Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: The Househusband’s Guide to Domestic Bliss
AUTHOR: Lance Lansdale
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 354 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 3, 2024
BLURB:
At Ms. Broussard’s Home for Bountiful Beaus, even the unlovable can find a love story for the ages. She offers custome-made automatons, fully trained in the art of keeping a home.
Arthur Price is not looking for love. The lonely librarian clings to his work and routine to keep himself functioning. When his brother, Jared, arrives in the middle of the night with an i-Series automaton meant to lift his spirits, he realizes his routine life is about to be upended. Cheerful to a fault, Periwinkle is not someone Arthur would normally choose to befriend, much less enter into a romantic entanglement with, but he somehow programs himself perfectly into his life.
Miraculously, Arthur finds himself growing almost fond of the robot. Periwinkle may not possess much experience outside cleaning, but he can’t help noticing the loneliness in his librarian’s eyes. If it means giving Arthur Price a fresh start, Periwinkle is more than happy to stitch together all of Arthur’s broken pieces. Whether Arthur likes it or not, Periwinkle’s mechanical heart beats only for Arthur.
The Househusband’s Guide to Domestic Bliss is a cozy, dual POV, slow-burn romance about a lonely librarian and his made-to-order boyfriend.
REVIEW:
i-729 is an automaton being trained to be a househusband for some lucky man. The man who show up to claim him, Jared Price, however is a monster. Luckily he’s just delivering him to his brother who is worried about since a bad breakup. Arthur, Jared’s brother is his polar opposite. The only thing they have in common were there terrible parents and being gay. Arthur cam out and was kicked out. Jared kept in the closet and got all the money. Periwinkle – or Peri as Arthur calls him – is in Arthur’s space – which he’s not keen on. Until he is. Peri makes friends with everyone and brightens his world. But Jared continues to be a pain pain and nearly ruins everything. Good thing Peri and Arthur have LOT of friends. Oh and a lot of love.
Oh my goodness. This is my first book from this author and it was an absolute delight! I adored Peri! He was the sweetest ray of sunshine! I adored his naivete. His love of Care Bears. His hilarious literal interpretation of everything. But mostly I loved his heart. He recognizes pretty quickly that Arthur is a bit broken and he does his best to help heal him. Jared, Arthur’s brother is a NIGHTMARE! I felt so terrible for Elliot, his “assistant” and sorely abused automaton. Peri is a ray of sunshine not just for Arthur but for the whole town of Genevieve – and especially the Ladies Auxiliary. I adored Princess and Honey. Everyone has Peri’s back and Arthur’s too. It’s clear that Arthur and Peri are a perfect match – despite the odds against them. There are bad actors here, but there are also those who want nothing more than to see Peri happy – some are quite unexpected in fact.
I will admit that I laughed out loud many many times while reading this story. Peri is a hoot and a half. Honey Peppercorn is a character that will imprint on your brain! I was so unhappy when things went south at one point – but the cavalry to the rescue. Bottom line is that this is a story of love and acceptance and being your true self that will lead to the love of one’s life. I’ve only ready one other story with this kind of trope – human/automaton that moved me as much. Truly this is a fabulous and compelling read and I would love to read more in this world.
RATING: 
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