Review — Grin & Beard It by Penny Reid

Posted June 17, 2016 by FMA in 5 Stars - It fed my addiction!, Blog Tour, Giveaways

Review --- Grin & Beard It by Penny Reid

Review — Grin & Beard It by Penny ReidGrin & Beard It by Penny Reid
Series: Winston Brothers series #2
Also in this series: Beard Science, A Beard In Mind, Dr. Strange Beard
Published by Caped Publishing
on May 31, 2016
Pages: 370
Genres: Humor, New Adult, Romance
Review Copy Provided By: Author
five-stars

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Sienna Diaz is everyone’s favorite “fat” funny lady. The movie studio executives can’t explain it, but her films are out-grossing all the fit and trim headliners and Hollywood’s most beautiful elite. The simple truth is, everyone loves plus-sized Sienna.

But she has a problem, she can’t read maps and her sense of direction is almost as bad as her comedic timing is stellar. Therefore, when Sienna’s latest starring role takes her to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park she finds herself continually lost while trying to navigate the backroads of Green Valley, Tennessee. Much to her consternation, Sienna’s most frequent savior is a ridiculously handsome, charming, and cheeky Park Ranger by the name of Jethro Winston.

Sienna is accustomed to high levels of man-handsome, so it’s not Jethro’s chiseled features or his perfect physique that make Sienna stutter. It’s his southern charm. And gentlemanly manners. And habit of looking at her too long and too often.

Sienna has successfully navigated the labyrinth of Hollywood heartthrobs. But can she traverse the tenuous trails of Tennessee without losing her head? Or worse, her heart?


I was provided a review copy; this did not influence my opinion of the book.


Review G&B

 

SO VERY GOOD! CHEERS PENNY REID!

Deeply passionate, funny and thought-provoking, Grin and Beard It, made me believe starting over, taking chances and falling in love are worth it.

With each book that I read by Penny Reid, I find they get more difficult to review. At first glance, this doesn’t make much sense. But I am finding it difficult to not sound redundant. Putting it simply, I love her writing style. I love her voice. I love her insight. Reid writes “smart romance”. She gives you words to think about as you read her stories…

❝Each moment was a decision. We could either live up or down to people’s expectations, or blow them completely away. We had no control over what other people decided to think, but we did have control over our own actions, who we wanted to be, and how we lived our life.

Also, her stories are like poetry. She’s a ninja poet. She goes from writing humorous moments to poignant ones in a flash. One of the most beautiful, touching scenes I can ever recall reading was in this book. At 43% Sienna and Jethro are walking through the prairie and the way Penny shared this scene was breathtaking. I highlighted the entire last half of this chapter…

❝Gradually, I heard a symphony of sounds rise around us. Wind played through the grass, rustled the small but plentiful leaves of a nearby lonely oak….

With this book, Reid explores the depths of Jethro’s guilt and his desire for redemption. Jethro is a good man. He is a man who made many mistakes in his past, but for the last five years, he has worked hard to build a new life for himself, to change, to become better. And for Jethro, he was rewarded for his hard work. He was given Sienna.

Sienna the beautiful movie star. She is hilarious. She is strong, yet she is vulnerable. She uses humor to deflect. She hasn’t had much luck with the self-absorbed men of Hollywood, so when she finds a mutual attraction in Jethro, she’s all-in.

Each was trying to prove they were much more than the labels used to define them.

While together, they were finding solace, understanding, and a kindred spirit.

❝If you don’t fight for what you love, then you have nothing worth losing.

This is a slow-burn romance. It has to be. Jethro’s past and renewed self, dictates it to be. And I appreciated that Reid stayed true to his character. I found it unfolded beautifully.

Grin and Beard It was charming and hilarious! I absolutely LOVED it! This is definitely one of my favorites of the year. The books in the Winston Brother series (including the Beauty and The Mustache) have been huge hits for me!

 

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Excerpt

Finally releasing her hand, Cletus noted conversationally, “If you come next Wednesday, I’ll let you try my sausage.”

I gathered a breath for patience and squeezed Sienna’s waist.

“Here we go,” Drew said as he swapped a knowing look with my sister.

Meanwhile, Beau rolled his eyes and released a disgusted snort. “Not this again.”

“Cletus’s famous sausage is famous,” Jess added helpfully, her eyebrows bouncing. She was already giggling.

Not missing a beat, Sienna asked, “How do you make it? Do you bake it?”

“No way. The heat isn’t right. In order for the sausage to mature, it needs the right type and application of heat. It needs heat on all sides, and wet heat is best.”

“You are the worst,” Billy said, though his mouth hitched on one side.

“This joke never gets old.” Jess was now laughing so hard she’d gripped her stomach, tears leaking from her eyes.

“It does when you have to hear it every month for ten years,” Duane complained, but couldn’t quite manage a scowl.

“My sausage is no joke.” Cletus frowned, wagging his finger through the air like we were all juveniles.

“So you grill it,” Sienna supplied, moving the conversation back on track.

“That’s right.”

“Good.” She nodded once, sounding thoughtful. “In that case, I insist you taste my thighs and breasts.”

These words, so calmly and earnestly spoken, rendered us all speechless.

Even Cletus.

I do believe we stared at Sienna in a collective state of paralyzed suspension, no one quite knowing how to react to her offer.

I felt her shoulders shake, so I shifted to the side, wanting to catch her expression. Her irresistible dimples flashed in full force and she giggled as she explained, “I have a great mojo chicken recipe. We can grill the chicken and sausage together.” Then to Cletus she said, “It’ll help with the wet heat.”

I looked to the heavens, hidden by the porch ceiling. “God, thank you for sending me this woman.”

Meanwhile, Cletus blinked once as though startled, but then a slow grin spread over his typically solemn features.

Beau, holding his hand over his heart, took the bait. “Sienna, I would be honored to taste your thighs and breasts.”

I shot him a warning glare. “Don’t you say that to her.” But I couldn’t keep my face straight either.

“What? What did I say?” Beau tried to sound and look affronted. “I was talking about her chicken. Obviously.”

Cletus’s grin had grown into an immense smile as his gaze moved over my woman with plain appreciation. “Well played, Ms. Diaz. Well played.”

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About Penny Reid

Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.

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