RELEASE BLITZ - Professor Adorkable (Domesticated Inc #1) by Edie Danford

Title: Professor Adorkable

Series: Domesticated Inc, Book One

Author: Edie Danford

Publisher: Edie Danford

Release Date: September 18, 2018

Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 90,000 words

Genre: Romance, Boss, Housekeeper, Best Friends, Nerd

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Synopsis

What happens when a star-gazing
professor falls for his hot young housekeeper? One heck of an earthy explosion…

Professor Marek Janos's genius at
analyzing stellar explosions doesn't apply to his own disordered world.
Forgetting to eat, sleep, and leave his lab has triggered some epic personal
disasters. When his family insists he hire live-in help, he discovers home life
has awesome benefits. His new housekeeper's smile sparks more energy than a
supernova. And the way he moves? It rocks Marek's galaxy.

Pete Schulz took a tough fall from his
high-flying life in Hollywood. But how does a guy whose best skill is getting
dirty clean up his act? His new gig with Domesticated Inc seems like a great
first step. Keeping house for a nerdy young astrophysics professor is exactly
the low-key, no-chance-for-trouble job he needs, right?

Living together is surprisingly easy for
both men. And fun. And more than a little hot. It's when they're faced with the
idea of living apart that the truly messy work begins…

REVIEW 

My Rating - 4 Stars!

Edie Danford's Professor Adorkable is a very interesting romance.

Marek is adorable, with his nerdy comments, his awkward social skills and his inability to connect to his students. His housekeeper, Pete, meanwhile, is trying to start over, yet is still confused on his efforts towards being a better person. 

As the two men have been living together, they have developed feelings for each other. It's natural for Marek to feel something for Pete, as Marek has been lonely for the majority of his life, and he's enjoying Pete's companionship. 

The two men shouldn't get involved, as Pete is being paid to live there, and Marek's uncle is controlling and doesn't want them together romantically. They struggle for a bit with these issues, but eventually they cave, giving into their attraction. 

The relationship that develops is sweet, tender and romantic. Despite the complications of getting together, their relationship develops naturally, and they end up being perfect for one another. They compliment each other, and are just so great together. They can talk about everything and anything, and they have explosive chemistry. 

They still have to face those obstacles head on at some point, as Marek's uncle isn't going to back down, and Pete doesn't feel right about being with his boss. I liked the way both issues were dealt with, as it was realistic and memorable.

Professor Adorkable is definitely worth reading, especially if love nerds. Edie Danford has created an unexpected and impressive romance.

Excerpt

“I made the mess,” I tell my
housekeeper. “So I will clean it up.”

“Yeah, I know you can clean it up if
given several hours,” Pete responds, his smile crooked. There are no signs of
exasperation on his face or in his tone. No signs that he’s upset I’ve woken
him up with the sound of breaking glass, and that his once-pristine kitchen
floor is now covered with a mess I could have easily avoided if I’d been paying
attention. “But it’s my job. Tomorrow morning your job is to go teach a class.
You’ll sleep until eight, eat a good breakfast, and then be off.”

I raise my eyebrows. “That is exactly
how it will happen?”

“I’ll make sure of it.”

“What if I want to negotiate?”

“Negotiate?”

“Yes. Things can be negotiated in a
democratic household, yes?”

“Democratic?”

I smile. “We have no dictators here. Or
kings or queens.”

“Well.” He snorts. “There is that matter
of your uncle signing my paycheck. But I get what you’re saying, I guess. What
were you interested in negotiating?”

“Tonight I feel…antsy? Unable to relax.”
I move my shoulders up and down to show him all this tension I’m experiencing.
“I’ll go upstairs and sleep, but first I would like company. To hang out with
you. For a while.”

His mouth droops as he folds his arms
across his bare chest and stares at me. “So you’re saying you’ll let me do my
job. But only if I give up my free time for you?”

“Um.” It’s cool in the kitchen, but my
face suddenly becomes steam-burn hot.

Damn. I’m incredibly bad at talking to
him—or any guy—I find attractive. Doesn’t matter where I am—Prague, Pasadena,
Chicago. My language barrier isn’t about Czech versus English. It’s about my
head versus my tongue.

What I want with Pete is complicated,
not simple. But, as usual, I’ve said words that could be construed as—

God, I don’t even know what.

“You suck at negotiating, Marek.” He
says it with a kind note in his voice.

“Yes.” I clear my throat. “I do.”

He sighs and runs his hand over his
short hair—hair I want so fucking badly to touch. Is it bristly, soft? Would it
sift through my fingers easily, or would it be like my hair and cling to my
skin?

“I suppose we could listen to one Harry
Potter chapter,” he says, lacking his usual enthusiasm for the idea. “But just
one. And if you fall asleep or if I fall asleep or if we both fall asleep, it
will be your job to wake up and go back to bed. No sleepovers. That’s a rule
that’s not allowed to change.”

I swallow. Ordinarily I would give him
shit about the unreasonableness of his request—if we’re asleep, how will we
know we’re asleep and thus breaking his rules?

But I keep quiet tonight. I know I’m
pushing him. I know he’s beginning to figure out I want more than just his
company. So much more.

If this were a work-related matter, I
would get my way with a few basic words. Logic applies in my lab. When it comes
to my personal life, however, logic rarely applies. Basic words never seem to
work.

If I tell Pete what I really want—to
take him into his room, to put him on his comfortable bed, to kiss his clever
mouth over and over and over, to blow him until his sweet hotness spills down
my throat, to hold him tightly and use friction to excellent effect (inside or
outside our bodies, I don’t care) until we both come—then he would say “no”
quickly and firmly, and quietly shut that detestable door in my face. And I’ll be
lucky if he’s still around in the morning.

The situation between us is confusing. I
hope this is more than just his workplace. We are friends. He’s my best friend,
actually. And he’s the one who makes this place a home.

Occasionally, I have a hard time understanding…what
had my language tutor called it? Nuance. Nuanced meanings. Pete and I have a
lot of nuances happening between us.

“One chapter would be good,” I tell him.
“Chapter Twelve. ‘The Tri-wizard Tournament.’ I need to know all about it.”

He nods and tips his head toward the
open door to his suite. “I’ll meet you in there.”

My heart bounces around in my chest—more
zaps from that ionizer—but my head doesn’t like the take-care-of-business look
on Pete’s face. No smile, no teasing, no dancing notes to the way his boots
clap against the tile floor. He checks the locks and the deadbolts on the back
door and walks toward his room.

He glances at his doorway and then me,
his eyebrows rising. He looks as though he’s holding his breath, maybe holding
back a sigh.

Maybe it would be better to give him
space tonight. Better for me to be apart from what I want so much, but can’t
have. I should walk away, go back to my room without bothering Pete.

My damp toes stick to the cold floor. I
want to be more than a job for him. I want to be more than some guy he feels
sorry for, some guy who can’t even say what he wants.

I walk over to the sink and retrieve a
glass from the nearby cabinet. I fill the glass half full at the tap and then
drink. I set it down carefully. The water is cold, but my skin feels hot. I can
feel Pete watching me, waiting.

My eyes shift to the hallway. But my
feet carry me toward Pete.

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Meet the Author

Edie lives in Vermont with her husband, two sons, and random creatures that might or might not be pets. She loves libraries (where she's found play, work, and love since she was a kid), long walks (unless ice is involved), lewd language (in the right context), luscious romance (of any variety), and alliteration.

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Giveaway

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RELEASE BLITZ & REVIEW - Pursuing Happiness by Jessie Pinkham

Book Title: Pursuing Happiness

Author: Jessie Pinkham

Publisher: Jessie Pinkham

Cover Artist: Katia V. Michelet

Release Date: July 12, 2018

Genre/s romance, contemporary, gay

Length: 53,000 words 

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Blurb

A repressive childhood casts long shadows.

Growing up in a reactionary religious household left Matt Aldridge socially inept and woefully underprepared for life in the wider world. He’s still trying to figure himself out when he meets his hunky new neighbor, Collin Moravec. Matt likes him at first sight, and miraculously, Collin feels the same.

When his cousin Levi shows up needing a home, Matt doesn’t hesitate to take him in, even as it throws his own world into disarray. He’s determined to save his younger cousin some of the struggles he faced. But taking on this responsibility brings up old anxieties, and in his terror of failing Levi, Matt pushes Collin away. He has to move beyond his fearful upbringing once and for all, or he’s going to end up miserable – and alone.

REVIEW
My Rating - 5 Stars!

I am thrilled to have discovered Pursuing Happiness.  I am amazed by this brilliant story by Jessie Pinkham. 

The story begins with Matt meeting his new neighbor Colin. What follows is beautiful.

Both men are in their 20s. Matt is extremely socially awkward. He gets nervous and carries himself with a shield of armor. But he can't always hide his habit of nervously looking away and trying to blend into the background. Colin, meanwhile, possesses an ease, appearing to always be confident and comfortable in his life.

Matt's story is so sad and so emotional. As a child, Matt was very isolated and never learned how to socialize. And when his parents found out that he's gay, he was disowned. Colin is unconcerned with Matt's awkwardness and just enjoys spending time with him. He feels a sense of protectiveness over Matt and wants to show him all the good things in life that he hasn't experienced.

The author does a fantastic job with Matt's personality. His awkwardness is well written, with how many examples woven throughout the book. Matt's sudden understanding of what chemistry between people is, and his inability to understand small talk, are just wonderfully done. 

There is one conversation that contains a profound statement that's worth repeating. Matt asks his friend Sarah '"why is everyone putting on an act?"' Her response is  '"Because at heart most people are wildly insecure."" 

As Matt and Colin's relationship really starts to take off, Matt's cousin, Levi comes to the city. He has also been kicked out for his sexuality. This part of the story, as Matt wants to take care of Levi, despite not having much himself, is remarkable. 

Matt and Levi were both raised in ultra conservative religious families, with almost no contact with the outside world. They were told that sex was a sin. The effects from their upbringing still have a strong hold on Matt and he struggles as he has finally found someone with whom he wants to have sex. The author does an outstanding job with this aspect of the story. It is written with a lot of knowledge, compassion, depth and care.  

As much as I love this story, I will admit to being a little confused in the middle, wondering why the story was going in a certain direction. As it went on, however, I found myself in awe of how much everything added to the story, leading it to be so perfect!

I highly recommend Pursuing Happiness. Please do yourself a favor and check out this amazing book by Jessie Pinkham.

Buy Links

Amazon US 

Amazon UK

Excerpt

“Now, about that sexual to-do list. I’m dying to know what’s on it.”

An adorable blush blossomed on Matt’s cheeks. “I think there’s a lot of potential for fun with a can of whipped cream.”

“I’m completely on board with that.”

Finally Matt relaxed. “You’re a very good boyfriend,” he remarked.

Collin figured that meant he’d said the right thing. Good. He took Matt’s hand and laced their fingers together. “So are you, and if I hadn’t already known that my coworkers made sure to tell me yesterday.”

“How did the grant application turn out?”

“Well, it doesn’t scream ‘thrown together at the last minute,’ so it could be a lot worse.”

“I know nothing about grants,” said Matt, “but I have plenty of personal experience in the red parts of the state, where you said you want to do outreach. Maybe this is weird pillow talk, but…”

Collin interrupted. “Our pillow talk can be whatever we want.”

“Okay. Have you considered how much tougher it will be to go out and talk about LGBT acceptance with people in very conservative areas? I mean really thought about the ruling mindset there?”

They certainly weren’t going in blind. Regardless he wanted to hear Matt’s opinion, if for no other reason than to understand his boyfriend a little better. “We expect to be called a lot more nasty slurs.”

“That’s obvious. It’s not just the insults, though. The thing is that a lot of these people – not all, but a definite majority – are not even going to consider what you have to say. The religiously inclined, which again will be a good percentage, will consider it a given that you’ve been deceived by Satan. So there’s no reason for them to even consider what you have to say, see? Anything they don’t like can easily be written off as inspired by Satan. It’s a very neat system if you don’t like thinking too hard. And it makes us very easy scapegoats for anyone, religious or not, who doesn’t like how the world is changing.”

“There are going to be some people who remain homophobic no matter what we say or do,” acknowledged Collin.

“Some might become more tolerant with personal contact, when the LGBT community isn’t something abstract and instead they know someone who isn’t heterosexual. Then there are the people like my family.”

“Bastards. But we know that. What we want to do, at the very least, is give some hope to LGBT people who feel isolated.”

“They certainly need it. Here’s the thing, though. It’s easy to be anonymous in the city. People can go to Ted’s Place without anyone they know having a clue about their visit to an LGBT center. In rural areas it’s not the same. If somebody stops to talk with you or takes pamphlets or whatever you’re doing for outreach, they’ll be recognized and before long half the town will know. The smaller the community, the worse it gets in that regard.” Matt sighed. “I’m not trying to discourage you, I’m just being realistic. I would never have dared talk with anyone doing LGBT outreach. Far too dangerous.”

“That’s depressing. It’s good to know, though. Obviously this has to factor into our plans.” He lacked ideas on how to work around this very serious roadblock. Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Collin would share this perspective with his colleagues and go from there. “Any suggestions for us to get around that?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have any brilliant solutions. The internet is good. My family was unusually restrictive in that area, but it probably helps a lot of other kids. Just keep in mind that in some of these conservative areas, you’ll be entering enemy territory.”

“War metaphors?”

“Not a metaphor. They will literally see you as the enemy. Inspired by Satan, remember? It’s spiritual warfare and you’re the advanced guard. That’s how a lot of people will see you.”

“Damn,” said Collin. He imagined an army wearing sparkly rainbow uniforms, armed with lube and condoms, maybe doing something stereotypical like singing show tunes. “Here I thought I just wanted people to live in a way that makes them happy, and now I find out I’m in Satan’s gay army.”

Matt frowned. “I’m serious, Collin.”

Oops. His last comment had clearly been too flippant. “Sorry. I was going for lightening the mood with humor but clearly missed the mark. This is important to know. And honestly, it speaks to how strong you are that you were able to escape that.”

“I’m not sure being kicked out counts as escaping.”

“You could’ve gone to conversion therapy, pretended to be cured, and lived the rest of your life miserable and accepted by your family. You chose the harder option.”

“True,” said Matt. “Totally worth it.”

Collin traced random patterns on his boyfriend’s chest. “I’m glad to hear it. If you didn’t think it was worth it after that blowjob, I’d have done something terribly wrong.”

This time Matt let him lighten the mood. He winked and said, “No worries there.”

“That’s a relief.”

“You know that saying about praise going to your head? They’re talking about the head on top of your neck.”

“How do you know?” countered Collin.

Matt opened his mouth to protest, then paused. A second later he admitted, “That’s actually a good question.”

Score one for being a smartass.

About the Author

Jessie writes M/M romance and loves a rich fictional universe as much as a good happy ending. Her published works include the novel Survivorsand the Tea and Empathy series, and her work has been included in anthologies by Evernight Publishing and JMS Books.

She's usually writing more than one new book at a time, and frequently rushing out at the last minute because she got lost in her own fictional world.

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