Five of Five enthusiastic stars
I’m a big fan of Second Chance Romance stories, as well as characters with a complicated history, so I really couldn’t go wrong with this one. I may be in the minority, but I really liked that this book took place much later than the previous book in this series. I liked seeing bits and pieces of what has been going on in the five years since we’ve heard from these characters that I’ve loved for five books now (six, if you include Beauty and the Mustache, which you should.) I also like the little hints of things to come in future books that Penny has promised us. (Cletus and Jenn’s cozy mystery series, anyone?)
Honestly, Beard in Mind, Winston Brothers #4, was a difficult book for me to stick with. Being a Penny Reid book, it was very well-written, but I found Shelly very hard to relate to. I really loved Beau, and I wanted him to be happy, and glad he found that happiness with Shelly, but BiM was not my favorite. So, there was nowhere to go but up, as far as this fifth book was concerned. I already loved Roscoe from what I knew of him from the previous books. I liked Simone, as well, especially because she wasn’t a new character that popped up, but one that had been around for a while. It’s hard to review this book without giving anything away, and I don’t want to spoil anything, so just READ IT! I think you can read this one without having read the previous books in the series, since it takes place long after the first four books. (Keep in mind that Beauty and the Mustache is still FREE on Amazon, so pick it up if you haven’t already!)
One of my pet peeves is when the author takes the easy way out, and the conflict between the characters stems from a misunderstanding or a stupid argument. Penny Reid never does this. When her characters are in conflict, it is about something real and usually pretty devastating, and a simple conversation is not going to fix the problem (unlike the books with the stupid misunderstanding, which can usually be resolved if the characters just open their mouths and TALK!)
When we get to the point where Roscoe and Simone have their moment of conflict, you can totally see things from both perspectives because it is a legitimate issue, not a made-up one. There is also a moment where I felt that there would be no way for the conflict to be resolved, and I must admit I skimmed through the next couple of pages to find out whether my fears would be confirmed. (They weren’t. PHEW!)
I really loved this book. I feel like we’ve waited a long time for Roscoe’s story, and I’m so happy with it. The audiobook should be released later this month, and I will put it on my wishlist (especially if Chris Brinkely does the narrating!)
Of course, DSB left me wanting more of the Winston Brothers, especially Billy. I know I’m not alone in stating that I simply cannot wait for Beard Necessities, releasing October 2019, which happens to be my birthday month. 🙂
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