Man Candy (Real Love, #3)

by Jessica Lemmon

Is there room for two in that sleeping bag? 

When it comes to love, a chiseled loner takes the scenic route...

Dax: After spending the summer buried up to my eyeballs in my family’s affairs, I’m ready for a break. The kind of break where I can spend two solid weeks camping and fishing in the company of absolutely no one. Then I find myself directly in the path of a drop-dead gorgeous tornado by the name of Becca Stone. Who can resist a night with a damsel in distress? Especially when she happens to be a leggy blonde? The last thing I expect is for Becca to show up on my cabin doorstep the next night, shivering in the rain and ready for seconds.

Becca: One minute I’m admiring the rock-hard jaw of the Magic Mike lookalike who walks into my bar, and the next I’m getting fired by my own brother. Loudly. In front of everyone. Luckily Dax Vaughn is a gentleman who aims his white-hot smile at me. Oh, it’s on. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am. Then a torrential storm washes out the main road and causes a massive power outage, giving us two whole weeks to enjoy each other’s company. At which point Dax will go back home, leaving “us” in the rearview mirror. That’s the plan. Or it was . . . until I started falling for him.

• ASIN: B071VQKVCK
• Publish Date: 9 January 2018
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Imprint: Loveswept
• Format: eBook (Kindle)
• Pages: 212
• Language: English

Reviews

[Rowena]

Man Candy is the third book in Jessica Lemmon’s Real Love series and it features Grace from book 2’s boss, Dax Vaughn.

Dax Vaughn owns two bars and is grieving the passing of his father and the only thing he wants right now is peace and quiet. After making sure his Mom was okay and leaving his best friend on his couch, Dax takes off for Tennessee for some outdoorsy along time. He had every intention of spending his days hiking and fishing and being one with nature until he meets Becca Stone.

Becca Stone works with her brother at the Grand Larks and Dax is in town, renting one of the cabins there and she likes what she sees when she walks into the bar and sees him enjoying a beer. She’s drawn to him, knows that if she doesn’t approach him, she’ll regret it so with a pep in her step, she walks right up to him and her life is forever changed.

What was supposed to be a one night stand becomes much more than either of them were prepared for and I adored watching the two of them come together.

Dax was a lot more than I was expecting. We didn’t get to see much of him in Arm Candy so I was picturing a, — I don’t know what I was picturing but whatever it was, it wasn’t Dax. Dax was one of those swoonworthy heroes who is good to his Mom and knows what he wants. He was a man’s man who wanted to be in an adult relationship. I loved how he took care of Becca, even when she disappointed him and I really loved how much faith he had in her abilities…even after only two weeks of sleeping together. I enjoyed getting to know him and finding him to be my favorite hero of the series.

Becca was a great heroine too, only there were times when I wanted to smack some sense into her because I felt like she took too long to come around. Dax really opened up to her and so she knew about his hangups with his ex-girlfriend, a story that he shared with nobody but Becca and when things get a little crazy, I wanted her to wise up and take a chance on Dax. I wanted her to not disappoint Dax but to not disappoint me and…she came up a little short. I also wanted to smack the shit out of her brother because he was a shitty brother to her. I didn’t stay disappointed with Becca for long so I’m glad that she got her shit together.

The romance, the scenery and just, the whole story worked for me. I enjoyed Dax, I liked Becca and I really liked seeing them come together in love. This book was cute, funny and had a lot of heart so I definitely recommend.

Grade: 4 out of 5

[chymerra]

Review coming January 9th, 2018

[Lynn]

Dax Vaughn wants a break...some time to himself and he has found the perfect place in the mountains of Tennessee. However, the same doesn't apply to the weather when heavy rain makes his perfect retreat inaccessible. Luckily, there's a solution he accepts, but the unexpected company he acquires along the way is a distraction he didn't know he needed until she left.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained...Becca Stone sees a hot guy in the bar where she works and he's too irresistible to ignore. When extreme weather means she can't get home, the only alternative is to knock on the cabin door of the Magic Mike lookalike and hope he'll share his accommodation. A no-strings fling is what they're both looking for, but will Becca finally realise that she doesn't need to run away any-more as she develops feelings for her camping companion?

The protagonists are very real in their approach to everyday life and their expectations. This made them very identifiable and realistic as they react to each other's desires and wishes, respecting the here and now and not expecting too much thereafter. This was where Dax's personality shone because he gave Becca space to sort herself out. He also used his wisdom and maturity to see through Becca's brother's issues too which helped to smooth out rough patches for them all. Especially when the brother wasn't a particularly nice character. Thankfully, other secondary characters were more likeable and added to the light-hearted comedy narrative.

The sexy times are steamy and the dialogue littered with the author's signature wit. The cameo appearances by the couples from Eye Candy and Arm Candy makes for a tidy and successful end to the Real Love series.

Overall a good solid read I heartily enjoyed. As I've come to expect from Ms Lemmon, the dialogue between characters, specifically the protagonists are highly amusing. I've read a handful of the author's books before and she is a go-to favourite. When I pick up one of her novels, I know It'll be entertaining and Man Candy is no exception.

3.5 stars

***arc generously received courtesy of Loveswept via NetGalley***