{Release Day Review} The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan (@RosieDanan @BerkleyRomance)

Naomi and Ethan will test the boundaries of love in this provocative romance from the author of the ground-breaking debut, The Roommate.

Naomi Grant has built her life around going against the grain. After the sex-positive start-up she cofounded becomes an international sensation, she wants to extend her educational platform to live lecturing. Unfortunately, despite her long list of qualifications, higher ed won't hire her.

Ethan Cohen has recently received two honors: LA Mag named him one of the city's hottest bachelors and he became rabbi of his own synagogue. Taking a gamble in an effort to attract more millennials to the faith, the executive board hired Ethan because of his nontraditional background. Unfortunately, his shul is low on both funds and congregants. The board gives him three months to turn things around or else they'll close the doors of his synagogue for good.

Naomi and Ethan join forces to host a buzzy seminar series on Modern Intimacy, the perfect solution to their problems--until they discover a new one--their growing attraction to each other. They've built the syllabus for love's latest experiment, but neither of them expected they'd be the ones putting it to the test.

​Naomi Grant prides herself on being both professional and bulletproof. Just because she’s a former sex worker, doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have the brains to back up her title as a CEO – and she definitely knows how to use them. 
 
That doesn’t make introducing herself to strangers any easier.  Despite years of developing some very tough skin, sometimes the barbs thrown her way go straight to her heart.  
 
So when the only man in greater Los Angeles to make her pulse quicken approaches her about leading a lecture on Modern Intimacy, she’s more than just a little skeptical.  

​“Would you be interested in conducting a seminar on modern intimacy for my synagogue?” 
That was—did he say—had she really been out of the game so long that she couldn’t tell flirting from . . . this? The reason for the goose bumps on her arms transformed. She hadn’t thought about synagogues in a long time. 
When she spoke next, her carefully constructed walls were back in place. 
“I can’t imagine a religious organization would offer me a more welcome reception than higher education, but thanks anyway.” She started walking out of the classroom, leaving him to lap at her heels. 
“I can assure you that you’d be very welcome at Beth Elohim.” 
“How’s that?” She threw the words over her shoulder. 
​Ethan managed to jog in front of her, shoving his hands into his pockets and offering her a weak smile. “Well, for starters, I’m the rabbi.”

​Ethan Cohen isn’t a stereotypical rabbi.  Not only is he beautiful on the outside, but he’s also heartbreakingly compassionate and tender on the inside. He believes that science and religion can not only coexist but that they make the world infinitely more wonderous.   And he’s never seen anything as wonderous as Naomi.
 
Theirs is a relationship that some might see as doomed from the very beginning.  But he sees it as the greatest gift he’s ever received. 

​“A kiss doesn’t have to mean anything. I’ll give you a get-out-of-jail-free card if you’ve gotten cold feet.” Her voice was softer this time, less sure, the statement almost a question. 
She was offering them both an out, he supposed. 
​Ethan had no intention of taking it. 
He moved so he was standing in front of her instead of beside her, so he could look her in the eye. The wet sand was cold under his feet, grounding him. 
“Kissing you,” he said, determined to be explicit about it, “meant something to me.” 
She sucked in a breath like the words had sharp edges. He could tell she wanted to move, to look away even, but she didn’t. “Whatever it is, this thing between us, it won’t be easy.” 
“Whatever it is, this thing between us,” he repeated, “I want it.”

​With The Intimacy Experiment, Rosie Danan achieves the nearly impossible!  She flawlessly combines science, religion and sex to create a story that’s not only affirming but also empowering.  
 
Her characters are beautifully broken – Naomi with her too tough exterior and Ethan with his boundless optimism.  Together with a shining cast of supporting characters, they will make you laugh, make you cry and then make you marvel at the beauty of the universe.  And when you’re done reading it, you’ll want to experience it all over again…

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