Title: Dr. Strange Beard (Winston Brothers #5)

Author: Penny Reid 

Publication Date: 30 July 2018

Genres: Contemporary, Humor, Romance

Author's links: Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

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My rating: 4.5 Stars

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.

Title: Beard Science (Winston Brothers #3)
Author: Penny Reid
Publication Date: 11 Oct 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Humor, Romance

Author's links: Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads
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My rating: 4.5 Stars

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. 

Review

This book is yet another winner for Penny Reid. I've enjoyed the previous two Winston brothers books but this one is my favourite. And to be honest, I didn't expect it to be. Based on what I had seen of Cletus prior this book, I found him too weird, over-the-top scheming and controlling. And he is all that but they way his character changed and evolved in Beard Science, it just blew my mind away.

Seeing this super smart, conniving, self-assured man who appeared unassuming and people generally underestimated, losing all control and coming completely undone by the unlikeliest woman, wow, just wow, it was such a pleasure to read.

I really like all all the Winston brothers (and Drew and Ashley) and their appearances here made for fun and entertaining story. We get the typical nerdy and super smart humour that we have come to expect fro Ms Reid's characters. And Cletus does take the top place of evil genius. He often appears crazy and weird to the eye of the outsider, even to his own siblings but what we see from him here is a caring, loyal brother and friend and the best, most dedicated and romantic boyfriend.

I have to admit that Jenn is not my favourite heroine of Ms Reid's that I have read. People see her as the Banana Cake Queen but under her costume and staged behaviour, she was so much more. She turns out to be an equal to Cletus in ingenuity and smarts. And just like him she was pretty good at hiding them from everybody. It took me a while to warm up to her (she appeared too weak and spineless at the beginning) but she did grow and change a lot in the course of the story and while she did not become an entire new person, she revealed her true colours and they were beautiful.

Overall this is a fun, crazy beautiful love story with some over-the-top quirky characters that you can't help but fall in love with. I feel safe to say that Ms Reid has become the queen of quirky, yet adorable characters, both men and women who stand out from the rest and are not afraid to be themselves.

I strongly believe that everybody deserve love and finding happiness and personal fulfillment is why I love reading romance. Reading a well written clever story of weird and awkward people finding their soulmates is such fun and satisfying experience for me. Now, I really, really need Billy's story but it's Beau that we get next and I can't wait to see how his romance with a certain someone whom we have already met develops. Recommended read!

Purchase links: Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Ibooks

Blurb

Review

I loved the first Winston Bothers book and had high hopes for this one too and I'm so glad my expectation were more than met in this story.

This romance where a Latina Hollywood star meets the Tennessee hillbilly and reformed criminal Jethro offers the delightful mix of fun and serious with some crazy sense of humour which readers have come to expect from Ms Reid's books.

This time Ms Reid ventures into new territories with the character of Sienna. She is one of Ms Reid's long list of strong, smart, sexy heroines, but she is also overweight (and loves her body) and Latina. It was an interesting mix and I really liked her complexity - independence and feminist sensibility interwoven with being close to her family and really caring about their opinion and well-being.

Jethro was a really interesting character. He is an odd ball like all the rest of the Winston brothers. His past paints him as the typical small-time criminal, biker, following his father's footsteps. But what the reader sees in the present is a man trying to make amends for his mistakes, trying to be a better man and not hurt anyone intentionally. The tortured aspect of his personality was convincingly done but it was also balanced with some humours situations (which are inescapable with the Winston family) and the angst and brooding never got overwhelming.

Sienna appeared much more light-hearted and easy going, a bit fickle and a lot of playful. I found her passion for the things she loved and cared about totally endearing and it made me really like her.

Their romance was not an easy one, there were some misunderstandings between them initially which I really found annoying and unnecessary. Both of them learned of the other's past/history from third sources and jumped to the wrong conclusions. This is definitely not my favourite device for building conflict and I wished it was not used in this otherwise cleverly developed story.

Still, this is a minor quibble and didn't prevent me from enjoying the story. This is a recommended read for fans of Ms Reid's writing and for anyone looking for a sexy and smart romantic comedy.




My review of Truth or Beard (Winston Brothers #1) - 4.5 Stars

Date of publication: 30 Nov 2015

Synopsis

There are three things you need to know about Fiona Archer… I would tell you what they are, but then I’d have to kill you.

But I can tell you that Fiona’s husband—the always irrepressible and often cantankerous Greg Archer—is desperately in love with his wife. He aches for her when they are apart, and is insatiable when they are together. Yet as the years pass, Greg has begun to suspect that Fiona is a ninja. A ninja mom. A ninja wife. A ninja friend. After fourteen years of marriage, Greg is trying not to panic. Because Fiona’s talent for blending in is starting to resemble fading away.

However, when unexpected events mean Fiona must take center stage to keep her family safe, her response stuns everyone—Greg most of all. It seems like Greg’s wish has come true. 

Except… not. 

When all is said and done, can Greg handle this new version of his wife? Will his irrepressible cantankerousness push her away? Or can the couple find a way forward without either being forced to step back into the shadows?

I've been a fan of Ms Reid's writing from the very beginning, back in 2013 when she published the first book in the Knitting in the City series, Neanderthal Seeks Human. I have enjoyed all the books in the series so far, some I liked more than others less, but they all were fun to read. 

I was excited to read Greg and Fiona's story since I very much like the marriage-in-trouble trope and there are not that many contemporary romances out there dealing with it. I read the prequel (Available for free/Amazon), which tells the story of Fiona and Greg when they first met and got together in  college. I found it a beautiful romantic story and was very much intrigued to see how they were doing years later as a married couple with children.

Happily Ever Ninja has the same distinctive feel as the previous books in the series. The hero and heroine are not awkward (or are rather not as awkward) but they both are badass ninjas (in their own way). Unfortunately I couldn't quite connect with either Fiona or Greg. Their marriage and their relationship were so different from my understanding of marriage and being with someone. It bothered me that they both kept secrets, important ones, from each other. For two people who were so much in love, they didn't really share much and pretty much  did what they thought was best without consulting/sharing it with the other.

They went through their fair share of crazy shenanigans and even some more. I enjoyed some of it, but at the same time it felt repetitive, like I've already seen this and was expecting something new. Fiona and Greg had the same discussions again and again and the result was always the same - one of them totally disregarded the opion of the other and did his/her thing.

Overall, this story didn't feel as real as the previous ones in the series. It was both too much and too little. I wanted more real connection between Fiona and Greg and less over-the-top craziness.

This not a bad book, just not as good as the rest of Ms. Reid's books. Fans of the series might enjoy it more and I urge them not to skip it, because it's a nice romance after all and it also shows us more of our favourite knitting club ladies and their partners.

Purchase links: Amazon / B&N / Kobo / iTunes

Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it features books that we are eagerly awaiting to be released.

Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it features books that we are eagerly awaiting to be released.

Synopsis

After losing almost all of her clients in one fell swoop following an accident involving whipped cream, private chef to Hollywood’s elite Roxie Callahan gets a call from her flighty mother, saying she’s needed home in upstate New York to run the family diner. Once she's back in the Hudson Valley, local organic farmer Leo delivers Roxie a lovely bunch of walnuts, and soon sparks—and clothing—begin to fly. Leo believes that everything worth doing is worth doing slowly…and how! But will Roxie stay upstate, or will the lure of West Coast redemption tempt her back to Tinseltown?

Why am I waiting for this? - I haven't read any Alice Clayton before but I love a good romantic comedy from time to time and I have her great thing about her previous series. And the blurb is right up my alley - small-town setting, a chef, some organic farming - sounds too good to pass it up. Finally, look at that COVER!

Author's links: Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads
Add to Goodreads

My rating: 4.5 Stars

Synopsis

Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it features books that we are eagerly awaiting to be released.

Synopsis

Beards, brothers, and bikers! Oh my!

Identical twins Beau and Duane Winston might share the same devastatingly handsome face, but where Beau is outgoing and sociable, Duane is broody and reserved. This is why Jessica James, recent college graduate and perpetual level headed good girl, has been in naïve and unhealthy infatuation with Beau Winston for most of her life. His friendly smiles make her tongue-tied and weak-kneed, and she’s never been able to move beyond her childhood crush. Whereas Duane and Jessica have always been adversaries. She can’t stand him, and she’s pretty sure he can’t stand the sight of her…

But after a case of mistaken identity, Jessica finds herself in a massive confusion kerfuffle. Jessica James has spent her whole life paralyzed by the fantasy of Beau and her assumptions of Duane’s disdain; therefore she’s unprepared for the reality that is Duane’s insatiable interest, as well as his hot hands and hot mouth and hotter looks. Not helping Jessica’s muddled mind and good girl sensibilities, Duane seems to have gotten himself in trouble with the local biker gang, the Iron Order.

Certainly, Beau’s magic spell is broken. Yet when Jessica finds herself drawn to the man who was always her advisory, now more dangerous than ever, how much of her level-head heart is she willing to risk?


Why am I waiting for this book? - Penny Reid writes this quirky, funny and awkward but deeply romantic stories which I greatly enjoy. I'm a big fan of her Knitting in the City series and this is book 1 in a spin-off series about the 6 brothers of Ashley Winston whom we met in Beauty and the Mustache. They each were unique and we will be getting all their stories in separate books starting with one of the twins, Duane.

Author: Penny Reid
Date of publication: 1 Dec 2014
Genre: Romance, short stories

Author links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Add to Goodreads

My rating: 5 Stars

I joined a new book meme last week. Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it features books that we are eagerly awaiting to be released.

Synopsis

Smut sells.

Michael Rourke learned this the hard way.

Struggling to make ends meet as a mystery writer, he sold his soul - and his pride - as he pedaled sex and lust writing under the pen name Christoph Strong.

No one knew he was the one behind the steamy stories on the bestsellers lists. And he planned to keep it that way.

Until he met her.

Monica Singer, an infamous blogger, is keen to discover the truth of his secret identity.

During a chance meeting at a book convention, Michael and Monica form an instant connection. And soon, an industry rivalry becomes something else entirely.

But as Michael starts to let his guard down, he doesn’t realize that the person he's learning to trust may be hiding secrets of her own.

Secrets that could ultimately destroy everything.

What am I waiting for this? - There are a couple of reasons. I like romance novels told from male POV, being sarcastic and funny is an added bonus. And the fact that some of my GR friends have already reviewed it rather positively and all this gets me excited about this book. 

Neanderthal Marries Human (Knitting in the City #3)
by Penny Reid
Publication Date: June 24, 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Contemporary Women, Humor, Humorous, Romance
Purchase from: Amazon • Nook • Kobo • iBooks •
Add to Goodreads.

Synopsis

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.

The first book in the series,  Neanderthal Seeks Human where you meet Janie and Quinn is currently on sale for 0.99 and its sequel, Neanderthal Marries Human is available for 2.99 for the next couple of days. So, if you haven't started this fantastic, funny and quirky contemporary romance series, now is your chance. 

Look for my review of Neanderthal Marries Human on July 7, as part of the Blog Tour for it.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read 

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) or a few more “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.

Today's teaser comes from Neanderthal Marries Human by Penny Reid. It's a quirky romantic comedy, sequel to Neanderthal Seek Human, and I absolutely enjoyed both books. 

"Janie..."Fiona's face scrunched in confusion. "Happiness is not fleeting if you accept it. But if you keep looking for ways to postpone your own happiness, it will always be elusive."

Neanderthal Marries Human 

(Knitting in the City #1.5)

Penny Reid

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.

Title: Twisted (Tangled #2)

Author: Emma Chase

Date of publication: 25 March 2014

Genre/themes: Romance

Purchase links:

Amazon / B&N / iTunes / Simon & Schuster

My rating: 3 Stars

Summary

Falling in love is easy. Staying in love is hard. In this heart-pounding follow-up to Tangled by New York Times bestseller Emma Chase, Kate reveals that there is trouble in paradise, when unexpected circumstances force her and Drew to "renegotiate" their relationship.

There are two kinds of people in the world. The ones who look first, and the ones who leap. I’ve always been more of a looker. Cautious. A planner. That changed after I met Drew Evans. He was so persistent. So sure of himself—and of me.

But not all love stories end happily ever after. Did you think Drew and I were going to ride off into the sunset? Join the club. Now I have to make a choice; the most important of my life. Drew already made his—in fact, he tried to decide for the both of us. But you know that’s just not my style. So I came back to Greenville, Ohio, alone. Well, sort of alone...

What I've come to realize is that old habits die hard, and sometimes you have to go back to where you began before you can move ahead.

Author Bio and Links

Twitter / Facebook / Website / Goodreads

Review

I liked this book but not as much as Tangled. It's quite different - more intense and dramatic, less funny. It starts with Kate's POV and we get Drew's POV towards the end. 

Kate was a nice character, but her voice tended to sound too similar to Drew's. Some of her thoughts were deep, other just hilarious. She gave us a new picture of Billy (her ex-boyfriend) and here he was just a good guy form her past, willing to stand by her side in her present. There was none of the negativity from book 1 and I didn't find this sudden change of heart and mind very convincing.

What we saw of Drew at the beginning, only from her POV,was sweet and funny, sexy and arrogant, in short, Mr. Drew Evans at his best. 

My main issue with this story was the fact that the main conflict was based on  a simple misunderstanding that could have been very easily avoided, or at lest cleared right away. Instead we got both Kate and Drew acting irrationally and in a hurry, thus making the worst possible choices. 

I hated that this particular devise was used by the writer to drive the story forward and the explore the difficulties of a modern-day relationship between two highly ambitious, confident and competitive people. They were madly in love, yet they were unable to communicate freely about the things that mattered to them the most.

I did enjoy the second half of he book (after the reconciliation) a lot more than the first. We got Drew's POV and it was great fun to read it. There was depth and substance without the (melo)drama from the beginning. Things fell back into place and now they were much more realistic and convincing. 

The epilogue was fantastic, I loved everything about it and I am really glad how things worked out for Kate and Drew in the end. 

Despite some issues I had with the story, I'd recommend this book the fans of Tangled since it completes the story of Kate and Drew.

The next installment in the series, Tamed, will tell Mathew and Delores' story and can't way to read it since Delores is a rather unique heroine in romance and I'm curious how she'll make a romantic relationship work. 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read 

• Open to a random page 

• Share two (2) or a few more “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 

• Be careful not the include spoilers!

This week's teaser comes from Twisted by Emma Chase. It's book 2 in her Tangled series - a funny and sexy contemporary romance series. I just finished the book and it was good but not as good as book 1, Tangled. There was humor and some sexy times, but there was also some drama and a lot of misunderstandings. I'm part of the Blog tour for Twisted, so you can check my blog on 31 March for my review, an excerpt and a giveaway!

Here is the teaser:

And sometimes, forgiveness is selfish. We give it not because it's earned, but because it's what we need. To find peace. To be whole.

Synopsis

There are two kinds of people in the world. The ones who look first, and the ones who leap. I’ve always been more of a looker. Cautious. A planner. That changed after I met Drew Evans. He was so persistent. So sure of himself – and of me.

But not all love stories end happily ever after. Did you think Drew and I were going to ride off into the sunset? Join the club. Now I have to make a choice, the most important of my life. Drew already made his –in fact, he tried to decide for the both of us. But you know that’s just not my style. So I came back to Greenville. Alone. Well, sort of alone....

What I've come to realize is that old habits die hard and sometimes you have to go back to where you began, before you can move ahead.

TWISTED picks up two years after Tangled’s end, and is told from Kate’s POV.

Synopsis

There are three things you need to know about Sandra Fielding: 1) She makes all her first dates cry, 2) She hasn't been kissed in over two years, and 3) She knows how to knit. Sandra has difficulty removing her psychotherapist hat. Of her last 30 dates, 29 have ended the same way: the man sobbing uncontrollably. After one such disaster, Sandra--near desperation and maybe a little tipsy--gives in to a seemingly harmless encounter with her hot waiter, Alex. Argumentative, secretive, and hostile Alex may be the opposite of everything Sandra knows is right for her. But now, the girl who has spent all her life helping others change for the better, must find a way to cope with falling for someone who refuses to change at all.

Knitting in the City Series

About the Author

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

SEX! It all started with sex, between my parents. Personally I don’t like thinking about it, but whatever works for you is a-ok with me. No judgment. The sex happened in California and much of my life also occurred in that state until I moved from the land of nuts (almonds), wine, silicon… boobs, and heavy traffic to the southeast US. Like most writers I like to write, but let’s get back to sex. Eventually I married and gave birth to 2 small people-children (boy-6, girl-4 as of this writing).

Title: Life in Outer Space
Author: Melissa Keil
Date of publication: 1 Feb 2013
Genre: YA / Comedy / Realistic fiction

Author's links:
Website / Goodreads
My rating: 4 stars

It was sometimes hilarious, sometimes death serious and all of the time quirky and unusual YA book. It tells a story of first love and coming of age of a group of lovable misfits who struggle to find themselves and their place in the world.

The movie quotes and reference  at times came as too much me as someone who is not a fan of horrors and the Star wars saga. Still, it's a very well written story, funny and engaging, taking the reader on a journey in the the world of a group of  very lovable 16/17 year-old misfits. 

Th story is told from Sam's POV and I enjoyed voice a lot. He made sense of the world around him through the movies he was obsessed with and he was borderline OCD about his routine. So, when the new girl in school, Camilla, entered his life, she sent his whole world completely off axis and made him see himself and world in a completely different light. 

Camilla was just wonderful. I was worried that she came off as too good to be true at some point - she seemed perfect, well-adjusted, coping with life with a remarkable ease. Fortunately her perfection was gradually revealed to be just in the eyes of others, and Sam in particular. He saw her, as his complete opposite - someone who, unlike him, knew  how to fit in school and in life. Their friendship which turned into love, showed that she was just as lost and insecure as Sam and his friends. 

Sam's inner musings on life reflected perfectly the confusion of being a teenager. With a dry sense of humour the author made an adequate presentation of the sense of being at a loss, not understanding life, not knowing anything about yourself,  and the others, which is a phase most/all teenagers go through. 

The author has managed to create a very engaging story, realistic and funny at the same time with no excessive drama or dark secrets. All the characters were unique and unusual, yet I found it easy to relate to them and to understand their anxieties. 

I greatly recommend this book. It's funny and up-beat without being cheesy. It put a permanent smile on my face while reading it and it definitely made me feel optimistic and happy about my own life :)