Book Bash Author Spotlight – Penny Reid sends us an exclusive excerpt of “Neanderthal Marries Human”.

<—Comedy romance loved by… it seems EVERYONE that reads these. At least everyone in our reader crew (and there are a ton of y’all!!). I made a recent “favorites” list, and Kat was in a frenzy….

Kat: I was all prepared to be shocked that Neanderthal Seeks Human and Love Hacked didn’t make this list and then I realized you have read any of Penny’s books yet LOL!!

LOL Kat! Nope i haven’t read ’em yet, but I know these’ll be right up my alley (and very likely my favorites). I know I’m missing out.

Cheryl: Hilarious change from angst-filled stories.

Melinda: Neanderthal seeks human really well written funny and extremely enjoyable.

Jen: I finished Neanderthal Seeks Human a couple of weeks ago and all in all I just loved it – it really hit all my rom-com needs, that’s for sure (especially after all the angst/dark reads I’ve been leaning towards lately)

Amber: With all three, I literally laughed out loud after page 2.  Page one is kinda a gimmie you know, a grabber.  From page 2 on, you laugh and if you’re a pushover like me you might cry.  You get angry because you ARE the heroine and you want what she wants (a hot guy, a hot smart guy…and a panty party.) and you want it now! I can’t wait for the future books involving the knitting girls.  They are all so interesting and diverse.  Yes, the books can be read as a stand alone, but why would you only read one when you can read all about them in the other books?  You learn different things about them as you go along and they become your friends.  I’m really anticipating Fiona’s story.

Daisy: They can definitely be read as standalones. Love her writing! Funny, quirky and sexy!

Stella: I just finished Neanderthal Seeks Human &amp; I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this book. It was hilarious, smart &amp; witty. I have to say that I couldn’t put the book down.  I loved the main character Janie!  I hope you get a chance to read it. I think you’ll enjoy it.

Neanderthal Marries Human: A Smarter Romance (Knitting in the City #1.5) —> 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.

Ready for that excerpt?

“I think I need a pet name.” I said.
“Pardon?”
“I think you need to give me a pet name—a term of endearment.”
Quinn’s face was its typical impassive mask, but I could tell that I’d surprised him.
Finally, he said, “Like…babe?”
“No—that feels awkward and wrong and has undertones of pedophilia. I’m thinking of something more age appropriate, yet affectionate.”
He considered me, my request. I was pleased to find that he appeared to be taking it seriously. “Cupcake?” he asked.
“No food.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not edible.”
“I disagree.”
My eyes widened before I could control my body’s response to his bluntly spoken statement, mostly because I didn’t want to delve too deep into the matter for fear that I would haul him back to the lavatory to prove that I was edible. Instead, I said, “Okay…I’ll take food under advisement, but I think we should continue the search.”
“Dove?”
“Dove? No.”
“Why not dove?”
“Too close to ostrich, and falcons eat doves for lunch.”
“So?”
“So, I think of you as a falcon. And, although we’ve established that you consider me edible, I don’t like the mental image of you killing me for a meal, my feathers strewn about in a bloody mass of….”
“Alright, not dove. What about sweet pea or lamb?”
“Meh.”
“Meh?”
“They don’t feel right.”
He placed his report on the chair next to him, rested his elbows on the armrests, and tented his fingers. “You suggest something then.”
“Okay…what about Medusa?”
He grimaced. “Medusa?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s not giving me a good mental image.”
“What? Why? Poseidon thought she was lovely.”
He sighed, frowned, and shook his head. “How about kitten?”
Kitten? “Kitten?” I thought and said the word at the same time.
“Yeah. Try this on—” Quinn paused, his eyes moved from mine to my mouth, neck, chest, then up again; the return pass left his gaze half lidded and lazy. All of this effected a leisurely inspection that might have been lewd if attempted by anyone else. But, as Quinn was my fiancé and the man I was head over heels in love with, the perusal made me a lot agitated (in the best and most frustrating way possible).
Then, low and intimate, he said, “Hey, Kitten.”
“Guh,” was my automatic response. Actually, it was barely a sound, more just an inadvertent rumble of lady-feels. My stomach flipped and heat blossomed in my chest. I think I’d like anything he said using that voice.
His eyes danced between mine then landed on my lips. His mouth curved slowly into one of his slow, sexy grins. “I like this. This was a good idea.”
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.