Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: A Soft Touch
AUTHOR: Laura Lascarso
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 269 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2021
BLURB:
Roman Reynolds needs a housekeeper and Ezra Powell is arguably the best. Despite their rocky start, Ezra is determined to set Roman’s house to rights without any distractions, if only the man would keep his shirt on and stop looking so damn handsome all the time.
An ex-NFL player and confirmed bachelor, Roman has been on a long losing streak when it comes to men. When his best friend (and notorious prankster) says he’s got someone who’s perfect for him, Roman knows it’s too good to be true. But then Ezra comes along with his shy smiles and thoughtful gestures and Roman’s hardened heart finally begins to thaw.
Both men have been hurt before, both are a little shy when it comes to love, but when the opportunity to form a deep and lasting connection arises, will they be bold enough to take it?
REVIEW:
A Soft Touch is a quirky and refreshing story about an unlikely pair who find their happily ever after. The book is aptly named because a soft touch is exactly what Roman needs in dealing with naïve, sensitive Ezra. Roman is an ex-NFL quarterback living in New Orleans where he owns a handful of restaurants. He’s doing well professionally, but he’s a workaholic and his personal life is a mess with a long history of being used by men. His best friend and former Saints teammate, Jay, steps in to push Roman to hire Ezra as a live-in housekeeper/home organizer. Although hesitant, Roman acquiesces because his home is a disorganized mess, but even more so because he finds Ezra to be too cute for words. Soon, Ezra has charmed the pants off Roman (so to speak) and has his house in tip-top shape.
The dynamic between Roman and Ezra is certainly unique. Roman’s gentleness, his protector instincts, and his willingness to lovingly make changes to his household to make Ezra comfortable speak to the depth of his feelings for Ezra. He can hardly resist Ezra’s naivety which is responsible for the humdingers coming out of his mouth when discussing his work ethic: “Whenever you’ll have me” “Oh yes, sir, whatever you want, I’d be happy to do for you” and that he likes to be “gently corrected”.
Ezra is a character I’ve not seen before. He’s charming, analytical, unintentionally hilarious, and painstaking. He wants to do his work without distraction (although I’m thinking if Roman looks anything like the cover model, there’s no hope for Ezra). When combined with his innocence, his precise, formal speech leads to many great “Ezra-isms” such as his declaration that he needs more time to bake, reference to his diversionary activities, their Serious Talks, and my favorite, the intense and spontaneous biological responses he experiences around Roman. Roman soon adopts these phrases into his own vernacular.
Ezra’s idiosyncrasies and sensitivities are attributable to autism. I’m very appreciative of how Laura Lascarso portrays autism spectrum disorder in her book. It’s not the focus of the story, in fact it’s not even brought up for some time. It’s just one of Ezra’s character traits; it’s not who he is and it doesn’t define him. This is an important distinction that applies to people with all kinds of differences, disabilities, or disorders. It’s just one part of the person who, as a whole, is so much more. Ezra is a determined computer science student and restaurant consultant, a board game aficionado, a devoted son, a thoughtful partner. He’s cerebral, enthusiastic, introspective, and straightforward. He brings great joy to his loved ones. Autism is not once presented as something negative in this book; it’s just a difference. That’s not to say everyone regards Ezra positively. One minor character behaved despicably but it’s short lived.
Because of the autism, Ezra has sensory issues that add heaps of humor to the story without poking fun at him. His food pickiness, for example, leads to the hilarious Bleu Cheese Incident which nearly unhinges poor Ezra and flabbergasts Roman.
One of the highlights in the book is Jay who, in addition to his friendship with Roman, has become a good friend and advisor to Ezra. He’s an irreverent, bawdy prankster with a heart of gold who would make a fantastic leading man (hint, hint). He utterly adores Ezra and never hesitates to wrap him up in a crushing bear hug.
A Soft Touch is a darling book, somewhat slow paced, but very enjoyable. These men are both lovable and it’s easy to see why they fell for each other. This is another great novel by Ms. Lascarso that I heartily recommend.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: