Beauty and the Mustache (Knitting in the City, #4; Winston Brothers, #0) in Sharks of Awesome

Apr 01, 2014 Nancy Reads Romance rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: hot-romance-reads, smart-romance

5 ++++ Stars for Beauty and the Mustache!
(It could be 10 stars, really!!)

I received an ARC copy and here's my spoiler-free little review:

Penny Reid is a very gifted author. I have loved every book in the “Knitting in the City” series. And this book did not disappoint, it gave me a ton of “feels!” In modern language, to BatM, I would say, “I love you like a love song, baby,” OR that you are “poetry in motion.” Yes, Penny’s writing is THAT good!

At the beginning of every one of 29 chapters, there’s ...more

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Sep 10, 2014 Christy Wilson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

I think my life has been changed by this book.

Maybe that's a bit too dramatic of a way to say how much I freaking loved this book. LOVED, I say. Is there a stronger word to use to express the feelings I had as I read this, and after I read it? I'm sure there is but "love" is a good, strong word for it.

I adored Ashley. She was funny and down to earth. How many of us have gone for days without taking care of ourselves when there are more pressing things to deal with (like reading haha)? I adored h ...more

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Feb 24, 2014 MB (What she read) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance-contemporary-or-chick-lit, favorites, 2015-re-read, series-that-i-follow, 2014-read, 2017-re-read

1st read 8/28/14:

I devoured this book....and it was delicious!

It popped up on my kindle last night around 9pm. I made the mistake of starting it on a worknight. Mistake, because I couldn't put it down until I finished it around 2:30pm. (No, I'm not doing too well today on 3 hours of sleep.) But it was well worth it.

First of all, you have to know that I love this series! I think Penny Reid writes amazingly compelling books. I love all her characters. And her plots...she does amazing plots. Each 1st read 8/28/14:

I devoured this book....and it was delicious!

It popped up on my kindle last night around 9pm. I made the mistake of starting it on a worknight. Mistake, because I couldn't put it down until I finished it around 2:30pm. (No, I'm not doing too well today on 3 hours of sleep.) But it was well worth it.

First of all, you have to know that I love this series! I think Penny Reid writes amazingly compelling books. I love all her characters. And her plots...she does amazing plots. Each book incorporates the characters from before, but each plot is fresh, different, and completely unlike anything else I've read before. (Very unusual within the saturated (and often stale) romance genre.) Plus, they're hilarious! Don't let me forget to mention that.

Well, this one, Ashley's book was a huge treat. Ashley has kind of flown under my radar in this series so it was a ton of fun to see her made 3-dimensional. I loved Drew and his depth and quiet strength. I loved their careers and how that shaped them both. I loved their past and how that also shaped them.

Besides Ashley and Drew, and input from all of our favorite Knitting in the City friends, there were two more favorite elements for me. 1) The family dynamics and interactions. It's rare to find an author who can write believable men. Here we have them in spades. I loved seeing Ashley and her brothers change and grow closer. 2) The depth of this book. Unusual, and I'm not going to spoil it for you. But you should be aware that this book has a deeper side. I so appreciated the way Reid handled this. It's something that we all will have to deal with at some point in time, and it's truly beautiful to see it handled so well. This emotional depth makes the book stand out for me. Few authors do this well. Either they minimize the pain, or they leave me feeling manipulated. Reid does this in a human/e and caring way and I identified with what the characters were experiencing and compared it to similiar situations in my own life.

Well done! MORE PLEASE!!! ...more

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Sep 11, 2017 Sarah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance, favorites

Why is it not possible to give a book more than 5 stars???? Like why can't it be out of 10? Cause this book would get 11!!! Amazon has been recommending me Penny Reid's books more months but I've ignored them until I joined a romance book club on FB. Recommendations are thrown out like rice at a wedding and so many of these women have recommended her books, especially the Winston Brothers Series. Then when they became available on Kindle Unlimited for a limited time, I knew I had to give them a Why is it not possible to give a book more than 5 stars???? Like why can't it be out of 10? Cause this book would get 11!!! Amazon has been recommending me Penny Reid's books more months but I've ignored them until I joined a romance book club on FB. Recommendations are thrown out like rice at a wedding and so many of these women have recommended her books, especially the Winston Brothers Series. Then when they became available on Kindle Unlimited for a limited time, I knew I had to give them a try!

It does hurt my heart a little bit to start in the middle of series. Beauty and the Mustache is 4th in the Knitting in the City series but the prequel to the Winston Brothers. The Knitting in the City series isn't available on KU so I knew I was starting with the books that I could get for free before buying.

Beauty and the Mustache was SO FLIPPING GOOD, I will pay full price for every single one of Penny Reid's other novels! Her romances are described as "smart romance." I wasn't even sure what that meant when I first heard it. But then I read BatM and I get it! I can't think of a better word to describe it! I loved all the quotes from other writers and poets she used at the beginning of each chapter. And not only was there wonderful metaphors when the heroine, Ashley, was describing her feelings (it's written in 1st person POV) but excellent humor!

Sometimes, when a book is written in 1st person POV, I get lost. I have a hard time keeping up with the other characters and other things that are going on outside the main character's zone. Ms. Reid did a great job still making me feel apart of the whole world and not just Ashley's. Of course our own lives are told from 1st person POV, but when I read a book that way, I want to be able to be involved in the story the same way I am in my own life. This book did that.

I LOVED that Ms. Reid didn't feel compelled to fill this book with foul language and lewd humor. While there was definitely some sex talk and jokes, especially between Ashley and her girlfriends, it was tasteful and not over the top. I can count on my hand one time, the amount of F bombs she used. It was just classy. A class act book!

The love scenes were also very tasteful. There was only one major love scene, about 2/3 of the way through, and a couple other heavy petting scenes, that were more focused on the feelings and emotions of what Ashley was feeling verses the actual act. While it was very clear what was happening, it wasn't overly descriptive when describing body parts and actions. I enjoyed it much more than some other, more descriptive romance novels I've read.

Let's talk about the hero: Andrew 'Drew' Runous. I'm pretty sure Ms. Reid was using Chris Hemsworth from the first Thor movie as a physical template for Drew! Longish blonde hair, blonde beard, steely blue gray eyes, 6'4", muscles galore. But also a PhD, lover of poetry and music. Super smart man who is more comfortable in his own thoughts and has a hard time expressing his emotions. Except of course when it comes to Ashley. He is one of those heroes who expresses his love through actions. And he drops poetry like rain in a storm. It makes Ashley weak in the knees and the only way she knows how to shut him up is to kiss him. But she loves it! I've never really considered book boyfriends before, but if I were gonna start a list, Drew Runous would be at the very top of my list!

Ashley was a great heroine. I very much enjoyed being in her head. And not to mention all her wonderful bearded brothers! I can't wait to read their stories!

If you are hesitant about starting this book, just read it! It's wonderful and funny and smart and sassy and sexy and just darn good! I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys classic romance and big bearded men! ...more

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