Beard Science by Penny Reid Review
5 (Would give it a million if I could.) Smooches
Synopsis
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.
‘Beard Science’ is the third book in the Winston Brothers series, is a full-length romantic comedy novel, and can be read as a standalone
Review
‘Cletus Winston was the sneakiest, most manipulative, most powerful and – as far as I was concerned – the most dangerous man in East Tennessee. Problem was, virtually no one else seemed to realize it.’
I honestly wish I was more eloquent so I could fully express my deep love for this book, Cletus, and all things Penny Reid. I knew going in that I would enjoy Beard Science. I mean Cletus has been Penny’s most fun and unique character to date. But never in a million years did I expect to fall head over heels for this sweet and underrated man who makes it his purpose to go unnoticed.
‘I hadn’t seen Jennifer in a week. Absence doesn’t make the heart grow fonder. Whoever said that was a damn fool. Absence makes the heart suicidal.’
Cletus is silly and goofy and a bit of an oddball but what you don’t know is that he is thoughtful, loyal and for those he cares about one of the most transparently sweet men I have met both fictionally and in real life to date. When him and Jennifer become acquainted it is through a little blackmail and under duress. But what started off as a forced agreement develops into a deep friendship and understanding of one another. They were both simple and complex. On paper these two could not be more different but they extreme uniqueness is what inevitably makes them perfect for one another.
‘The woman needed kissing.’
Jennifer has long been under the control of her mother and father and while she has never been happy as the public face of her mother’s company and never feels like the title “Banana Cake Queen” really fit her she has done what was needed to make her oppressive parents proud. But she is 22 years old and never been on her own and had the opportunity to decide who she really is, so with Cletus’ help she starts on a journey of self discovery that was a true joy to see unfold.
“You want to know what you are to me? Fine. You’re my beginning, middle, and end.”
There was nothing about Beard Science I didn’t enjoy. The humor was on point and had me giggling non stop as I read the book. Characters I had already fallen for cemented their places in my hearts. Character I didn’t expect to love as much as I did moved their way to the very top of the list and I found myself desperate for any clue for the stories that are still to come. This might just possibly be my favorite book of Penny’s out of her Knitting and Winston brother series. Words cannot express how this book and these two odd characters stole my heart and had me falling deeper and deeper in love with them.
~miranda
