Strays

December 12, 2016
Leigh returns to the London-based Urban Soul restaurant empire introduced in Misfits for this tasty contemporary romance. Cass, one of the restaurant owners, asks Nero, his top chef, to take server Lenny into his kitchen and his home. Lenny is jittery and agoraphobic—someone is stalking him, and the police have been no help—and has never set foot in a professional kitchen before, but he finds peace working closely and living with Nero despite the chef’s inscrutable nature. Nero, who’s prone to brooding, finds Lenny attractive and secretly ogles him, but he is barely able to articulate his interest. Lenny is “consumed, fascinated, and addicted” to Nero, but he wrestles with his feelings and wonders whom he can trust. A subplot about Nero opening a new restaurant for Cass and his partners in Vauxhall helps the would-be lovers bond. Leigh nicely develops the simmering mutual attraction, which makes the sex, when it finally happens, more satisfying. When the uptight Nero finally discloses his big secret, it paves the way toward love. Well-developed characters and situations will keep readers coming back for more in this promising series.

March 1, 2017
Nero is a taciturn, grumpy chef whose all-encompassing work at the hottest restaurant in England's Shepherd's Bush gives him no pleasure. Lenny is a new apprentice boss Nero has to train despite the young man's lack of experience. Lenny is well versed in fear, and he is grateful for shelter, even if it's Nero's old couch in his place above the restaurant. Nero's limited patience is sorely tested by the vibrant, attractive apprentice, until Lenny demonstrates unexpected skills with garnish and presentation, repurposing orange-peel scraps into aesthetic enhancements. When Lenny's peril abates, the once unapproachable Nero asks him to stay, allowing the two to fall in love and into bed, and for Nero to discover new sides of himself sexually and emotionally. Danger remains, yet Leigh (Rented Heart, 2016) brings the action not to a fiery, sock-'em finale but rather an oddly satisfying takedown, with order restored for these two strays in love. Fans of British contemporary, same-sex, and upbeat suspense will enjoy the talented Leigh's latest.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)