Title: Tart and Sweet

Series: Candy Man 04

Author: Amy Lane

Narrator: Philip Alces

Genre: Contemporary

Length: 7 hrs, 47 mins

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC (1st August 2017)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts

Reviewer: Prime

Blurb: In the Army, Robbie Chambers turned on his lover out of fear — and he hasn’t been able to live with himself since. Now he’s out of the Army but still trapped in the closet that brought on his most cowardly moment, and he starts to think he’ll never be able to fight his way free.

Until he sees Cy McVeigh. Beautiful and uninhibited, Cy is dancing on the boardwalk at Old Sac for no other reason than the moment called for it. Robbie not only joins in the dance but is smit-ten from the very beginning.

However, Robbie still has old business to clear up, and when he helps out a kid in need and comes face-to-face with the man he betrayed, he’s forced to come clean with himself. He can’t redeem his mistake if he’s still locked into his old patterns, and he won’t ever be worthy of Cy if he can’t earn Adam’s forgiveness. He’s going to need all the help he can get from the people at Candy Heaven in order to make things right with his past so he can have a future with Cy.

Purchase Link: Audible US | Audible UK | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Review: Tart and Sweet is the fourth and final book in Amy Lane’s Candy Man series. It continues with the themes of friendship, healing and romance. While it probably works as a standalone, I recommend reading or getting your hands on the audio of the previous books as there is a lot of interaction with a whole cast of fully developed secondary characters.

I’ve have come to enjoy some of Lane’s books and this book is no exception. I find the writing style is really accessible, in that it is well written and very expressive without too much complicated language, so it’s easy to relax and read or listen to the book. The narration was performed by Philip Alces, who narrates the full series. Alces has a soft and gentle voice that matches the sweetness of the plot and conveys the variety of emotions that tumble through the MCs. It was a wonderful performance and completely on point.

Candy Man has a really cute premise. It’s about this almost hippy-like guy, Darren, who runs a boutique candy store in Old Sacramento and just so happens to have psychic visions about the people that he needs to help, i.e. people that are down on their luck and may not be looking for love but are gonna get it anyway. Really cool.

The characters that have brought together this entire world was Adam, Darren (the psychic Candy Man), Clopper the Dog and Jacob the Cat. It’s also nice that there is the background plot where Ezra has developed the gift to help Darren bringing together people, so Ezra who had his story in the previous book is also quite important in this one.

Robbie Chambers has left the army. He feels a lot of shame for how things had ended there and he was sure that he had lost the man that could have been the love of his life. Life in Old Sacramento after the army is difficult. He picked up the first girl he met at a bar in an attempt to be straight for her very conservative parents. But all that changes when he sees a beautiful man dancing on the boardwalk, attracted to him to no one he had been attracted to in his life. That man is Cy and on top of their sexuality, Robbie knows that his parents would also disapprove of the fact that Cy is black.

But as soon as they meet, Robbie is side tracked by saving a handsome man from being hit by a car – helping the man, Finn, to where Finn’s boyfriend works, he discovers Finn’s boyfriend is his ex, Adam. Adam who had not stood up for in the army and made the end of Adam’s army career hell and breaking Adam’s heart after planning happily ever after together. But Adam has moved on now and the magic of Candy Heaven is throwing Cy and Robbie together, they are now inevitable.

Robbie’s need for healing is the main theme in this plot, he has a lot of mental baggage to deal with and Cy is the man with the patience and strength to befriend and then help Robbie heal with love. They have a great attraction which starts as a friendship of necessity and a strong mutual attraction, before developing into love. An awesome ending to what has to be one of the sweetest, pun fully intended, series I’ve read or listened to.

Title: Lollipop

Series: Candy Man 03

Author: Amy Lane

Narrator: Philip Alces

Genre: Contemporary

Length: 9 hrs, 13 mins

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC (21st March 2016)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts

Reviewer: Prime

Blurb: Ezra Kellerman flew across the country to see if he had another chance with the man he let slip through his fingers. He didn’t. Rico has moved on, but he doesn’t just leave his ex high and dry. Instead Rico entrusts his family and friends with Ezra’s care. Ezra, confused, hurt, and lost, clings to Rico’s cousin and his boyfriend as the lifelines they are – but their friend, Miguel, is another story.

Miguel Rodriguez had great plans and ambition – but a hearty dose of real life crushed those flat. When Miguel finds himself partially in charge of the befuddled, dreamy, healing Ezra, he’s pretty resentful at first. But Ezra’s placid nature and sincere wonder at the simple life Miguel has taken for granted begin to soften Miguel’s hardened shell. Miguel starts to notice that Ezra isn’t just amazingly sweet – he’s achingly beautiful as well. Suddenly Miguel is fending off every sin-gle man on the planet to give Ezra room to get over Rico – while fighting a burning suspicion that the best thing to help Ezra get over his broken heart is Miguel.

Purchase Link: Audible US | Audible UK | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Review: Bitter Taffy is the second book in Amy Lane’s Candy Man series. I’ve have come to enjoy some of Lane’s books and this book is no exception. I find the writing style is really accessible, in that it is well written and very expressive without too much complicated language, so it’s easy to relax and read or listen to the book. The narration was performed by Philip Alces, who narrates the full series. Alces has a soft and gentle voice that matches the sweetness of the plot and conveys the variety of emotions that tumble through the MCs. It was a wonderful performance and completely on point.

Candy Man has a really cute premise. It’s about this almost hippy-like guy, Darren, who runs a boutique candy store in Old Sacramento and just so happens to have psychic visions about the people that he needs to help, i.e. people that are down on their luck and may not be looking for love but are gonna get it anyway. Really cool.

I remember that I tried reading this book years ago without reading – or realising – that there were other books in the series before it. I don’t think it went down well, maybe, but to be fair I don’t remember it at all. Regardless, I’m here to say, I recommend hearing this one in order. Also, I’m here to say that I loved listening to the audio and I loved the story.

Lollipop is a story of redemption in a lot of way. Ezra is the ex of Rico from book 2, Ezra regrets how he handled things back in New York at his father’s company. Ezra bowed to his strict Jewish father’s wishes. But a mental breakdown changed that and sent him to Sacramento to make amends.

However, Ezra doesn’t allow himself to stop and think what would happen if Rico had moved on, and for those that already heard book 2, you know that Rico has indeed moved on. Instead, he is not only befriended by Rico’s tough looking, ex-army cousin, Adam (who along with Darren and the dog Clopper and cat Jacob, are the common threads for this series) and Adam’s boyfriend, another friend of Rico and Adam’s takes Ezra under his wing.

Miguel Rodriguez has already had one failed business, which took him back to working at the store Candy Heaven. He is very family orientated and is all around a great, fun loving guy. He’s just still bruised by his failed attempt at going into business for himself. But Miguel’s life changes when he meets Ezra while dog and cat sitting Clopper and Jacob. He feels for Rico’s ex and wants to make the guy comfortable. They have an easy friendship and an instant connection. Although they don’t rush into any romance, the friendship is beautiful and patient as both men come to care greatly for the other.

This is another sweet, low-angst romance that is above healing and friendship. A total joy to listen to on audio.

Title: Bitter Taffy

Series: Candy Man 02

Author: Amy Lane

Narrator: Philip Alces

Genre: Contemporary

Length: 6 hrs, 48 mins

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC (9th November 2015)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts

Reviewer: Prime

Blurb: Rico Gonzalves-Macias didn’t expect to fall in love during his internship in New York – and he didn’t expect the boss’ son to out them both and get him fired either. When he returns to Sac-ramento stunned and heartbroken, he finds his cousin, Adam, and Adam’s boyfriend, Finn, haven’t just been house-sitting – they’ve made his once sterile apartment into a home.

When Adam gets him a job interview with the adorable, magnetic, practically perfect Derek Hus-ton, Rico feels especially out of his depth. Derek makes it no secret that he wants Rico, but Rico is just starting to figure out that he’s a beginner at the really important stuff and doesn’t want to jump into anything with both feet.

Derek is a both-feet kind of guy. But he’s also made mistakes of his own and doesn’t want to pressure Rico into anything. Together, they work to find a compromise between instant attrac-tion and long-lasting love, and while they’re working, Rico gets a primer in why family isn’t al-ways a bad idea. He needs to believe Derek can be his family before Derek’s formidable pa-tience runs out – because even a practically perfect boyfriend is capable of being hurt.

Purchase Link: Audible US | Audible UK | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Review: Bitter Taffy is the second book in Amy Lane’s Candy Man series. I’ve have come to enjoy some of Lane’s books and this book is no exception. I find the writing style is really accessible, in that it is well written and very expressive without too much complicated language, so it’s easy to relax and read or listen to the book. The narration was performed by Philip Alces, who narrates the full series. Alces has a soft and gentle voice that matches the sweetness of the plot and conveys the variety of emotions that tumble through the MCs. It was a wonderful performance and completely on point.

Candy Man has a really cute premise. It’s about this almost hippy-like guy, Darren, who runs a boutique candy store in Old Sacramento and just so happens to have psychic visions about the people that he needs to help, i.e. people that are down on their luck and may not be looking for love but are gonna get it anyway. Really cool.

I dimly remember once reading book 3 in this series without going back to the start.

Bitter Taffy features Rico Gonzalves-Macias and Derek Huston. Both characters popped up in book one with a connection to Adam. Rico being the only family member of Adam, who kicks off the stories within this little world, and Derek both hit on Adam and commissioned some art work off of him. Between Darren, Candy Heaven owner, and Adam, they are the main connections between a majority of the characters that we meet throughout the series.

Rico is forced to leave New York when the man that he fell in love with didn’t stand up for him, which meant that Rico lost his internship after only four months, because that guy was the boss’s son. Rico feels a little like a stranger in his own home, with his cousin, Adam, and Adam’s boyfriend Finn, living in his apartment while he had been away, the two men had made it more homey in a couple months than he ever did in six years. Even his dog, Clopper, seemed to now belong to Adam. With the loss of his internship, Rico is at a loose end but doesn’t want Adam to do him a favour to help him get a job.

All that changes when he meets Derek. Derek Huston is a little older and owns his own company that acts to contract out various people, like Rico who does advertising, to smaller businesses who wouldn’t normally afford a firm to do the same thing. Derek is instantly attracted to Rico. He wants to give him and job and a whole lot more. However, Derek respects Rico’s heartbreak and he is committed to waiting patiently for the man to be ready. The guys take it slowly, getting to know each other while Rico mends. This makes for some great chemistry and sexual tension; it also makes their romance relatable and believable.

An awesome second book to the Candy Man series, now for the next one!

Title: Candy Man

Series: Candy Man 01

Author: Amy Lane

Narrator: Philip Alces

Genre: Contemporary

Length: 4 hrs, 6 mins

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press LLC (4th September 2015)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts

Reviewer: Prime

Blurb: Adam Macias has been thrown a few curve balls in his life, but losing his VA grant because his car broke down and missing a class was the one that struck him out. One relative away from homelessness, he has taking the bus to Sacramento, where his cousin has offered a house-sitting job and a new start. He has one goal, and that’s to get his life back on track. Friends, pets, lovers need not apply.

Finn Stewart takes one look at Adam as he’s applying to Candy Heaven and decides he’s much too fascinating to leave alone. Finn is bright and shiny – and has never been hurt. Adam is wary of his attention from the very beginning – Finn is dangerous to every sort of peace Adam is forging, and Adam may just be too damaged to let him in at all.

But Finn is tenacious, and Adam’s new boss, Darrin, doesn’t take bullshit for an answer. Adam is going to have to ask himself which is harder – letting Finn in or living without him? With the holi-days approaching, it seems like an easy question, but Adam knows from experience that life is seldom simple. And the world seldom cooperates with hope, faith, or the plans of cats and men.

Purchase Link: Audible US | Audible UK | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Review: Candy Man is the first book in Amy Lane’s series of the same name. I’ve have come to enjoy some of Lane’s books. However, I had not got into this series as the ebook predates when I first discovered the author. I have a dim memory of listening to one of the books in the series, but since I had read it out of order I never gave it a chance. Seems unfortunate, but it means that I’ve made an awesome discovery for the audio book format.

The narration was performed by Philip Alces, who narrates the full series. Alces has a soft and gentle voice that matches the sweetness of the plot and conveys the variety of emotions that tumble through the MCs. It was a wonderful performance and completely on point.

Candy Man has a really cute premise. It’s about this almost hippy-like guy, Darren, who runs a boutique candy store in Old Sacramento and just so happens to have psychic visions about the people that he needs to help, i.e. people that are down on their luck and may not be looking for love but are gonna get it anyway. Really cool.

The MC that needs help that introduces us to this world is Adam Macais. He had a really shitty upbringing. His family cursed his own existence, always more than happy to tell him that he was a bastard (honestly, can’t figure out that guy’s mum). When he left to go to the army, the dog that he had loved was euthanised by his vindictive mother. When he came out as gay he was outright rejected. In the army he had thought that he had found the love of his life, but that went awry. When he left the army he went back to school, but being sick meant that he lost his VA Grant. All that he had left was a handful of belongings and a crappy car that would take him to Sacramento. That’s where his cousin, Rico, lives and it feels like that Rico is the only light in his life.

Adam is staying at Rico’s place, looking after Rico’s dog, Clopper, and the decrepit cat, Gonzo, while Rico moves to New York for six months for an internship. Adam is determined to get his life back on track. He’s in the right place at the right time because barely after a day in Sacramento he walks into the store Candy Heaven, where the strange guy that runs the place, gives him an apron and tells Adam he is where he is meant to be.

Adam meets Finn when Finn delivers food from his family’s diner. Finn is super close to his family, they are big and boisterous and for Finn there is nothing bad in the world. He is outgoing and positive. He works for the family business while going to school to become an engineer. The moment he meets Adam, Finn knows that he can’t let the guy go. Good thing that Finn is a scrappy sort of guy because Adam is going to take a lot of getting to know and convincing that he is deserving of love, laughter and happiness.

Adam and Finn have great chemistry together. They are ying and yang but as they get to know each other it is clear that they both have something that the other needs. They are kind of like Beauty and the Beast in a way. Adam is a gritty character from a hard life, but that is only what we get on the surface as Adam has a lot of things to learn in the course of this book.

The world of the Candy Man has a strange type of mystical energy that makes it so easy to get love and hope. Candy Man was a really charming book and I can’t wait for the next one. This is good for people that love a rosy, sweet romance.