Is there room for two in that sleeping bag? When it comes to love, a chiseled loner takes the scenic route in this irresistible standalone from the author of Eye Candy (“Truly the perfect romantic comedy.”—Lauren Layne). Dax: After spending months 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 … 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.
Look for Jessica Lemmon’s standalone romances with heartfelt HEAs:
FIGHTING FOR DEVLIN | FORGOTTEN PROMISES | SHUT UP AND KISS ME | EYE CANDY | ARM CANDY | MAN CANDY | RUMOR HAS IT
Praise for Man Candy
“Becca and Dax’s instant chemistry is enhanced by their growing emotional bond. Readers will want more of this charming couple.”—Publishers Weekly
“A sexy one-night stand turns deep and you can’t help being drawn right in with these fabulous characters.”—USA Today bestselling author Kate Meader
“Explosive chemistry, real characters, and a lot of heart—Man Candy gave me all the feels!”—USA Today bestselling author Stacey Kennedy
“Seriously, who wouldn’t want to be rained in a mountain cabin with a sexy, gorgeous, sex god? . . . This is my ideal vacation and I loved it.”—Smitten with Reading
“I adored this read and couldn’t put it down.”—Books According to Abby
This standalone novel includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.
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Adorable fun listen.
What to do when a one night stand turns into a two night stand turns into a two week fling with feelings? That is the real question and both Dax and Becca are waiting for the other to make the first move. Dax is on a much needed vacation in Tennessee after months of family turmoil and brings the rain with him. Becca, after moving to New York to try her dream as a dancer and then moving again and again and again, has returned home and is working for her brother who does not give her the respect she deserves. Choice has them sharing a cabin the first night, washed out roads the second, and down trees add to the fun. The sun finally comes out eventually and choices are made and feelings come to play. This is a beautifully written story that is light and breezy and so much fun. I definitely recommend this one and it can be read as a standalone.
Dax recently lost his dad and decides to take time away from McGreevies bar, which he owns, by renting a cabin in the woods where he meets Becca.
Becca is 27 and still trying to find herself while she works for her brother at Grand Lark cabins, well that was until she showed up late for work again and he fired her.
There is an instant attraction between Dax and Becca. What they thought would be a one-night-stand turned into a lot longer thanks to mother nature and the torrential rain storm that has them stuck in the cabin for a couple of weeks.
This was a fun and steamy read that was more enjoyable thanks to the wonderful narration done by Savannah Richards and Christian Rummel who really did a great job with Dax and Becca’s story.
Happy Reading!!!
Man Candy makes you want to grab a burly man and spend the night under the stars. It’s fun and easily sucks you in from the start. It’s funny in the right places and serious when needed.
From the moment that Becca locked her eyes on Dax at Grand Lark Retreat, it was lust at first sight. She wanted him for the night and went after it. Sparks fly and that one night turns into two amazing weeks but they both knew the time would come when he would have to leave that vacation cabin he rented. When time is up, these two have to face their feelings.
My favorite thing about this entire story is how supportive Dax is to Becca. He understands her maybe more than she understands herself in the moment so while it might be a bit difficult for him, he swallows his needs and desires and let’s her operate on her own time. As soon as he started doing that, I knew then that there was no way she would ever be able to resist him. I sure wouldn’t be able to.
Both of them have a sense of vulnerability to them but in their own way, the eventually expose it and face it head on. They are different yet so similar when it comes that to. I like that Dax took the time to show her how much she meant to him, even if it was a bit subdued because once again, he knew what she needed.
Overall, I liked this book. I like the push and pull between the characters and though the author did a great job developing them and the story. If you are looking for a rugged type romance that gives you love, the outdoors and dreams come true, then this is the book for you.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I truly enjoyed this book. My heart started strumming and my eyes started to tear up in Chapter 26 but I had to plow ahead and get to the Happily Ever After (if there was going to be one?!?!)
This is one of those books that I had to fight with my hubby and kids to leave me alone so that I could find out what was going to happen next. I will definitely add Lemmon’s other books to my “to be read” list!
Good. Gravy. You guys.
Dax Vaughn.
I’m still swooning. Like a full-on, heart-eyeballs, weak-knees, swoon. He was the absolute best kind of hero. Chivalrous, empowering, and sturdy. He’s dominant without making anyone feel inferior (in a way that shouldn’t be possible but if you spend any time with Dax Vaughn, you’ll learn quickly that it is!). And he was sexy as all get-out. I wanted to get lost in him for more time than I had him. He gave me those delicious butterflies, and made me smile, and basically seduced the heck out of me during all that time he spent wooing Becca. I adored him. I adored him with Becca, and I had so much fun reading their love story.
I did also love Becca, though any (minor, niggling) issues I had with the book would have been with her. Not because there’s anything wrong with her. I actually identified with her quite a bit over the course of this book – in both positive and negative ways. She was very relatable, very real, and I definitely felt like she was worthy of Dax. I just might have liked…more from her in the end. She’s a fun heroine though. She made me laugh and made my heart hurt from time to time – but I loved her through it all.
This whole story just swept me off my feet. It’s a little bit funny, a little bit sexy, romantic and entertaining. It can definitely be read as a standalone (though I have enjoyed every book in this series so far, and think you should definitely check them out). If you’re looking for something sweetly romantic; a quick little novel to smile and swoon about – I most definitely give Man Candy a high recommendation.
For years Becca has traveled from place to place, searching for that special something that will fit her. A job, a location…something. She doesn’t do relationships. She’s a one night stand girl and it’s more likely she’s the heartbreaker rather than the one to get her heart broken.
Dax has had a rough few years and it’s time for a vacation. In the Tennessee wilderness he meets Becca and they embark on a one night stand that turns into a two week stand. He’s been hurt before but I was glad to see he still opened himself up to Becca despite the fact that their future was time stamped.
I enjoyed this story. The characters were real and the writing was well paced. Becca’s struggle was a bit harder to accept when it came down to accepting Dax’s proposition. I just didn’t understand her decision. The epilogue was very nice and it gives clue as to what may be the next book.
This is an honest review of an advanced copy provided by NetGalley and Random House Publishing – Loveswept.
Dual POV
No ow/om drama
No apparent triggers
I love the way Jessica Lemmon tells a story. Each book is so very real and every character is someone you would want to know in real life. Man Candy was no different.
Dax and Becca are instantly attracted to each other while they meet at a hotel in the wilderness. Him on vacation, her working there with her family. Dax’s plan of laying low is shot when mother nature decides that these two characters would enjoy enjoy other’s company.
Dax and Becca are fire together, the sex is sultry, their banter is fun. Yet, they both seem to be running from a past that just keeps catching up.
I loved the conflict with family, tension between the two characters and self doubt as it is something we all struggle with in one way or another. Another wonderful book by Jessica Lemmon.
***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***
4.5 Stars
Forced proximity books are fun. The idea that 2 people who would not have been attracted to one another (or who would have been possibly attracted but not acted on it) are put into a situation where they are not able to ignore one another, well, this appeals to me.
Dax and Becca are attracted to one another. He is a guest at the wilderness retreat hotel where Becca works. He is supposed to be in one of the cabins that is far away, and is planning to be camping…so they should not have any time with one another. But, life (and nature) intervene and we get a really hot romance.
I love the characters Jessica Lemmon writes. How real and compelling they are, and how much they seem like the kind of people you would want to know. This makes them easy to read about, and makes them characters it is easy to invest in. And, how fun this is.
The romance is hot, the sex is steamy, the characters are at time funny and charming. Becca’s brother is frustrating, her family bond interesting, her relationship with her coworkers adds depth without overshadowing the Dax and Becca romance.
This book is a part of the “Real Love” series…and that is how it feels. You think they will be ok, that they will work out in the long run. And, this is hard. You need tension and conflict in order for the story to be interesting. Too much tension and you doubt that you are reading about a couple who is in it for the long haul…not enough, and you feel like you are reading about 2 characters who are not invested in the relationship. The balance in this title is excellent and the story is enjoyable.
I recommend this book.
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.
It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game. Jessica Lemmon gets that and that’s what makes her stories so precious. She fights for the underdog and that’s a role we all can relate to. In love, in life and heart, we’ve all walked a mile in those shoes. Becca is the ultimate long shot. She has a sweet heart, but is a bit clueless when it comes to life. As her world is falling apart, she manages to fall in love, with the one man who can either bring her to her knees or make all her dreams come true. Dax is no hero. He’s just a man with a lot on his plate and no room in his heart. Can a loner and a free spirit find love in the middle of nowhere? Man Candy is an addiction that will live on long after the last page is devoured.
Man Candy by Jessica Lemmon
Real Love #3
Great characters
Good story
Fun Read
When I began reading my first thought was – “Oh no – first person” – but as I read a bit further the flow and story took over and it didn’t bother me at all knowing what Becca and Dax were thinking and feeling as they narrated in present tense. I am still not sure why Becca was so insecure in some ways and yet so very secure in others BUT perhaps that is part of what made her so special and also so attractive to Dax. Now Dax…what a hunk and a half he was! Talk about a book boyfriend that was worth every line he appeared on and the ones that had me thinking about him while he was not explicitly in the picture! Man Candy indeed!
I have not read any other books by this author but after reading this one am more than a little interested in finding out what happened in books one and two of this series and will keep my eyes open for other titles she has written or will write in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House-Loveswept for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4.5 Stars
This the first time that i read any of Jessica books, This is the third book in the Real Love series. OMG I really loved it. the story about Dax and Becca was a beautiful story. There chemistry is explosive. I would absolutely recommend this book, I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley