Shawn Bailey

Finger Lickin' Good is a sweet little tale by Shawn Bailey about a budding romance between head chef Auguste Carrier and Mikeal Badeaux, a new employee in New Orleans restaurant, Chez Auguste. The tale is full of authentic language and kitchen detail. I loved the details on dish preparations and the interpersonal relationships of staff working in the well-known local eatery. Bailey provides some tantalizing glimpses into the lives of the main characters beyond the walls of Chez Auguste. The beginning overtures of the relationship building between Mikeal and Auguste are sweet, as well.

Mikeal comes from Lafitte, Louisiana. He grew up fishing from his back porch for dinner. He's been to the city with his older brothers in the past, so he's not blindsided by the sights and sounds of New Orleans. He is, however, not sure what to make of Auguste and his bigger than life personality. Auguste, on the other hand, is a mature chef from France and owns his own restaurant. Auguste finds Mikael's cooking skills impressive, as well as his calming effect upon him. However, Mikeal's physical likeness to Auguste's deceased lover has him pausing to reconsider things.

There are some interesting secondary characters rounding out Finger Lickin' Good, including Mikeal's best friend, Marquis Smith, a gorgeous, young mixed race African-American fry chef and Joel Legree, another new employee at Chez Auguste. There are some interesting interchanges between new and established staff at the restaurant. This adds a nice touch to the story.

Finger Lickin' Good is a nice story and perhaps that is part of the problem. There's no real conflict or drama. There are suggestions of possible conflict, such as the one between Mikael and Pascal Simon, the young maitre d' who's been yearning after Auguste for some time. Or, Auguste's jealously over Mikael's relationships with other men in light of his former lover, Basile's indiscretions. But this is just a sweet interlude with a couple of semi-spicy love scenes thrown in for good measure.

I would have liked for Finger Lickin' Good to come with a little more Cajun spice plot wise. It's a nice afternoon distraction if you're looking for something harmless to invest your time in, but the drama is mild. I'm giving this one 3 stars for the quality of the writing. I liked the main characters Mikael and Auguste. They share some warm moments and their relationship appears to be off to a nice start, but the plot of Finger Lickin' Good lacks luster.

More reviews from Barb Manning are available at Creative Ink Romance Reviews… (mehr)

Finding out who you really are can take many different forms. Jayce, a young Japanese American, has managed to successfully reconcile his Japanese heritage with the American culture all around him. That is not easy, but he has managed to do it, even using it in his job as book editor when working with a Japanese author.

What throws Jayce for a loop is the mounting evidence that he may not be as straight as he has always told himself he was. Dressing up as a Geisha, as his mother taught him from a very young age, just to help out a friend, sets a whole chain of events in motion, at the end of which he has to face the truth. While I felt as if he was ‘drifting’ along during most of it, accepting what was happening without any outer signs of resistance, when push comes to shove and he has to make a decision whether to come out or hide away, he does face the situation with dignity and strength. Which just goes to show that, deep down, he really is very, very Japanese.

Reuben, Jayce’s purely American boss, falls for the Geisha impersonation first, then goes all the way to seduce Jayce. Reuben is a guy who is dominant, likes to tell others what to do, and stands up for his convictions. He is also a fairly stereotypical American without, as far as the narrator, Jayce, can see, much depth to him. I thought that was a pity and wish we could have seen more of him. Or maybe he was as superficial as he seemed to me? It is hard to tell when he uses sex as his major negotiating tool, if you can even call what he does negotiation. Most of the time he came across more like a bulldozer who wanted to get into Jayce’s life no matter what.

While does not contain a lot of tension and open conflict, it has some very subtle cultural observations about behavior, assumptions, and ways of dealing with developing relationships. Reading between the lines is a skill you will need to fully understand Jayce and why he acts the way he does. If you enjoy stories about cross-cultural relationships, if the Japanese way of doing things interests you, and if you like reading about a developing relationship where much of the getting-to-know-you phase happens via sex and subtle comments, you will probably like this story.



NOTE: This book was provided by Phaze Books for the purpose of a review.… (mehr)

There are few things as romantic as childhood friends growing up to still love each other when they are adults. Dakota and Sonny have been friends and neighbors since they were ten weeks old. They are still inseparable at age ten and just beginning to realize how much they mean to each other when fate cruelly separates them. Actually, it has more to do with Sonny’s mother who decides Sonny needs a better ballet teacher and that man lives in New York, so they move. Promises that Dakota can come visit were not serious, and the two boys lose touch. Boy, was I hoping for a reunion!

Dakota has become a successful business consultant but he has never forgotten Sonny, not even fourteen years after their cruel separation. He has even moved to New York to try to find him, but doesn’t succeed until he visits the ballet with a few friends and sees Sonny perform. Elated to have finally succeeded he sets out to win Sonny’s heart for real and forever this time.

Sonny wanted to be a fireman, but his mother decided he’d become a ballet dancer. Sonny loves dancing, and he is good at it, but when it costs him his friendship with Dakota, Sonny isn’t happy. But he is super loyal, and decides to wait for Dakota, hoping that they will manage to reconnect at some point. When Sonny invites him for dinner after a performance, Sonny is more than happy to pick up where they left off and then some.

If you like reunions, if childhood friends becoming more after a long and painful separation sounds like an interesting story, and if you’re looking for a read that is as emotional as it is heartwarming - and hot! - then you will probably like this sweet novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dark Hollows Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.… (mehr)