When I first discovered Penny Reid's books, I was reluctant because I am not a huge romance fan but the cover was cute and the teaser seemed to promise some humor along with the romance so I gave it a shot. I was immediately hooked and have now read all of the Knitting in the City series and enjoyed every one of them. I was so happy when I found out that this book would continue the story of Janie and Quinn.
Synopsis from Amazon:
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.
My Review:
Janie is an addicting personality and delightful as she continues her role from the first book. Her ability to spew random facts about almost anything is unique and never gets tiring. Her need for proof that love can last and her search for the caring family she never had leads to some of her more humorous ideas and experiments that drive almost everyone crazy. I don't think a chapter went by without my smiling or laughing at the snarky humor offered by one of the many characters, whether it be sexy, brooding Quinn or one of Janie's lively knitting club.
The story is written in dual point of view and alternates between Janie and Quinn. In many books that use this text structure, I find that isn't always successful. However, Penny Reid is able to not only make it work, but make it flow seamlessly from one character to the other, with each chapter complimenting the next. I enjoyed being able to see both sides of their relationship and Quinn's chapters were equally fun to read as I followed his journey to better himself and be more worthy of Janie.
Another aspect I really liked about this book was that, even though it still held onto its quirky, fun nature, it was also deeper in meaning as Janie and Quinn's relationship grew. As I reader, I got to see more into the baggage both carried due to their family relationships (or lack thereof) and how they helped each other to overcome their insecurities, both purposefully and just through their overwhelming love for one another. It holds great themes of love, forgiveness, and letting go.
This is a book that makes you laugh, makes you swoon, and leaves you feeling really good about the world and love in general. Just make sure you have a few hours set aside to read it from beginning to end because you aren't going to want to be distracted until you have finished.
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