Title: Dr. Strange Beard (Winston Brothers #5)
Author: Penny Reid
Publication Date: 30 July 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Humor, Romance
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My rating: 4.5 Stars
Blurb
Hunches, horse races, and heartbreak
Ten years after Simone Payton broke his heart, all Roscoe Winston wants is a doughnut. He’d also like to forget her entirely, but that’s never going to happen. Roscoe remembers everything—every look, every word, every single unrequited second—and the last thing he needs is another memory of Simone.
Unfortunately, after one chance encounter, Simone keeps popping up everywhere he happens to be. . .
Ten years after Roscoe Winston dropped out of her life, all Simone Payton wants is to exploit him. She’d also like some answers from her former best friend about why he ghosted her, but if she never gets those answers, that’s a-okay. Simone let go of the past a long time ago. Seriously, she has. She totally, totally has. She is definitely not still thinking about Roscoe. Nope. She’s more than happy to forget he exists.
But first, she needs just one teeny-tiny favor . . .
Review
I have been a fan of Penny Reid and her books ever since I read her first Neanderthal Seeks Human back in 2012. The spin-off of the Knitting in the Cities, the Winston Brothers have become one of my all time favourite romcom series.
Every time I think I couldn't like her characters more and she comes up with another great, unique hero or heroine. I never thought I would care so much about Roscoe but by the middle of his book he was there together with Cletus and Drew, as one of my favourite heroes in this series.
He is such a gentle sweetheart through and through. His love for Simone is everything. Add his relationship with his family (older brothers and sister) - admiration, gratitude, respect - and he is pretty much perfect in my eyes. This book brought me so much happiness (after a great deal of angst).
He has eidetic (situational) memory and it was not something I am familiar with but I feel Penny created a compelling, multifaceted character where his mental illness is just one aspect of him - something that he has to deal with all the time but it doesn't define him. He is a professional, a loyal brother and friend and most of all, totally and absolutely in love with Simone. And he is a virgin!
Simone is a young Black woman, childhood friends with Roscoe, someone who is not looking for love. After avoiding each other for years, she finds herself in love with Roscoe, it was sudden and not at all welcome at first and following her as she realises and gives in to her feelings, is such a treat.
The plot was intense, especially towards the end. I find the mystery/thriller aspects on her stories a bit over the top but I can suspend my disbelieve this time since everything that happened helped show off the characters and their growth.
There is a cute epilogue though I wanted to see more of Roscoe and Simone living as a couple, navigating the changes in their lives.
Highly recommended read, one of the best in the series for me, a bit melancholic, a lot tender and showing the biggest, greatest,all encompassing love story.
PS: I can't wait for Billy's story! We got a glimpse at him and he is everything I have expected him, to be. Now I have the highest expectations of his book which can't come soon enough.
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