Reviewed for Blackravens Reviews
Publisher: Phaze Books
Image courtesy of Phaze Books
Genre: Contemporary, M/M Romance
Length: 125 pages

Stars: [rating=3]

Blurb

Twenty-four year old Cajun-Frenchman Mikael lands a job at a popular French restaurant in New Orleans. The owner of the restaurant, Auguste Carrier is a big Frenchman with a bad temper and most of his employees are afraid of him.

Though Mikael is small in stature he wins the admiration of all the senior chefs at Chez Auguste when he prepares a pot of gumbo. The other employees are not stupid, even though they like Mikael they’ve also noticed how calm Auguste asks when Mikael is around. So they plot to get the two of them together. Mikael doesn’t want to be known as the boss’ boy-toy so he plans to win the man’s respect with his cooking.

Although he has noticed the confident young chef on the day he was hired, Auguste feels that maybe Mikael might be too young fill the shoes of a professional Sous Chef. The last one left him in a lurch and he doesn’t want that to happen again. But once he samples one bowl of Mikael’s delicious gumbo he realizes that he should not judge a book by its cover.

Mikael bears a striking resembles to Auguste’s dead lover Basil and Auguste wonders if he’s only attracted to him for just that reason. Should his stomach tell his mind what to do, or should he follow his heart?

Book Review

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.