Buy Link: Tailor Made
Author: Josephine Myles
Publisher: Amber Allure
Length: Novella

Rating: 4.75

Art student Felix McAvoy needs the perfect piece to impress his tutor, so he decides to have a suit made out of canvas he can use in an outrageous display. Felix is quite the party boy and used to being able to seduce guys into getting what he wants, so he figures he’ll have no trouble convincing straight-laced design student Andrew Wheeler to create one for him. Despite Felix shaking his ass at Andrew and flirting outrageously, Andrew initially resists his charms. However, when Andrew finds he needs a model for his final project, the guys work out a deal: Andrew will create the canvas suit for Felix in exchange for Felix modeling the final product for Andrew’s runway show.

Despite resisting Felix during their initial meeting, Andrew definitely takes notice of the gorgeous flirt and can’t stop thinking about him. Andrew is determined to wait for Mr. Right before getting sexually involved with anyone, but Felix tempts him like crazy and he is shocked to find himself initiating things one night during a fitting. Each step along the way, Andrew convinces himself this is just a dry run for when he finds the real thing. And Felix doesn’t do real relationships. But soon enough things are getting serious between the two men, although neither one can quite admit it.  Despite their different personalities and experiences, the guys both realize they want to make it work.

Ok, so right off those of you who read my reviews a lot know this is going to push all my buttons. Virgin hero and party boy slut? Oh, yes please! With some opposites attract thrown in? Definitely. I loved poor Andrew trying to resist Felix’s worldly charms (especially when we learn the poor guy has been practicing blow jobs on bananas!).

Felix’s long fingers were deft, fast, and Andrew couldn’t help but wonder what they’d feel like on his own body. Why did the more experienced, promiscuous men always have to be so bloody tempting?

Would it be too much to ask for a nice, safe, virginal man to drop out of the sky and onto Andrew’s lap? Instead, he had here the male equivalent of the Whore of Babylon.

But what I really loved about this book are the fabulous characters and the growth each man goes through during the story. Andrew is the more conservative one (despite his sexy little clothing kink). He starts off determined to wait for the perfect man and Felix doesn’t fit the image in his mind. It is interesting to me because although Felix starts out looking to use Andrew for his tailoring skills, Andrew in many ways is using Felix too. Not just as a model, but almost as a dry run for the future man in his mind.  He is totally attracted to Felix despite himself, so he figures he will just gain some experience so he is ready when the real thing shows up.

I loved the parallels here with the suits Andrew is making. The one he is giving Felix is the practice suit, the one he prepares before doing the final product to get all the details perfected for the real thing. And in Andrew’s mind, the relationship with Felix starts out as the same thing: the practice relationship before the right guy comes along. So I just loved watching Andrew realize that Felix is really exactly what he wants and might just be the perfect guy for him after all.

But the character I really loved was Felix. There were so many interesting layers to him beyond the flirtatious guy and outrageous art student. First, I loved how sensitive and tender he is with Andrew once he realizes Andrew is a virgin. Felix makes a real effort to make sure Andrew is comfortable and to reassure him when Andrew worries about his inexperience. Despite Felix’s outrageous art projects, we learn that what he really wants to do is simple painting and drawing, but he felt forced into the more crazy art stunts because that is what his teachers demanded.  And that he chose the school in Bath because the beautiful scenery reminded him of home on the farm. Felix is just such an interesting guy and I loved watching him come to realize that what he really wants out of life is totally different than the direction he is headed, and that he was brave enough to make a change to get what he really wants.

Tailor Made was a sweet and super hot story with really great characters.  I think Myles does a fabulous job in her writing creating really layered characters that show a lot of growth and change throughout their stories, and Felix and Andrew were no exception.  I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

Note: This review is for the original version of Tailor Made published by Amber Allure. It has since been rereleased as a self published book with a new cover. 

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