The Winston Brothers

This was so cute. I fell in love with the Winston brothers from this authors Knitting series.

Duane (one of the twins) teased Jessica as kids. They grew up together and always were pranking one another.

Duane always had a thing for Jessica, and when she comes back to town he plans to make a move.

Jess has wanderlust. She wants to travel the world. Duane's family and roots are here, but he can't ask her to stay and give up her dreams.

These two are so sweet, and I loved getting to know them.

I liked this book at first but honestly didn't love how he was so possessive. That's why I stopped reading, very unhealthy man to be honest. DNF at 30%.

Very good story. Witty writing.

If you find the random travel quotes (that have nothing to do with the plot) at the beginning of every chapter are cute and charming, you'll probably like this book. If you find them cliche and confusing- well, you'll probably feel about it like I did.

“hot looks” made me eyeroll every single time it was in the book. There's a female character (not the MC) who is treated so poorly by the author, dissolved to a very flimsy charicture rife with misogyny. There's parts where I feel consent isn't really given or discussed appropraitely. I think most of the female characters are not treated as the sole people in charge of their thoughts or destinies.

The book also doesn't capture what living a small rural, mountain-y/somewhat southern place is actually like. I can't speak for TN, but it felt unrealistic, and I was not shocked to hear the author say she was not from TN. I will say that the interview at the end of this book (audioversion) with the author made me like her more, and I would give one of her books another chance. She seemed smart. (But why did the female voice actor in the audiobook sound like a rejected cast member of designing women? She legit sounded middle aged, not a young 22 year old)

My friends recommended Penny Reid's Neanderthal Seeks Human so when I saw this book pop up for free on bookbub I gave it a try. There was a lot to like about Penny Reid's writing. I thought she wrote great sexual tension and her characters were naturally funny. The book started with a bang, I was hooked pretty fast but then... it slowed. It fell into some really (in my opinion) overused tropes. ‘I can't commit to you because I don't want to live in this small town for the rest of my life.' ‘I've loved you my whole life but I just never told you'. Sorry but... yawn.
The middle of the book REALLY lagged. There's a way I'm not surprised because it started with such a bang there wasn't much room to go but slow after that. But what really had me struggling to pick it up was inconsistencies in the characters. Duane is supposed to be this gruff but nice guy, and he is for the most part, but I found the way he treated his ex-girlfriend not very nice-guy. I really felt so sorry for her, actually. So much so, I very much did not want to finish the rest of the book. But I have a stubborn streak, so I did. That really was the only reason why.
I'm glad I did because the last 25% of the book picked up the pace and finished well. Maybe I'll try another of Penny Reid's books? There was a lot to like, but I don't know reading the saggy middle was worth it for the ending.

listened on audible

I'm back for more Penny Reid romance and enjoyed meeting this bearded bunch! I hadn't read Ashley's book, so I went slightly out of order. I loved the beginning with Jess dressed as sexy Gandalf for Halloween and not knowing which twin Duane was but I'm a sucker for a mistaken identity plot twist. Duane and Jessica had really fiery chemistry that left me laughing when they were bickering and sighing when they weren't.

I enjoyed the way the Iron Wraiths subplot played out because it allowed us to get to know a bit more about the other brothers and the dynamics between them. Cletus might be my favorite! I'm also dying to read Claire's story now and just realized it's the 6th book. Gah!

So enjoyed this! On to the next one!

1: Truth or Beard ★★★.5
#2: Grin and Beard It ???

3.5 stars
This review can also be found on my blog.

This was the first book I read out of the Hilariously Ever After collection, which I snagged while it was free on Amazon. I've been in such a bad slump recently and decided some romance might help me through. And boy, was I right! I devoured Truth or Beard in one lengthy sitting, finishing sometime around 2:30am with no regrets.

I'll get the things I didn't like out of the way first, because there were a few. The first is probably the most minor and it's the writing style. I literally almost DNFed on the second page because I couldn't stand how it was written, but I persevered and ended up adjusting to it very quickly. There were still a few moments where I was thrown out of the story by the writing, but for the most part it wasn't too bad.

There were also quite a few moments of questionable consent, which really rubbed me the wrong way. First and foremost is a scene where Jess thinks she's getting hot and heavy with one twin when it turns out to be another. But throughout the whole book, Jess keeps physically accosting Duane even when he is definitely not giving enthusiastic consent – and she's noticing that he's not! I know that this kind of portrayal is common in romance novels, but I just couldn't help but feel really icky every time it came up.

Thirdly was the slut-shaming leveled at Jess' cousin Tina, who is a stripper and groupie for the local biker gang. One line about her was literally “I couldn't talk to her about anything, because she didn't know about anything other than townie gossip, biker gossip, how to work a pole, and how to spread her legs.” Loove the air-headed slut trope, thanks /sarcasm. On a related note, the last thing that I didn't like was everything involving the biker gang. I agree with Destiny that it actually subtracted from the plot, and that I ended up skimming a lot of those interactions.

But, there was still plenty to like! The characters were all super well-fleshed out. There were plenty of funny lines to laugh at, too. Duane's relationships with his brothers basically made the whole book for me. I adored them all so much and am actually quite excited to continue the series so I can get some more time with them. The chemistry between Duane and Jess, while perhaps overemphasized, was legit as well.

While it looks like there's a lot more to dislike than to like, I really found this to be quite a fun read. If you're looking for some easy-to-read romance, this is definitely a good candidate. I'm hoping some of the issues I had are remedied in the rest of the series, and I'll definitely be trying them out.

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Reading for the Second Time
Sexy Gandalf, mistaken identity, catastrophic engine failure, and Truth or Dare. Leave it to Penny Reid to whip up such a delightful combination. Right from the start, she had me in the palm of her creative and whimsical little hands.

Jessica James has just returned to her small hometown after college to take a job as the high school's Calculus teacher. She's only in town long enough to pay off her student loans and save enough money to pursue her wanderlust – her intense desire to travel the world. Jessica grew up alongside the six Winston brothers, including identical twins Beau and Duane Winston. Beau and Duane are identical in looks but polar opposites in personalities. Whereas Beau is friendly and outgoing, Duane is moody and unsociable.

Jessica has had a massive crush on Beau her entire life. She hero worships him and is positively tongue-tied in his presence. Jessica and Duane, on the other hand, have had an entirely antagonist relationship involving verbal sparring and one-upmanship of the pranking variety. As for Duane's part, perhaps their love-hate relationship weighed more heavily on the love side?

After she is tricked into kissing the “wrong” Winston brother Jessica finds the Beau spell has been broken and she sees Duane in a new light. As Jessica and Duane come to know each other as the adults they are now, their feelings grow stronger. But can they commit to one another knowing their relationship has an expiration date? Complicating matters, Duane and the Winston brothers get dragged into a dispute with the local biker gang.

Penny Reid has a knack for creating quirky heroines who are also easy to relate to. Jessica is no exception. She is smart, sassy, quirky, and misunderstood by almost everyone. What's more, nobody has ever tried to accept her – until Duane.

I loved Duane. He's such a loyal man. I was charmed by his inherent goodness and his respect for Jessica. What girl wouldn't swoon over his blatant adoration? However, like Jessica, I grew tired of Duane repeatedly putting the brakes on their relationship. And this may just be the perspective of an older reader, but the deal they made entering the relationship seemed unnecessary and rather ridiculous to me. Even so, this is a heartwarming story and a promising start to the series.

The Winston brothers seem like a wonderfully rambunctious brood. Each one is so different and I can't wait to learn more about all of them. Odd, zany, and loveable Cletus really captured my heart and I'm especially looking forward to reading his story.

Re-read 2020
I went in hesitant, but gotta say I still really enjoyed it. I'm not sure if it will be my favorite this go around annnnnd I'd probably rate it more 4 or 4.5 stars, but I'll keep it at 5 because when I initially read it this book felt so refreshing and different. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

——————-
This is an absolutely amazing book. I want to rush off and read the next one, so let me write up something quick here.

I love all of the characters and can't wait to read more adventures of the brothers. I felt like Jess could be a bit whiny, but it never went so far that I rolled my eyes at her. She and Duane are a great match and reading about them was so, so fun. Duane is great, although his attitude at times almost brought me to the scoffing level. Yet, I didn't mind.

The conflicts are pretty ‘real life' at least Jess wanting to travel. I don't understand it to her extreme, but I understand wanting to see the world. The other conflict wasn't gasp-inducing, at least for me. Maybe I'm too jaded and just assuming everything will work out exactly how I think it will.

I'm honestly curious about one thing that I think was hinted at..... I wonder if it will ever be brought up front and center or if we will be left to wonder about it....

Anyhow, I noticed the next book is about Jethro and I can't wait to get reading it. I don't know which brother I want to read about more, but I think I already have a soft spot for Jethro (and Cletus and Billy and–).
I wanna end this review by thanking the blogging community for practically shoving this book in my face. I appreciate all the reviews of this series, otherwise I may not have ever picked it up!

I had a lot of fun reading this story!

I especially liked the cast of characters, both Duane and Jess as well as their assorted friends and family. The family dynamics were fun on both sides (bonus points for Claire's badassery at the end!).

And now I want to read Cletus's story... THAT is going to be interesting.

I wasn't sure about this book at first. It took me a while to picture the characters as anything other than toothless hillbillies but once you get past their names, the story is actually pretty funny and sweet.

And Cletus!!! I can't wait for his book!