Neanderthal perhaps appearing in romance stories (8)
I believe the answer is:
ancestor
'neanderthal' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I can't see how one could define the other.
'appearing in romance stories' is the wordplay.
'appearing in' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'ANCESTOR' can be found hidden inside 'romance stories'.
'perhaps' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ancestor that I've seen before include "Predecessor" , "An escort (anag.)" , "Old member of the family -no traces (anag)" , "descent comes from one" , "Forefather" .)