Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Pascal Larocque, a waiter at a high-end Montréal restaurant, knows what it means to love—and he knows what it means to lose. He buried the man he expected to spend his life with years ago. He’s perfectly happy with his solitude, or so he tells his friends. But a chance encounter in a neighborhood bar followed by a run-in at his apartment building turns his world upside down.

 

Mathias Perras is twenty-four, newly arrived in Montréal, and works two jobs so he can live on rue Sainte-Catherine in the heart of the gay district. During the day, he’s on a fast track to management at the Banque de Montréal. At night, he waits tables at a gay bar down the street. He’s burning the candle at both ends, but it will be worth it when his career takes off and he has the life he’s always dreamed of. When he meets Pascal, one more piece of that dream slots into place. Pascal is everything he wants in a lover: older, self-assured, established in his life and his career. But Pascal doesn’t look at him twice. What’s a boy have to do to get a little action?

 

Book Review

‘Service with a Smirk’ continues the theme of waiters and the men they love just like ‘At Your Service’, the first book in this series, but it is set in Montréal, Canada, not Paris, France, and is a standalone story. Actually this time both main characters are waiters and both of them have another job “on the side”. This added an interesting flavor to the proceedings, and I enjoyed learning about Pascal and Mathias, their friends, and the things that motivate and drive them.

Pascal is fascinating. At first glance, and that is what all of his friends see, he seems to be rather boring. He is in his forties, buried the man he thought he would grow old with years ago, is stuck in a rut, and tells himself he likes his life. He has a job as senior waiter at a high-end restaurant, and he writes mysteries on the side. See what I mean about interesting once you start digging? He does not expect to fall in love again, but when he meets a young waiter in his favorite bar, and then runs into him again a little later, he is intrigued.

Mathias is at the beginning of his professional life and works at a bank. He has a second job as a waiter in a gay bar to help make ends meet, but he intends that to be temporary. When he meets Pascal, he knows they belong together, but Pascal seems to have a different opinion. Mathias is not one to give up easily, and as far as he is concerned, the chase is on. I liked that he also has a few issues to work out and obstacles to deal with, but they are less fundamental than Pascal’s.

As the men begin to get to know each other, despite Pascal’s resistance and only thanks to Mathias’s determination, it becomes clear there is a lot more potential between them than Pascal is willing to admit. He is so certain that he is too old for Mathias that, like one of his friends puts it “You’ve already written him off in your head. You’re so convinced this can’t work that you aren’t even willing to fight for it.” And that’s really the core issue of this book: how can Pascal change his attitude – because that is really all that stands in the way of a wonderful relationship between these guys. They sure don’t make it easy for themselves!

If you like complicated characters with issues only they themselves can overcome, if a May/December romance is your thing, and if you’re looking for a read that is emotional, has great character growth, and is set in beautiful Montréal, then you will probably like this novel.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook, print and audio
Length	Novel, 200 pages/65118 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	13-January-2017
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle, $19.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/service-with-a-smirk-by-ariel-tachna-8035-b