter.
It has been a while since I read the first two books, so I didn’t initially recall Dax’s character in the series. He also has some sadness in his life and just wanted to get away to fish and spend some quiet time before heading back to his busy life and work. He is thinking more towards settling down and Becca is a runner, not sure of where she belongs. They live quite a ways from each other so it doesn’t seem like anything will come of a relationship. He is crazy about Becca but wants to give her the control over what she chooses to do and not necessarily what he would prefer.
I live in Tennessee so it was great reading about the main location in the story. The family and co-worker dynamics were interesting and to see what Becca thought about her life and her shortcomings, wasn’t exactly how others felt or thought about her.
I look forward to reading more of Ms. Lemmon’s work and thank the author, the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this story.
This is the 4th book I've read by this author and easily one of my favorites by her!
Dax is just looking for a break; after burying his father and handling his estate he wants and needs time alone. He books a cabin and heads into the middle of the woods. Only mother nature has a different plan. Instead of the far away cabin he ends up with one close to the bar/restaurant/check in with a promise to move him as soon the roads are clear.
At the bar he meets, newly fired employee, Becca who is determined to not let her brother actually fire her from her job. She decides rather than going home that night (the home she shares with her brother) that what better way to deal with the situation than to have a one night stand with the hot guy at the bar?
But what happens when your one night stand turns into a two week relationship? What happens when you live 6+ hours apart from one another? What happens when you start developing feelings beyond a one night stand for one another?
Absolutely loved this story. The characters had such depth that you felt like you truly knew them by the end of the story.
I've been in love with Jessica Lemmon's Real Love series since the moment I picked up the first book and Man Candy is another fabulous addition to this fun and sexy series. I LOVED the characters in this one! Dax was briefly introduced in Arm Candy as he is the boss of McGreevy's, the pub that book 2 takes place in. In Man Candy, we get all of Dax and he is glorious! He's gorgeous, successful, sex, has a filthy mouth and is blazing hot in (and out!) of the bedroom. He's hardened by his past yet his soft and loving side comes out when when it is least expected. That tender side is what slays! Becca is such a fun and feisty character. She's ballsy and sharp-tongued, giving as good as she gets. However, she's a bit lost, still searching to find the right place in the world to settle down. She moves from city to city and job to job, never finding the one thing that ignites her passion like no other. She's flawed and so very real which I really loved! When Dax and Becca meet, the sparks fly immediately. The sex scenes are smoking hot and just might make you blush. Lemmon does a phenomenal job conveying the chemistry between these two characters.
The author serves up laugh out loud moments along with a side of emotion as things don't always go as expected. I found myself truly feeling for the characters towards the end of the book as their arrangement comes to an end. It kept me turning the pages late into the night to see whether or not these two characters got their happily ever after or not! And trust me.....it was worth the lack of sleep! With secondary characters that were fun and intriguing, readers will adore this book. I can't wait to see what the author writes next in this series.
This is book 3 in the series and it easily stands alone. It is loosely connected to the other books in the series and is just as great as the first two.
It stars down on her luck Becca and Dax who has issues of his own as well. They end spending time in and out of bed together and getting to know the other while stranded together for a few weeks. They are very flirty, sweet and fun with each other .
If you are looking for a fun and hot read, you will enjoy this story.
Amazing! Jessica Lemmon has done it again. She's created characters and a romance that were utterly perfect!
Dax and Becca meet when he comes to an out of the way resort in Tennessee where she works, only for her to be fired by her brother in front of the patrons and staff alike! This isn't exactly an auspicious beginning, but once they talk the chemistry is off the charts! A one night stand becomes more complicated when feelings are involved, so then it becomes a case of will they take a gamble on the possibility of love, or will they play it safe and walk away?
I'll start off by saying that I think Jessica Lemmon writes perfect heroes. They hit every button. They're sexy, kind and funny, and I always fall a little bit in love with them before the book ends. In Dax she has totally outdone herself. Not only was he as sexy, kind and funny as I've come to expect, but he was also completely secure in himself. He knew his strengths and weaknesses and what he wanted from life and in his own words, he's "loyal and persistent" about achieving it. He goes one better though and demanded those things for Becca too. He valued her and her talents, he told her so with both his words and actions and demanded others do the same.
Becca was lovely. She was smart, funny and just a little shy. She was a a bit lost, looking for her place in the world and uncertain about what she wanted or could offer in a relationship. But when Dax offered her honesty in their relationship, even though it scared her a little, she rose to the challenge. She was also incredibly kind and it was easy to see why Dax was so intrigued by her. She
The main issue that they faced was one that can resonate for most people. They both been burned in the past and know that it's safer to keep things light, but have the sneaking suspicion that taking a gamble might prove far more rewarding. That becomes the pivotal point of the story, and Lemmon keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat throughout!
I loved this book! I was gripped by the story and the writing and desperately hope that Lemmon will revisit this world again (Barrett maybe? Please!!!!). Highly recommended.
*ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher*
Three and a half stars.
Dax and Becca's story. Dax Vaughn is a successful businessman with two bars (at one of which Grace, from Arm Candy, tends bar) and a third in the pipeline. After his father's death and his mother's, well mothering, and his best friend living on Dax's couch AGAIN because he's broken up with his girlfriend, Dax decides to take a vacation away from everything - just camping and fishing in the woods of Tennessee (well okay he's booked a cabin, but its in the woods).
After his long drive Dax stops off at the bar attached to the camp site for a beer after his drive from Ohio, he witnesses a waitress arrive late for work and get fired by the grumpy bartender, something that she seems to totally ignore! Becca, the waitress, is also the sister of the grumpy bartender, whoo also owns the cabin that Dax is staying in.
Becca hasn't truly found her calling, she's had a few tries, dancing in New York (until she realised everyone else in the class was a million times better) was one, and she is currently working for her overbearing older brother and sharing a room with his youngest daughter until she can find her next thing. The lack of career, the helicopter supervising by her brother (he forwards calls to his phone when she is manning the office because he doesn't trust her to answer the phone), and the constant criticism have left Becca with low self-esteem and as a consequence she tends to avoid commitment - you can't get left if you don't commit, right?
There's an instant attraction between Dax and Becca, she 'offers to show him the way to his cabin' and they spend a passionate night, only to find that the torrential storms in the night have left Becca 'stranded' until the main road is cleared.
Dax and Becca have a very definite no-strings attached hot and steamy romance, every time Dax tries to make it something a bit more Becca pulls away. But can Dax's positive affirmation give Becca reason to take a chance?
Have you ever read a book where you wanted it to move on somewhere else? The vast majority of this book takes place in Tennessee during Dax's holiday, which is actually fine but the book I wanted to read was after the holiday, sign of good characters huh, when you are making up the story in your head? Anyway, I liked the story in Tennessee, the camping, the fishing etc but I kinda felt it was overlong. I guess I just loved the other two books so much that I wanted this one to be centred on the bar too.
Probably for that reason, and that reason only, I give this three and a half stars instead of four stars.
Of the three leading male roles so far for this series, Dax is by far my favorite. Becca on the other hand, I just want to shake her sometimes. She's so unsure of herself and where she belongs, that she almost gives up the perfection that is Dax. Thank God for an epilogue, if any book needs one then Man Candy, is the one. I kept thinking that Becca was for sure going to sabotage their happily ever after. Way to make me hold my breath.
I thought this book was pretty good. Loved Dax and his personality. Becca sometimes rubbed me the wrong way with how determined she was about not being able to commit to anything and I appreciated how patient Dax was about it.
Man Candy in a nutshell is about following your dreams, knowing your worth, and learning to recognize who the most important people in our life are. It had all the great romantic comedy chestnuts: a one night stand that turns into something more, a whirlwind of chemistry, fate, soulmates, and lots of laughs. There’s even a big declaration of love scene at the end! You now the kind where everyone in the vicinity gets really quiet and complete strangers root for the main couple. It’s all so sappy and I freaking loved every minute of it! And no… that’s not a spoiler! Those types of things are entirely expected and the main appeal in a romantic comedy.
I loved the story overall and I appreciated the sense of reality and kismet. Both Dax and Becca were characters that you rooted so hard for. They felt like real people and you can’t help by want them to get together at the end. If I’m going to be completely honest, I think the stakes perhaps could have been a bit higher. It’s hard to articulate exactly what I mean except to say the story felt a little loosely stitched together at parts and it just needed to be drawn a bit tighter. I guess there was a lack of tension is what I’m trying to say. I think the characters could have been delved into deeper, especially Dax and his mother. I absolutely adored their relationship and would have loved to see Becca meet her. However, Jessica Lemmon is such an amazing writer that I still loved the heck out of the story regardless of low stakes.
As for the smut… Dax is amazing in bed. 10/10, would recommend! I swear Jessica Lemmon Is trying to ruin real life men buy writing these amazingly sexy guys who know their way around a vagina like it’s the back of their hand! Dax is a big lug of a man and he’s just so adorable. I pretty much loved the heck out of the guy.
In the end, Man Candy was plain old delightful. It’s a tasty piece of book candy and I enjoyed the heck out of it. I wonder if there will be any more adventures in this series. It kind of feels like that door is open with bad boy sports commentator, Barrett. Could there be a Barrett book in the future? I sure hope so!
I loved this book! I’ve never read any books by this author before, so it was a complete delight to enjoy her writing so much. This book is fun, sexy, and funny!
What can I say except Jessica Lemmon has done it again! I love this series! She totally meshes the perfect mixture of romance and comedy! You will be totally swooning from one page and the very next page your husband will tell you to curb your laughter because he is trying to sleep! I love banter! Like that is seriously my favorite in romcom and WOW Jessica filled these pages with amazing banter! I was literally cracking up from Dax and Becca!
If you are looking for a sexy book filled with substance, humor and TONS of sexual tension then one click Man Candy NOW!!! Now Man Candy can totally be read as a standalone but WHYYYYYYY I say check out Eye Candy and Arm Candy and then Man Candy! You will thank me!!!
I can not wait for more from Jessica Lemmon! She is amazing!
Jessica Lemmon always nails it! I loved the story of Dax and Becca
Dax is a man on a mission, a mission that hopefully leads to some much needed R&R and self rediscovery. Dealing with family matters and a disastrous end to his relationship with this ex, has left him completely drained, and now he is in need of a little life reboot. He thinks his plan to seclude himself in the mountains and do some fishing is the perfect way to get back the man he was before, but then he meets a sexy, little blonde, with mile long legs that has him rethinking his idea of seclusion. He wasn't planning on love, but maybe, just maybe, it's what he has been missing all along...
Becca comes from a world that is riddled with self-doubt, and lacks a good support system... then she meets Dax, and he helps her to see that her life has meaning beyond what her family thinks, she can accomplish things, and be successful on her own. It's a new feeling for her, before she would always try something and then give up and run when her family thought it wasn't for her, now she is starting to see that she doesn't need their approval. She has yet to meet a man that was worth sticking around for, but after meeting Dax she is starting to see the appeal of staying... even if it is only for a couple of weeks until he returns to his home in Ohio.
Man Candy is a feel good romance story that will have you swooning from start to finish! In this newest addition to the Real Love series, we meet Dax, a gorgeous brooding magic mike dancer lookalike, and the leggy blonde princess who sneaks under his radar and steals his heart. He didn't set out to find love, but it found him, and boy was it fun to watch him stumble onto it. His little secluded rendezvous had me blushing more than a few times... he definitely knows how to turn up the heat and keep it simmering throughout the pages! I have met the other men of the Real Love series and I have to say Dax just bumped Vince out of the top spot as my favorite, there is just something about this edgy, rugged alpha that stole my heart... he was truly something else!! If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting the men of the Real Love series, I recommend you remedy that ASAP, because you are missing out on some seriously good reading, and some seriously sexy man candy!! Highly recommend!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title.