Tag Archives: Penny Reid

Truth or Beard ReRead by Penny Reid

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: Truth or Beard ReRead
Author: Penny Reid
Series: Winston Brothers #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance, Small town romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2015

Thoughts

I’m always a fan of rereading a well-loved series – and this was my first reread of the Winston Brothers series. Or at least the start of my first reread. And I honestly loved revisiting Duane and Jessica and all of the nonsense that leads up to their happily ever after. Plus, Duane is the first of the Winston Brothers to finally find his happily ever after. What a great way to revisit a well loved series and a great start to a fun and dynamic contemporary romance. Now I can’t wait to get into more of the Winston Brothers series.

As someone who can be somewhat impulsive, I don’t truly understand Duane’s drive to plan absolutely everything in his life. I found it really frustrating to read about someone potentially sabotaging a future relationship, future happiness because he couldn’t plan out the entirety of the future. The whole idea that the future must be so heavily prepared for that Duane almost misses out on all of the present…. Something I definitely am not inclined towards and really struggled to understand myself.

Like Duane, I really don’t quite understand Jessica’s drives either. I’m somewhat of a homebody and somebody who tends to live in the moment. Jessica is also inordinately fixated towards the future. But where Duane wants a plan, she just wants to leave and keep moving. Again, I don’t have that feeling of wanderlust and that need to constantly run. I love having my roots firmly in the ground, and I can’t imagine being willing to say goodbye to pretty much every aspect of my life just for a new experience. And yet, because of the way that Reid is able to construct her characters – I felt like I gained some insight into these two very different personality types and personal drivers.

The presence of the Iron Wraiths, and Razor in particular still absolutely freaks me out. For good reason to be honest. This level of evil having a foot hold in any part of society is terrifying. And, sadly, it’s not a far fetched idea. I love that I get to now read this series knowing that they will ultimately be safe from the horrors of the Iron Wraiths, but I also know that there’s going to be a whole lot of horribleness and drama occurring before that happens… which I now get to seriously, happily and with great joy look forward to.

<- Beauty and the Mustache ReReadGrin and Beard It ReRead ->

Image source: Barnes and Noble

Neanderthal Seeks Human ReRead by Penny Reid

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: Neanderthal Seeks Human ReRead
Author: Penny Reid
Series: Knitting in the City #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance, Strong women
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2013

Thoughts

This is one of those books that I remember reading for the first time and realising that I found a new author to be obsessed with. And now, I get to have the joy of rereading this amazing series. I remember reading this for the first time and realising that there was finally someone else with a similarly random and intense monologue to mine. Someone who fixates on obscure facts and to do lists when in moments of intense emotions. Neanderthal Seeks Human is just as fun and unique as the first time I was introduced to this wonderful world. I can’t wait for more!

I read a few of the reviews on Goodreads this time around. And even though some people took exception to Janie’s quirkiness, I absolutely adored it. She is just as gloriously clueless and beautiful as the first read through. And as someone who is often quite clueless about social moments, I love that she is so giving and kind, willing to love everyone who steps into her life. But yet, she’s kind of clueless to what’s going on around her. Plus, I just genuinely love all of the random facts throughout the story. I learnt so many things in this story and I know I’ll learn more next time I read this story!

Quinn is somewhat controlling, something I don’t always enjoy in the lead males in a story. But, I do enjoy that he constantly attempts to pull back on this. Plus, even if this dynamic isn’t exactly what I would enjoy, I like that some of his more pushy tendencies actually help Janie. Quinn and Janie, for all that they are different, manage to support and compliment each other. With each of them pushing their partners out of their comfort zone to become better versions of themselves. I prefer Janie’s approach in that she is sweet and kind of guileless in what she’s aiming for. But, I love that Quinn’s more heavy handed approach does work for the couple too.

It won’t matter how many times I read the Knitting in the City series, or Neanderthal Seeks Human, I must admit that the scene with a stabbing of knitting needles is one of my favourites. It’s violent, it’s hilarious and it shows the gumption and support of these seven women perfectly. They are the true Ride or Die friends and I love that they are there to support each other through all of the shenanigans. Plus, knitting, and good quality wool and just a total craft nirvana reading this.

<- More Penny ReidNeanderthal Marries Human ->

Image source: Penny Reid

Songbird by L.H. Cosway & Penny Reid

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview

Title: Songbird
Author: L.H. Cosway & Penny Reid
Series: Rugby #4.5
In: Wrap Me Up (Miscellaneous)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance, Sports romance
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novella
Year: 2023

Thoughts

This short story really didn’t do what I expected. I thought, that, being Cosway and Reid, that it would be a complete and contained happily ever after. Instead, it was really a story full of possibilities. It did have its own beginning and end (because all stories kind of have to). But it felt more like a prologue leading into the possibility of a relationship, not the formation of one. Honestly, I just felt a whole lot of hope when I finished this short story. which was kind of incredibly beautiful.

I’ve always loved the idea of Christmas as a time of change and miracles. Songbird is very much about that one perfect Christmas eve. One that makes you truly believe that change is on the horizon and that miracles can (and do) happen. Even writing this review, I have a slightly dreamy look on my face as I think about all of the happy little feelings that this short story inspired in me.

There was something ridiculously romantic about this story. Even though it was just a moment in time, I think the setting, the timing and just the beautiful writing made for an incredibly romantic tale. You’ll definitely be left hoping for another story in this universe, one in which these two find their happily ever after and eventually get to meet again.

<- Wrap Me UpNeanderthal Seeks Illusionist ->

Image source: Amazon

Neanderthal Seeks Illusionist by L.H. Cosway & Penny Reid

Book Review, , , , , ,
Overview

Title: Neanderthal Seeks Illusionist
Author: L.H. Cosway & Penny Reid
Series: Hearts #0.5, Knitting in the City #0.5
In: Wrap Me Up (Miscellaneous)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Short story
Year: 2023

Thoughts

I am a huge, huge, huge fan of the Knitting in the City series. And, thus far, I’ve loved the Rugby series by Cosway and Reid. So, I was really pleasantly surprised that there was a crossover short story between the KITC series and the Hearts series. I may not have quite started Six of Hearts yet, but now I’m chomping at the bit to do so. I mean, if this short story is enough to go by (and I’m betting it is). I’m going to love it just as much as I’ve loved everything else by these two authors.

As someone who is already madly in love with Janie and all of her intricacies, I love that this was her before she met Quinn. You can already feel the cracks that are opening up in her happiness with her current life. And, I’m sure that it’s some great hints into who Jay was before his happily ever after. Again, it hints at some of the cracks in Jay’s life and the things that he’s wishing for. A great way to introduce two characters and their potential growth to new readers.

As someone who is built a little bit like Janie, I can completely understand how she spends most of this story just wanting to figure out how the illusionist does his tricks. In fact, I look forward to reading Six of Hearts to figure it out for myself. So now I have yet another book on my to read pile…

<- SongbirdMaking Her Melt ->

Image source: Amazon

Wrap Me Up by Miscellaneous

Book Review, , , , , , , , , , , ,
Overview

Title: Wrap Me Up
Author: L.H. Cosway, Penny Reid, Skye Warren, Sierra Simone, Julia Kent, Catherine Cowles, Carly Phillips, K.A. Linde & Debra Anastasia
In: Wrap Me Up (Miscellaneous)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Christmas, Contemporary romance, Short story collections
Pace: Slow
Format: Anthology, eBook
Year: 2023

Thoughts

This was a really sweet and fun collection. Not as Christmas-themed as I was anticipating, but a nice trend towards the holiday season. About half of the authors are authors I’ve read before. The other half were new to me. Both of which made me incredibly happy – it’s fun discovering the old and new. Plus, some of these short stories introduced me to series that I haven’t yet dived into… something that, again, I always enjoy.

I do wish that a lot of these stories were more themed around Christmas. They were enjoyable, but I really read this at the festive season… because Christmas. So it was a little disappointing when it didn’t adhere to that. However, it was a fun collection, just one I would read at any point of the year.

This might not have felt very Christmassy, and I didn’t necessarily love every single story in the collection, but it was one that I will definitely read again in the future. Mostly because there are some pretty awesome authors scattered throughout.

<- Skating on the StarsSongbird ->

Image source: Amazon

Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend by Penny Reid

Book Review, ,
Overview

Title: Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend
Author: Penny Reid
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2022

Thoughts

I knew that this was going to be awesome because we’ll, it’s Penny Reid and she’s amazing. And it’s a grump sunshine romance. And the name implies that it’s about best friends. All of which made me excited. But it was also nothing like what I expected. For starters, Byron and Winnie aren’t actually best friends. And this deals with a whole heap of things that I truly wasn’t anticipating. All of which just made it THAT much better.

Winnie is incredibly sweet, but I love how it’s actually her hangups that cause quite a few issues. And how she gets called on it. She’s also kind of oblivious to the true characters of some of the people around her. Which is kind of sweet but also incredibly naive. Byron might be a little naive in his own ways, but he is actually a whole lot more self-aware and willing to improve than Winnie is.

Byron is a great character; I love that he struggles pretty severely with social interactions but is aware of this fact. His coping mechanism might not necessarily be the greatest, but at least he tries to work on his short comings. Maybe the thing I loved most about Byron though is the fact that he is completely sincere and honest in all of his interactions.

Amelia works as a fantastic best friend to both Winnie and Byron. She is able to love them both for exactly who they are (which I think is what we all want) and try to help them find their HEA. She is also happy to call them both out when they’re being a little bit too martyred. Mostly though, I just love how she is able to encourage both Byron and Winnie to step out of their comfort zones.

Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend is not just a fantastic romance, it also talks about two really important social issues. The first is the ways in which male entitlement can be incredibly toxic. All of Jeff’s behaviours throughout this are incredibly cringey and honestly made it impossible to like him even a little bit. Secondly, and what I enjoyed most, was discussions about how to be a woman in STEM. It’s difficult and a big reason why I actually stepped back from a career in this field. I love that through her writing, Reid points out that there is no one way to be smart, and that you can be involved in STEM, but also love fashion and makeup. A lesson we all need to learn.

<- More Penny ReidMore SmartyPants Romance ->

Image source: Amazon

Kissing Galileo by Penny Reid

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: Kissing Galileo
Author: Penny Reid
Series: Dear Professor #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Year: 2019

Thoughts

Something about Penny Reid’s contemporary romances always makes me think. She manages to find characters that are unique and question the generalities of the genre that I often have come up against. In the case of this novel, it was Emily’s job that made me pause. I kept expecting it to be one of the obstacles that the couple had to get over. And it wasn’t because it SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN. But my bias definitely reared its ugly head there.

Anna and Luca’s story was definitely adorable and fun, and Emily has a way of stealing the show a little in some of those moments. Which meant that getting in her head left me with all of the happy feelings. She’s exactly as neurotic, fast thinking and downright adorable as I had expected. From the very first part when she’s explaining the different stages of nakedness, I was smiling and giggling.

I love how Victor’s biggest hang-ups are around body image and how people have perceived him in the past. I don’t often read books that feature a man that a) is the one who has a past of obesity, b) has severe body image issues, and c) is completely obsessed with how people look. In literature, it’s normally an area that is focused on women, but in reality, it’s not just women who experience this. Again, Reid is able to take a part of our daily realities that isn’t often seen in ink. And make us fall completely in love.

Emily and Victor are a fantastic couple, and I loved every bump in the road that they come across. The mentions of Marie and appearance of Abram from other Reid series just cinched my happiness with this story. I honestly loved everything about this and can’t wait to read it again and again and again.

<- Kissing TolstoyMore Penny Reid ->

Image source: Goodreads

Beard in Hiding by Penny Reid

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: Beard in Hiding
Author: Penny Reid
Series: Winston Brothers #4.5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Year: 2021

Thoughts

I’ve been totally intrigued to read this since found out that Diane was going to get heron novel. But I wasn’t entirely sure how I’d feel a out it, after all, Diane is kind of hard to stomach in Beard Science. But, even though I don’t love her as much as the many other women in the Penny Reid world, I liked her a whole lot more than I had anticipated. Plus Repo, who, again wasn’t exactly all that likeable, was also so much more sympathetic than I had anticipated.

After reading about the murder and craziness in Marriage and Murder, it was really cool to read about the events from a different point of view. In fact, reading about all of Diane’s experiences from a different point of view was enjoyable. I love how Penny is able to take a pretty intense story and tell it from so many different angles. Total different facets of a story that I really can’t get out of my head. Now I need to read Home and Heist to see if Diane is able to re-enter Jennifer’s life…

Reid did a fantastic  job of fleshing Diane out and providing context to her behaviour. Coming from an abusive background and the decisions that she made, whilst not good, have a little more understanding. Plus, Cletus makes a few appearances, and I always love that. It reminds us that even villains sometimes have a great back story that make them relatable. Although, not every author can make them as sympathetic as Reid has managed to.

It was a whole lot of fun learning more about both Repo and Diane. It also highlights the ways in which the Iron Wraiths are completely falling apart. How good men can get tangled up in a bad situation, and how Jessica James can come from someone who seems the be kind of evil… I’m just hoping that Diane and Repo manage to make more appearances in the future books about Green Valley.

<- Beard in MindDr. Strange Beard ->

Image source: Amazon

Homecoming King by Penny Reid

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: Homecoming King
Author: Penny Reid
Series: Three Kings #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Year: 2021

Thoughts

Fake relationship tropes are always good fun. But a fake marriage to your childhood obsession / crush? That meets whole new levels of awesome! Plus, Abbi is just all kinds of cute and fun. I particularly love her enjoyment in decorating for Halloween and Christmas. I seriously wish I had the creativity and motivation to be such a decorating whizz.

From the beginning, you know that Abbi has come from a fairly bad relationship. One in which she was definitely abused in some fashion, although it’s not clear how. And then when you FINALLY find out what actually happened, the fact that she was groomed and used so tragically is a little bit heartbreaking. God, it would put anyone off of dating. Which, of course is what leads to the whole fake marriage thing that gives us such a fun happily ever after.

Rex and Abbi’s ?re?Meet Cute was so much fun. I mean, pouring your ridiculously drunk past crush into the car and undressing him with gloves? That was pure romantic comedy. Which of course set the tone perfectly for this whole novel. A tale that is filled with fateful moments, some awkward blunders and a whole lot of sweetness. Particularly when you find out that all of those “dates” that Rex went on that ended up in a marriage, he totally planned out. I mean, could he get any cuter? The answer is that yes, yes he does.

I loved Homecoming King. It was not only a great fake marriage trope, but also a really sweet second chances romance. I love that it features leads who are just that little bit older and just that bit jaded. Plus, Abbi is just so beautifully quirky. I always love the quirky women in the lead, it’s so wonderfully easy to relate… now I can’t wait for Drama King to be released.

<- More Penny ReidDrama King ->

Image source: Amazon

Capture by Penny Reid

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: Elements of Chemistry: Capture
Author: Penny Reid
Series: Hypothesis #3
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Year: 2015

Thoughts

This was such a beautiful ending to this trilogy. FINALLY, there is an ending without a horrible cliff-hanger. And Abe is introduced JUST enough for me to be curious about the happenings in Motion. I love that while this fast forwards from the happenings in Heat, there are still snapshots of the time that has passed. Basically, I just loved this whole story and the way that Kaitlyn and Martin’s story ends.

I had a few hopes that I mentioned in my Heat review. Hopes that Kaitlyn would stand up for herself and come into her own. That Martin would get over his assholery and be a better man… and they all came true. Which is honestly obvious from the very start. But I did love how a series of miscommunications drew out that final moment of reconnection. It meant that this was pretty much a cover to cover read for me.

Kaitlyn is such a gorgeous, loveable woman right through this series. Although I love how in this book she starts to figure out how to be the woman she wants. She renegotiated her relationship with her parents, particularly her mother. Figures out how to support herself in her chosen career, and just generally becomes a badass woman. It’s a little cliche that she is getting crushed on by multiple men, but it still emphasises her growing I to her own.

Mostly though it’s the way that Martin changes that made me incredibly happy. He doesn’t necessarily fundamentally change, but he does soften at the edges a bit. And, mostly, he gets so much better at listening to Kaitlyn and her desires. He makes room for someone else in his single mindedness. Which, of course, completely melted my heart. THIS is why I love Penny Reid so much.

<- HeatMotion ->

Image source: Goodreads