Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Truth or Beard by Penny Reid!
Truth or Beard by Penny Reid
Series: Winston Brothers #1 (full reading order below)
Release Date: July 21st 2015
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 adversary, now more dangerous than ever, how much of her level-head heart is she willing to risk?
Buy Links:
Amazon • Amazon UK • iTunes • Barnes & Noble • Kobo
I’ve kind of adored Penny Reid ever since reading her Elements of Chemistry series (one of my favorites of the year!). Her stories are just so compelling yet so down-to-earth – I love them! Truth or Beard was a highly anticipated read for me (because, hello, BEARDS!!!!) and Penny Reid didn’t let me down. Truth or Beard is a fun, sexy, hilarious read with an amazing cast of characters (those Winston brothers will be the death of me) and I can’t wait for more!
Jessica James has always had a crush on the friendlier, more charming of the Winston twins. When she was a girl, she had hearts in her eyes for Beau, all while saving her glares for the broodier, more annoying twin, Duane. But of course, Duane, in that classic way of pulling on the pigtails of your crush, has always loved Jessica James. But after a case of mistaken identity, Jessica questions her true feelings for Duane and whether or not she’s had a crush on the wrong Winston twin all along.
I was always running after her, but this time I wasn’t going to let her get away.
I adored Jessica and Duane. They were characters that felt so real to me. I felt for Jessica and her dreams of traveling the world. She has wanderlust, and she’s saving up for a few years until she can leave her small town and explore the world. Duane, even knowing the limited time he has with Jessica before she leaves, still decides to pursue the girl he’s loved his whole life. He keeps his heart guarded though, so that when the time comes for Jessica to leave, he won’t be left with a broken heart. But the two fall fast and hard for one another as they date and spend time together (kissing and doing other stuff…), so how can the two of them possibly continue their relationship when one is meant to travel the world and the other has an auto shop he has obligations to take care of?
Jessica wasn’t going to break my heart.
I was going to break hers.
Duane and Jessica have a time limit to their relationship, but that doesn’t stop them from steaming it up in the time they have together. They have some seriously sexy times that had me grinning and fanning myself. Duane is a hottie with a beard! BUT, he also says some awesomely sweet, amazing things to Jessica that had my heart swooning – Duane is honestly the perfect package!
“You’re a siren who doesn’t need to sing.”
Oh! Did I mention that this book is also so freaking hilarious? I was laughing so much while reading, most especially because of the Winston brothers. CLETUS! Oh my, Cletus is one special Winston brother. He’s the quirky, dorky nerd and so lovable – I’m keeping an eye out for his book. In addition to Duane, Beau, and Cletus, there’s also Jethro, Billy, and Roscoe. Six hot bearded brothers = book boyfriend heaven!
I’d once overheard my daddy tell my momma that the six Winston boys had inherited their father’s ability to charm snakes, the IRS, and women.
What brought this book down, though, and why I can’t give Truth or Beard five awesome hearts was because the whole other subplot about the local motorcycle club. The brothers have drama with some bikers that puts them and their loved ones in danger. This part of the book felt weak though, and I just wasn’t that into it. I felt kind of just ‘eh’ about it – it wasn’t badly written or anything, but it just didn’t get my heart my heart racing as much as I wanted it to.
In spite of weak biker subplot, Truth or Beard is still a fantastic read. You get to swoon over six sexy, bearded brothers, so what’s not to love? Of course, I can’t gloss over Penny’s fantastic writing, with her intelligent prose and witty dialogue. Her books are always described as ‘smart’ and I can’t argue with that. Overall, Truth or Beard was a book that was SO much fun to read. It made me laugh, swoon, ache – it’s the type of book that wrings emotions out of you, and I highly recommend it.
Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.
Reading Order: Winston Brothers series
#1 ~ Truth or Beard: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Grin and Beard It: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Beard Science: Goodreads (Oct. 2016)
#4 ~ Beard in Mind: Goodreads (2017)
#5 ~ Dr. Strange Beard: Goodreads (2017)
#6 ~ Beard Necessities: Goodreads (2017)
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).
By day I’m a biomedical researcher with focus on rare diseases. By night I’m a knitter, sewer, lino block carver, fabric printer, soap maker, and general crafter. By the wee hours of the morning or when I’m intoxicated I love to listen to the voices in my head and let them tell me stories. I hope you enjoy their stories.
Signed Book Prize Pack from Penny Reid
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