Loving the Ladies' Man

California Dreamin' #1

by Kristin Canary

Connor is the last guy in the world I should fall for. He's the resident office flirt. I'm the quirky Pride & Prejudice-loving editor who uses big words and dresses like the world's non-sexiest librarian. We have nothing in common.

And we're competitors for the same job.

Game on, right? May the best person win and all that? Fine by me. I'm happy to hold him at arms' length forever. And considering I'm practically the only woman in the office he's never flirted with, he's obviously happy to do the same.
But when we've stuck overnight in our office building thanks to an earthquake-induced landslide (don't worry, we're totally fine), things between us start to change.

I begin to realize that Connor isn't actually the jerk I thought he was--the kind who leads women on, just like my ex.
And when he offers to attend my ex's wedding as my fake boyfriend, things get even more interesting. Especially when he gives me that much-too-chaste kiss...
But I can't fall for him. That would be repeating the same mistake, just with a different guy.

Tell that to my dumb heart, though--the one that seems to think Connor Bryant is my Mr. Darcy.

Fans of Sarah Adams will love this closed-door romantic comedy with lots of sizzle and spice, but no on-page explicit content.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Clean Romance, Contemporary Romance, Rom Com, Ebooks, Fake Dating

242 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

Kristin is a thirty-something wife and boy mom who functions best on peach tea and cookie dough ice cream. She writes closed-door romantic comedies with lots of sizzle and spice but no explicit on-page content. A desert dweller, she always has her eye on the next trip to a beach somewhere--and if she can't travel there in person, then you'd better believe she's going to write about it. Kristin is never fully satisfied with a movie, TV show, or book without a hefty dose of romance in it, and she's grateful to be living a true-life love story with her own crazy little family. Connect with her at KristinCanary.com/freebook.

Reviews

[Vibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juked from a slow-ish start to an excellent finish

Evie is a super nice, guilt ridden, low confidence doormat. Connor is a player who flirts with every gal in the office - except her.

I've got to be honest, not my favorite kind of characters & the first third of the book didn't especially engage me, but the earthquake events at least created some promise.

So it looked like the story was going with a traditional fake dating trope - but then the story takes an unexpected twist, moves past it, & leaves it behind.

With 45% of the book remaining, I was wondering where it was going. The wedding was when it really hooked me in, & I didn't want to put the book down.

I loved the theme of the story about being true to yourself. About how Evie becomes a better version of herself, with Connor & her friends' help, by embracing her bright, caring nature instead of treating it as a fault, & she similarly helps Connor be a better version of himself as well.

Yes, I ended up loving the book by the end, & I'm definitely going to be looking for Kayla & Josh's story when it releases!

*Romance level: passionate kisses, nothing graphic

*Religion: very light, generic & organic to the story; Evie's mom tells her to have faith at one point & encourages her to pray for guidance at another

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Super cute!

I really enjoyed this one, it pulled me in and I had a hard time putting it down. I thought Evie and Conner had great chemistry and I enjoyed the office romance aspect. It was fun to see their relationship evolve and I liked how they complimented and built each other up. Bringing out the best in one another. They make a cute couple! A fun read, I am becoming a big fan of Ms. Canary's books, can't wait to read more.

Content Rated PG
Clean romance, kissing, no language or violence

[Natalie Walters]

Sweet romance reminiscent of The Proposal. :)

[Marilee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun starter to a great series! I have read three of the other books and loved them and it was fun to get an introduction to the characters. Connor drove me nuts a few times and there was one time I just wanted to slap him but luckily he got his act together by the end!

[☆ susan ☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

very disappointing.

here’s the thing: i don’t mind having a doormat and a pushover for a heroine. in fact, i find flawed heroines like evie easier to relate to because they seem more human.

however, in a romance novel, i would like for there to be some sort of character growth. evie started out as a doormat and ended up almost exactly the same. she was still the same woman who forgave too easily, who would gave up an amazing career opportunity for a man.

normally i would say more power to her because at the end of the day, it was her choice. however, given her track record of letting people walk all over her, i was very disappointed with how her character regressed.

[Rose | Adventurous Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning was my favorite part.

Tropes: workplace romance

Content: kissing, alcohol consumption

4 Stars

[Lisa Brydon · Rating 2 out of 5]

0 spice, some very VERY tame kissing

Quick and easy read. Just a bit boring for me. There was a literal landslide and earthquake and I felt like I was trudging through waiting for something to happen.

The wedding with the ex and ex- friend was disappointingly anti-climactic. Steph's apology was obviously disingenuous. David never does and is never confronted about it.

Connor's family sucks, and it sucks for the reader that we never get to hear him actually confront them for how they treat him. His dad is awful and the grandma backs up his dad rather than supporting him and everybody applauds.

Evie is a bit neurotic, particularly at the beginning. I get that we're meant to be in her head, but she's often actually talking to the audience rather than experiencing an internal dialogue, and it feels like a lot of the plot and feelings of characters are told to us rather than shown to us.

Her family doesn't make sense. Page 1 Evie is telling us her mom is counting down the days until she moves back to Iowa and that she's been sending her spare money to them, but when we actually meet them her mom is telling her she shouldn't be sending them money or planning to move back like she never wanted it in the first place. I honestly thought what they were going to do was give her all the money she'd been sending back to her as a surprise that they'd just been saving it for her instead. And then she could use it as a down payment on the bungalow she wanted. But that's not what happened.

The frequent picturing she does if babies with the eyes of the man she's interested in (be it her ex, David, or Connor) was a bit heavy-handed.

As is often the case, I feel like forgiveness was handed out too easily. It's in character for Evie though, so that's not why it bothered me. It felt out of character for Connor, who had made such a big deal about to Evie about going after what she wants, that he didn't even have it in him to go to her to admit that he messed up and wished he did better rather than running away.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book as the audiobook version which came in handy for the long car drive.
The book had a lot of the same plot as “the hating game” but I was just not emotionally involved with the characters. I wanted to like Evie because she was obsessed with pride and prejudice and Mr. Darcy but could not get passed her giving up a promotion at work for Connor, her boyfriend of only three months. I believe Connor was a jerk and did not deserve Evie, he definitely is not like Mr. Darcy.

[Lana (Bibliomedico) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet novel...
Not super interesting , addictive or anything ...but entertaining .
The characters were kinda Meh ..
Not so much going on ...

[Stephanie]

DNF @ 59%. I thought this sounded cute and maybe a little "The Hating Game"-like, but I mostly found it corny and cringey. I thought I'd take a little break from it to read something else, but now I'm just not interested in picking it back up.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute! I actually loved this! I relate to this girl sm!

[Charity · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you haven't read any of Kristin Canary's books, you need to start now! This made me laugh, and a couple times, I also got teary-eyed. There were a couple things that hit pretty close to home for me. I don't know how she weaves both emotions in there, but she's good!

[Emilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kristin Canary is a new-to-me author. She did a great job engaging this reader in the sweet plot! I have already started book 2. This year I’ve read more romcoms than ever. So much fun!

[Elisa ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book gave some 'the hating game' vibes, and i loved it!
why the vibes? - the hero and heroine are coworkers and they work with publishing
- the heroine comes from a farm (but is not a strawberry farm)
- they are fighting for the same promotion
- the heroine lets people (her team) walk all over her

anyways, i just loved this! the romance is a fake dating romance, he goes with her to a wedding in exchange she has to read his romance novel. if you want a clean romance reminiscing of 'the hating game' this is the book.

[sweet_psycho · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so good I wasn’t expecting to like it so much but I love it and it was one of the best romance I ever read

[Tricia Copeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm loving this whole series. They're light, fun, and romantic.

[Rachel Luke Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this start to finish in a day. It was an easy read and one that was quirky, cheesy, and swoony all at once.

I liked that Connor and Evie balanced each other well and I liked that Connor was able to help Evie find her confidence and backbone. I liked that Evie sees Connor's worth and helps him find his direction in his life.

Plenty of laugh out loud moments as well as swoony ones!

Physical Intimacy Lvl 3 (More descriptive making out, innuendo etc)
Zero Swearing
Single POV (Evie's)
Fake Dating

[Kendra Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75☆

[Philautia · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars

I don't even know where to start with this one, but I have a lot of thoughts.

I didn't read many books in 2023, but Loving the Ladies' Man was definitely the worst one. I had no plans to ever read this book, but it was free on Google Play Books – now that I've read it, I can see why – and I can't say no to a free book.

I want to start off by writing about the things I actually liked, otherwise I'll feel like I'm being unfair. I didn't hate this book; I just disliked it.

First of all, filial piety. I liked Evie's sense of responsibility in regards to her aging parents, how caring she is to them, and how much she worried about them and their future on the farm they're growing too old to be able to upkeep on their own. Second, the concept of the book itself is nice. I love me some fake dating, especially when it involves workplace rivals.

That's about it.

I knew I wouldn't like this book on page 13, when Evie is thinking about her favourite book, Pride and Prejudice, and remarks to herself, "Sigh. Everything about the Regency era sounds better. Well, except for the corsets and voluminous dresses". One thing about me is that I'm currently pursuing a History degree, so things like this make me see red.

First and foremost, Pride and Prejudice is a book that begins by directly discussing how five women – six if you include their mother – are most likely going to be entirely screwed over by sexist land-owning customs if they don't get married ASAP. Their house is entailed. If Mr. Bennet, for some reason, had died before any of the sisters got married and secured a future for themselves, six women would've depended on the charity of their family members to not become homeless. So, Evie, if you as a book editor think that "Everything about the Regency era sounds better", you didn't read the book correctly, and you should find another job.

Another thing is that if Kristin Canary had done a little bit of research, she would've discovered that they didn't actually wear corsets in the Regency period. They wore stays. And saying that the Regency sounds better except for the corsets is silly, because it's like saying that everything about the 21st century is great, except for the bras. Because that's what stays and corsets were to women back in the day. Not torture devices, but supportive undergarments that would've offered as much relief to women with bigger breasts as a nice-fitting, supportive bra does nowadays. Especially because they were custom-made for the woman – so, unlike many modern bras, they actually would've fit comfortably. No sticky-proddy underwire or wrong sizes!

Also, because I just can't let this one paragraph go, about the voluminous dresses: if you look at a fashion plate of the Regency period or even at the P&P adaptations Evie seems to love, you'll clearly be able to tell that the dresses aren't voluminous at all. In fact, compared to both the gowns worn in the 18th century, and the gowns worn in the mid-19th century, Regency-era dresses are remarkably not fabric-heavy! The empire silhouette is iconic! Where in the world is it voluminous?

History nerd pedantics aside, the writing in this book was just not for me. It read like shitty YA. When Connor tells Evie that he's falling in love with her, this is the word that immediately follows: "Swoon!" What? It completely ruined the moment. Moreover, so many of the characters felt so one-dimensional, especially the women. I don't usually criticize female writers over this, but Canary does not know how to write women. She even uses the outdated "you're not like other girls" shtick at one point, when Connor remarks one of his coworkers didn't know what pulchritudinous meant, and that's why Evie is just so unique and different – because the fancy words she uses make her more valuable than her stupid, vapid coworkers. You know, the ones Connor is always flirting with?

Evie's ex's fiancée is even more of a caricature. A rich bridezilla who only got close to her to steal her man and makes fun of her to her face at the bridal shower she invited her to.

Kayla, Evie's best friend, is another example of this. I wouldn't say she's a caricature like the others, but she's definitely not a great friend. In an attempt to make Evie more 'confident', she forces her to wear revealing clothes and high heels, something Evie isn't into. She won't take no for an answer, either.

In fact, the whole 'makeover' subplot just made me roll my eyes; not just because of the trope itself, but because the author tried to have her cake and eat it too. Kayla tells Evie she's going to give her a makeover, but not because she needs improvement.

This is not how makeovers work.

You don't change something about yourself unless you think the change is better for you. If the makeover is 'successful', by which I mean the character does in fact become more confident in her appearance because of it, you are implying that she has improved and that it was something she needed to do to get out of her shell. Saying 'b-but it's not because you need to improve!' doesn't change that. It's not a get-out-of-jail-free card. Either you commit to the idea that she has in fact improved by becoming less nerdy and more conventionally attractive, or you don't include a makeover subplot in your novel.

But don't fret, the men are badly written too! Connor's father, for example, treats his son's career in marketing as if it's a mortal sin. He actually says at one point that he'd rather tell people his son is a drug dealer than tell them he works in book marketing, as if working in the publishing industry isn't prestigious in the real world. Hello? What parallel dimension did I fall into, where suddenly having a career in marketing that makes you wealthy enough to be able to quit your job and pursue writing full-time for a year is somehow "shameful"? Connor is literally successful. This book is stupid. It's just not realistic.

Don't even get me started on Connor's actions during the last act. Just don't. What a rushed mess of conflict. I'm not even gonna write about it.

Overall, this book was just bad. I appreciate anyone who has the motivation to finish writing a whole novel, but this was not it. This is Kristin Canary's debut, though, so I believe she'll improve – and probably already has! But this one sucked.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read this story before, but I really enjoyed this one

I read this and kept feeling a lot of dejavu. This was sort of a clean version of "The Hating Game" except the characters were not so over the top, and honestly I liked this better. I really liked the slightly neurotic farm girl turned editor. I thought the author did a good job with character development.

Content: Clean. There's a little heat with kissing but there are no bedroom scenes. Perfect for me, but many readers will want more heat.
Labguage: Clean
Religious: No

Happy reading!

[Tricia Anson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread via audio. Really good single POV narration. I loved revisiting these two and for the first time in a long time with a reread, I didn’t remember quite how the story played out, so that was fun.

Love this sweet read and start to a great series!
Check out this book if you like a good workplace romance, P&P references, a dash of fake dating, and plenty of swoon! 😍

[lovelyq_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book was so cringy i gave it 2 stars one star for the tropes one star cuz i liked some parts other than that it was so bad it was so badly written at some point it felt like middle school “love” i would never recommend it the fmc was so annoying at some parts so as the mmc

[Kathy Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y'all. I don't know why I continually do this to myself. What am I doing you may ask? I tend to put off reading the popular books until they no longer fill my newsfeeds. I'm someone who wants to be different and read books that no one else is reading. But every single time I do that, I always regret not reading it when everyone else is. Why? Because the books end up being freaking amazing, and I'm always late to the party. Case in point, Loving the Ladies' Man!

Y'all. I was hooked from the very beginning. I giggled out loud, suffered from second-hand embarrassment, got teary eyed, cheered our couple on, got frustrated with them, swooned at their tender moments and sizzling kisses, and let out all the little dreamy sighs. In other words, I absolutely loved every single minute I spent with Evie and Connor.

These two are perfectly imperfect, but perfect for each other. They pushed each other, cheered each other on, gave each other strength, and made sacrifices for the betterment of the other. You can't help but love and root for Evie and Connor. *dreamy sigh* These two are the best!

As most of you may know, I love me some awesome side characters, and this book was filled with them! I also love when said side characters have their own books. I can see lots and lots of reading in my near future.

This is my very first book by Ms. Canary, and obviously it won't be my last. I have all her books in this series and the beginning of the next, all lined up and ready for me to dive it. I just know another author is going to be added to my favorites list, and that's always a huge plus! We can never have too many favorites, right?!

As for my casting... *dreamy sigh* LOVE!

[Manda| Little Bitty Delights · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured Loving the Ladies Man by Kristin Canary so fast it reminded me of reading back before I had kids!

About the book:
Evie is the quirky P&P-loving book editor who uses big words and dresses like the world’s non-sexiest librarian. Connor is the office flirt and is the last guy she should fall for. Which is fine because they are vying for the same job and have nothing in common. Or do they?
When an earthquake traps them in the office building overnight Evie discovers that maybe she has judged him wrong. Will her pride keep her from realizing Connor is her Mr. Darcy?

📚 This book hit all the sweet spots for me!! 📚
💜 A literary-loving heroine and hero! ✔️
💜 A handsome, strong yet tender-hearted cinnamon roll hero. ✔️
💜 The heroine judging the hero too quickly and more so judging herself too harshly ✔️
💜 Pride and prejudice references ✔️
💜 Plus other fun movie references ✔️
💜 Best cheerleading friend ✔️
💜 Fake Relationship Turning Real ✔️
💜 Adorable nicknames ✔️

I love Kristin’s writing. She makes me laugh, and go weak in my knees with her dashing heroes and sizzling kisses, while also tugging at my heartstrings with characters having normal, down-to-earth dreams and challenges to overcome. I can’t wait to read more of this series. In short grab this book. Now is the perfect time to read it!

Thank you Kristen for the complimentary copy to read! A positive review was not required.

[Grace Hind · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was like a Hallmark script, beautifully cheesy. A sweet office romance about a ladies man and the woman he never flirts with. Many references for all the Pride and Prejudice fans out there, and gives hope to all hopeless romantics. The love interest, Connor, breaks out of all the stereotypes. He somehow fits Cute-Nerdy-Book-Loving-Gentelman.......
and Flirty-Jacked-Witty-Mysterious-Kill-You-If-You-Touch-Her vibe. After a earthquake brings them together, and after a fake dating for a while, the stony exterior on Connor breaks, and Evie learns to love again.

[Kaele’s Krazy Book Obsession · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute romcom. I liked Conner and Evie and the plot of getting stuck in a building after an earthquake was unique and worked pretty well! I think my favorite part is that this series follows a girl group and they each get a story. Companion books are always so fun. I liked seeing glimpses of the next couple books and couples in this one and on to Kayla’s book.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

In general I’m a Kristin Canary fan, but this didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
— The timeline of the story didn’t go how I thought it would from the beginning, which isn’t a negative but did throw me off.
— I thought Evie dropped the “l” word (in her own mind) too quickly into their relationship for it to make sense.
— I got VERY mad at Connor during the conflict… and didn’t feel like I was brought back high enough during the resolution. It was sweet, but I was so frustrated by his actions and needed a lot more than what I got.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

e-book. Amazon

pretty cute. I'm a sucker for literary settings. and I love me some Mr. Darcy references. the characters could have been a little more fleshed out. but for what I wanted ( a light fun rom-com before bed), it was perfect

oh yeah. p.s. when he is impressed with her vocabulary... most of the time it's just normal words. I kind of wish the author had chosen more obscure ones.

[gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Love is always the truth. Getting hurt is hard, but even harder would be a life without love.”

Evie and Connor both get stuck in their office building after an earthquake and landslide happens. I mean, that wouldn’t be a problem, except Evie thinks that Connor is a jerk and leads woman on since he’s known as the “resident office flirt”. However, Evie is the only woman that he hasn’t flirted with. But when Connor helps Evie after she hurts her foot and even offers to be her fake boyfriend for her ex boyfriends wedding, she realizes that maybe he’s not a jerk after all.

Soon they both begin to open up about their lives to each other, especially when it comes to their families: Connor ask Evie for help with his manuscript since he wants to become an author (which his dad disapproves of) and Evie’s family is close to losing their house + farm.

Loving The Ladies’ Man is Kristin Canary’s debut book and it was simply amazing! Lots of book talk (Hi, Mr. Darcy!) and also a hero that wants to become a romance novel author? Swooning! Also if you’re a fan of Sarah Adams’ books then this will be a perfect read for you!

🤍READ IF YOU LIKE🤍:
- enemies to lovers & fake dating
- forced proximity
- coworkers + competing for same job
- ex boyfriend’s wedding
- Pride & Prejudice references
- Reese’s Pieces
- family dynamics/family reunion
- The Hating Game + The Spanish Love Deception vibes (but not explicit)
- content warning: death in family, earthquakes

I received an ARC via Booksprout for an exchange of an honest review.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sweet story, and I liked how they really "saw" each other. They were also able to help each other see themselves for who they are despite their families and their own view of themselves. I think this was the first book I've read by this author, and I really enjoyed her writing style.