Christmas Candy

By: Samantha Jacobey

Narrated by: Vanessa Hensley-Mayes

Publisher's summary

Life isn't always sweet, even for girls called Candy.

Candice Parker's life has never been easy. Plagued by losses and setbacks, each day is a struggle for the petite brunette and her young son. When fireman Gary enters her world, he is one mistake she refuses to make; but after tragedy strikes, she may not have a choice.

Gerald Ford has never been what anyone would call settled. Always keeping things simple, he lived a fast and furious lifestyle, with no intentions of slowing down. However, when he inherits his family's ancestral mansion on his thirtieth birthday, he considers the possibility that it's time for a change. Could this complicated young woman be his Christmas Candy?

©2015 Lavish Publishing, LLC (P)2016 Lavish Publishing, LLC

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4 out of 5 stars

By Book Lover in Florida on 07-23-20

Cute story!

What a cute story! I enjoyed the storyline but the narrator's voice was very 'pitchy' and wasn't fit for the variety of voices needed for the story so it took away from the book. Enjoyable read to listen to next to the pool relaxing!

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3 out of 5 stars

By Nancy S. on 04-20-20

Terrible narrator.

It’s painful to listen to with such terrible narration. Over dramatic and whiny Please use someone different in the future

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4 out of 5 stars

By ElyLibrarySec on 11-07-16

Christmas Comes Early For The Listener/Reader

What made the experience of listening to Christmas Candy the most enjoyable?

I don't know if the author planned it but I fell in love with Candy's son Dax. He doesn't have much of an appearance but he is the one that helps to bring Candace and Gary together. The story had me wishing that Dax was sitting next to me the next time I listened to this story.

What did you like best about this story?

There were times that I got frustrated with Candace because she kept finding ways to put up barriers that made it hard for Gary. But I loved the fact that Gary didn't give up.

What about Vanessa Hensley-Mayes’s performance did you like?

She brought Candy's character to life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I loved this author's story and definitely wanted to listen to this in one sitting. And once it was over I wanted to listen to it again.

Any additional comments?

The only issue I had with Ms. Hensley-Mayes's performance was when she did the character of Gary. She doesn't have the type of voice that lends well to a male character. Candace is a good example of someone who needs to stop making assumptions about people. If not for the author, I could see Gary giving up on Candy and finding someone who has no issue excepting him for who he is. This is one of those books where it would be great to have a copy of the book and the audio version.

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4 out of 5 stars

By Kathleen Burcham on 10-27-16

Lovely Christmas Story

What made the experience of listening to Christmas Candy the most enjoyable?

I liked being able to listen to a book while doing something else at the same time. I was free to move about my home but still hear what was going on.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Christmas Candy?

That Candice is a mother who is focused on her son who is handicapped, her mother as well as her job. When a fireman tires to date her, she turns him down.

Have you listened to any of Vanessa Hensley-Mayes’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't. She was hard to listen to for me...her voice was too monotone.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Candice needs Gary the most he is there for her at a drop of a hat so to speak.

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4 out of 5 stars

By Ebbie Moresco on 11-13-16

4 heartwarming stars

Christmas Candy is a sweet story about second chances and starting over. Candy is a single mom to a special needs son, Dakota. She is living with her mom who is a huge help but also a financial burden for Candy. They have a hard time making ends meet. Candy works at a gas station and that's where she met Gerald. He's a firefighter who comes in almost every night. He has begged Candy to give him a chance, even just as a friend for a while but Candy has no time for a relationship of any kind. Then things go from bad to worse for Candy and her family. And of course who is there to help her out, no questions asked? You guessed it... Gerald. Gerald was really a great guy. He was handsome, sweet, caring, and genuinely cared about Candy and her family. Would Candy learn to not be so cynical about life and give Gerald a chance?

This was a sweet story with many ups and downs and all the feelings that go with them. I felt so sorry for Candy and wondered how much one person could take. Her life was far from easy and that made her personality very tough. This was a very well written story and I loved the narration. The narrator really brought this story to life. It was a great quick listen. I look forward to listening to more novels by Ms. Jacobey.

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4 out of 5 stars

By Karl hill on 12-16-19

Firefighter Romance

This was a sweet Christmas story. I would say this has a friends to lovers vibe (which I love) even though Candace and Gary are not friends to start. I love that despite how horrible Candace treats Gary at first, he continues to show love and support (just like the Gospels.) At three hours this was a perfect length,I did not feel the story was rushed or dragged.

Vanessa Hensley-Mayes does a great job with the narration, with very distinct voices.

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request, and I have voluntarily left this review.

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3 out of 5 stars

By Donna (Girl Who Reads) on 10-02-18

Romantic Christams story

I didn't enjoy the narrator so that put a damper on the story. There were times that I thought she got the inflection wrong for certain lines and she wasn't able to sound as manly as I thought Gary should have sounded. Overall it is your typical 'girl has written off men, man will pursue said woman regardless' story set at Christmas time. It is a short story (the audio is just over 3 hours).

A free audiobook was provided by the author. All opinions are my own.

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4 out of 5 stars

By Shanna Tidwell on 12-02-19

Listener received this title free

Pretty cute

This was a pretty cute book. Candy is more than a hard head and Gary is a sucker for a damsel in distress. Some of it was pretty convenient but also a bit tragic. Candys sons actual condition was never fully explained. Not a lot of men would take on a woman and her mother and a disabled child in tow. Such a story is definitely a fairytale of sorts.
Still it was cute and short and sweet.
Narration was really good, Vanessa did a great job.
I was voluntarily provided this review copy at no charge by the author, publisher and or narrator.

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3 out of 5 stars

By JreaderLee on 11-15-16

Cute Christmas romance

Any additional comments?

This is a stand alone book by author Samantha Jacobey It was narrated by Vanessa Hensley-Mayes. While the story had a great theme of love conquerors all, I thought the story was too short for everything the author tried to have occur.


Candy has not had an easy life, losing her dad when she was very young. Not soon after to move in with her mother and handicapped child. Her son is her life. She has no desire to want to date, even when fireman Gerald enters her life. Recently transferred from another fire station, Gerald sees something in Candy and doesn’t give up even when she tells him no over and over again.


There were so many times that Candy was on my nerves and I wish that I could of giving her a slap across the back of the head to tell her to wake up. She just needed to open her eyes and even with their age difference Candy and Gerald seemed made for each other. Now there were times that was very clear and with the issues from her dad passing she was reluctant to get involved with anyone working in public services. So Gerald had two strikes against him. Then add in her son and the issues she had to deal with his handicap made these two getting together seem impossible. When tragedy struck, Candy leaned on Gerald who shows just how great and persistent he is.


This is a sweet story, but listening to the story made me confused specifically in the beginning of the story. I was further confused by the narrations because there wasn’t much change in tone between the different characters and it confused me who was speaking.

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3 out of 5 stars

By Jamey W on 08-24-16

Romance? Not so much.

Candy Parker hasn't had an easy life. Being a young single mother to a special needs child is always as hard as it it rewarding. Her life is devoted to Dakota with no room for anything else. Especially a fireman who quietly pursues her. After a tragic accident, Candy is forced to reluctantly lean on Gary for support.

This is my confession: While the premise for this book had potential to be an endearing Christmas romance, in my opinion- it failed. Here are some reasons why: Gary, the fireman, was a great character. Supportive, patient, the rock that you would expect him to be. He was more or less the highlight of the book. Candy on the other hand...I didn't like her at all. She was rude, judgmental, snarky and quite frankly...a bitch. More or less right up until the final chapter where just a piece of redemption shines through. As far as 'romance' goes, its more or less non existent.

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