Last Man Standing, Book 2
From the author:
So I may be in the Last Single Man Standing competition with my cousins, but five minutes around Kinsey was all it took to take myself out. Who cares about bragging rights when you’ve just found the woman you’re going to marry? Sure, she may work for my biggest competitor. Sure, she’s not dating right now. Sure, she’s my sister’s best friend and I’ve been sworn off her. But somehow she agrees to go on six fake dates to help me save face in this competition.
What does the guy who never uses his words have to say to convince the girl of his dreams that they’re perfect for each other?
Each book in the Last Man Standing series is STANDALONE:
* Mama’s Boy
* Neanderthal
* Mansplainer
I took the author at her word that each book is a standalone as this was first read in this series. And I think she’s right; I didn’t feel like I missed anything although I realized there was a first book, if that makes sense. A lot of romance series are connected by characters who know one another, and I think this is the case here. No matter; this was a fun read.
Griff is the “Neanderthal” of the title, and it’s pretty fitting. He is known to his friends and family as someone who rarely speaks. In fact, he grunts a lot. But he is brilliant and rich and good looking, in what would be a lethal combination if not for his lack of communication skills. His sister’s best friend, Kinsey, has recently moved to the west coast as she landed her dream job at a competitor of theirs. Unfortunately, her dream job doesn’t pay enough to cover the rent in such a pricy area, so she jumps at the chance to move in with her bestie.
Kinsey visits the gym where Griff is working out and overhears some crazy conversations. She steps in, explains the correct answers, and shuts everyone up. And Griff falls in love, before he even sees her. Brains are his downfall, and Kinsey may be the smartest person he’s ever heard. Then he sees her and realizes his life as he knew it is now over. He is in love.
Griff and two of his cousins have a bet going on – the last man standing, i.e. not in love, wins the Christmas present their grandmother left behind. No one knows what it is or really cares, they just know they want it. But Griff realizes he is out of the running now and doesn’t care.
There are a couple of problems though – for one thing, Kinsey is wearing an engagement ring, or as she explains it, a pre-engagement ring. Except she bought it in a thrift shop and wears it to keep men from hitting on her. Kinsey is a knockout, a southern belle with blonde hair, big boobs, and an even bigger brain, but no one waits around to find out about her brain. By taking herself off the market, she gets taken a little more seriously at work.
But something amazing happens. As Griff’s cousins set him on date after date with Kinsey, he finds himself talking to her. In fact, he never wants to stop talking to her. Unless they are in bed, which is where they end up once she confesses to the fake pre-engagement. Griff may lose the bet but he wins the girl and the happy ending. This is a very sexy romance with a lot of witty dialogue, some laugh out loud moments, and terrific characters who grow and change. I am looking for the first book in the series while I impatiently wait for the next.
NEANDERTHAL by Avery Flynn. Entangled: Amara (October 25, 2021). ASIN: B091NPW9HK. 288 pages.
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