Made for You by Anyta Sunday

Ben wants to find a new home.

Twenty-four-year-old Ben McCormick is the primary caregiver for his brother Milo after their parents’ death. A year into the job, he’s totally got the hang of it. Mostly. Sort of. Not at all?

Defeated and thoroughly chastised for his lack in parenting skills at teacher-parent night, Ben slumps away with the resolve to finally get his life sorted: be a better role model, and sell their parents’ house for a fresh start.

But first, he needs to spruce up his house to hit the market. He’s no DIY king, but Milo’s hot-as-hell woodwork teacher is…

Jack wants an old home to fix.

Thirty-nine-year-old Jack Pecker is waiting for the home of his dreams to come on the market in the summer. What better way to wait the interim months than working on a small renovation gig?

Only trouble is, the gig is for the McCormick brothers. And working in close quarters to red-haired Ben McCormick won’t be easy. Not with the attraction that simmers between them. Attraction Ben makes no effort to hide.

But Jack’s professional. Dating a parent is highly discouraged at Kresley Intermediate, and he’d never cross the lines…

Ben and Jack. Two guys searching for a home –
– a home that might just be where their hearts lead them.

~ - ~ - ~

Set in New Zealand, Made For You (Love & Family #2) is an MM gay romance featuring two guys at very different places in their lives – but both finding out they are looking for the same thing.
Can be read as a standalone.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angie – ☆☆☆☆
This was a sweet love story. I haven't read the first book, but I think I might just to see everything that Jack went through. I don't think it took anything away from the story having not read the first book. Jack and Ben were so good together and I loved Milo. I loved how Milo was in the entire story and not just an afterthought. These three scream what family really means.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This is a slow, sweet read that had me alternating between tears and laughter. It’s the story of Ben, a twenty-four-year-old whose life changes dramatically after the death of his parents. It is also the story of Jack, a teacher and contractor who befriends Ben when he most needs the support.

Ben’s initial parenting attempts had me laughing out loud. He’s completely out of his depth, resorting to bribery to manage Milo’s behaviour and subjecting them both to a diet of convenience store junk food. Ben’s twelve-year-old brother is fabulous – but he’d probably be a challenge for experienced parents. The brothers are brilliant together and I love that Jack sees the warmth between them and supports them without trying to change them.

The romance in this book moves very slowly. There’s a 15 year age gap between Ben and Jack and Jack is very aware of his professional boundaries as Milo’s teacher. At the start of the book, Ben seems very young. His crush on Jack is comical but he has to do some growing up before these two can work as a couple. This isn’t a sexy read – with Milo at the centre of Jack and Ben’s relationship from the start this is almost more of a family read than a romance. The focus is on Ben and Milo working through their grief and Ben growing into a life he never expected. There is romance in the small moments and a few grand gestures. The connection between Ben and Jack is sweet and I actually like that this book doesn’t quite conform to typical romance genre norms.

While I really loved this story, I do have a few reservations. The three main characters are beautifully developed but beyond Jack, Ben, and Milo, the other characters are disappointingly one dimensional. The mean older teacher lacks subtlety, as does the head teacher and her curmudgeonly uncle. Jack’s ex-boyfriend and Ben’s BFF are slightly more believable but neither really feels real. Without spoilers, some of the central conflict feels manufactured and exaggerated. But I finished this story smiling and I really loved Ben, Jack and Milo.


Erica – ☆☆☆☆
4 Slow-burn at its finest Stars

Made for You is the ultimate slow-burn romance, combined with May-December, with a slight forbidden vibe, making it an addictive page-turner.

Ben and Milo have been grieving the loss of their parents a year ago. In his early twenties, Ben is trying his hardest to raise his little brother, but the boy takes after him by being a little bit wild. Living in the small guesthouse on the back of the property, Ben hasn't dealt with his grief well enough to step foot back into the main house he shared with his parents. Floundering, barely keeping his head above water, Ben's confidence has taken a hit, unsure if he's raising his brother well enough, especially when Milo's teacher (who also had Ben in class) goes out of her way to hammer home how Ben is incapable of rearing Milo.

Sick of sharing a wall with his ex and the love of his life, Jack is looking for a new project – he lives in homes, renovates them, then sells. Jack is the woodwork teacher, finding precocious Milo to be entertaining, barely keeping a straight face when forcing the kids to behave during class. Until a chance meeting with Ben shows him how much the big and little brothers are alike.

The perfect solution, Jack moves into Ben and Milo's parents' house to renovate it for sale, which is a point of contention between the brothers, because Milo doesn't want to leave the memory of his parents behind...

What happens on the pages is a slow-burn crawl through a relationship they didn't realize they had, as Jack tries to keep Ben at arm's length. A fellow colleague warned Jack how falling under Ben's spell is the equivalent of preying on a young man when he is at his most vulnerable.

While hilarious, and a little bit sexy, the innocence of Ben, and the need of hope by Milo, drew me in as much as it did for Jack. Heartwarming interactions and dry wit are a delicious combo as the cast of characters banter with one another, added with the romantic tension of slow burn. The reader earns the happily ever after right along with the characters.

Heart-stopping slow burn.

Anyta is a big, BIG fan of slow-burn romances. She loves to read and write stories with characters who slowly fall in love.

Some of her favorite tropes to read and write are: Enemies to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Clueless Guys, Bisexual, Pansexual, Demisexual, Oblivious MCs, Everyone (Else) Can See It, Slow Burn, Love Has No Boundaries.

Anyta writes a variety of stories, Contemporary MM Romances with a good dollop of angst, Contemporary lighthearted MM Romances, and even a splash of fantasy. Her books have been translated into German, Italian and French.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Made for You (Love and Family #2) by Anyta Sunday to read and review.