Beard Science

by Penny Reid

Winston Brothers #3

Publication Date: October 11, 2016

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Humor, Romance

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.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

I tried my best to pretend unkind words were actually just erroneously expressed compliments, as it just made everything nicer for everybody... This habit of purposefully misunderstanding insults has served me well over the course of my life, around town, and at home.

A small number of plagues would befall the sheriff's Deputy over the coming weeks. I'd considered leprosy via an armadillo infestation, but decided against it. Maybe next time.

We argued every time I came to his shop. I told him my hair needed weight, otherwise it stood straight up and out, and my head - which was larger than average already, likely to accommodate my massive brain - resembled a cantaloupe on a toothpick, with cantaloupes being the least esteemed of all fruit.

I should have given him leprosy back in September. It would have kept him occupied through Christmas.

The people who call you simple are the simple ones. You should put castor oil in their banana cake frosting and weld their toilet shut.

I love her! I swear Cletus, if you don't marry her then I will talk to Jethro about making her my sister-wife.

My Review:

Beard Science is my favorite Penny Reid masterpiece to date. It was densely populated with delightfully odd characters; busy with amusing "capering;" and loaded with wry and overtly humorous insights as well as sneaky heart squeezing observations. Cletus and Jennifer were both beyond quirky but not quite bizarre, and while they originally appeared to be near opposites, they both were crafty, complex, and highly intelligent - yet not seen as such by anyone else. Cletus - being possibly the most fascinating character ever brought to life - was a devious genius with a wide and far-reaching agenda, but all for good reasons, and had more clandestine plans and escapades in play than the NSA, CIA, FBI, and GOP combined. It took me a bit longer to warm up to Jennifer as the hard working Banana Cake Queen initially presented as an inauthentic person - a mousy and spineless caricature offering no resistance to the iron fist of her repellent and demanding parents. However, these endearingly peculiar characters - who were thrown together by blackmail - provoked profound changes in each other, while providing an unfailingly engaging and supremely entertaining tale in the process. I wore a near-constant smirk while reading this massive tome and barked aloud more than few times. Penny Reid is a truly gifted wordsmith and on my permanent list of favorites to shadow.

Empress DJ

About Penny Reid

SEX! It all started with sex, between my parents. Personally I don’t like thinking about it, but whatever works for you is a-ok with me. No judgment. The sex happened in California and much of my life also occurred in that state until I moved from the land of nuts (almonds), wine, silicon… boobs, and heavy traffic to the southeast US. Like most writers I like to write, but let’s get back to sex. Eventually I married and gave birth to 2 small people-children (boy-6, girl-4 as of this writing).

By day I’m a biomedical researcher with focus on rare diseases. By night I’m a knitter, sewer, lino block carver, fabric printer, soap maker, and general crafter. By the wee hours of the morning or when I’m intoxicated I love to listen to the voices in my head and let them tell me stories. I hope you enjoy their stories.

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