Made for You

This is a m/m romance set in Wellington, New Zealand. Ben is single-handedly raising his brother Milo after their parents died, and Jack is a teacher at Milo’s school. After Ben and Jack meet under less than desirable circumstances (and I could totally picture the muddy slide across the grass!), Jack ends up moving in to Ben and Milo’s parents’ house to renovate it in preparation for sale. Meanwhile, Ben and Milo are living in the guest cottage within easy reach.

The characters are fabulous. I loved Ben’s flirtiness and Jack’s steadfastness. Milo was an integral character all the way through, and provided balance, humour and of course many reasons for Ben and Jack to interact.

There were a number of things that were uniquely New Zealand about this story, and as a New Zealander, I loved that. It felt easy and natural, and I could picture it all vividly. However, I do wonder how easily someone who isn’t familiar with New Zealand would fare with this story.

The story had great pace and was very easy to read. I really enjoyed it. It’s book two in the Love and Family series, but I read it first and it can definitely be read as a standalone. Of course, I immediately wanted to read Luke and Sam’s story!

Another wonderful slow-burn read that made me sigh with happiness at the end 🙂

I received a free copy from the author through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I have to admit I wasn’t sure at first that I wanted to read this one, but when I was reading Taboo for You I got curious about Jack’s story and then decided to give it a try. And I am so glad I did as I really enjoyed this sweet MM romance book. I enjoyed it even more than Taboo For You. It’s a slow burn romance and I loved seeing the characters grow closer together as the story progressed and it’s just full of these sweet and touching moments. And it was a joy to read about these characters.

Made For You is told from dual point of views of both Jack and Ben. Jack is a woodworker teacher and he meets Ben one day when Ben shows up for teacher parent evening at the school where his younger brother goes to school After that chance encounter things are set in motion. Ben’s house needs renovations and he hasn’t had the heart to go back there after his parents died and Jack is a house flipper and he ends up renovating Ben’s house. Due to this situation they start spending more time together and growing closer. Then there is Milo, Ben’s younger brother who is a big part of the story too. And who doesn’t want Ben to sell their house, he wants to stay there.

So what made me hesitant about this book at first was the whole age gap thing, I wasn’t sure if I would like that. In the end I can say it didn’t bother me at all in this book. It is brought up a few times, but I never felt like Jack was way more mature or didn’t fit with Ben. Ben had to grow up fast when his parents died and he had to take care of his younger brother and Jack can be very carefree at times too. To be honest most of the time I didn’t think of their age and it wasn’t brought up that much in either text or behavior that I was conscious of it. Also they just fit so well together that the age gap just wasn’t an issue at all. These two just belonged together.

I really liked the romance in this book. The way Ben and Jack meet and they way they interact, their banter and the way they are there for one another. They are so perfect together and I liked how this book was low on the physical intimacy and focused much more on the build-up and slow burn of their romance. It’s full of sweet scenes and I enjoyed seeing these two grow closer and closer. It’s about getting to know each other and being there for the other. There is an instant attraction, but they don’t act on it at first with the whole Jack being Milo’s teacher thing. So instead they have this whole growing closer, but not that close thing. Till quite late at the book when it progresses to more and there is a little bit of heat at the end.

Jack and Ben were both great characters to read about. I liked how Ben was trying so hard to be a good parental figure for Milo, but he also is his brother and that really shows too. They are so similar at times and interact in a different way that shows their brotherly bond. It felt realistic how Ben was struggling with the burden, but he always kept trying and he felt like he was failing and when Jack tells him that he is doing great and he finally gets those words of encouragement, that moment was awesome. He also slowly starts making time for himself and what he wants. I also liked how he could be shy and overwhelmed at times and it felt very realistically done. I also really liked seeing him interact with Milo and it’s obvious how much he cares about his younger brother and how much he would do for him. Their brotherly bond really was well done.

Then there is Jack who has a career he liked and he’s getting closer to getting his dream house, but he’s a bit lonely. He wants a family and he has so much love and care to give. I liked seeing how he slowly became part of Milo and en’s family and how the three interacted together. Jack was great with Milo too, but mostly I liked how he supported Ben and how that helped them both being better parental figures for Milo.

Made For You is the sequel to Taboo For You, but can easily be read as standalone as this book follows a different couple. There are only a few scenes with the previous couple in it.

I also wanted to mention the setting. Just like Taboo for You this book is set in new Zealand and I liked how I got a bit of a feel for the country in this book. There still isn’t a lot about it, but the setting came more alive here than in the first book. Mostly due to all the mentions of birds that I never heard about. The bird watching was a fun addition too.

To summarize: I really enjoyed this book. It’s such a sweet slow burn MM romance book with a bit of heat at the end. I really liked the two main characters and they were so good together. I liked seeing their relationship progress throughout the book as they grew closer and closer. It was great to see much much they came to care about the other and how they were there for one another. I liked Ben’s younger brother Milo, who plays a big role in the story as well. I was afraid the age gap romance wouldn’t work for me, but once I started reading it turned into a non issue, their ages just seemed irrelevant as they were so good together. While it’s a second book in this series, it can easily work as standalone as it follows a different couple with only a few scenes involving the previous couple. I also liked how we got to see a bit of new Zealand and learn about the native birds there. All in all I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it if you enjoy slow burn MM romances.

Perfect…Just perfect. I’m gushing and fangirling bit time here. I think this might just be my favorite book by Anyta Sunday. Talk about bringing the feelings, I’m sure I had a dopey smile on my face the whole time I was reading this.

The story in brief: Ben is 24 and struggling to bring up his younger brother, Milo, after their parents’ death. He’s dead set on selling the family home but renovations are needed and who better to help than Milo’s woodwork teacher…and the fact he’s hot is definitely an added bonus.

There is honestly so much to love here…my heart melted for Ben. He’s convinced he’s not doing a good job with Milo-constantly second-guessing himself. I absolutely LOVED the relationship between the two brothers. From their love of bird watching, and orange Fanta. Milo is 11 full of attitude and sarcasm but, at the same time, his vulnerability is so endearing.

Age difference that worked so well here. Ben and Jack couldn’t have been more perfect for each other. The feeling of family and home is ever present. I loved the laughter and struggles that were so true to life. Bringing up children is one of the hardest and most rewarding jobs there is and the Author totally nailed it.

The slow burn that Anyta Sunday is known for and delivered perfectly here. There are sex scenes but I honestly wouldn’t have minded if there weren’t any. The connection between Jack and Ben was just so damn special…I got so teary at times ( in a good way ).

”I look at Ben and I see a future. I see shared dinners and overshared stories. I see stupid fights and silly gestures to make up for them. I see him and Milo in the villa. A family to laugh with during the day. A partner to moan with during the night. The dream hangs between us.”

Jack’s Ben is the best because speech to Milo was, well, special. I think I read it about three times at least. I can’t fault this. I loved this little family of three with a passion. Read it…you’ll fall hopelessly in love with these guys.
I highly recommend this book!

DBO~Review by Judith

I’m a big fan of Anyta Sunday’s work and one of the reasons is the fact that she always knows how to bring on the feels… I also know, that when I open one of her books, I will get the slow burn I crave and the sexual tension that goes with it.

As I said recently in another review, I am one of the few people who loves reading about kids in their books. They are usually really good at breaking the ice, lighting things up a bit and making me laugh out loud.

I absolutely loved the (brotherly) bond between Ben and Milo.

I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose both your parents and have the care for your sibling as well. I had so much respect for Ben.

Of course, the relationship between Ben and Jack was pretty awesome as well. And even though this book isn’t very heavy on the steam, what’s there is sweet and hot and lovely. The whole book is sweet and lovely.

And so once again, I got to close an Anyta Sunday book, with a big smile on my face 😉

I loved this story. There’s something about a brother stepping up and taking care of his younger sibling and watch him grow as an adult and caregiver of a child. I thought Ben and Jack’s story was sweet, slow build and sexy. I enjoyed all of the story. I would definitely recommend this book and now I need to go read book 1 in the Love and Family series.

Wonderful, touching story.

Made for You is a great story with Anyta Sunday’s trademark slow-burn romance. It’s the second book in the Love and Family series but can be read as a standalone. Taboo for You is the first book in the series but you won’t be lost if you don’t read it first. You will, however, be missing a great book so I highly recommend it.

This story is a great New Adult, slow-burn, age-gap romance. The blurb is great and it tells you what you need to know about the story. I love Anyta Sunday’s books; nobody does slow-burn romance like she does.

Ben is trying so hard to do all of the right things for his young brother, Milo, after their parents died. At twenty-four years-old he never expected to be a parent but he’s doing the best he can. When Ben meets Milo’s woodworking teacher, Jack, he can’t help but be attracted to this man who has it all together.

Made for You is all kinds of witty, funny and tear-jerky. I couldn’t help but feel bad for Ben. He wants to be there for Milo but he also needs to have adult time. He’s a huge flirt but Jack is pretty good at resisting him. When they finally get it on it’s all kind of hot!

I wish I knew why I sometimes find it so hard to find the right words to review books that I love. It doesn’t happen all the time but I’m struggling with this one. I went through way more tissues reading it than what I have been lately. I felt the complete connection between all of the main characters – Jack, Ben and Milo, not just Jack and Ben.

It had been too long for me since I’d read a book by Anyta Sunday and I’m so glad to have my dry spell broken by such a great story.

An advanced copy of this book was provided by A Novel Take PR but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

Left to care for his teenage brother, Ben hopes he is doing the right thing. But when parent/teacher night happens at the school, Ben is left feeling not up to par and in desperate need of some help. Jack is a teacher at Milo’s school and sees a boy who loves his older brother but struggling with the death of his parents. One conversation between Ben and Jack sets them all on a journey that sets them on the path to finding their forever family. This book was a joy to read. The characters were beautifully written and the storyline one I was sad to see end. This is my first book by Anyta Sunday but it will not be my last.

This was a really sweet story, with a slow burn and an amazing amount of chemistry between Jack and Ben. I really loved how Ben worried so much about how he was doing as his little brother’s caregiver. I can certainly understand the internal struggle of how one is doing in their parenting role. His commitment to his brother Milo was so compassionate. In turn, Jack really provided such an emotional support system for Ben when those doubts crept up; while at the same time being there for Milo as well. The chemistry was off the charts hot between Jack and Ben and I really enjoyed how their love developed throughout the book. When they both finally crossed that line they drew of parent/caregiver it was super hot! I loved their HEA and the sacrifices each made to get there.

Made For You by Anyta Sunday is the second book in The Love & Family series but can be read as a standalone. It is a sweet contemporary slow-burn romance between an older teacher and the younger guardian of one of his students… so it’s got that age gap element mixed with the slow progression of these characters becoming friends and then falling in love. These characters build a family together throughout the narrative and its sweet and wonderful. I fell in love along with Ben and Jack. They have humor, friendship, and love. And Milo was adorable. I loved every page.

I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.