Why it works: The romance is a slow burn. Quinn doesn’t just fall for Janie; he falls for her mind . The banter is intellectual without being pretentious, and the steam levels are perfectly balanced with emotional vulnerability. Most romance novels feature a "smart" character who conveniently forgets their IQ at the door when the handsome hero shows up. Not here. Penny Reid holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience, and it shows.

Kobo devices natively use EPUB. Buying Neanderthal Seeks Human on Kobo gives you a clean, retail EPUB file that you can download to your computer.

He is quiet, observant, and built like a stoic warrior. She is a walking encyclopedia of random facts, prone to panic-induced monologues, and utterly convinced she is invisible to men. The "Neanderthal" nickname is a hilarious misdirect based on how Quinn’s stoic, protective nature mirrors the public perception of our ancient ancestors, contrasting perfectly with Janie's hyper-verbal, modern anxiety.

Both use EPUB as their standard. Great if you read primarily on your iPhone or Android tablet.

In the vast, often predictable landscape of romantic comedy, finding a book that genuinely makes you feel smarter after reading it is like discovering a rare fossil. Enter Penny Reid , the queen of the "smart romance" subgenre, and her glittering debut: Neanderthal Seeks Human .

The plot follows (the "Neanderthal" of the title—though she's the human, which begins the inside joke) and Quinn Sullivan (the impossibly tall, brooding, and brilliant security expert). After a spectacularly bad day involving a break-up, a firing (for being "too smart"), and a run-in with mall security, Janie finds herself spontaneously kidnapped—er, escorted —by the mysterious Quinn.