Well TailoredRating: 3.5 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Darius Connelly is one of the best tailors and suit makers in the business. Knowing that fact doesn’t make him any easier to work with. His arrogance and impatience have driven more than one assistant away. But despite his shop’s small size, it does brisk business and Darius needs help. Enter Marc. Once upon a time Marc wanted to do costume design, but real life has gotten in the way and now he’s working as an escort, a job he knows he can’t do forever. He cautiously takes a job with Darius, hoping to learn from the other’s talent and praying their lust for one another doesn’t get in the way.

Darius doesn’t do relationships, especially with his employees. Yet he finds Marc irresistible and their attraction is intense and mutual. And suddenly all of Darius’ rules are tossed out the window. What should have been a simple case of colleagues with benefits becomes more complicated as Darius and Marc begin to develop feelings for one another. But work and love don’t always mesh and both take more effort than either man realizes. Marc and Darius will have to risk their guarded hearts in order to find their measure of happiness.

Well-Tailored is an offshoot novel to Silvia Violet’s Thorne and Dash series. Well-Tailored is a stand-alone, but there are enough carry overs from that series it would probably behoove readers to check it out first.

Well-Tailored is fine. Just fine. Not that great, but far from terrible. The writing is good and the pacing flows evenly. The plot is straightforward and generally well fleshed out, though not particularly original. But the reality is that I never connected with either of the characters. Darius and Marc are certainly good together, but I don’t know why. Their relationship is essentially based on lust and very little else is ever in evidence. Presumably their love for one another evolves during their long hours of working side by side, but readers are never given much insight into these moments. Even their more serious moments together tend to end up with them having mind blowing sex. And that’s fine, but it hardly allows for the development of either character or their couplehood.

Overall, for both Darius and Marc, there is a lack of character information. We’re given morsels of their past histories, but nothing to really form an impression of either of them. Darius comes off the worst for this, as he feels more like bits of people put together rather than a single, cohesive creation. He’s portrayed as arrogant, yet he’s still in the service industry and given his rudeness, he never seems to lack for customers. I know people are willing to put up with a lot for quality goods, but somehow this aspect of Darius didn’t ring true. Also he has a penchant for cursing. Now I’m the queen of cussing. I enjoy swearing as frequently and colorfully as allowed. But Darius’ swearing is excessive and forced. It never flows or seems integrated well into his personality.

Well-Tailored is a perfectly average romance. The characters aren’t the strongest and the plot isn’t overly original, but it is well structured. If you enjoy fashion and want an easy read for the beach this summer, you might enjoy Well-Tailored.

sue sig