"Neanderthal Marries Human: A Smarter Romance" by Penny Reid

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Part of a series?: Yes, Book #1.5 of the Knitting in the City series
Genre: Contemporary romance
Format read: E-book borrowed from the library
Sweet or hot?: Still medium, but a bit spicier than the last book

Disclosure: “Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission.”

So much for my theory that a ".5" means that the story is a novella -- Neanderthal Marries Human is a full-length novel. It is not, however, a standalone. It is a continuation of the story of Janie and Quinn and, as the title suggests, their road to the altar. In a nutshell: Quinn wants to marry within a week but Janie wants to wait several years so that they can have a chance to see how they handle the ups and downs of life as a couple. They come to a compromise wherein they will marry in a few months but participate in all the wedding traditions so that they can test their relationship with as much stress as possible before the ceremony.

My initial impression was that this book would merely be fan service, just something written to placate the readers who wanted to spend more time with Janie and Quinn without really adding anything to their story. I couldn't have been more wrong. This book has chapters from both Janie and Quinn's perspectives, which gives readers more insight into their personalities, as well as more info on their families and members of the knitting group. There is also more information about Quinn's business, which I was particularly happy to see. There were a few situations in the first book that were wrapped up simply by Quinn saying, "I took care of it.", and the resolutions are more fully explained in this sequel.

My recommendation would be to read this book immediately after Neanderthal Seeks Human, if possible. Even though the first book is described as a standalone, these books feel like two halves of a whole and it was a thoroughly enjoyable whole, at that.