Beard Science (Winston Brothers, #3) in Sharks of Awesome

Oct 13, 2016 Jacqueline rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourite-books-of-2016

I loved this book. It's a standalone and a complete story in itself but it features Cletus, my favourite Winston brother. A delightfully original eccentric, quirky, witty and wise character, getting inside his mind is a treat, and feeling him fall for Jennifer was an absolute joy.

This author has a real talent, the words flow and reading this really picked me up and put me in a happy bubble. The smut was fab too.

I can't fault it. Literally nothing to whine about in this story.

A real fave this one ...more

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Oct 12, 2016 aniryllis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, in-english, favourite, duplicates, giveaways

Edit - Nov 20, 2019:

A bit of Cletus in Florence:

Edit - Aug 13, 2018:

This book is so good I can't stop re-reading it. Can't wait for their new story, Engagement and Espionage. The waiting is killing me 😩

Edit - Nov 23, 2016:

It's here!!!

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Edit - Oct 19, 2016:

I WON THE GIVEAWAY?! WHAT.

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OH MY GOD ! ! !

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...more

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Nov 06, 2016 Christine Hill rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The Winston Brothers Series
Truth or Beard (Book 1)
Grin and Beard It (Book 2)
Beard Science (Book 3)

If you’d like to read my reviews of the first two books in this series, you can find them on my blog: www.loveserially.wordpress.com. A version of this book review is also on my blog and can be found at: https://loveserially.wordpress.com/20...

Overall Rating: 4.5 (sXe)

Quick & Dirty summary: Jennifer Sylvester has spent her entire life being the Banana Cake Queen. Her banana cake is a phenomenon all The Winston Brothers Series
Truth or Beard (Book 1)
Grin and Beard It (Book 2)
Beard Science (Book 3)

If you’d like to read my reviews of the first two books in this series, you can find them on my blog: www.loveserially.wordpress.com. A version of this book review is also on my blog and can be found at: https://loveserially.wordpress.com/20...

Overall Rating: 4.5 (sXe)

Quick & Dirty summary: Jennifer Sylvester has spent her entire life being the Banana Cake Queen. Her banana cake is a phenomenon all her own, but her mother’s branding of the bakery Jennifer runs goes beyond just pretty packages. Jennifer wears yellow dresses, dyes her hair yellow and is only allowed to own one pair of jeans. Cletus Winston doesn’t have time for queens—he has got his hand in too many pies to be worried about banana cake. But Jennifer needs Cletus’ expertise and she isn’t fooled by his public persona. When Jennifer blackmails Cletus in order to gain his cooperation, Cletus is shocked to discover that his “scientific” approach to judging people may not work a hundred percent of the time.

This novel is essentially about looking beyond the obvious. To some extent all of the books in this series are about this, but Beard Science, in particular, seems to remind us that the persona we show the public is not all that we are… in fact it might not be who we are at all. There is a lesson for us in this story that is worthwhile and timeless, even if we aren’t all Cletuses or Jennifers. Cletus Winston is brilliant and although he is a bit dense when it comes to matters of the heart, he is smart enough to be honest, which is one of my favorite parts of this novel. Jennifer is not honest, in fact, her personal journey is one of self-realization and revelation, which is also a beautiful part of this book.

The amazing thing about Penny Reid though, is she doesn’t just create these great characters whom I love, but her writing is beautiful and evocative itself. This passage jumped out at me as I was reading: “Once the words were out a dull ache radiated outward from my chest. I had an odd, fleeting notion that my heart was hurling itself against my ribs, seeking hers.” Reid doesn’t just do humor well with quirky turns of phrases, but she’s able to convey emotion. I know exactly that dull ache that burns in my chest when I’ve said something that I regret. And to follow that up with the image of Cletus’ heart like a bird trying to reunite with his lovers is so vivid that it adds this visual component to the emotional turmoil being described. Gah! Just great!

In summary, the characters are wonderful, the writing is amazing, and the cherry on the top is that this book is also funny. If there is only one small issue I had with this book it was that it rolled through the conflict so quickly. There is so much going on—the drama is ridiculous—and there are some surprises, I think, but it all wraps up too easily. I am curious what the next book will bring. Part of what my problem was, though, was that I didn’t want the story to end. I didn’t want to say goodbye to Cletus and Jennifer and Ashley and her Viking marauder and Jethro and his flirting expert and the rest of the gang. I love this family, I love this town, and I really wish I could visit Tennessee.

Is it worth buying? (Kindle $5.99)
Yes! I bought it and you should too. I think this is one that you’ll come back to again and again. At least I know I will, especially when I need a bit of a pick me up.

Something else you might enjoy:
The Rosie Project has a protagonist somewhat similar to Cletus in the use of science and logic, which gets him into trouble a little bit. It’s also a comedy, so there is that overlap as well. But, there is a different tone to this book, so you can appreciate it for it’s own merits. ...more

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Oct 28, 2016 Andrea Peralta rated it it was amazing

Shelves: alternating-pov, slow-burn

I loved Cletus but I think jennifer took to long to find her spine; It's still a great story !
I Love Penny Reid, always the right amount of sweet and funny :) ...more

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Oct 12, 2016 Adelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: faves

this book is everything and more.

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 04, 2016 Miranda rated it it was amazing

You know the feeling of the few days leading up to your birthday, you get so excited because soon the whole day will be about you? And then the day comes and all the good feels of people calling you, texting you, and telling you, “Happy Birthday” makes you so pleased that you were born that day? And then around 11:50 PM that night when things wind down and you start to miss all of the happiness that your birthday brings? That is how I felt about Beard Science. The days leading up to where I coul You know the feeling of the few days leading up to your birthday, you get so excited because soon the whole day will be about you? And then the day comes and all the good feels of people calling you, texting you, and telling you, “Happy Birthday” makes you so pleased that you were born that day? And then around 11:50 PM that night when things wind down and you start to miss all of the happiness that your birthday brings? That is how I felt about Beard Science. The days leading up to where I could finally sit down and read it were the few days before my birthday; I was ecstatic. I was more than ready because I knew that Cletus was going to blow my socks off. I rejoiced when it popped up on my Kindle. I got giddy when I opened the first page and got to experience all the wonderfulness of Cletus and the gang. And I have fallen into a slight depression after finishing it because:
1.) I have no more Cletus and I LOVE Cletus
2.) I didn’t want it to be over. I wanted it to continue.
3.) I have no more Penny Reid books until her next one comes out and that is a long time from now.
4.) I just loved this book so much that I wish I could experience it for the first time again and I haven’t been able to build my time machine yet!

I knew cracking this book open that it was going to be extraordinary because Penny Reid is a book goddess and has never disappointed me. What I didn’t know is how extra-extra-extraordinary it was going to be.

So far, in my vast knowledge of all Penny Reid books, Drew has stolen my heart and kept it in his hands until today. Cletus has come in and snagged half of my heart and is holding on tight. He was more than perfect in this book and exactly who I dreamed him to be. His quirks, his randomness, his brilliant, weird ideas, and his love just shined in this book. The way he treated Jennifer made my heart skip beats. If I could slam Drew and Cletus together in a particle accelerator so that they could merge into one being, I’d do it. (Maybe I’ll start working on building that after my time machine is up and running.) They would make the perfect man for me.

Jennifer was insanely perfect. I was hesitant about her first in Beauty and the Mustache but her back-story made me fall in love with her character. I saw what every character saw at first, a dressed up Banana Cake Queen but that was not who she was and with the help of our wonderful Winston gang, she blossomed into so much more. I loved seeing her bust out of her mundane box and take over her own world.

I know that you all know this already but I have to say it again, I HEART PENNY REID! I can’t get enough of her books. I can’t get enough of her characters. I can’t get enough period!
...more

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Oct 11, 2016 Lucy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

If I could give this book more than five stars then I would! Penny Reid out did herself with this latest instalment of the Winston Brothers series. I just absolutely loved it. I loved Cletus and Jenn, I loved all the supporting characters, I loved the humour but most of all I love the way her characters and story have a realistic down-to-earth quality that really resonates. I'm now waiting patiently for my next Reid fix. ...more

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Nov 13, 2016 Claire rated it it was amazing

Shelves: to-buy, romance, ebooks, adult-fiction, series, read-in-2016, listened-to, read-in-2018, read-in-2019

I loved this. Cletus was always the most interesting brother to me, and Jennifer is way smarter than anyone gives her credit for. I was so rooting for her to grow a backbone and even though Cletus is conniving and manipulative, I just loved him.

Great read.

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