Title: Beard Science
Author: Penny Reid
Series: Winston Brothers #3
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Dates read: 22nd October 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Penny Reid
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: Her hand trembled slightly where it held the spoon.

Beards, brothers and bananas! Oh my!

Make a deal with the devil and you might get what you want, but will it be what you need?

Jennifer Sylvester wants one thing, and that one thing is NOT to be Tennessee’s reigning Banana Cake Queen. Ever the perpetual good girl and obedient daughter, Jennifer is buckling under the weight of her social media celebrity, her mother’s ambitions, and her father’s puritanical mandates. Jennifer is officially desperate.

And desperate times call for Cletus Winston.

Cletus Winston is a puzzle wrapped in a mystery covered in conundrum sauce, and now he’s in a pickle. Despite being convinced of his own omniscience, extortion by the exalted Banana Cake Queen of Green Valley has taken him completely by surprise. So… what’s a maniacal mastermind to do?

Likely, the last thing you expect.

I think that Cletus may be my absolute favourite Winston Brother thus far. He is a little bit sick and twisted, he is definitely devious, but mostly I just love that he refuses to take crap from… well, anybody. But, mostly I just love how damn devious and sneaky the man is. And how he eventually gets his comeuppance…. That is also completely hilarious and brilliant.

Of all the characters that would seem to match Cletus, I love that it’s Jenn. Her supposed innocence and lack of a backbone not only lulls him into a great false sense of security, but it also acts as a reminder not to make assumptions about others. That, and just had me laughing. Frequently. After all, the man who thinks he’s infallible and bullet proof and knows who is going to be a perfect match for him is so completely wrong. It left me laughing quite a bit throughout this story and entirely unable to put down the damn book.

Jenn’s journey of self-discovery was a really nice storyline. Although there is a great character arc for Cletus throughout this, I actually love Jenn’s moment in the sun the most. It’s all about finding out what she wants, and realising that pleasing those you love isn’t necessarily always the way to go. The fact that her father may actually be the devil doesn’t overly help matters… but still, it makes for a fantastic story and has you hoping for the happily ever after that you’re going to get.

My favourite thing about this couple is the fact that Jenn seems to be the only one in the whole damn town who can see how truly evil / devious / sneaky Cletus is. To the point that she fears him. I think that this is a great way to start of the relationship. She knows exactly who she is getting involved with… but decides to take the plunge anyway. And what is love if not seeing somebody, flaws and all and still deciding that you want to keep them?

Image source: Amazon

Title: Grin & Beard It
Author: Penny Reid
Series: Winston Brothers #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Dates read: 21st – 22nd October 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Penny Reid
Year: 2016
5th sentence, 74th page: Thus, I couldn’t help but usually greet her as follows: “Susie… Moist?”

Beards, brothers, and bears! Oh my!

Sienna Diaz is everyone’s favorite “fat” funny lady. The movie studio executives can’t explain it, but her films are out-grossing all the fit and trim headliners and Hollywood’s most beautiful elite. The simple truth is, everyone loves plus-sized Sienna.

But she has a problem, she can’t read maps and her sense of direction is almost as bad as her comedic timing is stellar. Therefore, when Sienna’s latest starring role takes her to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park she finds herself continuously lost while trying to navigate the backroads of Green Valley, Tennessee. Much to her consternation, Sienna’s most frequent savior is a ridiculously handsome, charming, and cheeky Park Ranger by the name of Jethro Winston.

Sienna is accustomed to high levels of man-handsome, so it’s not Jethro’s chiseled features or his perfect physique that make Sienna stutter. It’s his southern charm. And gentlemanly manners. And habit of looking at her too long and too often.

Sienna has successfully navigated the labyrinth of Hollywood heart-throbs. But can she traverse the tenuous trails of Tennessee without losing her head? Or worse, her heart?

Sienna is just all things that are awesome in a woman. Like, honestly, she is freaking amazing! And funny, and quirky, and… well, I have a huge girl crush on this character (can you tell?). Not only did I thoroughly enjoy her character… but I also loved the voice / narration that she provided. It was kind of like sinking into my own brain when I was feeling chirpy and optimistic…

The Meet Cute between Sienna and Jethro is wonderful. I love that she’s pretty much cracking an absolute tanty and stomping on her map. All because she’s lost. It’s the kind of insane and completely off-kilter thing that I would probably do. The hulking out moment and the humour in the situation… I was smiling and giggling from the very beginning of this story.

I was intrigued to see what Jethro was going to be like… he is only kind of peripherally around throughout the rest of the Winston Brothers books (all two) thus far. So finding out what his emotions are surrounding his involvement with bikers, how he has grown… I was drawn in. And he is just so damn cute! Like put him in my pocket, and take him home cute… partner that with his past… and wow, I had SOOOOO many feelings while reading this! In all of the best ways possible.

Sienna’s issues with people’s perceptions of her body reminded me of all of the crap that we sometimes get as women. And the fact that even her own sister jumps on the stupid bandwagon… I honestly just wanted to reach through the pages and give the woman a huge hug. Although, the moment in which she publicly stands up for herself and takes charge of her own future again… oh. Be still my beating heart.

Loved, loved, loved this novel. And, since I was sick when I was reading it… it was the perfect antidote to feeling like crap and being seriously bored…

Image source: Amazon