French Fancy (The Model Agency Book 2) by Lily Morton

Second in a series, The Model Agency, French Fancy can be read as a standalone.

From the blurb:

Pip Simmonds is the twinkiest twink in London. He’s loud, proud, and packed to the brim with sass. But when he’s laid low by illness, even his hotpants lose their sparkle and his worried boss sends him to the South of France to recuperate in his holiday home.

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is beautiful, and the periwinkle-blue villa is luxurious, but the real draw for Pip is the villa’s other resident—his boss’s younger brother, Olivier Durand.

Olivier owns a perfume empire and has spent his whole life running from any other form of commitment. He’s worldly, carefree, wild, and the perfect choice for a holiday fling.

Drawn together by proximity, the two men become lovers and friends and then something more. Something special. But will their special bond hold true after summer’s end, when they both must return to their real lives?

This is the second book in the bestselling Model Agency series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Sheena's Review:

Lily Morton's books are my happy place. This is what makes me happy, and I'm unashamed about that. French Fancy is the second in a series, and while you can read it standalone, I don't know why you'd want to when The Sunny Side exists. This is Pip and Olivier's story. We meet both in The Sunny Side - Pip is Jonas' assistant from that book, and Olivier is his brother. There's a 'meet cute' at the start which is very on brand for both Pip and Olivier. It starts out hot but turns into so much more.

This does have a very different feel to The Sunny Side, but I wouldn't have it any other way. This is a sun-soaked love letter to the south of France and I almost felt as if I were there, transported through words to the south of France. Pip is a delight. In the very best of Lily Morton characters he's sassy, snarky, naughty, energetic and utterly unapologetic for anything he's done in the past, he completely owns how he is and it's wonderful. In that sense, he and Olivier are the twins of naughtiness because Olivier is his mirror, his counterpart and in the end, his perfect other half.

Honestly, I highlighted so many parts of this book because I loved every single syllable of it. It made me laugh, and it made me cry and in the end, it made me happy and that's all you can ask from a book, really.

I'm going to leave this with one quote - although I have so many more saved.

'My father always said that knowing when to stop was important, and now I know what he meant. My final destination is this wild boy with a kind heart and sharp tongue. He’s my home. I step over the threshold and into my future.'

Perfect.

Rating: 5 Stars

SNik's Review:

Second in series (The Model Agency), can be read as a standalone but might be more fun if read in order. Slow burn. Primarily single POV with some dual POV. 

Pip is everything vivacious, witty and unapologetic, but when pneumonia lays him low, a trip to the south of France is intended to help him recover. Olivier takes a break from his luxury perfume business and decides to visit his villa while his brother’s PA is in residence and is instantly entranced by the free spirited and very attractive Pip. While their mutual attraction simmers, they grow close as friends and can’t help trying for more, no strings attached, of course. 

Pip is a terrific character, and the story is mostly in his POV which is funny, smart and shows a courageous person underneath that doesn’t let anything knock him down. Olivier can’t help but be enamored with Pip, but his fears of losing love keeps him from acknowledging how important Pip becomes. 

There are some dreamy travels through France and some heartfelt conversations where Olivier and Pip connect emotionally. 

Romance and friendship build naturally for two deserving men.

Rating: 4.25 Stars

French Fancy is available to buy as an ebook or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.