Touch Me Gently by J.R. Loveless

[reviews_and_ramblings]

For sure the purpose of this story is to touch deeply and strongly the emotions of the reader; Kaden is a traumatized young man, at only 19 years old he has already a past of years of abuses and also violence, and so, even if only one time the author will explicitly say that, we are dealing with a case of pedophilia. All of this will make clear to the reader that this is not an easy story and so some of the feelings you can have for the characters have to be weighted with that.

Kaden is young, lithe and very feminine; adding to that he is also deeply scared by anyone who is stronger than him, and so basically by all men. In this condition it’s clear that he cannot have a normal relationship, above all since he cannot have a normal life. When he loses yet another job, the owner of the body rental agency offers him a three months contract as cook in a Montana ranch; of course the reader will immediately think, but it’s really necessary to go and search a cook in New York City if you are in Montana? And of course there is probably a good explanation for that, Logan, the ranch owner, doesn’t really need a cook, but his cousin, the owner of the body rental agency, asks him a personal favour, he wants to find a nice and safe place for the young man. At first I though he had some personal agenda for the boy, but then I realized that he really wanted the best for Kaden.

And no, if you are thinking he was matchmaking, it’s not like that; Logan is not gay, he is only a very good man and good to the core; he will never ever hurt someone else, man or animal. When he finds himself with a skittish Kaden around, he understands that he needs to give him space, to heal and gain stability and courage. The love that blossoms between them is probably fuelled by Logan’s good heart, by his need to take care of who is weaker.

Of course the sexual relationship between Kaden and Logan will not be immediate, and Logan will wait patiently and carefully for his little one, as he nicknamed Kaden, to be ready for him; Kaden will set the pace and Logan will never once try to rush him.

I’m not sure everyone will like this novel, Kaden is really a difficult character, he is troubled, scared, mentally and physically abused; to some people he can appear weak, but I think he is everything other than weak, even when he knows he is hurting himself, he is aware of why he is doing so. Kaden needs only time to repossess his life, body and mind. Logan is easier to like since he is basically perfect, maybe a little too touchy when someone misunderstands his actions (even if he hadn’t explained them), but sincerely nothing huge or inexcusable.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1966

Amazon: Touch Me Gently
Amazon Kindle: Touch Me Gently
Paperback: 212 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (September 3, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1615815740
ISBN-13: 978-1615815746

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Cover Art by Anne Cain