Beard Science (Winston Brothers, #3)
Penny Reid
Alternate cover edition of ASIN B01LOX4U9I 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.
Ooooh, I’m so excited that this book is all about Cletus! I have no idea how the author is going to make him sexually appealing—because, let’s be honest, in the other books in the series, he just seems like such a hoot. But I’m here for it!
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I was pleased overall how Jenn stood up for herself over the course of the book. She did start off a bit TOO naive and slow on the uptake, but that turned around.
Cletus was alright as a male lead, I liked that he was so smart but disliked how slow he was on liking Jenn, and there his controlling streak was a turn off for me.
This is the 3rd Penny Reid book I've read, and while I understand that each of these 3 brothers in this series have had their own reasons for wanting to not move too fast with their women, I've been a little frustrated at the levels of steaminess. There is usually pretty good sexual tension (though the guy always falls for the girl too quickly), but the sexy times are few and either vague or extremely direct. They get the job done, but these scenes seem like a weak spot in the writing that I'm otherwise enjoying.
0I might be a bit biased since Cletus is my favorite Winston sibling, but I truly feel this book was fantastic. Going in, I knew Cletus as the smart, goofy, sneaky oddball of the family, and I was nervous about how he’d translate as a romantic lead. But the author knew exactly what she was doing—she made Cletus multidimensional and gave him so much depth, while still capturing his unique charm. As for Jennifer, we got glimpses of her in earlier books, but this one fully explores her character and lets us see her blossom. I loved getting to know her beyond those initial impressions, and she and Cletus turned out to be such a perfect match. This book does a great job of making you feel all the right frustrations with certain characters, which was incredibly satisfying. So far, this is my favorite book in the series. Cletus and Jennifer’s story is a standout romance that I’d recommend to any fan of the series!
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