Read my 5 ⭐️ Review for Penny Reid’s Beard With Me, book 6 in the Winston Brothers series


"My eyes decided to look at him without checking with my brain, which was a mistake. Our gazes met. His eyes seemed warmer than usual, and he was wearing that faint smile of his, directing it only at me. It was the one where I couldn't tell if it was amused or sinister or ... Wait. Was that Billy Winston's version of a friendly smile? I was so deep in my own mind, miring in the muck of mortification, I couldn't make sense of his intentions. But then, I always seemed to be gauging him wrong."

This is a review that has taken me some time to write. Don't get me wrong, it's a 5 Star read, a highly recommended book on my behalf, one that I so needed to read. But that's just it, I needed to read it, even if my heart was holding back somewhat, and at times I didn't want to read anymore, I needed this story to fill the gap of the Winston family before .... before Claire, before Ashley moved away and came back, before when there was Scarlet St Claire and Billy Winston.

"Thunk ka-thunk. That was my heart. It had been doing the thunk ka-thunk quite a lot around him. I ignored it, because what else could I do?"

Beard With Me is Penny Reid's 6th book in the Winston Brothers series, set in Green Valley, Tennessee and home to the Winston family, their quirky friends and townfolk and the motorcycle club, the Iron Wraiths. This is the origin story, set in 2003, when Scarlet is 14 and Billy is 16. I loved hearing about the Winston family in their younger days, the twins and Roscoe still quite young, Ashley a mere 12 years of age, with Cletus, Billy and Jethro in their mid to later teen years. We get a taste of the family, their values, their humour and loyalty which we have know all along, as well as many more beautiful moments with Bethany Winston and her loving nature and her unwavering kindness. And Cletus, oh Cletus! A teenage Cletus is an absolute treasure to read.
But what this book is mainly about, is the story of Scarlet and Billy. Their interactions, their clarity of minds, their laughter, their love and their sadness, and ultimately their heartbreak. This is not a book for the faint-hearted, nor is it a happily ever after fairy tale, which diverts from Ms Reid's usual genre of book. However, it is a story that most readers will fight through, through tears, through joy and feelings of nostalgia to understand the Winston family and Claire McClure of the present day, the characters we all so love in the series.

The writing is seamless, taking the reader to the world of Green Valley, the descriptive scenery, the feelings of helplessness and of acceptance we experience through this story. Overall, the love shines through, and we see these two souls through the eyes of the other. It is these feelings and moments of delight and wonder that get me through this story, as I hope and wait for Beard Necessities to be released. Aah Penny Reid, you have our hearts in our throats as we anticipate what will be the next step in the journey of our beloved Scarlet/Claire and Billy. How will the chapters unfold, what part will Cletus play with his meddling ways? I cannot wait to discover what Ms Reid has in store for her readers in Beard Necessities, continuing the Winston Brothers series in Green Valley, Tennessee.

"I don't want to forget her. If the soul becomes dyed with the color of it's thoughts, then my soul was Scarlet."

My review is up on my Facebook page - Tammy's Timeout - Romance Book Reviews.
https://www.facebook.com/tammystimeout/posts/2451040598452867?__xts__[0]=68.ARCraqGJga7Potm1JIYCtaJDHh5nB07CImgvniUrIk4cxC3cb5Yi4StgeeFfCwetwLG8pkUrA6td_Od0jHe6QkkX2qpHMbpVQEAGD-cfMFp9haAoQFB0fUq9uMR7neklTQuhr-ONFG_3I5A01ZbdqgQgOVLojAfrCRqFaaOePnlTp-k_nh078iPSqP__NJj66E0e9AOlkAG-7XJahSIblDdyArFHM6JEPsiJgKJkzT1dibWEpWu3QoQp2-1bDRd4ZPPkRJ5M4AF4-FwKJ1nP4uOwUyX6A9e3mJBVUrq1K9gX_8QticlIF8tmUKwN_Txt68HoueZpKppt9kvPK6JwcCudpkto&__tn__=-R