He was forbidden, my boss and incapable of loving me.People talked about him, whispered about him in passing.He was the king of his town.And I was a visitor.I was by no means a smart girl. Never loved with my head, always with my heart.That fact alone almost killed me once. I should have listened the second time around.But the king of this small town, had me starving. Had me craving his taste.My … town, had me starving. Had me craving his taste.
My name is Kandi, and he called me his Kandiland.
The king declared I was his medicine, and with each dose, he became better and better.
He was the perfect liar.
And I was his perfect Kandi.
Together, we were explosive, and toxic in every way.
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Kandiland by T.L Smith is a full length standalone novel that had me glued to the words and not wanting to put it down.
Kandi has always moved around, never stayed in one place long enough to call it home, now she has that opportunity. After seeing her husband murdered, she ran, to the town of Candy, where she finally hopes to make a home for herself. Will she stay?
Huxley, the king of Candy knows a lot more than he should, but how? He always gets what he wants and what he wants is Kandi, not for a relationship just benefits. Will he get his way this time?
There’s an instant connection between Kandi and Huxley, almost like he knows what’s she’s thinking. The attraction is evident too. She’s been told he’s a dangerous man but he makes her feel things that she shouldn’t be feeling.
Kandiland is a well written, fast paced novel that is so easy to read with a fantastic storyline. Parts that you don’t expect and some that I found myself hoping for – emotions from every angle. There’s love and loss, lust, lies. It’s so much more than an office romance. I’d recommend Kandiland in a heartbeat.
I was expecting a hot, forbidden boss/employee romance but it became clear just from reading the prologue that I was going to get so much more than that. You could feel the emotions jumping from the pages and I couldn’t wait to read more. I ended up reading this in one sitting I was completely hooked.
Kandi is a brilliant character. I loved her from the very start. She’s quirky and sassy but she’s also had more than her fair share of heartbreak and that adds another layer to her character. Forced to leave the man she loves changes her and she finds herself moving to a town called Candy for a fresh start. It’s not long until she catches the eye of the mysterious Huxley Cross who just so happens to own most of the businesses in Candy.
Huxley is a bit of an enigma in the beginning of this. He has a very mysterious, dangerous, secretive air about him that intrigued me and I was desperate to find out what really made him tick. He’s everything I love in my book men. He’s broody and a bit of a control freak, demanding but he does have a heart…it’s just very well hidden.
Kandi and Huxley together are fantastic. The sexual chemistry between them is hot and undeniable, there’s a few twists to keep them both on their toes and their story was so much more than I was expecting and I loved every second of it. I’ve been a massive fan of TL Smith for years and this book is definitely one of my favourites by her. I can’t recommend it enough.
I cannot even begin to explain how much I adored this book!! This is a story of loss, love and so much more. I was sucked into the story right away and didnt want to put it down. There were a few unexpected curveballs that really kept me turning the pages. I really wasn’t ready for the story to end.
Kandiland – T L Smith
I’ve been a reader of T L Smith for a while now but I did not see this amazing story coming….. at all.
A deeply emotional story with dark undertones, it captivated me from the first chapter.
Huxley is a man not to be messed with. He’s the king of the town of Candy. Owns everything and just about everyone and knows what’s happening in his town. He’s not a man who loves but there’s always a willing woman to warm his bed.
Kandi has been left bereft after watching her husband murdered, then running to save herself. She’s recovered from his loss but is sick of the transient life her husband made her lead, running from his mistakes. The town of Candy might just be the place to lay down some roots.
These characters, though filled with flaws, just resonate and are perfectly written into this twisted and devilish story.
T L Smith has captured every emotional moment with clarity and such power, unleashing the emotion when you’re least expecting it. A fabulous story from cover to cover.
Excellent, excellent, excellent!!!
If you’ve read any of T.L. Smith’s books before then you know they have an element of darkness to them, some more than others. This was has an edge to it, you know that there’s danger, especially from Huxley, and even though we only see some of it, you know it’s there lurking!! It was pure genius the way it was written!
We have Huxley, who as I said, has a dark and dangerous aura surrounding him and is just pure masculinity; then we have Kandi with her pink hair and easy going yet no-nonsense attitude who just appears. She’s been recovering from the death of her husband so the last thing she’s looking for, is a new man! Fate and longing have other ideas…
An excellent story that I had to read in one sitting – I tried going to sleep but couldn’t! I just had to finish it!!
As for the twist…loved it!!!!!!!
This was by far one of the best books I have read.
My first book by TL and I became hooked ever since.
T.L. Smith always brings a different route to her books. This book is surrounded by lies and deceit. But as always she brings you to a point where you want the characters to come together and find a point where they find love.
I enjoyed this story and had a book hanger after it. What better way to end?
I love forbidden romance, the conflict that questions your morals, should I shouldn’t I. The first sentence “he was forbidden, my boss and incapable of loving me”, that is an ‘I need to read’.
Huxley is used to be obeyed without question but he has met his match in Kandi who he dubbed his Kandiland which is very cute.
Most time this type of story end with the girl doing what he wants all the time but not this one.
Her cousin Stacey is hilarious and worthy of her own story hint hint.
Great love story, with a good characters.
This is my debut read for this author and I’ll certainly be reading more. I love a twist and this book has an almighty one which could bring every brick in the wall Huxley has built tumbling down. What happens when everything that you believed in and faced becomes a lie?
After her husbands death Kandi decides its time to get her life back on track. Jarod always joked about them moving to a place called Candy. So that’s where she heads, buys a home and runs into Huxley. He is tall, dark, broody and people treat him like a king. He owns Candy Village a strip club and offers her a job as his personal assistant or as a dancer. She has no intentions of dancing so takes the personal assistant position. Huxley works all night and she will be working through the day so their paths shouldn’t cross to often. He propositions her to be his bed buddy, oh make that monogamous bed buddy and he does that for no one. Kandi should feel so privileged but she struggles with moving on from Jarod. The pull becomes too much and she succumbs to her desires. He smothers her every movement and calls her his Kandiland. As he lets her further into his life she finds he hasn’t always been living the life of a king. There is so much more to him and she has found her way through the walls and into his heart.
She was his Kandiland…everything he ever needed.
Kandi Leo is starting over. In a relationship for five years with her husband, she is now forced to re-build her life after his death. She never set up roots before, but now she is ready to start fresh.
Moving to a place called Candy seems like it was the perfect place. She buys a house and is looking for a job. She comes upon what looks like a club and she sees HIM. Incredibly good looking man and she just can’t stop staring. It’s an instant attraction. A little scary since she hasn’t had any feelings since her husband passed a year ago.
Huxley spots the pink haired, tattooed beauty and he knows exactly what he wants. Relentless in his pursuit, it’s only a matter of time before she gives in. But Huxley is only offering the physical. Nothing beyond two bodies giving each other pleasure. He doesn’t do feelings or relationships…ever.
This was a second chance love story with a twist. Huxley was a total jerk at times, but I loved him anyway. He was sexy, all alpha and freakin’ irresistible. He’s not romance and sweet words, he’s hard and all about his actions. Who knew that the pink haired pixie, who came out of nowhere, would change everything. A fantastically sexy and emotional read!
I love when a book surprises me and blows my expectations away like Kandiland did. I went in expecting one thing and ended up with a fantastic, thrilling and emotional read that mesmerized me from start to finish.
From the very beginning I was intrigued by Kandi and wanted to know more about her. Free-spirited, independent, sassy, and quirky Kandi is looking for a fresh start when she meets Huxley. Dangerous, mysterious, and intriguing Huxley sparks something in Kandi and completely takes her world by surprise. I loved the angst and push and pull between them. Their crazy, messy and perfectly imperfect love story kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. I couldn’t get enough of Kandi and Huxley and found myself both eagerly anticipating and dreading the end of my time in Candy. Kandiland is a suspenseful, angsty, and emotional pageturner that held me captive until the very end.
Perfection!
Being familiar with the author’s previous works, Kandiland still manages to surprise me. We still get that hard man who we hate to love, but swoon to, anyway; the strong woman who can stand up to the alpha man; and the heart-gripping story that will leave you speechless and hang-over.
Kandi, Huxley and Jarod will give you the kind of story that you wouldn’t want to end.
Five candy stars! This is all-consuming perfection. T. L. Smith at her best!
¡Por todo lo que es sagrado! Perfection is… Kandiland! NOTHING can compare to this consuming book. It is absolute perfection. T. L. Smith has twisted my heart in the most beautiful way possible. She delivered a strong story packed with the right amount of all the good things. Like a freaking unicorn, it is unique, it is mind-blowing and it is insanely addictive.
Like Huxley, I need my own kind of medicine that is called T. L. Smith’s books! Kandiland is the right dose to numb all my bloody cravings. So here I go, devouring each page like it depends on my life. I was totally lost. I was left speechless and wanting more because when you read a great book, you don’t want it to end. Good books deserve to be infinite!
In between the pages of this book you will find sin and a exquisite torture. A book like this has not been written before! The intensity and attraction between Kandi and Huxley will make you blush like a teen. The lust and steamy sex will consume your body and will colour your cheeks with a nice shade of pink. I promise you that you will have a wonderful time reading this book. Where is Smithland?
Bewitched by the story, hooked by the brilliant and erotic writing, seduced by a possessive, arrogant and hot AF male character is how I felt after reading this enthralling book.
Huxley made me want to repair his broken heart. He is darkly guarded with a strong personality. He is a king who rules over everyone and everything in his land. He’s a liar. He’s dangerous. He is a bad boy with a broken heart. Nobody has never deny him what he wants because he always gets his way until Kandi. She is his downfall and redemption. She is her.
It is wise to say that a broken heart could repair another broken heart… the beat and desire what it is meant to be.
Kandi is a fixer and a fighter. She is strong as a warrior and delicate as a rose. She is temptation wrapped in a little body. She is a fairy, unreal and sweet. Although she is building a new life in a new town, she will be falling deep into the forbidden. She is attracted to a dark and stormy man. Huxley makes her feels alive. He makes her feel female again. Her body surrenders to his twisted will. She is Alice and Huxley is the Mad Hatter.
The attraction between Kandi and Huxley is addictive and lethality dangerous. It will consume both of them.
How do you pull away from a wonderful book that entices you without your consent?
I highly recommend you this book. It will make swoon! T. L. Smith penned a lethal book that will entice all your senses. Her sinful writing is my dose of medicine. Each word is the right dose. Each book of her made my dark soul feel better.
Excuse me while I still try to pick my jaw up of the ground. This book just snuck itself into my top reads of the year and while I was expecting something enticing, I couldn’t have been prepared for THIS. Kandiland is the first book I’ve ever read from TL Smith, but good golly miss molly it will not be my last. This book expertly weaves together two damaged characters that aren’t looking for anything other than a physical touch that will make them feel alive. In Kandi’s case she’s still recovering from an event from a year ago that left her heart in tatters, and in Huxley’s case we’re given a cold domineering man, with no need for love, just a hunger for power. Power of his business, power over this town he owns, power over his rotten and scarring past, and power over this woman who dropped into his town and stole his breath without his permission.
However, what they find together is a passionate obsession they thrive on. The push and pull, the yes and no, the anger-sparked lust all dominate Kandi and Huxley. Neither think they can possibly make a forever of this, but when faced with a decision that could lead to a future without each other, they’ll have to both make decisions that could have them falling back into the toxic ways of their pasts, or breathe a new life into their toxic present that makes their future something worth living and thriving for.
This book just about destroyed me. With a name like Kandiland, you’d expect a little fluff, but this book is seductively gritty, and heart-twistingly angsty. Kandi is a quirky spitfire, and Huxley is a “you can’t say no to me” alpha. Together they are mind-melting and had me awestruck. I was glued to every bit of their story, and though that ending made me the happiest of readers, I would complain one iota if there was another book in their future. I can’t say enough good things about this book. It’s wonderful. More than, even. And If you haven’t picked it up, you’re missing out on a fantastic love story!
Happy Reading!
*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
5 beautiful broken, dark grey and sexy pink candy stars
Kandi Leo and Huxley Cross’ story is like a candle in the dark. This book gave me feels it wormed his way in my soul with a tiny little shovel and then it unfolded a caleidoscope of color and light and slammed right into my soul.
This characters are not easy (as non of T. L. Smith characters are). Huxley had a difficult upcoming. He doesn’t let people come close. There is no need to take on more responsibility that comes with taking care of people.
Kandi has an ugly past that could left her in shreds and broken and it did. But there is nothing ugly or destruction only beautiful shreds and pieces in odd angles. So what happens when she let some light take place in her life. She explodes in rainbows of lights and colors and like a beacon it catches the dark pieces in Huxley’s soul.
This story is so slow paced and low burn I am not be able to point out where I fell for this couple. But I did. It’s a beautiful story worth reading anytime.
I’ve loved this author’s previous books. So when this one came around I was eager to get my hands on it. I was interested to see what fairytale land I would be taken to this time.
Kandi has faced major tragedy. So when coming to the town of Candy she is eager for her life to start over. What she doesn’t expect to find is Huxley.
Huxley has had a hell of a past and is known for always getting what he wants. When Kandi crosses his path he knows he wants her. He wants her like he’s never wanted another woman. But when she denies him he has does everything in his power to prove she wants him too.
The chemistry was off the charts with these two characters. Kandi is unlike any heroine I have ever met in any other book. She is strong willed, she is determined and she’s not sorry for being who she is. The author pulls you in to the world of Candy. She paints such a vivid picture it’s as if you’re there with these characters.- By Vanessa
This story had me devouring the pages. Any spare moment during the day that I could whip out my kindle and read you can be sure I did just that. I did not want to put this book down. The story line had me fully engaged and eager to see how it would all play out. If there is one thing that this author is known to deliver it is a addicting read that is will have your emotions running rampant, leaving you not sure how you want it to play out.
Kandi has had her heart decimated in the past and is looking to start her life over, to have a fresh start. She isn’t looking for love but there is something about Huxley that sucks her in and makes it hard to deny, sometimes down right impossible to deny. She knows what he is looking for and while it isn’t the same as what she wants she decides to go for it.
Huxley is a bad boy, he is sexy as sin, alpha, who goes after what he wants and when he wants something he will have it. He wants Kandi. He doesn’t do anything beyond a good time between the sheets. No relationships, no feelings, and he definitely doesn’t do love. He can’t love.
This book will leave you hot and bothered, it will break your heart, it will have you yelling at your kindle, basically it will have you going on that crazy emotional roller coaster of not knowing whether you are coming or going and you will enjoy every second of the ride.
Amount of sex 3.5 / 5
How explicit is the sex scenes 3 / 5
Story 5 / 5
Overall: 5 / 5
Another fabulous book from author T.L. Smith!
I knew before I even read the book’s blurb that Ms. Smith would be taking me on an incredible journey, and boy did she ever! Kandiland is emotional, full of drama, and with lots of twists and turns. The storyline is spellbinding, unique, and I was on the edge of my chair throughout the whole book!
The story begins pretty dramatically, and I absolutely adored Kandi from the start. She is such a strong character, and I loved that she likes to take charge. Right when I thought I figured things out, I soon learned that not everything was as it seemed. Ms. Smith created such complex and well-developed characters, and Huxley is the perfect anti-hero!
Amazing and one of my favorites for 2018!
*Voluntarily Reviewed an Advanced Copy*
https://www.behindcloseddoorsbookreview.com/kandiland-review/