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.

I 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!

This is the book I waited for yet the one I worried about. Cletus is by far my favorite. Jennifer is the perfect complement to the silent killer that is Cletus Win
Disclaimer: I am an AVID Penny Reid fan. Even novels which have premises I don’t typically enjoy, I love. But when Penny stated she was going to write a novel with Cletus as the romantic interest, my anxiety shot through the roof. This is Cletus. This is the man larger than life, but shrouding himself in a hill Billy guise. He is the man with immense covert machinations, but a bigger sense of justice driving them. In essence Cletus is what all of us wishes we could do (the ego of our psyche). So, his romantic interest also, would have to be larger than life. What woman could tame Cletus?

I don’t want to go into too much detail because I don’t want to post any spoilers, but this book baffles me in excellent ways.
How’d that happen? - How did I go from enjoying Jennifer (the heroine) to being annoyed by her, to smirking with her, to befriending her all within the first 1/3 of the book. And from that point on, I kept on loving her. Seriously, that girl kept on getting better.
This book is epic, like EPIC - Right when I thought I knew where the book was going, it transformed into something I wasn’t expecting. And the great thing was, there was no stupidity. For the amount of plot and the character development, it really should have been Gone with The Wind long. It wasn’t, but yet, the story was so rich and fulfilling, like the most decadent cake ever. I want to go into more detail, but once again, I’m not spoiling it for anyone.
All in the family - When some authors write a series, it’s almost a chore to read because they re-introduce couples, or make their entrance into the story seem forced, like the Seinfeld finale. With Beard, it flowed, and more importantly, the secondary characters added so much richness to the plot. You have to love a family who enjoys fine sausage, and shares their sausage with the community.
Geeky Heart - I love stories where I feel I grow as a person, and Jennifer is the Janie kind of nerdy who makes the ride fun. She is more than she appears. She has depth and skills no one knows about. This is a story about looking beneath the surface, breaking out of comfort zones, owning who you are, and finding your tribe. Ms. Reid, I adore your work for every bad day I have had this summer your words have given me a smile.

So, in summary, I loved it. It is Cletus-worthy, which is saying a lot.