A warm welcome to author Heidi Cullinan joining us today to talk about new release “Professor’s Green Card Marriage”.
Heidi kindly answered some questions for us with great answers, shares an excerpt and brought a wonderful giveaway for our readers!
What makes it special /different to write a book for the Dreamspun
Collection?
What brought on this specific book?
Do you have a favortite series or book you go back to to re read?
Is there a favorite trope you like to write in?
What are your future plans? Which books are coming.
Release Date: February 18, 2020
Blurb:
I’ll marry you.
Professor Valentyn Shevchenko isn’t sure how to react when, after months of ineffective flirting, the cute barista’s first words to him are a proposal. In many ways, Peter Grunberg is the solution to all his problems. With his work visa inexplicably denied, Valentyn is running out of options to keep from being deported. But is a green card marriage really the answer? Is it still a marriage of convenience when he’s this attracted to his potential spouse?
Peter came to his uncle’s coffee shop in Boulder, Colorado, to reset his life after his struggles with selective mutism returned with a vengeance. He never meant his first words to the handsome ecology professor to be an offer of marriage, but he’s not backing out now. It doesn’t matter that Peter struggles to find words. He can say everything he needs to with his body.
Though this relationship may have started out back-to-front, Valentyn and Peter are determined to make their fake marriage real. But one misstep in their immigration interview could bring everything crashing down. They’ll have to hope that their love is enough to overcome all their obstacles and give them the prize they’ve both been dreaming of: a certified happy ever after.
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“SO did you meet up with the coffee shop kid?”
Valentyn, eating a soup and sandwich from the campus deli in Dennis’s office, paused midbite.
Raising his eyebrows, Dennis crossed his leg over his knee and threaded his fingers over his chest. “Quite a reaction. Please elaborate.”
There was no point in trying to hide anything from Dennis when he was in a mood. Pressing his hands together in front of his mouth, Valentyn drew a breath, then dove in. “I went to discuss things with him after he got off work last night, and instead we ended up fucking.”
“Nice. Your place or his?”
“You misunderstand. We did it in the coffee shop. At my usual table, in fact. I’ll never be able to grade another paper again there.”
Dennis wolf-whistled. “Damn. All right. So… I assume you’re tied in knots because now you want to fuck him dirty on the regular, but as usual you can’t get past your hang-up that romantic relationships should have clinical, no-nonsense sex? And to make it worse, he’s actually willing to marry you, something you desperately need?”
Valentyn pursed his lips. “I don’t think romantic relationships should have clinical sex.”
“Sure, you tell yourself whatever you need to. Outside of that offensive bluntness of phrasing, do you object to anything else? Am I wrong?”
He wasn’t, not even about the clinical sex remark—which stung—but Valentyn would be damned if he acknowledged it directly. He changed the subject. “He writes incredibly persuasive texts and emails.”
“I’ll bet he does.” Dennis propped his elbow on his desk and leaned into his palm. “Given the way you keep blushing, he must be dynamite in bed. Or rather, on table.”
Valentyn let out a heavy sigh. “Dennis, he’s exquisite. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to fuck him harder or weep at his feet.”
“Please, please tell me he swings.” When Valentyn bristled, Dennis laughed. “You’re possessive. Oh, honey. You must be a mess.”
“I keep trying to put this thing into some kind of rational box and all it does is get worse. I encouraged him to call me the familiar diminutive of my name in email last night after copious amounts of vodka, and I told him I loved him. In Ukrainian. Then repeated it in English.” He threw up his hands and sank deeper into the chair, terror swirling around him.
Dennis had no empathy, only grinned wider. “God, this is so delicious. I want to meet this kid.” When Valentyn glared at him, he amended, “Young man. Except honestly, Val, once you pass forty-five, everybody under thirty is a damn kid to you.”
“I don’t know if he wants to meet you. Well, no. I can’t say that for sure. If we were to stop by now—” He cut himself off, blushing hotly as he remembered that morning, the way Peter had melted him with a brush of fingers against the pulse at his wrist. How he’d dragged Valentyn into the kitchen, pressed him against the wall, and fucked into his mouth with his tongue.
The breve had been excellent too. As promised.
Dennis sighed happily. “I honestly love seeing you like this. It’s the best show in the world.”
Valentyn flipped him off absently. “I could handle it if there weren’t issues with my immigration status. In fact, I made an appointment with the dean to try to get him to reapply for me.”
“Except will the application come back in time?” Dennis’s expression grew serious. “I’ve been doing research. Apparently part of the reason you’re struggling with this is a huge change with how they process all visas.”
Valentyn’s gut tightened. “I know. My immigration lawyer said the same thing to me.”
“My point is, the employment visa route has all kinds of risks now. I still think you’re going to have an easier time of things because you’re not brown, but if you apply for a work visa, get denied twice, then show up conveniently married, you’re going to have a rougher time of things. They want to see proof of a marriage. That means they want actual receipts. Photos, licenses, proof you’re living together, vacationing together, being a couple together. If they think you’re not genuine, then it’s really over. This guy might be the golden ticket, because you could potentially be a real married couple by the time you get to the interview.”
“Yes, but what you’re telling me is that I need to marry him as soon as possible. What if it falls apart? What if we despise each other but have to stay together to keep me from being deported?”
“Look, you’ve got three options. Marry him, marry someone else, or go back to Ukraine. Can you see yourself marrying somebody other than your Peter? Rather, let me rephrase. Can you see yourself marrying someone other than Peter while you’re chasing down this rush of feeling you have going for him?”
Valentyn tried to honestly consider it. However, his body still hummed from that kiss. “No.”
“Then I’m pretty sure you’re marrying him.”
“Fuck,” Valentyn murmured and hunched forward, pressing his arms against his abdomen.
Dennis rubbed his shoulder. “You’ll be okay. Just ride it for now. I mean, you probably want to close the deal in the next few weeks, a month at most, but for now, just keep getting to know him, let him get familiar with you. I assume you have plans to meet again?”
“We’re going to go into the mountains tomorrow. He has the day off, and since it’s Saturday, I do too. He has some family thing tonight, so we’ll just email and text.”
“There you go.” He sat back in his chair. “I know you crave control unless you specifically surrender it in certain settings. Figure out a new way to feel like you have a grip on the reins. It might be that you fizzle out as a romantic couple but stay friends, that he helps you because he cares about you the way I do. You can aim for that result too. This doesn’t have to make you freeze up.”
Valentyn knew all this. And yet…. “I’m scared, Dennis.”
“I know, hon.” Dennis rolled his chair closer and kissed Valentyn gently on the forehead, ruffling his hair. “I know.”
Author of over thirty novels, Midwest-native Heidi Cullinan writes positive-outcome romances for LGBT characters struggling against insurmountable odds because she believes there’s no such thing as too much happy ever after. Heidi is a two-time RITA® finalist and her books have been recommended by Library Journal, USA Today, RT Magazine, and Publisher’s Weekly. When Heidi isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading novels and manga, playing with her cats, and watching too much anime. Find out more at heidicullinan.com.
Heidi is graciously offering a backlist ecopy of choice to one Lucky winner!
I loved the excerpt and the blurb This sounds like it will be such a wonderful book
thanks for the excerpt. The book sounds very good.
Immigration is at the forefront of lots of people’s minds. This at least is a ‘fun’ read! Thank you for such a sweet sounding couple.
sounds like a great read…congrats
I got a copy of this book.
Thank you for the excerpt! It sounds fun..
Thanks for the great excerpt and intro to your book. It looks fantastic.