Arm Candy (Real Love, #2)

by Jessica Lemmon

LAST CALL!

At the end of the night, a clean-cut hunk and a rebellious bartender act on their unlikely chemistry in this frisky novel...

Davis: I’ve had my eye on Grace Buchanan for a while now. Unlike the bubbly blondes I usually date, the feisty, flame-haired bartender both intrigues and bewilders me. Something about Grace—the tattoos? the nose ring?—makes every part of me sit up and beg. There’s only one problem: She hates me. Trading insults and one-liners has become our M.O. But when Grace bets me that I can’t get a date with a non-blonde if my life depends on it, I’m determined to prove her wrong by landing the ultimate non-blonde: her. 

Grace: I’m used to regulars hitting on me, and I’ve turned them all down, except for one: Davis Price. I like giving him a hard time, and he’s kind of cute in his suit and tie—if you’re into that kind of thing. Anyway, I don’t care how many blondes he takes home . . . until one of them sidles up to him in my bar. Nuh-uh. But after my little bet with Davis backfires, our first date lands us in the sack. So does the second. And the third. Neither of us wants more than the best sex of our lives. The trouble is, it’s not a question of what I want. It’s what I need. And what I need is Davis.

• ASIN: B01N9VWXZT
• Publish Date: 5 September 2017
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Imprint: Loveswept
• Format: eBook (Kindle)
• Pages: 217
• Language: English

Reviews

[Rowena]

Arm Candy is the second book in the Real Love series by Jessica Lemmon. It’s also Davis’ book. Davis Price, the best friend of the hero from Book 1. I’ve been looking forward to reading this book because I enjoyed the little bits we got from Davis in Eye Candy. He was a good friend to both Vince and Jackie and I was looking forward to getting to know him better. There were little nuggets that we learn about Davis in the first book and I was looking forward to delving into all of that stuff and I’m happy to say that Jessica Lemmon did a fabulous job of writing Davis’ story, IMO.

Davis works from home so he likes to unwind at his favorite neighborhood bar and he really likes exchanging barbs with his favorite bartender, Grace. The attraction between the two of them is strong but neither of them act on it until Grace throws down the gauntlet in the form of a wager and Davis jumps on it. The bet? That Davis will ask the first non-blonde out that he sees and he jumps in and asks her out. Grace is a redhead and though she wasn’t talking about herself when she placed the bet, she’s not one to walk away from a dare so she agrees to go out with him.

One date ends up in bed and they keep ending up in bed so they spend some time together. They get to know each other outside of the bar and the more they get to know, the more they like each other. I really enjoyed seeing them fall in love with each other because they’re both flawed characters who have been burned by one thing or another and don’t have that much faith in relationships but seeing them take a chance on each other warmed my heart. Sure, things weren’t perfect and they fumbled their way to get to that happy ending but I really enjoyed their emotional ride.

Davis was just as great as I hoped he’d be. He did a lot of growing throughout the book and I really connected with his character. He learned a great deal about himself, about love and about what he wanted out of life. He was a grown man who handled his business and did whatever he felt needed to be done and I loved how honest he was. With Grace. With himself. With everyone. He wasn’t the most perfect of characters but he was real. He was a good person who realized his worth and loved with all he had. I appreciated that and I adored him. He was such a good character.

Gracie Lou was a great match for Davis. She came with her own baggage and she was dealing with them as best as she could. She fumbled a lot and there were times when I wanted to smack some sense into her but she doesn’t stay down for long. She was adult enough to acknowledge when she was wrong and in the end, all was well.

This was a great read from beginning to end. I loved the romance that blossomed between Davis and Grace and I adored seeing Vince and Jackie again, all loved up and happy. I’m looking forward to getting to know Dax, though it would have been nice to get a little more of him in this book so that I could have an idea of what’s to come in his book but that’s a really minor gripe. I enjoyed this one and can’t wait for more.

Grade: 4.25 out of 5

[kimbacaffeinate]

Coffee Dates with Arm Candy

• First Date: On our first date we get to know the players. Grace is a fiery red-head with brains whose law degree sits in the back of her closet because bartending is what makes her happy. She doesn't believe in happily ever after and has never had a serious relationship. The suit at the bar aka, "Davis" is a regular and the chemistry between them zings, but neither has made a move. She sees him as a player, and he never dates red-heads. While I am unsure of Davis and think our girl Grace has issues Lemmon has me hooked.



• Second Date: Oh yeah, this is going to be fun. Davis is smooth, and a bet made with a snarky jest soon has them negotiating a relationship with an end date. The chemistry was off the charts, and the heat level had me fanning myself. Hot, romantic dates, firsts, and steamy shower sex soon lead to Netflix binging. I enjoyed page time with these characters.  Secondary characters added to the tale and enabled insight into Davis and Grace.



• Third Date: Can these two overcome their fears? The dual perspective allows readers to connect and understand the characters making the dates delightful. The drama was kept to a minimum and allowed for character growth. Grace struggled, and Lemmon did a great job of validating her fears with a tight backstory and a demanding mother. Davis's grandma was adorable. I hope I am that sassy at her age! Swoons, tears and tender moments await you on this third date. I read ARM CANDY in a single evening and closed the book with a smile.

Copy provided by the publisher.
This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[chymerra]

Arm Candy was a glad change in reading for me. I have read some pretty heavy books and I needed something that was light and not so serious. Arm Candy was that book. I could read it without worrying that I was going to burst a brain vessel reading it or cry my eyes out because it was so sad. It was just what I needed!!

Grace was introduced in Eye Candy as the new bartender that caught Davis’s eye. I will say that Grace wasn’t your cookie cutter romance heroine and I loved it. She had tattoos and not just one teeny tiny one that was covered up. Nope, she had a few. I will say that I have very rarely seen a heroine that had ink and found it very refreshing. Also, she wasn’t afraid to put Davis in his place and she was sexually confident. Again, which is something that I haven’t really read in romance novels of late. I can count on one hand the number of novels that I have read that have a heroine who knew what she wanted when she wanted it and how she wanted it. She did have her issues, thanks to her parents and those issues almost caused her relationship with Davis to fail.

Davis was such a manwhore. He had a revolving door of blondes and he was getting a little tired of them. So when Grace suggested that he date a nonblonde, he decided to ask her out. I died laughing at the Davis packages that he offered her. I did like him, a lot. He was perfect for Grace in so many ways yet, also, in so many ways, they were opposite. His relationship with his grandmother, who was a spitfire, was pretty awesome too. I mean, when Grace broke his heart, who did he go running too? His grandmother!!

I loved the romance part of this book too. Instead of having Instalove, Grace and Davis’s relationship was allowed to grow from her first mention in Eye Candy. They became friends, then lovers and then they fell in love. The only thing that I even had a complaint about, though, was the eventual breakup. I think that the return of Grace’s father and her mother’s being so jaded (she was a divorce attorney) that kind of forced Grace down that path. I wish it didn’t happen but it did add depth to the book.

The sex was out of this world hot but it was also sweet. I could tell, before Grace and Davis did, how they felt about each other because of the sex scenes. They were powerful but sweet. Loved it!!

I loved the ending and I can’t wait to see Grace and Davis make an appearance in the Man Candy when it is published in 2018. Maybe I will get lucky and get an ARC!!

How many stars will I give Arm Candy: 4

Why: Like I said in my review, this was the perfect book for me to read after reading books had some pretty heavy subject. The plot was great, sex scenes were better and I loved the ending.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age Range: Adult

Why: Sex and language

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**