Review: Tailor Made by Josephine Myles

Felix is on a mission to impress his art tutor at College so that his tutor will want to bed him. In order for this to happen he enlists the help of Andrew, a fashion student, to make a suit for him.  Andrew is reluctant at first because he finds Felix's slutty ways a bit too much but eventually agrees. Both men are surprised at how well they get on with each other and Felix finds himself thinking less about his tutor and more about Andrew.

I have to admit, I wasn't too sure when I first started this book because I didn't really warm to Felix at first.  He's the sort of guy who usually turns me off: over confident, secure in his attractiveness and determined to get what he wants no matter the cost.  In contrast, Andrew was a complete gem: quiet, studious, and saving himself for the 'Mr Right'. It wasn't long though before I realised that they worked really well as a couple. Felix may have been around the block a few times but his outrageous flirtation is just was Andrew needs to be drawn out of the protective walls he's thrown around himself. He doesn't need a shy virgin like himself, he needs someone with experience who can encourage him and show him to ropes. That's what he gets with Felix. The scenes between them zing with sexual tension and I particularly loved the scene where Andrew is measuring Felix for a suit, whilst desperately trying to ignore the longing coursing through his body.

The relationship moves quickly, but it's clear that it's more than just sex. There's a sense of 'rightness' between them in the way their friendship grows, shown not only in how happy Andrew feels, but also in Felix's confusion over his changing feelings about the situation with his tutor.  Of course, being men they are both stubbornly thick headed when it comes to recognising what a good thing they have. This led to a vaguely annoying, but thankful short lived, forced separation. Misunderstandings are never my favourite of story lines but this one wasn't so badly done. I could see that there needed to be a catalyst for the men to see what was in front of their eyes and as such I forgave the way the story was worked out towards the end. I also liked that, despite the novella format, we get a number of brief insights into the past of these characters and how it shapes them as young men.

Another thing I liked about the book was the way it poked gentle fun at conceptual art. There are a few references in the story to crazy stunts all done in the name of art and in particular, Felix's role in these.  This made me smile a lot, but was also nicely contrasted by Felix's real passion which was for fine art and the regret he feels that he can't pursue that more on the art course.  This all ties in with the Bath setting which is brought into the book in bits and pieces. I liked that Felix was so in love with the city and that it showed through scenes as simple as looking out of his window.

Overall. I really liked Tailor Made. The author took quite an unusual setting and a pair of likeable characters, and turned them into a heartwarming romance with a slight bite of satire which left me with a smile on my face. Grade: Excellent.

Buy this book HERE.