So I enjoyed this book. I hit a roadblock for a bit bc I was annoyed by the non communication but I finished and was happy with the end.

I'd like to hear more His POV actually. ( )

Friends Without Benefits
2 Stars

Dr. Elizabeth Finney is convinced that her only chance at true love is long since gone. As such, all that interests her is the "benefits" without the irritation of friendship or relationships. But all of Elizabeth's plans are obliterated when her childhood nemesis, Nico Manganiello, reappears in her life.

Unfortunately, this is an exceedingly disappointing sequel to Neanderthal Meets Human. Elizabeth is one of the most unlikeable heroines I have ever encountered. She is shallow, selfish, and self-absorbed. There is one moment around the halfway mark that is completely inexcusable. It is clear at this point that she and Nico are entering into a romantic relationship yet she still agrees to no strings sex with a colleague. While she doesn't actually cheat, her intent to do so is there..

Nico on the other hand is sexy, charming, and intriguing. His backstory with Elizabeth has such tremendous potential, but her awfulness ruins any possibility of an entertaining second chances romance, and his attraction to and affection for her is completely incomprehensible.

The minor suspense plot involving a stalker adds some tension and suspense, but that cannot compensate for the lackluster romance.

A final note on Devra Woodward's narration of the audiobook, which is very good in terms of tone and intonation. Nevertheless, her choice of accent for Nico is unclear. He is a US-born Italian-American raised in Iowa, so why has Woodward used an Italian accent for him? Does she think it will make him sexier? Newsflash - it doesn't!

In sum, not a good sequel. That said, the other members of the knitting circle are endearing and Reid's writing is well-paced and entertaining. As such, I will continue with the series. ( )

Well, a big shout out to the author for having two versions of one particular chapter (one, of course, being erotica; the other skipping some bits).

That really dragged on. ( )

I liked this quite as much as I liked the first book in the series, [b:Neanderthal Seeks Human|17673307|Neanderthal Seeks Human A Smart Romance (Knitting in the City, #1)|Penny Reid|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1364347894s/17673307.jpg|24673151], but I'm rounding down a bit because the story dragged on for way too long. I liked both leads, Elizabeth and Nico, but I was so frustrated with them by the end. Even if only a couple of chapters had been chopped, it would have benefited the story greatly. As it was, it just kept going on and on and on. And again, the mystery/suspense element was really not necessary.

I will say I quite liked how funny/nerdy Elizabeth was. I really enjoyed that she was trying to be honest about her feelings for Nico to Nico, especially when she knew it wasn't what he wanted to hear. I liked reading about the friendships she had with the other ladies in her knitting group, even if they basically only ever talked about boys. I'll keep checking in with the series, although I feel a little trepidation for Fiona's book, since she is already married and has a couple of kids. I really hope her hubby doesn't end up in a "tragic accident" just for the sake of the series.

Technically, the writing needs a little help. There were a number of typos, incorrectly used words, and an absolute dearth of hyphens, but the grammar carnage was not so offensively bad that I was angry. It certainly helps that I got this book while it was free. ( )

The use of the slur for Romani people knocked me out of the story. It was completely unexpected. ( )