Last call! At the end of the night, a clean-cut hunk and a rebellious bartender act on their unlikely chemistry in this frisky standalone novel from the author of Eye Candy.
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.
Dear Jessica Lemmon,
How, HOW do you keep writing the best possible book boyfriends? How am I supposed to pick one? Well, I refuse to pick and I am just going to keep reading your books, because each is better than the last (seriously, HOW do you keep doing this???)
Arm Candy was absolutely not what I thought it was going to be...and at the same time, it was.
Ms. Lemmon has a style of writing that makes you laugh while you are crying and vice versa. I think, at least for me, this is the appeal. At first glance, her books are a light read...but then you start them, and you are crying, your heart is breaking, and you are laughing...wondering where that light read went...until it appears again, and there is a phrase that just makes you laugh.
Davis is so perfect. I loved all of his little quirks and contradictions, the way he dresses for work in his home office is so telling about who he is on the outside, the inside, and the importance he places on appearances, about looking a certain way, and about being a certain way.
Until he meets Grace and she is none of those things. She isn't what he thinks he wants, she doesn't fit the mold. More importantly, she doesn't fit with what he thinks he should want, so he fights the attraction...her hair is the wrong color, she has the wrong job...he fights it.
And, then he takes a bet. Not because he can't back down, but because it is an excuse. Davis can let himself want Grace, because the date wasn't his idea...it was a bet. It's his cover, his rationale, and the way he talks himself into it being ok to be with her. I loved how incredibly relate-able this is...I think we all have something that we would do, in a heartbeat, if we could place the blame (or at least the catalyst) for doing it on someone else. Davis is no fool and he jumps at the chance.
The rest of the book is them working it out, learning about themselves while figuring out the other person and learning how to make things work and the value of putting in the effort when you find that one person who just gets you. There are some dips, and some things that happen that are very real life, but I loved how each event worked to further the story and to let you get to know Davis and Grace just a little more with each event.
Remember how I said she didn't fit the mold for Davis? No problem, she breaks it apart until there's nothing left but dust. And, it's quite a ride. I recommend this title.
It's books like this that remind me why I love Jessica Lemmon. She has a knack for writing books that have me laughing, then crying, then swooning. Arm Candy definitely did all of that-and it had me falling in love with yet another book boyfriend.
I really enjoyed getting to know Gracie throughout this book. She is smart, sassy,sexy and just fun. Her sensitive side really got me though. I felt for her and her the issues she had to work through. She grew a lot through this book and I definitely cheered her on.
I absolutely adored Davis. He's structured, has an impeccable work ethic and is sexy as all get out. He knows it, too. He guards himself the best way he knows how from the hurt he experienced in the past-and I have to say I found his packages...interesting. Trust me on this, read the book. I know which Davis package I would choose.
These two don't have the easiest path. They have their fun, they hit some speed bumps. You can't deny their chemistry but this book is about more than that. This book is about a real relationship, real problems that people face and it has a few stops along the way that surprised me. But the growth between Davis and Gracie was great.
I loved getting to peek back at past characters. They enhance this story and brought a smile to my face. The writing is strong, witty and smart. I love the way this story played out, it felt incredibly real and natural to me. That's the beauty of a book from Jessica Lemmon. It's a romance that is relatable and real. I feel like I could see these characters in my every day life and be friends with them and I love it. This is the second in Ms. Lemmon's Real Love series and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next. I absolutely recommend this book.
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