Lollipop

Candy Man #3

by Amy Lane, Philip Alces (Narrator)

Narrator: Philip Alces
Length: 9 hours and 13 minutes

Ezra Kellerman flew across 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 single 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.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, LGBT, Friends To Lovers

10 pages, Audible Audio

First published January 25, 2016

About the author

Amy Lane dodges an EDJ, mothers four children, and writes the occasional book. She, her brood, and her beloved mate, Mack, live in a crumbling mortgage in Citrus Heights, California, which is riddled with spiders, cats, and more than its share of fancy and weirdness. Feel free to visit her at www.greenshill.com orwww.writerslane.blogspot.com, where she will ride the buzz of receiving your e-mail until her head swells and she can no longer leave the house.

Reviews

[Julio Genao · Rating 1 out of 5]

...amy, wyd?
a me, him, and her review special.



me: ok kids, let's do this shit already bcuz i have scones in the oven and a harry potter marathon queued up in plex and i need to scrape the filth from my spirit with a cleansing shitpost.

her: 11

him: 11 what

her: 11 separate references to poop

me: amy. no.

him: hello dreamspinner editing, i've never met a ghost before

her: these boys would literally pause to remind each-other to go take a poop, like harassed parents

me: i've done that before. it's always been well-received

her: also, where there were more than two poop references on a page i counted them as one, so

him: so it could have been even more than 11

her: more like 13 maybe? or 14. in 250 pages. so, basically, once every 18 pages someone talked about poop

me: i'm having a good time picturing you going through it with a pad and pencil, counting angrily

him: it's true tho. the last time i saw so many references to shit in a book i was reading 'everyone poops' to my kid

me: but can we talk about the race stuff

her: dude

him: duuuuuuuuude

me: DUDE

her: the one black character is described as 'slutty' and 'omnisexual'

me: when he wasn't being compared to jungle animals, you mean, surely



him: when she described him she used the word 'dark' three times in the same sentence and then said 'he moved like a jungle cat'

me: jinx, bitch! *punches you in the dick*

him: his only role in the story is to be the evil slut who hits on ezra and makes miguel jealous

her: evil bisexual slut, tho

me: of course

him: of course

her: of course



me: jinx to both you clowns!!!!! *crouching dark jungle cat, hidden dragon dick punch with titty-swat combination*

him: and nobody at dreamspinner had the brains to tell amy not to describe a black man like that

me: i'm convinced dreamspinner's copy editing bullpen is just 3 surly teenagers who were grounded for posting smutty stereks on tumblr

her: ha!

him: lollllll

her: speaking of conveniently evil dark things, this orange flavoured dark chocolate is nasty af

him: told you to quit it with that dark bisexual jungle cat brand and stick to hershey's

her: it *may* be bisexual but it's definitely a whore trying to eat my husband

me: DJCFY

him: dafuq is that

me: mm's hot new subgenre: dark-jungle-cat-for-you

her: you are trash

him: i'm talking shit about you on twitter



me: gold. i give you comedy gold

her: why can't i be the evil bisexual slut?

her: ...instead of just evil

him: and everyone seems to comment ad nauseam about how white ezra is. bcuz jewish

me: fuck these scones are still hot. keep going, i have third degree burns

her: so much speechifying about not seeing color

him: and it made me deeply, deeply uncomfortable when ezra and miguel took off their pendants and swapped them

me: deeply

her: deeply

me: JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNXXXXXX

him: go fuck yourselves

her: deeply, or ... ?

me: but no that made me feel nasty also

him: with miguel wearing ezra's star of david and ezra wearing miguel's crucifix

her: like that's not tokenistic

him: or disrespectful

me: or fatuous

him: at all

her: ezra's judaism wasn't taken seriously or treated with respect at all

me: yeah. neither was miguel's christianity but who takes christians seriously anymore amirite

me: amirite

me: can i get an amen ladies if ya feel me help me ouuuuuuut *continues to sing beyonce deep-catalogue lyrics with scone in mouth*



her: and it wasn't just fucked as a religious thing. it was also a fucked racial thing

him: yeah, because though many jewish people pass for white they are still persecuted on a racial basis

her: the constant 'white boy' this and 'white boy' that completely erased his ethnicity and culture

me: i get crumbs in my chest hair twice a day. at least.

him: ...

her: ...

me: at least.

him: mmhmm. so, that's what i thought of the book

her: i think this evil dark bisexual jungle chocolate just needs the love of a good ganache

me: i mean, obviously, i'm fucking livid



him: i'm unhappy and uncomfortable

her: i'm still hungry

me: the papi thing

him: omg wtf even was that

me: i need to talk about the papi thing

her: yeah!!! he calls ezra papi every 30 seconds, which is fine, whatever, but then he also calls his own mother 'my mami' which seems a little weird for a grown ass man, but maybe i'm wrong? idk

me: caribbean latinos use papi and mami for everyone depending on how flirty they are or how affectionate the familial relationship is. mexicans, tho... not really.

him: she's doing the thing. wot white people do all the time when they write latino characters

me: yeah. mixing up different dialects of spanish willy-nilly bcuz who cares, right

her: that's what i thought too. i thought papi and mami were like mommy and daddy to mexicans

me: they are, in the same way that 'daddy' can be literally daddy and also dick-me-down-up-against-this-dresser-daddy

him: heh

her: i luh you papi

me: i luh you luh you luh you luh you mami

her: i feel like mexicans are not so into the diminutive

me: i'm not sure, but i don't think they are either. their spanish is cleaner and more formal than lazy-assed dominicans can be bothered to use. we barely trouble to use consonants

him: wepa!

me: *cold look*

him: wut

me: that's puerto rican, you poxy whore



[bitchy weave-pulling session about people who use textbook castellano spanish in place of whatever locally correct dialect of spanish they should be using when writing shitty books]

me: but yeah people who learn spanish in school are just... so tragic

him: my spanish is terrible

her: mine is excellent

me: lies, you foreign white devil

him: terrible. and i won all these awards and shit back in school

me: textbook spanish is almost always castellano and that's completely useless because nobody except the fucking spaniards speak it. everyone else among the geographical third of planet earth that speaks spanish all speak a dialect that has been transformed by whatever native culture that was destroyed by colonial spaniards in a given country. they're all different, and you sound like a moron when you use them interchangeably

her: preach

me: it's like... wtf is like

her: michael jackson!!!

me: hush, fool. what's it like!!! simile fail

him: it's like teaching someone french and telling them they speak creole

her: ooh

me: yes! exactly. excellent. that's it exactly. dominican natives didn't speak the same language as mexican natives, and dominicans also had africans from 20 different countries. so. these writers with their weird and hilariously inappropriate cathththtellano spanish... it's telling that they don't know anyone who can rescue them from their misinformation

him: >.>

her: what exactly was in that scone, tho

me: also!!! when the black omnisexual-but-really-she-meant-bisexual-whoreslut-jungle-panther man was described as a 'frolicking tomcat'

her: >.>

me: never fails

him: better than jungle. but still too much of the stereotype

her: it's like she genuinely believes she's 'writing inclusively'

him: maybe if you squint

her: ...does she not know any black people at all?

me: we can safely assume that she knows some very, very, very long-suffering mexican americans



him: *snort*

her: at least she didn't refer to anyone in terms of food

me: you're a hot tamale!!!

her: why, thank you my jungle chocolate hotness. here, have my totally-reverential religious symbol. i think it looks hotter on you

him: ...that time when miguel's mami called ezra papi

me: mrs. rodriguez's first name is 'therese'

her: -___-

him: amy

me: amy, wyd amy

her: or when miguel explains to ezra what 'brown people' means

him: oh, god, that was awful

me: i threw up in my mouth a little

him: you have the thing?

her: yeah, here

"Mostly Mexican," Miguel supplied. "Because California is attached to Mexico, right? But some people emigrated from further south, so it doesn't pay to assume."

"Huh," Ezra said, realizing he'd never thought of it before. "I feel sort of stupid. You know—I just assumed people were people, and they were from down the block."

me: hahahahahahahaha

her: hahahah

him: hahahahahaha

her: people are people!

him: so why should it be...

me: ...WE GET ALONG TOGETHER SO AWFULLY

her: you did not

me: wuuuuuuuuuuut

her: depeche mode? really?

him: i did nothing

me: i did nothing

me: jjjjjjeeeonx!!! *punchpunchpunchgropefondlepunch*

her: so. that totally happened. is, in fact, a thing. that amy wrote.

me: amy wyddddddddddd

her: wyd amy

him: ...like, why

me: whyyyyyyyyyy??? and it's not even true.

her: i can't

me: KANNAWT

him: speaking of the nope, did you guys see that fucking author's note

her: no

me: i skipped it

him:

People question sometimes why my books are peopled by all sorts of, well, people. It’s because I write the world around me—and I try to understand it. The character of Miguel comes from talking to my friend Maria Teresa, a proud Latina whose husband, Lalo, is one of the fondest—and kindest—men I’ve met. One of her jobs for the local soccer league was to talk to the vendors at Denio’s Farmers Market & Swap Meet, and to translate because most of the vendors only speak Spanish and Maria Teresa is bilingual. I clearly remember taking trips out to Denio’s as a kid. There was an entire world of industrious, usually friendly, hardworking people there. I was envious of the self-assurance and purpose of kids my age, when I could hardly walk across a parking lot without getting lost. I didn’t realize then that this confidence came from the knowledge that without the help of the children, the families would be lost. I know this now. I also know that my community is stronger with these families in it. I know that when I was teaching, the families of immigrants were among my hardest working and often best behaved. I know that the respect I accorded them was returned to me tenfold. Miguel comes from a strong and proud tradition of hardworking immigrant families who have made this country so much better through the generations. I hope my country recognizes what a tragedy it would be not to have these families in our midst.

[stunned silence]

me: ...i

her: no.

me: did she really just

him: YUP.

her: holy shit

me: wow.

him: YUUUUUUUUP.

her: how even can you, like

me: i've never seen anything like that in my life

her: hold me, j

him: right there. in print. just, you know, out there. for people to read.

me: i rebuke thee, satan, in the name of jesus, horoshabathatamakihbihtaytay

her: lol. even the speaking in tongues?

me: my evangelical christian upbringing is occasionally useful to me

her: but this.

me: no.

him: NOPE

me: she appears to be positing that mexicans are nice people? i think? which. you know.

him: eject! eject! eject!

her: *cocks head, squints a little* yup. still fuckery.

me: i think my balls retracted at the bit where she's like, immigrants were... no. no. i cannot. this is. too much.

him: i fucking told you



her: ...amy.

him: amy wyd

me: wyd, amy

her: wait, is this going in your review?

me: haven't the faintest idea

her: it is, isn't it, you little shit

me: how dare you presume to question me, immigrant scum

him: she's so well behaved tho

her: so hardworking also

me: well, i suppose if she has the 'help of the children' she can't be that bad

him: i just.

her: ...yeah. yeah. it's

me: still

him: yes

me: still there. in print

her: yes.

him: ...but look, you're not going to use our names in the review, right?

me: don't worry, nobody will know it's you guys

her: see? i told you he was going to do some ridiculous thing

him: he can't ever resist

me: i soooooo can *begins collating chat transcript, humming a cheery tune*

her: also i remain hungry

him: seriously, no names. anonymous. you always exaggerate

me: never! 100 percent accurate transcripts always!

him: lies

me: relaaaaax! i've got it all taken care of

her: *narrows eyes*

him: wtf does that mean. how. how is it 'taken care of'

me: gonna write the review in cathththththththtellano



him: omg i get that joke!

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"That was like reinventing sex for me. I didn't know it came like that."

"Yeah—that was like a whole other flavor," Miguel agreed ...

"Like lollipops," [Ezra] said. "Like—if you just taste them, they're supposed to just taste like cherry. But if you believe they're more than that, they really taste like rainbows."

Ezra came to Sacramento to find Rico. Instead, he found Miguel: Miguel who shows him the ropes, hugs him when he cries, and takes him home to meet his mom; Miguel, who cares and nurtures and is always around.

Miguel is Ezra's person, just like Ezra is his. Jake the cat wants Ezra too, but that's mostly just for petting.

At 28, Ezra doesn't even know who he is. He just knows he doesn't belong in New York and has to get away from his homophobic, racist, controlling father. In California, beastly summer heat notwithstanding, he finds a HOME.

Yeah, he sleeps on Finn and Adam's couch and works at a candy shop for minimum wage, but he's FREE.

The burn here is slow, but I didn't mind. This book is as much about finding your place in the world as it is about discovering real love, that one in a million guy who is there for you, the guy who takes you to Disneyland along with his little nieces and nephew. And you actually have FUN.

Miguel is like the ying to Ezra's yang. When Miguel gets possessive and growly, it's all systems go. Once the passion explodes, it boils over. Miguel and Ezra are frantic and shameless. They trust each other and NEED each other and connect on so many levels.



There's lot of licking. And touching. And ... it's HOT, that's all, really fucking hot.

My favorite moments:

- Miguel's mom telling Ezra about the witch hazel pads in the bathroom (because reasons).
- Ezra finally standing up to his douche of a father. (I don't think Ezra owed him a damn thing; I would have kept the money.)
- Lunch with Rico and Derek, which really wasn't as awkward as it could have been.
- Miguel losing his mind laughing about the white boy needing sunscreen (although Ezra is "not, like, exclusively white"; he's "more like inclusively pale").

Also, Waffle Guy! I loved oblivious Ezra. Miguel should thank Waffle Guy; he finally gave Miguel the nudge he needed to claim Ezra (and Ezra's ass) as his own.



Lollipop is one of Amy Lane's trademark feel-good books, my favorite kind. The language is down to earth and laugh-out-loud funny.

I love this series because it's about REAL people, some white, some brown, who work hard and love harder. Even when there's not enough money, there's uncoordinated baseball and Finn's amazing family and Finn telling Ezra that he's an "important puppy."

We get a teaser for the next book. Adam's not happy about Darrin's latest dream. But I am. Because more Candy Man is ever so sweet!

[✦❋Arianna✦❋ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars!!

[Mónica BQ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Edited and expanded: Feb 11 2016
Leaving below my original review, that admittedly is not much of one. It was just me venting my feelings. And I stand by them still. I’ve actually noticed that only if I’m pissed as hell am I marginally listened. That’s sad as fuck.

But seeing as I didn’t really review this book, this is my attempt to do so. I can’t promise I won’t feel enraged again. Because the truth is that haven’t stop feeling the anger simmering under the surface.

The book starts with an Author’s Note that is offensive and racist.
First, Amy Lane introduces “the friend”, that discourse weapon that every single racist in the world uses. I won’t expand on it, but go ahead and look up and LEARN what’s so so wrong about a white person leaning on a PoC to argument (and excuse) whatever point they want to make. The name of the friend is also worth noting since she’s used it in basically every single fucking book she’s written with a Latino character.
Second, Amy Lane compares her childhood experience to those of working kids and laments that she wasn’t as self assured as the children who had to become adults so early in life, I think that point is self explanatory but in case you didn’t get it she uses the reality of poor families (in this case PoC) to make a point about herself. That’s exploitative to say the least.
Third, she uses a sentence and certain phrasing that’s as racist as it can get. I mentioned it previously and I repeat it here: ... the families of immigrants were among my hardest working and often best behaved. . *Several* things are horrifyingly wrong here. One, it assumes and furthers the notion that only immigrants (and it almost makes it sound as illegal immigrants) have a Latino background, when in reality -and history lesson here- California (and Arizona and Texas and New Mexico and small parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma) was Mexican territory up until 1848. In Mexico the war and the resulting treaty to give up the territory is called Tratado de Guadalupe Victoria and Venta de La Mesilla, I have no fucking clue how it is called in the USA or if it is even taught or glossed over in the States. So, Mexicans are not necessarily immigrants, THEY WERE ALREADY THERE. Two, the wording of best behaved sounds like it would be followed by the words: like dogs. Treat PoC like humans lady. That’s all I’m saying about it because it’s making me see red again.
Fourth, she then mentions that Miguel, her MC in this novel, comes from a hardworking immigrant family and then she goes and completely fails to portray how is it that they are immigrants in the text, but you already assume it solely by her Author’s Note. And again like in my previous point, she makes emphasis on the well behaved and hardworking attitude, which is just hurtful as fuck. It implies that as a PoC you are only worth of her respect and humane treatment if you follow this line of correctness. Which is an invitation to treat PoC who are assholes or lazy asses, or idiots, or unaccomplished not worthy of treating us like humans.

Now, onto the text. And onto what one reviewer referred to as some *stuff* the author apparently didn’t get right.

The Spanish. Oh your fucking god, THE SPANISH.
See, the thing with us Latinos is that yes most of us like and even celebrate that some of our culture along with the language is shared. But it does NOT makes us the exact same!!! In novels, one of the easiest ways to note if an author did a good job of portraying a background of a Latino character is language. We do not sound the same (sometimes not even in the same country). We don’t use the same words. The basics of it may be the same but it is littered with words that come from indigenous dialects (like saaaaay México! which is not in Spanish!), it’s also filled with mangled and abbreviated words that each country incorporated into their language separately. And with words that mean something in one context, another thing completely when you change the setting or the audience.
And what’s so glaringly wrong about an English speaking author not getting it is that they don’t even have to make much of an effort to understand this. People from the States don’t speak the exact same English as people from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, England, Scotland, Ireland, India, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, etc. You also can’t say that aside from the language the countries and the people are the same.
So then WHY do both authors and readers insist on persistently portray Latinos as an al encompassing thing? A thing that stopped being a person and turned into a caricature, a fucking stereotype, the moment you couldn’t be bothered to even try and discern to which of the several of Latino countries your MC belongs to. And how he speaks, and how he grew up, with what traditions, with what kind of food, with what music, with which legends and myths…
The answer is because you are a fucking racist. Period.

Even though I’m focusing on the ethnicity erasure of the Latino character in this review it is worthy of note that the Jewish character gets almost the same treatment. His religion is treated with disrespect, his possible ascendants and the meaning they could have completely glossed over or simply overlooked, which makes it very easy for an author to say that they wrote a Jewish character, without ever actually writing a true Jewish character. The nuances, small or big, of growing up Jewish (practicing or not) and with a Jewish name are never depicted. (But she writes sooooo diverse people. Let’s applaud her! >>>sarcasm<<<) Jewish people are still being persecuted. And their history is still being censored and modified to the convenience of white supremacy and christian gusto. And their experiences are still being used to titillate (nazi romances anyone?).

On the same vein, the papi thing. Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the camel. Leaving aside the atrocious editing from DSP that allowed the word to be repeated ten fucking thousand times, the how and the when it was used basically goes to show that the author doesn’t get it. Like I said, context context context!
I’d once said (also in a review of one of Amy Lane’s books) that the use of papi by non-Spanish speaking people in general is one that I personally abhor because it involves some heavy cultural gymnastics. If you use it to refer to your father, then you never use to refer to a boyfriend/hook up. Unless you are being a disrespectful asshole. You also don’t say it to people left and right indiscriminately, especially not in your job! Which brings two- admittedly personal- things to the front of the issue. I’ve never, not once, in my 26 years of life, heard an adult man call his father papi (daddy). Pa, yes. Papá, yes. But I guess, it could happen (?) And if I turn the thing around and think about anyone I barely know calling me “mami”, the only, ONLY, understanding of it is that it is a catcall. No other way around it. So if you are going to use it as an endearment, which it does happen sometimes, it’s something that develops over time or that may be acceptable during sex. But in my job? SEXUAL HARRASMENT. The other thing that makes it obvious that Amy Lane has no fucking clue at all of any of it is that she used papi for boys but then mami for the mother. Dude, EW. Just EEEWWW. She’s also done this in previous books. Which really, NO. Seriously, NO. Anyway, it’s complicated. Even for me. It all boils down to a very heavy combination of context and history. So when someone that couldn’t be more ignorant if she tried uses it it’s just a big NO.

Still on the same note, a video here of the remarkable Daniel José Older explaining why Spanish shouldn’t be italicized in text.

During the course of the story, which admittedly had it’s good parts, there were two instances that showed racism at it’s most privileged and that bothered me the most.
I understand completely that people like fluffy Amy Lane, because I like it too. I get that people being compassionate and kind to one another is a thing that attracts us. I get why people like it. I mostly like it too.
But not at the expense of a Mexican man. And I’ve let it go one time too many to allow it once more. Amy Lane has about 7 books that have simultaneously made me go all gooey and all enraged.

I’m not about to re-read it so I don’t remember exactly when this scene came about, but there’s one instance in the book when Ezra asks Miguel something about brown people and Miguel gives him this asinine and superficial explanation and Ezra says something like “oh, I’ve never thought about it that way, I don’t see colour like that, I always assumed people were brown and from down the block”
And I don’t know which made me feel worse, the absolute privilege one must enjoy to be able to make a statement like that (and that goes for both the character and the author capable of writing it), or the condescending and reductive and self- derogatory response Miguel gives, something along the lines of “oh yeah, no biggie, as long as you don’t kill us with fire we are fine with your ignorance”(which again says a lot about the author who wrote it). And then the conversation basically ends with Miguel (and us, the readers, especially those just as ignorant as Ezra) thinking poor, poor Ezra. That’s right. Ezra.

On that note, I did a quick search and brown is used to describe Miguel’s mother, Miguel’s siblings, Miguel’s eyes, Miguel’s hair and Miguel’s friends more than 35 times. Don’t get me wrong, I like brown being used. It is a colour and at least Amy Lane skipped the use of food as descriptions of PoC, but really? You couldn’t say it some other way? Or most importantly, couldn’t you have showed a more wide variety of people? Because there’s some of use quite pale. Some others with green and blue eyes. Some others with blond, black, auburn hair (also, some with non-wavy hair). But no. For Amy Lane we are all (and I swear-to-you this was an actual phrase used in the novella) Mexican- brown.
Let that sink in. Mexican- brown .

The other scene in the book that made me want to puke was this instance were Miguel and Ezra are discussing clothes and Ezra confides in Miguel that when Rico was working for his father he bought him a suit and helped him choose clothes so he could- bare yourselves for the onslaught- look less Mexican. Ezra all timid and shit comes out looking like this grandiose hero. So fucking benevolent. (He was helping Rico you guys! >>>sarcasm again<<<) And Miguel goes all aww, shucks papi, you are suck a good person.
I wanted to retch in Amy Lane’s face after that.
Leaving aside the inner workings of my stomach while reading that pile of crap, I wanted and needed to make sure that I got to say my piece about it. Basically that it is humongous bullshit.
To understand why that is, you’d need about a decade of having to compromise and “switch” between cultures and languages.
Let’s just say that if a Mexican man got himself a job in a super-corporate-business he got there already knowing how to play it down low. Just fucking trust me on this. He didn’t need anyone’s help before and he certainly doesn’t need it when he already is an employee. He didn’t get to where he is by not knowing these things. No one knows better how to deal with a racist in daily life more than the people being the punching bags of those racists on a daily basis. No one. Especially not a white person that doesn’t even “see colour”.
I could go on and on about this almost infinitely but I’m up to more than 2000 words and it’s 1 am, so I am going to leave it there just like this:
All of that whole Ezra-the-saviour shot couldn’t be more wrong. Or more disrespectful. Or more racist.

And all of this 4 paged review, without even getting started on the only black person in the book being described as a jungle cat and dark dark dark (that’s right, in the same fucking sentence). People, let’s just not go there. If you don’t know what’s so wrong about describing a black person as an animal, go fuck yourself sideways with a cactus.

It all comes down to when certain things (stereotypes) are repeated relentlessly and inconsiderately by white people, they tend to become the norm. Toxic and appropriative narratives are treated as the maxima of representation and it propagates. (Amy Lane in one of her recent blog posts is all flailing and shit for the very positive wide reception of Lollipop) And that's hurtful and damaging.

So, finally, fuck you Amy Lane.

____________________________________________________________
ORIGINAL: JANUARY 2016
I was gonna bother.

I was really gonna bother with a review. I underlined a lot. I looked up links and everything.

And then, during the course of the past week, this happened and while that conversation and the several that spun out of it were great (like the one right here) the truth of the matter is that most of the responses were: "be nice", and people spreading the message were told- sometimes directly, sometimes not- that since they weren't personally liked, their ideas were to be taken not at face value, but with a grain of salt.

And the reviews for this book started coming in... and yeah, just no. I'm done.

Go read Julio's review. And like it, or don't like. I don't give much of a shit today.

Ok, lie. I give a lot of shits. I'm just not up to it.

And both the things I liked and didn't about this book, I've said recently here and here. It isn't that people like or don't like the book. It's that people talk over marginalized groups being depicted. I always say whether I like a book or not (problematic as it may be), but I never dare say "this is the reality for -insert group I don't belong to here-". It was fucking naive of me to expect the same of others.

(I can't not mention this sentence from the Author's Note: ... the families of immigrants were among my hardest working and often best behaved.
BEST BEHAVED.
If by any chance anyone reads this review and doesn't understand what's glaringly wrong and racist with that statement I'd go and check my privilege in the mirror.)

[☆ Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

In book 3 of Amy's Candy Man series, "Lollipop," all of the characters that I loved from the two initial books are back and the new story fits seamlessly into the Candy Heaven universe.

In this latest installment, 28 y.o. NYC native, Ezra Kellerman shows up in Sacramento with hopes that he isn't too late, but when you snooze, you lose, which Ezra immediately realizes, as Rico is now happily in love with Derek, his true soulmate.



Rico does still care what happens to Ezra, though, even if he has moved on, so he sets Ezra up with a place to stay and a guardian, of sorts, in Candy Heaven employee Miguel.

Miguel is still finding his own footing, and feeling a teeny bit butthurt, after his small startup business failed, so the last thing that he needs (or wants) is the responsibility of helping someone else put their life back together.



Then as Ezra and Miguel begin spending nearly every day together, Miguel slowly changes his tune about the burden of spending time with the adorable, yet broken (and sexy) Ezra.

For me, this was not only a story about healing and growing into the person you want to be, but also about family. For better or for worse.

Where Ezra's controlling and distant family is concerned, blood is thicker than bullshit. And just as noxious and unbearable. These people are real pieces of work, let me tell you.

Miguel's family, however, along with Finn's and the people at Candy Heaven, more than make up for Ezra's lack of biological family connections.

The way that Miguel's mother and Finn's sister latch onto Ezra was amazing to watch. Plus, I found Ezra and Miguel's trip to Disneyland with Miguel's young nieces and nephew really heart-felt and touching.

The main conflict arises when Ezra's pissed off (asshole) father and brother show up on Adam and Finn's doorstep while Ezra is out of town.



I loved seeing Ezra lean on Miguel and his chosen family to come through that experience stronger than ever -- without his tail between his legs, but with his head held high. Ezra's character growth in the story was a thing of beauty.

The slow burn in this one reaaaaaaally took a while to catch fire (until around 60% into the book,) but when it finally did, Lord, there were some sizzling hot scenes, several involving a lot of tongue. ;- )



One of the funniest aspects of the story was how pretty much everyone kept hitting on an extremely oblivious Ezra, which made Miguel bat-shit crazy.

Who knew that all it would take to push Miguel over the edge would be one scorched waffle to force his hand and throw Ezra up against the wall and go for it?

Yes, more waffles, please!



Also, the scene where Miguel controls the show and takes Ezra apart, one piece at a time, that was pretty hot as well.



The story wasn't overly angsty and we're left with a pretty strong HEA, but there was an unexpected part at the very end concerning Darrin's clairvoyant abilities maybe not being the only ones around that had me practically vibrating while guessing just where that plot twist might take us in the future.

And we're given a huge clue at the end of the story as to who will be showing up at Candy Heaven next, much to Adam's dismay, but Darrin may have some help in the next book, which I can't wait to read.

So after all that possible juiciness about the next book, of course I had to track Amy down on Facebook and tell her that she was a FUCKING TEASE! (In a mostly good way.) ;- )



Overall, I enjoyed this one more than book 2 (because... WAFFLES,) but a bit less than book 1 (because... FINN,) so this one clocks in at around 4.25 *verse-is-the-new-gay* stars.

------------------------------------------------

My ARC copy of the book was provided by the publishers in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.

[.Lili. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lollipop is the third book in the Candy Man Series and starts off directly where book two ends. Ezra finally freed from his father has come to win back Rico only Rico has moved on. Rico has entrusted the gang to take care of Ezra.

Just as in the previous books, Amy Lane has delivered another lovely, feel good story that will steal your heart.

My highlights:

*Rico. Hot damn. I loved everything about him. His strength, loyalty, and gentleness. I've got another Book Boyfriend to add to my list.
*Ezra. Despite his past hurts like a phoenix he rises from the ashes. He brought out my maternal instincts, and I wanted to protect him along with the rest of the gang.
*Relationship development. I love a great friends to lovers tale, and Amy did an outstanding job in this aspect of the story.
*The gang. This series is a perfect example of why I love series. It's such a joy to catch up with past characters and to see where they're at in their life and relationships.
*Steam. Um... HOLY. SMOKES.
*This is a low angst, feel good story.
*The pace of the story was smooth and effortless.
*I was emotionally satisfied with where she left the boys.

As far as negatives... I got nothing.

Quick Note:

As far as this being book 3 in a series- can you read this out of order? My answer would be no. For maximum enjoyment, they should be read in order. Plus, they're awesome you may as well.

I know Ms. Lane is known as the Queen of Angst, but she could easily also be known as the Queen of Feel Good. She has delivered a beautiful story of perseverance, friendships, family, and love. 5 Stars!!!





ARC kindly provided by Dreamspinner Press to Gay Book Reviews for an honest review.

[Ele · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Yeah. You know. Uh, lollipop kisses— he’s got ’em. [Miguel]”

Darrin nodded soberly. “They don’t just taste like cherry,” he said, completely serious. “They taste like the whole rainbow.”

You know what this is? This is angst in disguise. Heartbreak served with candy and lollipops and bubble gum. You 're so sneaky, Amy Lane! Even your fluff makes me want to cry. But it hurts soooo good!

So, yes, my heart broke a little while reading this book.

For Ezra. Who came back to Rico, but Rico was taken. Who tore his old life apart with his bare hands (literally). Who may have money in the bank, but is happier to crash on Adam and Finn's couch, with Jake, the cat, on his chest, and work a job at Candy Heaven for a big rainbow Lollipop as a reward.

And for Miguel. Because he failed to see how magnificent he is. Because he thought he was invisible, nobody's person and the least favorite puppy. Until Ezra.

Because Ezra remembered his name.

It takes a while for Ezra and Miguel to come together. Because they became friends first, and then fall in love with each other, and then had sex. And we get to watch all this happening, step by step. I loved that.

So yes, there is a lot of slow burn, but this isn't all there is. It is Ezra finding a family, friends and a home. It is a road trip to Disneyland and finding out how awsome it is to wear shorts and T-shirts.

But when they came together....BOOM!



Fireworks and magic. And so much sweetness. And let me tell you, Miguel gets all possessive and jealous and MINE, MINE, MINE like nobody's business...

"“Only me,” he [Miguel] muttered. “All these men trying to get you to flirt, to smile, to take off your clothes— only me, you understand?”

Oh hell yes....we understand.

I literally forgot to breath during the sex scenes. Every one of them means something and is an integral part of the narration.

"This time Ezra kept his eyes open the entire time, locked on Miguel’s, until they both had to close them, trapping the moment for all time, this heartbeat of being inside each other, their bodies as locked as their hearts."

This was my favorite book in the series and I highly recommend it.

And don't go thinking that it's all over, because it's not. Candy Heaven will be back, and I have to admit that never in a million years would I have guessed who the MC will be.

*Also posted on Gay Book Reviews.*

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am so torn about this book mostly because I really like this author's books but this time, it was really hard to push through the book.

I'm going to say that I'm the whitest, mayo on white bread person ever. My family has no cultural identity other than our Minnesota roots and I was personally offended for blacks, Mexicans and Jews while reading this book. I felt sorry for Ezra and Miguel because they were caught in a very horrible, racist sitcom written by a woman who probably is a very nice person but needs to really stop and think about what she's writing.

If there is a DSP person reading this, please have a sit down with Ms. Lane and talk to her about how she's portraying other races. Her characters went beyond parody, past the point of Mickey Rooney playing a Japanese man in Tiffany's. It wasn't funny. It wasn't cute. It wasn't even touching in the places it should have been touching.

And that made me so sad. I want to like every Amy Lane book. I do. But they're getting really bad and rushed without a lot of thought about how the characters are written or even a plot.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE... what was with all the poo? Why was it even there? Is no one even reading these things when they go through editing? It was like listening to my 12 year old son and his friends. Not what I want in my romance.

[Jewel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone that has spent much time reading my reviews knows that I can't get enough of Amy Lane. Amy Lane Lite, Amy Lane Super Angsty, just sign me up! I read Lollipop right after a very heavy, emotionally draining read and it, as I knew it would, recharged me and left me centered again.

Miguel and Ezra seemed an unlikely pair, at first. Ezra was a fish out of water, or, more appropriately, a cat that just escaped its kennel for the first time. Watching them play cat and mouse was rather fun.

Miguel has a bit of a bruised ego. His first try at running a business of his own failed and his crush (Adam) fell for someone else (Finn) and he just feels like he's gone backwards in life. Having Rico, essentially, dump Ezra on him to babysit just isn't what he wanted. Until it was. For the first time, someone really sees Miguel and pays attention to him.

And Ezra, man I just felt bad for him. He finally breaks away from his father, flies clear across the country, only to find that his beloved has moved on. Crushing. So, Ezra has a choice to make -- he can go crawling back to his overbearing father, or he can start a new life in California and maybe become someone he wants to be instead of who his father wants him to be. It isn't like he ever had his father's approval anyway. And he's already gone through the trouble of breaking free. So, he might as well see about the rest.

Lollipop was a delightful, slow burn. Miguel and Ezra become friends before they become lovers and it was beautiful. I also liked the little twist at the end, which I'm not going to say what it was. But I loved it! And I cannot WAIT for the next book. Dayum. I really want it, oh now would be just perfect!

[BevS · Rating 1 out of 5]

**edit 30/4/16. I will not be reading Selfie even though I bought it from Riptide. I understand that the author has 'pooped' again and more rubbish has appeared in that book which Riptide's owners have now publicly agreed is not acceptable in any way, shape or form. The author has been requested to amend her original work. I can only say 'Adios Amy, it's been a blast but all good things have definitely come to an end. No more.'***

Another disappointing Amy Lane read for me I'm afraid, and I was definitely not impressed with the somewhat condescending attitude, not just towards Mexican people, but African Americans and Jewish people too. I have Selfie on order, but I think that may be my last Amy Lane read, her fame has gone to her head. A very generous 1 star.

[Daphne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think it's time for an Amy Lane break for me. I love her sweet books and her angsty books, there are even bits of this series that I love. But this is cloyingly sweet, improbably and obnoxiously sweet - so sweet that the people almost seem challenged in some way. It's clearly me and not the books because they are so popular.

Why did Ezra cry all.the.time? And why was Miguel kind of intelligible sometimes? Why were so many words italicized? And for the love of all things holy, why does Amy Lane have characters call women heifers, cows or what have you in so many books?! And finally, why, pray tell - must every one of the books in this series discuss poop, crap, the time spent or the order on which they use the washroom in the morning, the act of pooping (both human and canine) and Finn's digestive tract? It's like this series was written by an incredibly precocious tween who is both randy and still enamored with potty humor, weeping drama and italics.

Yep - time for a break from this series for me. Who knows, maybe I just need to poo. (I kid, I kid).

[Aerin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of Amy Lane's most misleading series ever, because with all the sweetness that lollipops, and candy and chocolate bring, you'd never expect for that subtle angst to take residence inside your heart and rip it to pieces a little at the time. I should know better by now, yet once again I was surprised to realize Amy is a very sneaky writer, whose version of fluff and sweetness has a definite bite to it. But what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, and this time around I've learned a very important lesson... I am definitely going to be prepared for the next book in this series, because now I KNOW that no matter what Amy Lane writes, I'm definitely going to feel the bite.

This book pics up exactly where Bitter Taffy left off; Ezra came from New York to try to win Rico back, only Rico is taken and happy with the love of his life, Derek. So Ezra finds himself dumped on Adam's front lawn, at the mercy of strangers like Adam, and Finn, and Miguel. Ezra is 28 years old and only now starting to discover who he is, after years of living under his homophobic and controlling father's thumb. After literally tearing his life apart with his bare hands, Ezra escapes to Sacramento with the hope of getting Rico back, only to end up with a solid group of friends who care about his wellbeing, a purring, loving cat who soothes his dreams, and an amazing boyfriend who would do anything to make Ezra smile.

Miguel has been crushing on Adam for a long time, and even though he knows there's never been any hope of a romantic relationship with Adam, he can't seem to make this stupid crush go away. Growing up in a loving Mexican family, Miguel is one of the 6 siblings; he's not the oldest, nor the youngest, and he mostly feels invisible and unimportant. He doesn't like to draw attention to himself, and he's definitely used to fading in the background.

When Ezra first becomes his responsibility, Miguel isn't very thrilled, and he doesn't really want to like Ezra much either. But the two men find comfort in each other in different ways: Ezra finds a shelter and a piece of heaven in angel-faced Miguel, a person who befriends him and doesn't judge him, who takes time to get to know the real Ezra. Miguel basks in the attention he receives from Ezra, he feels important to him, and he feels like he's SEEN of the first time ever. Because Ezra remembers his name.

Miguel and Ezra become very close friends and enjoy being around each other; Ezra makes Miguel realize he's important and belongs, while Miguel helps Ezra learn to trust and believe in the unconditional help and love offered by his new friends in Sacramento. Miguel helps Ezra find his real home. Who knew that laid-back Miguel could become a jealous, intense lover? It came as a total (beautiful) surprise, because it seems like nothing drove Miguel crazier than all the men hitting on the innocent, clueless Ezra. If I knew that a burnt waffle was all that was going to take for Miguel to snap, I would've burnt the damn thing myself! It takes a while for the sex to happen, but I sure didn't mind, because the slow burn was delicious. But once Miguel snaps and finally takes Ezra to bed, there are fireworks, and passion, and sweetness and intensity! Ay papi, I get it, I totally do.. Ezra is yours and only yours! Message received!

This book is about more than romance, it's about friendship, and love and home. It's about letting go of the ugly and embracing the beautiful, and accepting that the beautiful doesn't always come with riches and is not always glamorous. Between this book and Candy Man, I can't pick a favorite, because they're both incredible. And holy shit, we get another book, and I couldn't be more excited! Only no matter how much I try, I can't figure out who the other MC is going to be... on the bright side, we'll see a lot more of Adam and Finn. This book was beautiful!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lollipop, Lollipop, Oh Lolli Lolli Lollipop...

I don't have a sound track for this story but I'm old enough that the theme song popped into my head and of course it's Lollipop by the Chordettes of course...

my link text

I started reading 'Lollipop' because at the time I just needed something that would make me smile and with out fail this one did it. We first found out about Ezra in 'Bitter Taffy' the second book in this series. He's Rico's ex from New York. The guy who broke Rico's heart so honestly I didn't see me liking him but I had faith that this author was going to give me a story to make me feel good and needless to say Ms Lane did not disappoint me in this department and I ended up totally adoring Ezra.

At the beginning Ezra is heartbroken and so fragile after years of emotional abuse at the hands of his father. Realizing that the biggest mistake he ever made was letting Rico go and in an act of desperation he flies from New York to Sacramento only to learn that he's too late and Rico's heart now belongs to someone else. Rico knows that Ezra needs some one to care for him but he's not the person for the job anymore so in an effort to od what's right for both him and Ezra he entrust Ezra's care to cousin Adam and his partner Finn. Adam and Finn take Ezra in and give him somewhere safe allowing him the time and space he needs to put himself back together and start over again, but more importantly this big change has brought another person into Ezra's life their friend Miguel.

Ezra and Miguel's relationship starts out for Miguel as a responsibility that's been thrust upon him, but as things progress they become friends and finally each man realizes that while being friends is nice it's not what they want from each other and they take that next step together.

Miguel helps Ezra believe in himself and discover so many of the good things that he never had in his life before and in return Ezra sees Miguel...really sees him and helps him to see himself as the person he wants to be.

One of the things I really liked about this story was the fact that Ezra was allowed to cry. I know it may seem like a weird thing to say that I like but so often in books men aren't suppose to cry it's considered to be weak and unmanly. However, reality is that sometimes regardless of our gender life hurts and tears really are the best way to let that pain out and help start the healing process and I appreciated the fact that Ezra was able to do this and wasn't portrayed as being all stoic and macho because 'real men' don't cry...right? Wrong, real people in pain whether it's emotional as was the case with Ezra or physical shed tears it's a normal human reaction and can be so cathartic for the soul.

Ezra is someone who hasn't had a lot of good in his life and once he's removed from the poison environment that was his life in New York he begins to see that what he left behind was crushing him and as he rebuilds himself and starts to find a new life dealing with the emotional damage of the past at times is simply overwhelming.

Candy Man really is the type of series that I love to read. While each book introduces us to a new couple we get to spend time with so many familiar characters as they remain a part of the background going from story to story.

The ending of 'Lollipop' gave us hints about the next book and I honestly can't wait to see what that story brings because it definitely sounded promising.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't feeling this.

We first glimpsed Ezra in book two--and he was horrible. I knew this book was about him getting his HEA; it wasn't a secret. I also knew Amy Lane would be able to redeem him.

And, while he wasn't the asshole we were initially made to believe, I think Amy Lane turned the dial a few clicks too far in the other direction.

The guy has an MBA. (It's mentioned that one time.) Even I know it takes a few extra dashes of smarts to achieve that. So maybe he's book smart and business savvy (that we don't get to see). But...everywhere else? He comes across as a sniveling pre-pubescent nitwit.

All the characters, really. They all seem childish and immature in their dialogue. They're mid-to-late 20s but read as adolescents. That holds absolutely no appeal for me.

Ezra's receiving kindness for the first time in his life ever and learning he's free to return it. That's huge. I can get being a bit emotional about that. Once. Ya get one breakdown then I'm gonna start rolling my eyes. I can maybe see getting choked up once more with the overwhelm...but the tears and wracking sobs? Hold onto your shorts, fucking rejoice, and get on with it, dude.

I liked Miguel. He had the patience of a saint to put up with Ezra and wait for him to piece his heart and life together. I liked his little dominant/possessive streak, I like how supportive he was. I liked his family and that he had that to give the lost Ezra.

But. I didn't like his calling Ezra papi with such frequency. I've read and heard it real-time as an endearment or, more often, as an honorific. It's not the endearment itself that I have a problem with. Baby and sweetheart make me gag when used too often. Kindle search returns 78 results for papi, maybe...I'm spitballing here...67 too many? And, uhhh, doesn't it translate to daddy? Maybe I do take issue.

This was sloooow burn. I like slow burn romance. That shit makes me all kinds of squishy, because I believe in it. But the thing about those glowing embers is they need to be fanned on occasion to keep the heat up or they fizzle out into dusty ash. I know this. I've been sitting in front of the fireplace for the last few weeks. From roughly 26.7% to 50.2% I was bored. What were they even doing? I don't remember but it wasn't kissing or a handjob, I'll tell you that.

I think maybe this was also way too sweet for me. It's not the kindness thing--that rocks and we could all do with more kindness. (I'M WORKING ON IT, ALREADY!) But, I'm relatively cynical by nurture [I know what I said] and my patience begins to wear thin with all the sugary overload of the candy store and everyone being so goddamn nice. And I get antsy for a bar fight or a velociraptor to swoop in when the forward momentum gets stalled out for so long.

Not a win for me.



Also posted on BackPorchReader.com.

[Renée · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am growing addicted to the little family at Candy Heaven. Even weird Darrin.

Ezra showed at the end of Book 2 and threw Derek into a tizzy, thinking his future with Rico was over. And Ezra wanted to ask for Rico to give them another chance. But Rico was permanently cemented in Derek's heart, and Derek in his. Rico wouldn't leave Ezra out on his ass though. He remembered all too well Ezra's family and home life.

And so begins the adoption of Ezra into the fold. This series definitely has a formula: the family that you are enveloped into. The family that you make. The family of Candy Heaven. The first half of the story shows Ezra becoming EZRA. He's never had his own identity. He's always been a robot, just existing in a world created by his father. He learns what matters. He learns that HE matters. And he learns that friendships and working for minimum wage, as long as you're surrounded by the people that you love and you're happy, are all that you need.

Miguel has always been important to those he loves but he's never been EVERYTHING to just ONE person. Surrounded by 5 other siblings his whole life, and then having a recent business fail, he is tired of being swallowed up by the world and those around him. He knows love. He knows acceptance. He knows he's lucky in his life, especially after seeing all that Ezra didn't have despite growing up in the lap of money. But when Ezra looks at Miguel and SEES him, can always pick him out of a crowd, and even SEEKS him out of a crowd - well there's something special about that.

This was a slow burn, a real friends-to-lovers story. I loved that!! Ezra needed time to get Rico out of his system, and Miguel needed time to get his crush on Adam out of his. And as they slowly gravitate toward each other, even with other friends in this group at Candy Heaven, they finally figure out why. And can I just say that growly, jealous Miguel when others would flirt with Ezra??? Holy hell - that was worth the read alone!

Ms. Lane made this even more interesting - she is passing on some of Darrin's "powers" to one of the other Candy Heaven characters, and when you get a glimpse of who is coming in the next book? Well, look out Finn!

[Vallie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an adorable story! As with the first two books in the Candy Man series, there’s sweet sweet romance with a sprinkle of heartache and a bit of growing up, all there to tug at your heart-strings and bow to Amy Lane’s mastery of fluffy goodness.

The story picks up right where Bitter Taffy left off, with Ezra stranded in front of Rico’s apartment, with Miguel, Adam, and Finn as his appointed guardians. Ezra is 28 years old, but has experienced a pretty severe mental breakdown after being in the closet and under his dad’s controlling thumb all his life. So he’s 28 but sounds a lot younger, mainly because of how fragile and vulnerable he is. He went to Sacramento hoping to get Rico back but ended up getting so much more, namely a boyfriend, a solid group of friends, an adopted family, and a job at Candy Heaven.

Miguel is one of Derek’s –Rico’s boyfriend- employees who also works at Candy Heaven. He is Latino, hot, and generally withdrawn. Miguel grew up in a very loving home but having so many siblings, he always felt like he was fading in the background. When Ezra shows up, Miguel finally feels like someone is noticing him in the ways that matter and a strong friendship starts developing between the two.

There is some nice slow-burn here which evolves into delicious explosive smex later on in the book. Who would’ve thought that quiet Miguel would be the jealous, dominant type? Oh but he wears it so well! And no one does needy like Amy Lane folks! The feelz and the intimacy are right on point and the emotions make you want to give them both hugs and hold them close for all eternity. The hurt/comfort sneaks in there in the dark and while you’re obliviously reading along thinking this will be a ball of fluff..BAM, you’re caught unawares with ooohs and aaaaahs after every second sentence. Nothing heavy, but just enough to make you care more for the characters and what happens to them.

The resolution with the dad was a tad OTT but I took great pleasure in seeing Ezra standing up for himself and claiming his independence. There’s a wonderful HEA in store for the boys and the best part? It looks like there’ll be a fourth book!!!!!!!!!!!! Adam’s ex is gonna show up and who knows how much drama that’ll stir up. Just think of Finn pouting and throwing tantrums all over the place. I. CAN’T. WAIT!!!

Recommend!

ARC of Lollipop provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. See this review at Gay Book Reviews.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars - Can you taste the Rainbow?

This is book three in Amy Lane's Candy Man Series and it is just as fun as the other, picking up exactly where book two, Bitter Taffy, left off. You need to read these books in order, they won't make any sense otherwise.

So this is finally Ezra and Miguel's story. We get to know the Ezra who broke Rico's heart and learn why he behaved how he did while watching him learn to mend himself and accept himself. Ezra has never had a family who "acted" much like a family, a cold mom, bitter business man for a dad and brothers who were not very close. So being part of a family, even if it is a family of friends, is totally new to to Ezra and it takes some adjusting and realization that he is worth it and that he deserves to be the center of someone's world. Miguel is the perfect person to sooth Ezra and to help him find himself, Miguel is from a big loving family and all Miguel wants is to find that one person who belongs to him. When Miguel is asked to guide Ezra around Sacramento and help him find his way, the two start a friendship that after a month turns to lovers...and Miguel is exactly what Ezra needs in the Bedroom as well. Ezra wants to be owned and Miguel is there to dominate him, like no other top has -- erasing any memory of previous lovers.

There is some family drama in this story and Ezra does everyone proud when he finally stands up to his bitter dad. There is lots of fuzzy feel good moments and we get to see that someone is going to be helping out with the visions in pixie dust at Candy Heaven. Another excellent story by Amy Lane and I think we are now waiting for book four in the series...

*ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed by Jaime from Alpha Book Club
and Gay Book Reviews

[Susinok · Rating 2 out of 5]

I dunno about this one. The voice seemed odd, Ezra seemed a bit too pitiful, and what's all the white boy/brown boy, "I don't see color" bs?

And how many employees does a small candy shop really need? I've seen a busy Sees Candy run with two.

[Arch Bala · Rating 4 out of 5]

+ Adam, Finn and Jake the Cat <3

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, I'm turning to Amy Lane and her wonderful 'Candy Man' series for some sweet, gentle, heartwarming, a little angst, and a beautiful happy ever after story. Believe me, if you knew what I read before this that had me sobbing for hours, you would understand why I need the comfort of Finn, Adam, Rico, and Derek.

"It wasn’t the religion, because Jews on the whole were pretty damned forgiving—no. It was Martin Kellerman, who gave credence to any idea that allowed him to control the world to his exact specifications. He was the micromanaging monster of every office worker and the thundering bogeyman in every child’s nightmares. He’d been the nightmare of Ezra’s waking life, that was for sure."

Poor Ezra. Even though he doesn't get Rico back in the way he wants, he gets something so much better. He gets the chance to figure out who he really is, what he wants for his own life, and the opportunity to think for himself. A freedom Ezra has never experienced before. Poor Miguel. He definitely has middle child syndrome, or just the "I'm lost in this huge family" syndrome. He feels like he's been ignored his entire life. Hell, he's even upset that Darrin has never had a dream about him, or seen Miguel in his pixy stix powder. He's frustrated, but also a little fascinated with this new guy and his plight.

Watching Ezra begin to open up was much like seeing a caterpillar turn into a butterfly. He was the youngest child, with an emotionally and mentally abusive father and a disinterested mother. He never really had any friends, and he did as he was told, until it got so bad after Rico left, that he had a breakdown at the office and spent a month in a psychiatric hospital. Now, he's beginning to learn that he has value as a friend, as an employee, as a human being. If only he could get Miguel to see him as something other than a responsibility.

"There’s nothing special about me,” Ezra said. “I… haven’t earned this place here. I mean, you bring home a stray cat and feed it, you’re not going to love it like one you went out and picked just for you.”

Miguel has been seeing Ezra as something "not a responsibility" for a while now. How can he not? Ezra is so earnest, so willing to learn, and he's not jaded, or snobby. Ezra thinks Miguel's big family is awesome, and he's a little in love with Miguel's Mami. What do you expect from a young man who has never been cared about, who has never had people like him just because he's Ezra. So no, it didn't take long for Miguel to fall in love.

Another stunningly gorgeous addition to the series, with a little surprise at the end involving Ezra and his future at Candy Heaven. Ezra and Miguel were so beautiful together, it made my eyes well up a few times. Exactly what I needed tonight! Thank you, Amy, for always giving me perfection.

[Tamika♥RBF MOOD♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Review @Ohmyshelves Blog

Miguel was on the lookout for one more thing to make Ezra happy, one more thing to talk to him about, one more thing to keep their growing friendship alive and thriving.

Oh my goodness, my feelings were in happy sugary sweetness overdrive!!!! Amy Lane has made me happy, and I didn't cry. Yes!!! I think this was my very first book by her and I didn't shed a damn tear. Ha, you take that you Temptress of Tears & Angst!!! From the very beginning to the end I was in love with these two characters. I honestly think these might be my two favorite characters by her. Ezra is a doll, no a kitty cat that needs love! He broke my heart, but then pieced it together with his strength. Miguel surprised me, I didn't expect this from him at all. Miguel needs to be put on the pedestal and I don't say that often about characters.

This is book 3 in the Candy Man series, and best far the greatest all of all. I love Adam & Finn a tons, they are great together. Derek & Rico are okay as well. But this friends to lovers trope is beautifully done. Ezra has flown to Sacramento trying to get that old thing back in Rico, but unbeknownst to him Rico has moved on. Stuck on a lawn with nobody sees me Miguel and this is fate at it's finest. I didn't know how this was going to work out at all. Ezra seemed so shattered and broken, and I am so happy to see that he got to enjoy his life a little. He was extremely kind, and the littlest things made him smile. I think I was grinning from ear to ear. Seeing him with Miguel's nieces & nephews had me awwing all over the place. His conversations with Therese was adorable as well. His life hasn't been easy or his own's for the longest that he hasn't got a clue what he wants to do or who he wants to me. One thing for certain is Miguel is always going to watch his back. I think Ezra was meant to be for Miguel. He was just waiting around to find someone to need and keep him for a change. Miguel is the best. I understood him, it's hard having a voice when you have 5 siblings. I enjoyed laid back Miguel a ton, but when jealous & possessive Miguel came out it was Muy Caliente. It was a different Miguel, an assertive Miguel.

Both guys are so good for one another confidence and ego. I think Amy Lane killed it with the dialogue between these two guys. You can see the love and devotion blossoming before our eyes. I highlighted so many good parts in this story. It's my first favorite book of the new year! Well done.

And then Ezra simplified all of that, boiling it down to the one thing that was most important, and so so simple. "Love you, Miguel," he panted against the bed. "Love me too?" Of course he did.

**Special thanks to Dreamspinner Press for allowing me to review this in exchange for an honest review.**

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series " Says what it does on the box "

The clue is in the title , it's a sweet read , and that is exactly what is required at times .
I love Amy Lane's writing , it has a sort of lyrical and very descriptive tone to it , yet it never pulls you out of the story .

This book follows on immediately from Bitter Taffy , and Ezra has taken a big step in his life , to follow Rico ( his former boyfriend ) out to Sacremento , only to find Rico has moved on without him .
The story follows Ezra putting himself back together , with the help of Adam , Finn and mainly Miguel .

There is a slowly developing relationship between Ezra & Miguel , and a great cast of supporting characters , including all at that Candy Shop , and both Finn's and Miguel's large families .
Watching the enjoyment Ezra felt at being included in a family , something he hadn't really experienced before , was lovely . As was the humour and attention to detail in the beauty of everyday things , that we all forget to notice sometimes.

Of course I was really rooting for them and their HEA , and was proud of Ezra finally standing up to his pretty awful father .
I loved it , just more Finn please , because you can't have too much Finn , that's not even a thing !

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this series and Amy Lane's latest books in general are a little bit too sweet, bland, cuddly and repetitive for me at the moment. But I still have not given up the hope that the next Amy Lane might work for me again.

[Skirmish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Reaction: https://neverhollowed.com/2018/09/01/...
Rating: 3.5 Stars - that place between like and love

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, low angst and sweet series 🍭😊

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars This has never been my favorite series from Amy Lane, but I just can't help myself and I needed a sugary fix. While I loved book 1 and simply liked book 2, this one didn't do much for me. Adam and Finn's witty banter in book 1 worked, but now it just seems like every couple talks with the exact same rhythm and cadence. It didn't fit Miguel's personality, and certainly not Ezra's. Add to that, Ezra has almost the same voice as Adam and he just didn't gel in my mind with how I thought of him. So I think that's a combination of writing and narration.

This is a light series and it's suppose to be fun. And it generally is. I like the slight mysticism of Darrin's psychic pixie sticks and the little tease at the end was nice Ezra will be his successor. But as much as I liked Ezra and Miguel as friends, I wasn't really feeling the sexual chemistry. I never quite felt like I got to know Miguel and then he got all Dommy in bed and it felt a little odd.

This is one of those series you either like or you don't, and I don't think my review will change that for you. If you like this series, read this and you'll like it. If you don't like this series, you probably stopped after book 1. I liked this narrator a lot in the Granby Knitting series and in book 1 of this series, but I think it's just too much of the same. He can only do so many voices and he can only work with what he is given, and I tend to find the banter here repetitive and a bit forced.

Received audio version from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, reviewed for Hearts On Fire

[Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite of the Lollipop series. Finally! Hot Latinos looking for love. Canine and felines. Candy. You'd have to be very greedy to want more than that considering the dearth of books with Latino and Latina characters.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another sweet Amy Lane candy romance, but with huge cultural issues

A sweet Amy Lane romance with undoubtedly well-meaning but potentially problematic cultural and racial characters and setting. When reading the book, I assumed an author of the stature (as well as considering where she lives) would have had extensive “sensitivity” readers on this (either professional or personal acquaintances). I’m a very "white-bread" guy originally from the U.S. Midwest, but now live in a heavily Hispanic area of California, and am in someways immersed in Mexican American culture. (Over half of the students where I teach are Hispanic - mostly but not entirely Mexican Americans; my daughter is engaged to a Mexican American man; most of my neighbors are Hispanic, etc.) Despite my ongoing exposure to a heavily Hispanic/Mexican-influenced culture, I wouldn’t dream of writing extensively without having someone with a clue checking my understanding. However, there have been multiple cultural critiques of this work, some of which even resonate with my (thin, white guy) understanding of the cultures around me.

Of all of the comments I have read, I think the overuse of “papi” was the clearest indicator from my personal experience that the critics have significant weight behind their comments. (I was in a serious relationship with a Cuban American man for several years, and his use of “papi” was very limited and in specific situations only. I know this usage doesn’t automatically extend to other Hispanic cultures, but reading that term over and over again automatically game me great pause.) Having multiple commentators point out the (over-)usage of that term left me even more skeptical regarding all of the various cultural portrayals (including the descriptions of the slutty character and the Jewish family which were also offensive to many).

There was one other point that highly offended some of the critics, the prologue which defends “hard working” immigrants. On the one hand, I understand the offense, and where I live it goes without saying that a large portion of the immigrant committee from all kinds of origins (Mexicans, Salvadorans, Hondurans, Hmong, Chinese, Sikh, Arab, Assyrian, etc., etc., etc.) work some of the most difficult jobs and the longest hours in our society. While I would feel almost ridiculous pointing this out in central California, plenty of my relatives from the Midwest (or even wealthier, white-dominated suburbs in California) have expressed derision for the contributions and work ethic of immigrants in general, especially non-European immigrants, and undocumented Hispanic immigrants in particular. I know the prologue comes across as extraordinarily condescending to many, but my guess it’s really written as an expression of dismay, anger, and angst against those (including our relatives and neighbors) who repeatedly belittle and dismiss the contributions of immigrants (both documented and undocumented) to our society, and who charge immigrants with being lazier and/or more crime ridden than other groups (which is overall not true at all) in often highly racist language. (And one can also have similar issues with other terms and attitudes in the prologue, such as "best behaved." Having dealt with so many extremely racist bigots where I grew up, I get where the author is coming from and the idea of what she is trying to say, but I also get why how she said it can be so offensive as well. ) So I’m not surprised the prologue struck some readers as condescending and ridiculous (and those to whom it was really addressed probably don’t read this type of literature in any case).

Finally, to add to my personal wish that there be some kind of “sensitivity” (i.e., reader/editor with a clue) review of this book before publication, some readers weren't thrilled that (if I remember correctly) the predatory slut was a bisexual, which can be seen as playing on a very hurtful (and usually untrue) stereotype as well. However, in other works, the author has what I find to be very fair and even portrayals of bisexuality, so it doesn't bother me personally that in this book the "slut" happens to be bi, but if I didn't have experience with the author's broader context, it might. (I won't go deeply into the racial/ethnic descriptions of that character, but I'll just mention I understand why it can come across as offensive.)

In short, I don’t expect bias, stereotypes, cultural appropriation, or inaccurate racial/ethic portrayals to be totally eliminated from every book, especially from pulp fiction. But this author is popular enough, and the level of cultural exploration deep enough in this story, that I would have expected significant vetting. The Mexican American community is incredibly diverse, so it could very well be that the characters/story/dialog were read by an editor with a clue, and found to be a supportive/accurate/enjoyable cultural exploration. For some readers (including me, an old white guy with only a tiny fraction of a clue at best), at least parts ran pretty damn false (to creepy and offensive).

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I admit it. I read this out of sequence, but in my defense, I got it as an ARC and this is the very first novel by this author I’ve ever read. I stopped nearly halfway through it and raced over to Amazon to see if the other characters had books released previously, and was thrilled to see that they did. While technically a standalone, there are enough references to previous situations that it’s clear reading the first two will enhance this book's overall flow. However, I don’t feel like I missed enough by not reading them to warrant skipping this one if you haven’t read the others.

That being said, let’s get into the nitty gritty of this book. Ezra Kellerman has got to be the most naive man on the planet. Don’t get me wrong. He’s all sorts of adorable, but WOW is he clueless! Then there’s Miguel Rodriguez, fifth of six children who always feels rather invisible in the horde that is his family.

Both men are flawed, and they become intertwined through circumstances and necessity, leading to a solid friendship. Reeling from Rico’s letdown and trying to find a place for himself in the world, Ezra discovers a shelter in the angel-faced Miguel, and in tiny (and excruciatingly slow) steps, begins to expand his horizons. Used to being forgotten, Miguel basks in the attention paid to him by the heartbroken Ezra, and while accompanying Ezra on those tiny steps the man is taking, Miguel realizes that his feelings are stirring on the side of jealousy at all the attention being given to Ezra by other men. I understand being occasionally clueless, I really do, but Ezra is just flat oblivious, almost to the point of seeming contrived.

Now, it is very apparent that the two are attracted to each other, even when not being alluded to at all in the book. Once Miguel figures out that Ezra is heart-shy and isn’t going to make any moves on anyone for fear of reprisal, he steps right up into delicious authority, and from there things get remarkably steamy!

This is a fun book about personal discovery. From potentially unsanitary (not my word choice - blame a character) swims in the river to electric dancing to horrendous baseball playing to Disneyland to being claimed by a cat, this pair walks through a mountain of situations and circumstances that will have you laughing at their adventures, furious on behalf of an innocent, and falling in love with these men as they learn what it is to be seen.

I enjoyed reading it, I’m looking forward to the next one, and if you haven’t read Amy Lane, you need to start now!

PLOT: 5
CHEMISTRY: 5
PACING: 4
ENDING: 5
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 5

Find this book on Goodreads

ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Cat from Alpha Book Club

      

[Melissa Mendoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title:Lollipop
Author: Amy Lane
Series: Candy Man, Book #3
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 25, 2016
Genre(s): M/M Romance
Page Count: PAGES
Heat Level: 4 flames out of 5
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Blurb:

Ezra Kellerman flew across 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 single 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.

“Ezra looked over and smiled. It was hard not to smile at Miguel - besides the angel face, he was also a good egg on the whole. Hanging out with him, being friends, learning the ropes around his new town - all of that would have been so much lonelier without Miguel’s help. It was too bad he was still gone over Adam, or Ezra would think about...No. No - better that he not.”

4 sweet stars!! Loved the whole idea of this story….sweet and cute!

Ezra has just arrived in Sacramento to chase after the man who he let get away, Rico. Well he’s too late, Rico has moved on. While in Sacramento he meets Miguel, who shows him around and is his confidant in everything. And while Miguel is fine with it, he’s slightly resentful that Rico dumped him off on him. But after spending some time with Ezra, Miguel’s hard surface starts to crack and well he starts to fall for him.

This book is so sickeningly sweet! You can’t help but have your heart break just like Ezra’s and you pull for him and Miguel and want them to be together, but honestly they are made for each other!! Definitely worth the read!!



ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed by Melissa from Alpha Book Club