Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: French Fancy

SERIES:  The Model Agency Series, Book 2

AUTHOR: Lily Morton

NARRATOR:  Joel Leslie

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 11 hours and 55 minutes

RELEASE DATE: February 13, 2024

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 listened to as a standalone.

REVIEW:

As much as I adore Lily Morton’s snarky, sweet, sexy rom-coms all on their own, truly the best aspect of her The Model Agency series is the audiobook tellings by the inimitable Joel Leslie. In French Fancy, we get plenty of Pip’s effervescence and snarky wit which Leslie delivers consistently with aplomb, but the decadent treat is Leslie’s gorgeous French accent for Olivier.  It drips with sensuality and emotion and contrasted with Leslie’s spot-on accent for Pip, it’s simply stunning.

But Leslie contributes much more to this already lovely story than just his luscious, authentic accents. He creates depth and texture in the characters and events of the story that are true and relatable.  He gives these two men a well-rounded quality that allows us to see that still waters run deep.  They are so much more than the colorful, lively characters on the page once given breath and life by Leslie.  Pip and Olivier are an improbable pair that crackle with chemistry.  I adore them both and together, they are a couple you’ll want to follow long after the book is over.

While French Fancy is the second book in this series and directly connected to the characters of the first book, The Sunny Side, with Pip as Jonas’ assistant and Olivier as Jonas’ younger brother, French Fancy really can stand on its own.  This derives at least partially from the setting – we spend a good chunk of the story in the gorgeous Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat in the south of France.  The trappings of London are left behind and the sun and sea and beauty of the scene become a character unto itself.  Morton’s imagery, particularly with landscapes and scenery, is par none, and this story ranks up there with The Cuckoo’s Call for a mesmerizing example of how you paint a picture that envelopes your character and story, making it more than the sum of its parts.

There’s no better way to partake in a Morton romance than through Leslie’s completely invested, exceptionally skilled vocal performances. I highly recommend the French Fancy audiobook.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Audible

Amazon