Truth or Beard (Winston Brothers, #1) in Sharks of Awesome

Aug 29, 2016 aniryllis rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: in-english, owned, ebooks

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

My hate for “love” triangles has no limits, so you can believe me when I say it’s not that.
I also hate bffs/sisters/brothers involved with the same girl/boy annnd here it didn’t bother me. At all. Jessica’s infatuation with Beau is naïve (never serious) and she “meets” Duane right away. It’s only Daune since the very beginning.
The only thing I didn’t like was Daune’s relationship with someone else while proclaiming he loved the heroine for the whole time.
Penny Reid’s writ ...more

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Aug 08, 2015 Andrea Peralta rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favs, great-male-lead, funny, best-2015

this book was fantastic! Ilove the banter. Atthe momentI think Penny Reid can't do wrong....can wait for Jethro's book ...more

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Apr 19, 2015 Miranda rated it it was amazing

Dear Penny, you are quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Please keep this up and we will have a beautiful friendship. Sincerely, Miranda

*I don’t know if I can’t contain myself not to give a few things away (nothing big) but just be warned…this might have teeny, tiny spoilers*

Loved, Loved, LOVED Duane Winston and Jessica James to the umpteenth power. Jessica’s fascination with Beau, and in one moment her inability to tell the difference between Duane and Beau, sends her into a love spiral Dear Penny, you are quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Please keep this up and we will have a beautiful friendship. Sincerely, Miranda

*I don’t know if I can’t contain myself not to give a few things away (nothing big) but just be warned…this might have teeny, tiny spoilers*

Loved, Loved, LOVED Duane Winston and Jessica James to the umpteenth power. Jessica’s fascination with Beau, and in one moment her inability to tell the difference between Duane and Beau, sends her into a love spiral with Duane (the more surly twin.) While Jessica wants what she wants, basically Duane, Duane wants to court Jessica, knowing that she deserves the best. They are both amazing individuals who, when together, become the greatest, most amazing couple ever. Oh, yes, and they are super adorable together. You know, the icing on the cake kind of adorable.

Truth or Beard has such a wonderful, romantic story flowing through its pages but the romance is not all this book brings to the table. Duane finds that he has a slight problem with the town’s bikers. The have some information that could incriminate one of his brothers. And Jessica longs to travel the world, but is not financially equip to do so. However, with their shared loved for each other (and knowing that their relationship has an expiration date), they fall anyway. But drop is not a smooth hill down to loveville…it has many bumps.

This book is a fantastic story that has very witty moments, a beautiful love story, and some dangerous action. I hadn’t even finished the book and I found myself looking forward to the other stories revolving around the Winston brothers, especially Cletus (he is my favorite so far.)

The one thing that I will say (and give major props to) about Reid’s characters is that so far there has never been a miscommunication moment. You know those books where the guy will say something and the girl will misinterpret it, or they will shut down and not say how they feel to spare the other (or themselves?) I have yet to find that in Reid’s writing. It is a huge breath of fresh air for me. I love that both Duane and Jessica flat out told each other what they were thinking. There was no hiding, no sugarcoating, just pure truth.

Crazy, amazing book. Cramazing. You should definitely read it and read Reid’s other books as well.
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Sep 27, 2015 Christine Hill rated it really liked it

This review was originally posted on my blog: loveserially.wordpress.com

Truth or Beard (Winston Brothers Book 1)

Rating: 4 (sXe)

Quick & Dirty summary:

Jessica James has had a schoolgirl crush on Beau Winston since she was, well, a schoolgirl. Beau’s twin brother, Duane, is another matter completely. So when things get hot and heavy at the Friday night community music night, Jessica thinks her dreams have come true. Of course they haven’t, and you don’t have a twin story until you have a case of mi This review was originally posted on my blog: loveserially.wordpress.com

Truth or Beard (Winston Brothers Book 1)

Rating: 4 (sXe)

Quick & Dirty summary:

Jessica James has had a schoolgirl crush on Beau Winston since she was, well, a schoolgirl. Beau’s twin brother, Duane, is another matter completely. So when things get hot and heavy at the Friday night community music night, Jessica thinks her dreams have come true. Of course they haven’t, and you don’t have a twin story until you have a case of mistaken identity. However, as Duane forces Jessica to rethink their shared childhood, Jessica realizes that she may have been telling herself she was in love with the wrong brother the whole time. As Jessica and Duane go a courtin’, motorcycle biker gangs, long distance relatives, and troublesome older brothers make what could be a simple happily ever after into something a bit more complicated.

What I loved and what I not-so-loved?

This book was totally unexpected for me. After reading Beauty and the Mustache, I shared Ashley’s vision of her brothers as dirty, red-headed hicks. This idea did not dissipate even towards the end of Beauty and the Mustache, as Ashley realizes her brothers have changed over the years. in Truth or Beard, Duane had a lot of layers, and Reid confesses on her website (I think that’s where I read it) that this novel was a change of pace for her because so much of it is written from Duane’s point of view. I have loved that about Reid’s novels—getting to know the male characters from their own thoughts and feelings. But in some ways, this was a double-edged sword. I felt a little disconnected from Jessica. She was clearly cute, and painfully honest, but the different components of her personality didn’t quite gel together into a cohesive person. She wants to do the right thing, but she also wants to rebel against her Baptist upbringing. She speaks her mind clearly, but also seems easily befuddled. She loves kissing boys, but she isn’t interested in sleeping with them. None of these things is unrealistic or makes me dislike her character. But there seemed to be a bit of distance between her and me that may be due to Duane. It’s like I couldn’t bond with her because Duane kept interrupting our girl time.

The beautiful thing about this novel was that it tried to resolve some of the tension between honoring your family and honoring yourself. That’s a hard thing to do when your dreams take you away from home. But Jessica and Duane seem to navigate those waters well—communicating openly with their families about their hopes, while leaving their plans flexible for revision.

The Bottom Line: Would I recommend it to my BFF?

I’m not sure. I hate to say this because I love Penny Reid, but there is a lot going on in this novel. From the motorcycle gang, to the other brothers, to Ashley and Drew, I’m not sure my BFF would get as much out of it if she hadn’t read Beauty and the Mustache, which she hasn’t. And it’s like I can see the future books building out of this first novel, which is a double-edged sword (damn that sword!). It made it difficult to see the trees from the forest… or maybe it’s the forest from the trees. What I can say for sure is that if you are a fan of Penny Reid then this book (and series) is a MUST. ...more

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Mar 12, 2017 Shannon rated it really liked it

Shelves: modern-romance

I love this book. This is my third time reading it. With each book in this series, I think that the author is single-handedly attempting to overcome my aversion to southern bearded men. Now I walk around and, when I see a man with a beard, I hope he will have a sweet Southern drawl and an ability to reference great literature. Unfortunately, where I live, it is more likely for such a specimen to be a hipster vegan who makes his own beard oil from the tears of reptiles (because, you know...bearde ...more

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Jul 23, 2015 Lucy rated it it was amazing

Penny Reid did it again, but this time she even out did herself! I always know when a book is going to be a 5 star because it has everything I want in a book: great characters with great back and forth, chemistry, intensity and more. However it also has to have the feeling, the feeling that it's real and that I'm totally immersed and invested in the characters. By far my favourite one yet! ...more

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May 16, 2015 Yanina rated it it was amazing

I love Penny's books. They are witty and funny, sometimes even hilarious!!!! And I love how everybody has their own kind of smart and know about so many different subjects. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!!!! Actually, so far I can say with certainty that all her books are amazing :) ...more

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Sep 14, 2017 Rachel rated it it was amazing

I absolutely loved this book. Sigh, I like when Duane said he was in love with Jessica since they were kids. I also love all the comedy, I laughed aloud a lot.

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