2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: A Soft Touch
A Soft Touch by Laura Lascarso
An ex-football player and current restaurateur, Roman, gets a housekeeper, Ezra. Sparks fly. This is a definite feel-good novel with low angst and a minor trigger warning for ableism. Ezra is mildly autistic--or maybe has Asperger's which makes more sense--as in he doesn't like prolonged eye contact and he's very precise and organized to the point of rigid excess. He also has a heightened sense of smell, which can cause problems, for example the blue cheese incident, and he can get lost in the moment. His autism poses a problem for me because Roman was a possessive character. He started out nice, calm, and gentlemanly. Then he got a little extreme, watching Ezra work through cameras, having Ezra wear super-tight, super-small outfits as a work uniform, and so on. It read like a predator taking advantage of a person who didn't know any better and couldn't read subtext. But it's a minor concern because being possessive is part of Roman's personality and the sexual play between the two. And I got the sense that Ezra didn't mind being watched and controlled, though he's far from a typical submissive. Of the side characters, Jay outshines everyone else. The trickster-type that plays matchmaker and picks Ezra's tiny uniform. He's a hoot. New Orleans isn't show that much but it's a nice backdrop with its restaurants and festivals. Most of the setting is Roman's house. The writing style is what shines here the best. Not too flowery, not too minimalist. Let's call this a happy medium. This author can write! I really enjoyed this story--and the little bonus story at the end (even if Roman was referred to as boyfriend, not husband, as he should be).
https://amzn.to/3c7nfDY
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An ex-football player and current restaurateur, Roman, gets a housekeeper, Ezra. Sparks fly. This is a definite feel-good novel with low angst and a minor trigger warning for ableism. Ezra is mildly autistic--or maybe has Asperger's which makes more sense--as in he doesn't like prolonged eye contact and he's very precise and organized to the point of rigid excess. He also has a heightened sense of smell, which can cause problems, for example the blue cheese incident, and he can get lost in the moment. His autism poses a problem for me because Roman was a possessive character. He started out nice, calm, and gentlemanly. Then he got a little extreme, watching Ezra work through cameras, having Ezra wear super-tight, super-small outfits as a work uniform, and so on. It read like a predator taking advantage of a person who didn't know any better and couldn't read subtext. But it's a minor concern because being possessive is part of Roman's personality and the sexual play between the two. And I got the sense that Ezra didn't mind being watched and controlled, though he's far from a typical submissive. Of the side characters, Jay outshines everyone else. The trickster-type that plays matchmaker and picks Ezra's tiny uniform. He's a hoot. New Orleans isn't show that much but it's a nice backdrop with its restaurants and festivals. Most of the setting is Roman's house. The writing style is what shines here the best. Not too flowery, not too minimalist. Let's call this a happy medium. This author can write! I really enjoyed this story--and the little bonus story at the end (even if Roman was referred to as boyfriend, not husband, as he should be).
https://amzn.to/3c7nfDY
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