Review: Neanderthal Marries Human by Penny Reid

Blurb:

This book is not a standalone. It is the sequel to ‘Neanderthal Seeks Human,’ it is book #1.5 in the ‘Knitting in the City’ series, and it is a full length, 105k word novel.

There are three things you should know about Quinn Sullivan: 1) He is madly in love with Janie Morris, 2) He’s not above playing dirty to get what (or who) he wants, and 3) He doesn’t know how to knit.

After just five months of dating Janie, Quinn—former Wendell and unapologetic autocrat—is ready to propose marriage. In fact, he’s more than ready. If it were up to Quinn, he would efficiently propose, marry, and beget Janie with child all in the same day—thereby avoiding the drama and angst that accompanies the four stages of pre-matrimony: engagement, meeting the parents, bachelor/bachelorette party, and overblown, superfluous wedding day traditions. But Janie, much to Quinn’s dismay, tosses a wrench in his efficacious endeavors and challenges him to prove his devotion by going through the matrimonial motions, no matter how minute and mundane.

Will Quinn last until the wedding day? Or will he yield to his tyrant impulses?

Regardless, one thing is for certain, Quinn Sullivan will have to learn to expect the Spanish Inquisition (i.e. the unexpected) if he plans to have and keep Janie Morris as his wife.

Again, you must read ‘Neanderthal Seeks Human’ first before reading this book.

This book is written in first person, alternating POV (Janie Morris AND Quinn Sullivan; but more Janie than Quinn)

When I read, (and when I say read, I really mean the first 20 times I read), Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid, I fell in love with Quinn and Janie.  Quinn quickly became my favorite book boyfriend of all time.  My numero uno.  The CFO of Book Boyfriends Inc.  The Chieftain.  The...well you get the picture.  I love that he's a man of few words, an alpha male, and that he loves a slightly awkward gorgeous nerd named Janie.  Then I read Neanderthal Marries Human and I now think I love Quinn 10 times more than before.  Or maybe 11 times, but who's counting.  In NMH, Penny lets us into the mind of not only Janie, but Quinn.  Quinn's mind is a little dirty, a little obsessed with a certain nerd, and a lot romantic.  For someone who didn't want to fall in love, Quinn sure knows what love is and how to keep it.  In NMH, Janie is still Janie, but we get to see more of what is really going on in that brain of hers.  We still get the plethora of trivia, but we are also given a front row seat to her emotions.  I loved seeing how vulnerable she was to Quinn and how badly she wanted to be with him forever, while anticipating and preparing for when he would inevitably move on to someone else.  In Janie's mind, statistically, things end, but what she didn't realize, is that statistics don't apply to Quinn Sullivan.  When Quinn loves, it's forever. What makes NMH great is that it provides us with a window into the every day lives of Janie and Quinn while giving us an intimate look at the people in their inner circle.  Quinn and Janie's love isn't perfect, but it's perfect for them.
I love the way that Penny flawlessly weaved in NMH and gives us small glimpses of scenes from Friends Without Benefits and Love Hacked, but from a different perspective. These glimpses are like the missing puzzle pieces from the other stories.  Neanderthal Marries Human was written after these books had already been written and released and shows just how talented Penny is at knowing her characters and telling their stories. While I believe the first 3 books of the Knitting in the City series are great, I think you will see that Neanderthal Marries Human is the missing link that you didn't even realize was missing.

A few things I observed while reading Neanderthal Seeks Human:

-Don't accept drinks from anyone, especially friends.  What ever happened to Friends Don't Let Friends Do Drugs?!?  My new phrase: Don't Let Friends Drink and Have Unsupervised Panty Dance Parties.

-What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, especially when the details are hazy and no one actually knows what happened.

-Nico's charisma affects everyone, man or woman.  It is extremely effective when it comes to Elizabeth and getting what he wants.  I might even go as far as to call him a genius ..you decide.


-Quinn only gets better with age, each book, when he breathes....

-Dan is the MAN!

-Guys shooting guns is hot.  Guys shooting guns in the desert is hotter.

-Discussing the Titanic is always a great way to divert the sexy ship and send it sinking into cold, cold water.

-Quinn drinks Texas whiskey and therefor a very smart man...

-Sometimes parents shouldn't be parents, and sometimes, parents screw up and just want a do-over.

-Family isn't always someone you're related to by blood, but someone who accepts you for the way you are and loves you more because of it.  No matter who you're with, be yourself.

-Beware of moose sausage.

-Quinn has great taste in slamps....did we ever doubt this?!?

-You can read a whole book in one sitting.  Kids can feed themselves.  Husbands CAN do things without your help.

Penny, if you're out there, I'm not content with your writing ;) I'm happy with it and hope you continue to share your true gift of storytelling with your readers.  I love how your mind works and that you create characters that we fall in love with, flaws and all.  Thank you for letting us live in your mind, if only for such short periods of time.

Sincerely,
Angie

P.S Penny, I'm 97% sure I love ya...;)

P.P.S. I need more Dan.  I know that his book is last, but I wouldn't mind if you moved it up. Will you accept bribes???


To purchase on Amazon:  Neanderthal Marries Human
Love Hacked  Friends Without Benefits

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About Penny Reid

SEX! It all started with sex, between my parents. Personally I don’t like thinking about it, but whatever works for you is a-ok with me. No judgment. The sex happened in California and much of my life also occurred in that state until I moved from the land of nuts (almonds), wine, silicon… boobs, and heavy traffic to the southeast US. Like most writers I like to write, but let’s get back to sex. Eventually I married and gave birth to 2 small people-children (boy-6, girl-4 as of this writing).

By day I’m a biomedical researcher with focus on rare diseases. By night I’m a knitter, sewer, lino block carver, fabric printer, soap maker, and general crafter. By the wee hours of the morning or when I’m intoxicated I love to listen to the voices in my head and let them tell me stories. I hope you enjoy their stories.

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