Beard Necessities by Penny Reid-Review & Excerpt Tour

Beard Necessities (Winston Brothers #7) by Penny Reid-Review & Excerpt Tour

 

BEARD NECESSITIES
Winston Brothers #7
by Penny Reid
Release Date: November 4, 2019
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance,

 

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 4, 2019

Billy Winston’s family is going to see him happy and in love if it’s the last thing they do.

No one deserves a happily-ever-after quite as much as the second oldest Winston brother and his lady love, Claire McClure (aka Scarlet St. Claire). Cruelty and circumstance tore them apart almost twenty years ago. Secrecy and bitterness kept them separated.

But you know who’s tired of their separation and stubbornness? Everyone. Especially Billy Winston’s family. And now they’re going to do something about it.

Well-meaning interference means the star-crossed lovers can’t stop tripping over each other in the hills of Tuscany, the catacombs of Rome, and the waterways of Venice. Billy and Claire find themselves thrown together and at the mercy of the Winston siblings’ shenanigans.

But will their forced proximity bring them together? Or push them even further apart?

This second-chance romance brings back the entire Winston gang, playing cupid in one last story of love, hi-jinks, and family collusion.

•••••••••

REVIEW:BEARD NECESSITIES is the seventh full-length instalment in Penny Reid’s contemporary, adult WINSTON BROTHERS romance series focusing on the Winston siblings of Green Valley, East Tennessee. This is thirty-four year old, Congressman Billy Winston, and thirty-two year old, country singer Claire McClure’s (aka Scarlet St. Claire) story line. BEARD NECESSITIES can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading book six BEARD WITH ME for some of the history between Billy and Scarlet. The author recommends reading books 0.5, 2, 3, 5, and 6 of the Winston Brothers series to learn more of the backstory involving our leading couple, and their warring families.

SOME BACKGROUND: At the age of sixteen, Billy Winston was beaten within inches of his life by the Iron Wraiths MC but Scarlet St. Claire would never know the truth until eighteen years later, a truth that would reveal how much Billy was willing to risk to save the life of the young woman he loved.

Told from three first person perspectives including Cletus, Billy and Scarlet BEARD NECESSITIES follows the rekindling romance and relationship between Billy Winston, and Claire McClure (aka Scarlet St. Claire). Eighteen years earlier Billy and Scarlet’s world imploded when following years of abuse at the hands of her father, Scarlet walks out of Billy’s life, and into the arms of someone else. Fast forward to present day wherein, Scarlet, now known as country singer Claire McClure, would join the Winston clan in Italy, a family get together organized, in effort, to bring Billy and Scarlet back together. What ensues is the rebuilding relationship between Billy and Scarlet, and the potential fall-out as secrets and lies threaten to tear them apart, once again.

Congressman Billy Winston is considering running for Tennessee state senator but struggles with a family history that could threaten everything and more. With his brother Roscoe recovering from an attack; and Billy recovering from donating bone-marrow, the family heads to Italy for Billy’s health, and to push together two people who haven’t stopped loving one another for close to twenty years.

The relationship between Scarlet and Billy is acrimonious and antagonistic. Years of secrets and lies have destroyed any semblance of a happily ever after; their love for one another hidden behind layers of heart break, pain, betrayal and mistrust. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including all of the Winston siblings and their spouses, as well as Duane Winston’s in-laws Sheriff and Mrs. James.

BEARD NECESSITIES is a story of family, betrayal, secrets and lies; of revenge and hate; second chances and a happily ever after. Penny Reid pulls the Winston family together in an effort to reconcile estranged brothers, and lovers, and in doing so, reveals a complicated past between our leading couple. The premise is sensitive, inviting and engaging; the characters are sassy, dynamic and animated; the second chance romance is tender and emotional.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

 

Strolling to the desk, I set down the milk and cookies, crossed my arms and turned to face my brother. “You’re pointing out that Scarlet and I will see each other during various family functions.”
“Correct.”
“And, therefore,” I continued reasonably, “I need to be nice to her.” I knew that already, and tonight—after watching her face crumple and feeling a part of my soul shrivel at the sight—I’d finally accepted it. I would be nice. I would be so damn nice. I’d be a saint.
But then Cletus said, “No, Billy. Not nice. Nice is for tea parties and doctor’s visits. You need to woo her.”
I blinked once. “Woo her.”
“That’s right. You need to woo the pants off her, hopefully literally, and then make that woman yours. Permanently. Once and for all. Put a ring on it. Woo is where it’s at. Jenn still has the centerpieces from our wedding if you’d like to borrow them.” During this enlightening monologue, he’d moseyed over and picked up the glass of milk and a cookie, dunked the cookie into the milk, and then took a bite just as he’d finished his listings of delusions.
“That’s never going to happen.”
“Why not? Those centerpieces are lovely. You don’t know your color scheme yet. Ask Scarlet before you decide.”
I ground my teeth. “Scarlet and I are never going to happen, Cletus.”
He shook his head firmly. “I’m disappointed in your lack of ambition, Billy. I thought we’d be on the same page. But I see now, I’m going to have to take a tough love approach.”
“Cletus—”
“I’m going to give you one chance,” he said, then pushed the rest of the cookie in his mouth and spoke around it as he continued, “One more chance is all you get. I’ve waited long enough for this and you know my feelings on delayed gratification.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s overrated.” He took a gulp of milk and picked up another cookie.
“No, Cletus. One chance on what?”
“I’m giving you one chance. One.” He pointed the cookie at me. “Tomorrow, you’re going to go find her, apologize to her for whatever that kerflufflefuck was I walked in on. Tell her you were suffering from temporary insanity, hopped up on illicit drugs, abducted by asshole probing aliens, whatever. I’m giving you one chance to make this right, and if you don’t take it, you are not going to like what happens next.”


 

Penny Reid is the 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.

Please feel free to drop her a line. She’d be happy to hijack your thoughts! You can find her on her blog or email her: pennreid at gmail dot com

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Beard with Me (Winston Brothers) by Penny Reid- Review Tour

Beard with Me (Winston Brothers #6) by Penny Reid- Review & Giveaway Tour

 

 

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Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2lzgOCt

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 16, 2019

‘Beard With Me’ is the origin story of Billy Winston and Scarlet St. Claire (aka Claire McClure) and is just the beginning of their epic love story.

No one is better at surviving than Scarlet St. Claire and making the best out of circumstances beyond her control is Scarlet’s specialty. In an apocalyptic situation, she’d be the last person on earth, hermitting like a pro, singing along to her CD Walkman, and dancing like no one is watching.

Scarlet is clever, Scarlet is careful, and Scarlet is smart . . . except when it comes to Billy Winston.

No one is better at fighting than Billy Winston and raging against his circumstances—because nothing is beyond his control—is Billy’s specialty. In an apocalyptic situation, he’d be the first person on earth to lead others to safety, overcome catastrophe, or die trying.

Billy is fearless, Billy is disciplined, and Billy is honorable . . . except when it comes to Scarlet St. Claire.

••••••••

REVIEW:BEARD WITH ME is the sixth instalment in Penny Reid’s contemporary, adult WINSTON BROTHERS romance series focusing on the Winston family of siblings. This is the backstory to to Scarlet St. Claire and Billy Winston’s love story. BEARD WITH ME is a prequel storyline that can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Billy and Scarlet) BEARD WITH ME focuses on the early relationship between Scarlet St. Claire and Billy Winston, children of some of the most vial members of the Iron Wraith MC. Approximately twenty years earlier sixteen year old Billy Winston fell in love with fourteen year old Scarlett St. Claire , a young girl much older than her years; a young woman who has suffered greatly at the hands of your abusive father. Scarlet would find safety living alone in the back woods but her place of refuge would soon be discovered by Billy Winston. Billy, along with one-time football hero Ben McClure, would become guardian and protector of Scarlet St. Claire but no amount of heroism was about to protect our story line hero.

BEARD WITH ME is a well written, detailed, dark and heart breaking story; a tale of fated lovers whose dysfunctional families battle to destroy what’s left of their beating hearts. Penny Reid pulls the read into a story of survival; of abuse and terror; of friendship, love, betrayal and hate. BEARD WITH ME reveals the heartache and struggles of the Winston family siblings; their bruised and battered mother; and of a young girl’s desperate act to save herself from the ultimate betrayal.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

 

*Scarlet*“Do you want me to leave?”

Yes. That would be best, a wise voice said between my ears.

So of course I inhaled deeply and said as calmly as I could manage, “I thought we were going to go get firewood.”

“Okay. Good.”

“But then,” I blurted, flustered and irritated with myself for not speaking wisdom, “You should go. You can’t tell me carting firewood back and forth between your house and here is how you want to spend the last of your Thanksgiving weekend.”

“I didn’t say it was.” He began making his way up the incline.

“But you just said—”

“How about we make a deal.” Billy dropped the kindling next to my little woodpile, dusting his hands off on his pants. “I’ll cart the firewood, and you sing.”

“You want me to serenade you while we carry firewood?”

He smiled, slow and easy as he walked to me and reached out his hand. On autopilot, I accepted it and allowed him to help me up.

As soon as I was standing, his gaze moved from my hairline down to my nose, lips, and then chin, saying quietly, “I’ll take a serenade from you anytime.”

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?

“And you’re not carrying the wood.” He tugged on my hand, pulling me out of my daze and past my tent.

“I will too carry wood.” Struggling to find my bearings, I stumbled after him. “I can carry logs just fine.”

“You’ll carry a log.” Billy fit his fingers between mine, pressing our palms together and grinning at me like he was waiting for me to argue and he couldn’t wait.

Snapping my mouth shut, I glared at him.

“Nothing to say?”

Maintaining my glare, I walked next to him. I wasn’t being led anywhere I didn’t wish to go. Not anymore. He wasn’t talking me into anything else.

“That’s an awfully mean look, Scarlet.” His grin grew, his brutally attractive eyes glowing happily as he peered down at me.

“Well, you deserve it. Always trying to tell me what I can and can’t do. I’m not arguing with you about this. I’m carrying as much wood as I want and you can take your stupid, chauvinistic opinions and shove them up your pretty-boy ass.”

Goodness. Where had that come from?

Billy’s steps faltered and his mouth fell open, his eyebrows rising high on his forehead. He stared at me, looking shocked as hell. And then in the next moment, he threw his head back and laughed. But he did not let go of me, instead bringing my knuckles to his chest as his deep, rumbly laughter filled the empty spaces between the trees, surrounding us.

Crushing me.

Yes. I was well and truly crushed as I could only watch Billy Winston laugh, desperately basking in the image of him so delighted and relaxed. I had the odd sense that his laughter also filled the empty spaces inside of me, the neglected, vacant rooms, and even a few places that felt brand-new, like he’d created them.

All that noble honesty he carried around like a boulder abruptly lifted, revealing him. Just him. Carefree and young and happy. Someone he might’ve been if his burdens hadn’t been so heavy, his responsibilities so broad.

It lasted only a minute, maybe two, maybe less, but I had the sense of being caught afterward. Billy’s laughter had receded, but he’d spun a web while I’d been staring at him, holding his hand.

His grin became smaller and he bit his bottom lip, his gaze dropped to my mouth. “You think I’m pretty?”

“You know you’re pretty,” I said, bizarrely out of breath, rattled, needing to anchor my focus to a tree beyond him and waging war against the heat climbing up my neck to my cheeks. Oddly, my eyes stung. I blinked.

His attention was still on me. I felt it, but I didn’t dare look at him. I couldn’t handle one of Billy Winston’s intense stares right now. He’d probably use my scattered wits to his advantage, talk me into something I shouldn’t want to do, and then I’d be kicking myself later.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice deep with concern, all trace of his earlier humor gone.

I huffed, trying half-heartedly to steal my hand back from him. He didn’t let it go, instead taking my tugging as a signal to step closer, filling my vision.

“Scarlet—”

“Are you ever going to teach me how to play the guitar?” I closed my eyes.

He didn’t answer right away, and I felt him hesitate, his mind work before he muttered, “It’s only been a week.”

A quality to his voice made me think he wasn’t answering the question I’d asked, but rather he was reminding himself that it had only been a week since we’d struck the deal.

Was that only last week? Why does it feel like so much has changed?

Then he said, “Don’t be angry.”

“I’m not angry.” I was muddled, my head and heart hurt, I was incredibly confused, but I wasn’t angry.

The air shifted and I felt him move closer. A second later, the fingers of his free hand were at my ear, tucking my hair behind it, his fingertips lingering at my neck, sending wave after wave of goose bumps every which way. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t swallow. I couldn’t think. Every nerve in my body strained toward him and I didn’t understand it. What is happening?

“Have you ever been kissed, Scarlet?”

 


 

Penny Reid is the 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.

Please feel free to drop her a line. She’d be happy to hijack your thoughts! You can find her on her blog or email her: pennreid at gmail dot com

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

NOTE: The Reading Cafe is NOT  responsible for the rafflecopter giveaway. If you have any questions, please contact the tour provider:

Enter the giveaway for a signed paperback set of The Winston Brothers Series!

http://bit.ly/2mGr64Q

 

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Time: Laws of Physics #3 by Penny Reid-Review & Excerpt Tour

TIME: Laws of Physics #3 by Penny Reid-Review & Excerpt Tour

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Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2F1Dql5

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 16, 2019

A (brokenhearted) physicist.

Now an infamous (who is LITERALLY EVERYWHERE!! UGH!) musician.

The worst has already happened.

Mona has learned that she has nothing figured out and plans are meaningless. After leaving her in Aspen, Abram is now breaking sales-records, rising to rock star fame almost overnight. Mona can’t seem to escape him. He is literally everywhere, or at least images of him are.

Just when she thinks things can’t get any more confusing, Abram returns . . . What happens next? Only TIME will tell.

•••••••••

REVIEW: TIME is the third and final instalment in Penny Reid’s contemporary, adult LAWS OF PHYSICS romance trilogy focusing on twenty-one year old physics genius Mona Tang DaVinci, and twenty-five year old musician Abram Harris Fletcher. LAWS OF PHYSICS is the second trilogy in the author’s HYPOTHESIS series but can be read as a stand alone series without any difficulty. Abram was first introduced in the Elements of Chemistry series (a subset of the Hypothesis series).

NOTE: TIME should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events of book two SPACE. If you have not read MOTION or SPACE, there may be some spoilers in my review.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Mona and Abram) TIME focuses on the building relationship and struggle between twenty-one year old physics genius Mona Tang DaVinci, and twenty-five year old musician Abram Harris Fletcher. Abram’s band Redburn is about to go on tour forcing another separation between our leading couple when Mona accepts a research position at the CERN in Switzerland. Nights apart mean texting and emails are their preferred form of contact, contact that is interrupted by illness, surprise visits and broken hearts. As Abram battles his loneliness without he woman he loves, Mona must contend with the fall-out and forgiveness between her siblings and herself.

TIME: LAWS OF PHYSICS is a character driven story about a young woman struggling to discover who she is and what she wants. Emotionally battered and scarred, Mona DaVinci will come to terms with her past, her family, and the man with whom she has fallen in love. From secret and lies, forgiveness and understanding, to setting the stage for what is and what will be, the LAWS OF PHYSICS trilogy is an emotional, realistic and moving story of love and the heart.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Motion
Space
Time

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

I wrapped my arms around her body, lifted her off the ground, and kissed her lips.
She was warm, and soft, and tasted like peppermint and honey. I bit back a groan.
God, she felt good. Great. Celestial. Heavenly. I may have surprised her, but she responded immediately, enthusiastically, twisting her arms around my neck, opening her mouth and welcoming the invasion of mine.
It wasn’t enough.
It was a crumb, and I was starving. Desire—to tighten my hold, devour, take, keep, cherish, to never let her go—obscured thought and sight, and I slipped a hand under her shirt to touch the silky skin of her back, sliding my fingers upward until they rested under her bra strap.
Mona lifted her chin, breaking our mouths apart, and I kissed the point of it, the elegant line of her jaw, the tender spot beneath her ear, the hot skin where Mona’s graceful neck met the slope of her shoulder. I was so hungry for her, I couldn’t stop myself from tasting every exposed inch.
“Abram,” she said, her voice a breathless, disbelieving whisper, followed by a little laugh. Her fingers flexed at the back of my neck, pressing me closer. Every part of my body hummed and vibrated, unable to contain the immensity of now, of this divine feeling.
“You’re here,” she said, her soft voice full of wonder and happiness, soothing the ravenous panic holding me hostage for the past six days. It had been a peculiar kind of madness, not being able to reach her while pretending all was fine, pretending she didn’t occupy my mind every second of the day. But receding now, it left a new kind of turmoil and urgency in its wake.
We had no time.
No, I corrected myself, We have time. We have the rest of our lives.
“I need your fu—your phone number.” I spoke gruffly against her neck, squeezing my eyes shut and breathing her in, again and again, the heat and sweetness of Mona.
I’d missed her, and that was a gross understatement. I’d been speeding toward this moment for days and being with her now felt like the aftermath of a head-on collision. Stupefied, frantic, but determined to enjoy every shared second remaining. My hands were shaking.
We have time. Calm down. Calm down.
Mona laughed lightly, the sound melodic, beautiful, and she pressed a kiss under my ear. “Why didn’t you just ask Leo? Or send me an email?”
Leo.
I worked to keep the darkness of my thoughts from showing on my face as I leaned away, letting her slide to the ground but unwilling to release her fully, fisting my unsteady hands into her T-shirt. “I couldn’t find an email for you anywhere, and neither could Marie. She tried calling your department for me. They told her all media requests had to go through the PR department at the university and it would take two weeks to a month for a response.”
“Ah, that’s true. My email is on lockdown, otherwise it gets out of hand.” She nodded contritely. “But what about Leo?”
“Leo.” I forced my jaw to relax and I lowered my voice but couldn’t completely disguise the intensity of my wrath. “Leo wouldn’t give me your number.”
Mona’s hand moved to my face, her palm pressed against my cheek, the pads of her fingers softly stroking my beard. “What? Are you serious?”
“Yes,” I ground out. “He said he was doing me a favor. So I flew to LA.”
“You flew to LA?” I felt her body tense, and the moment realization dawned, her beautiful eyes growing impossibly large as they moved over my face. “You must be so tired and—but I wasn’t in LA, I was—”
“Here. Yes. I found that out yesterday when I stopped by your department at Caltech and they told me you weren’t due back until Friday,” I rushed to explain, multitasking, using the time to devour the sight of her, soak and submerge in the reality of being here with her.
Calm down. We. Have. Time.

Penny Reid is the 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.

Please feel free to drop her a line. She’d be happy to hijack your thoughts! You can find her on her blog or email her: pennreid at gmail dot com

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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Space: Laws of Physics #2 by Penny Reid-Review & Excerpt Tour

Space: Laws of Physics #2 by Penny Reid-Review and Excerpt Tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 11, 2019

One week.
Private cabin.
Famous physicist.
Still an unrepentant slacker.
What’s the worst that could happen?

Mona’s meticulously planned allotment of relaxation is thrown into chaos by the unscheduled appearance of her older brother’s band of friends, including the one person she’d hoped to never face again. Abram still makes her feel entirely too much, which is one of the reasons she disappeared after their one week together. But now, trapped on a mountain of snow and things unspoken, Mona will have to find a way to coexist with Abram, chaos and all.

••••••••

REVIEW: SPACE is the second instalment in Penny Reid’s contemporary, new adult LAWS OF PHYSICS romance trilogy focusing on twenty-one year old physics genius Mona Tang DaVinci, and twenty-five year old musician Abram Harris Fletcher. LAWS OF PHYSICS is the second trilogy in the author’s HYPOTHESIS series but can be read as a stand alone series without any difficulty. Abram was first introduced in the Elements of Chemistry series (a subset of the Hypothesis series).

NOTE: SPACE should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events of book one MOTION. If you have not read MOTION, there may be some spoilers in my review.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Mona and Abram) SPACE continues to focus on the relationship between on twenty-one year old physics genius Mona Tang DaVinci, and twenty-five year old musician Abram Harris Fletcher. Two and a half years earlier Mona Tang Da Vinci pretended to be her twin sister in an effort to protect Lisa from the fall-out of a recent arrest for drugs, an arrest that pushed Mona into the orbit of Lisa’s guardian Abram Harris. With Lisa’s return, Mona knew she had to exit quickly but exiting meant leaving the man with whom she had fallen in love. Fast forward to present day wherein Abram, now a rock star going by Abram Fletcher struggles between fury and love for a woman who destroyed everything good in his life. What ensues is the rebuilding relationship and attraction between Abram and Mona, and the potential fall-out as there time together comes to a close.

SPACE is a story of betrayal and forgiveness; of secrets and conflict. The palpable sexual attraction and chemistry between our leading couple is tempered by regret and resentment, guilt and resolve. An addicting series, a wonderful tale, a lesson learned SPACE follows a brilliant but awkward young genius as she must come to terms with the potential loss of the only man she has ever loved; and of a heart broken and angry musician whose muse pushed him away as though nothing had happened.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one MOTION

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

“Hi—hello,” she said, stepping forward but not out of the way, drawing my attention.
She was still staring at me, her face still pale, but her eyes had turned searching instead of stunned.
“I—” She stopped herself, swallowing, her gaze dropping to the front of my coat, a cute little frown furrowing her eyebrows. In the next moment, she was pulling off the glove of her right hand. Abruptly, she shoved the ungloved fingers toward me, returning her eyes to mine. “I’m Mona.”
I suppressed my disbelief at her small action before it could break my outward mask of calm. I wasn’t calm. Just to be clear, I was the opposite of calm.
The fact that she was introducing herself to me now meant that she thought I was too stupid to figure out her lies over the last two-and-a-half-fucking years. She was arguably one of the smartest people in the world, after all. To her, people like me must seem like housebroken pets. So it shouldn’t have surprised me. But it did. The tension and tightness around my ribs reappeared, squeezing uncomfortably.
Dropping my attention to her bare hand, I pressed my lips into a tighter line, dismissing the way my pulse jumped at the sight of her wrist, the olive tone of her skin under the yellow string lights overhead. Glaring at her outstretched offering, I considered telling her to go to hell.
I considered it, but I wouldn’t.
I didn’t trust myself to speak, that was reason number one.
The other reason was harder to explain, or use as a justification, or admit to myself. Staring at her hand, I braced against a sudden flare of hunger. She might consider me a lower life-form, but that didn’t change the fact that I wanted to touch her. I wanted to touch her more than I wanted to tell her to go to hell, and that was fucking pitiful.
But there it was.
Acting on the compulsion, I lifted my right hand and tugged off the ski glove, sliding my warm palm against her much colder one. Her hand felt good in my hand, the right weight, the right size, the right texture, and I inhaled freezing air.
Mona also seemed to suck in a slow but expansive breath as our hands touched, held. This brought my eyes back to hers in time to see her lashes flutter. Pink colored her previously pale cheeks. The sound of the wailing wind, the sting of the air and frost momentarily melted away, leaving just her, her soft skin warming against mine, her beautiful face filling my vision.
So beautiful.
She really was. She was stunning. I hated that she was still so beautiful to me.

Penny Reid is the 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.

Please feel free to drop her a line. She’d be happy to hijack your thoughts! You can find her on her blog or email her: pennreid at gmail dot com

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

DR. STRANGE BEARD (Winston Brothers #5) by Penny Reid-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway Tour

DR. STRANGE BEARD
Winston Brothers #5
by Penny Reid
Release Date: July 30, 2018
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 30, 2018

Hunches, horse races, and heartbreak

Ten years after Simone Payton broke his heart, all Roscoe Winston wants is a doughnut. He’d also like to forget her entirely, but that’s never going to happen. Roscoe remembers everything—every look, every word, every single unrequited second—and the last thing he needs is another memory of Simone.

Unfortunately, after one chance encounter, Simone keeps popping up everywhere he happens to be . . .

Ten years after Roscoe Winston dropped out of her life, all Simone Payton wants is to exploit him. She’d also like some answers from her former best friend about why he ghosted her, but if she never gets those answers, that’s a-okay. Simone let go of the past a long time ago. Seriously, she has. She totally, totally has. She is definitely not still thinking about Roscoe. Nope. She’s more than happy to forget he exists.

But first, she needs just one teeny-tiny favor . .

••••••••••

REVIEW: DR. STRANGE BEARD is the fifth full-length instalment in Penny Reid’s contemporary, adult WINSTON BROTHERS romance series focusing on the Winston siblings. This is twenty-six year olds, FBI agent Simone Payton, and veterinarian Roscoe Winston’s story line. DR. STRANGE BEARD can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Roscoe and Simone) DR. STRANGE BEARD follows the second chance relationship between twenty-six year olds, childhood friends and sweethearts, FBI agent Simone Payton, and veterinarian Roscoe Winston. Ten years earlier, at sixteen years old, after professing his love to the girl that he loved, the youngest Winston sibling Roscoe walked away without explanation leaving a grieving Simone Payton to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. Fast forward to present day wherein Simone, now an undercover FBI agent, returns to her hometown of Green Valley, Tennessee as part of a sting operation to take down the local MC believed to be involved in a string of murders and missing men. Enter veterinarian Roscoe Winston, the man who destroyed her heart, and the man with whom she is still in love. What ensues is the rekindling romance between Roscoe and Simone, and the potential fall-out as the sting operation comes to a head placing our story line couple in the direct line of fire.

For close to five years, Roscoe Winston has avoided Payton’s bakery owned and operated by Simone’s mother but a chance encounter found Roscoe face to face with his past when he and his father squared off the bakery parking lot, as Simone played interference between the cantankerous duo. Still reeling from the events ten years earlier, Winston is constantly on the run to avoid a confrontation with the woman he loves.

Throughout the story Penny Reid offers up bits of information from the previous story lines including the dysfunctional Winston family dynamics, as well as the on-going history of the local MCs. The Winston siblings are a tight knit group held together by their tormented pasts including their futile relationship with the man they called dad.

The relationship between Simone and Roscoe is one of second chances; a rekindling romance between two people torn apart by misunderstanding and miscommunication, and the betrayal of heart break and pain. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

Most of the Winston siblings are present and accounted for including the long suffering eldest brother Billy Winston whose own personal life is spiralling out of control. We are re-introduced to Simone’s parents Daisy and Trevor Payton, and her siblings Dani and Poe. The requisite evil has many faces including Roscoe’s father Darrell Winston, and MC member Razor Dennings.

DR. STRANGE BEARD is a well-written, infinitely detailed, and intelligent story line focusing on family, friendships, second chances, murder, betrayal and race. The premise is energetic and animated; the characters are colorful and spirited; the romance is dramatic and edgy. DR. STRANGE BEARD is a suspenseful, impassioned and palpable tale about the destructive nature of secrets, lies, power and greed.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

“Why are you here?”
Simone twisted toward me, resting the side of her head against the back window of the truck’s cab. “Are you asking me why am I in Green Valley? Or are you asking me why I’m here, now, in Hawk’s Field? Because we already covered the latter and, honestly, I don’t want to discuss the former.”
I lifted an eyebrow at her slippery response. “No. We did not cover the latter.”
It seemed to me like she didn’t wish to discuss anything of substance except how much she hated the idea of falling in love.
“Yes, we did cover it.” Her eyes were on my raised eyebrow and her lips pressed together, like she was combating a grin.
“No. We didn’t. I asked, ‘What are you doing out here, Simone?’ And you said—” I paused here to lift my voice and imitate hers, Yankee accent and all, “‘Oh, well, you know. Shelly and Beau mentioned that you like to camp one night a week.’”
“Roscoe.” She laughed, hitting me lightly on the shoulder with the back of her hand. “I do not sound like that.”
I caught her wrist so she couldn’t hit me again, she was a double hitter. “So then I asked, ‘You were looking for me?’ And you said, ‘Yes.’ And then you asked a hundred questions in order to change the subject—”
“I was not trying to change the subject,” she hollered.
The uneasiness and charged atmosphere from moments prior had dissipated, and I breathed in a full breath, rolling my eyes with a great deal of exaggeration. “As I was saying, in order to change the subject and distract me from the fact that you never answered my original question.”
“I’m sorry”—she put on a mask of confusion, the effect mostly ruined by the cute and mischievous smile she was attempting to iron from her features— “what was the original question?”
I wasn’t going to ask again, but I didn’t need to. As she’d alluded earlier, there were other ways to get answers out of her, tried and true methods.
My eyes dropped to her neck. A tick of meaningful silence passed, during which I questioned myself and the wisdom of what I was doing—teasing her, threatening to tickle her, which would necessitate putting my hands on her, disregarding the levelheaded precautions I’d put in place to maintain the essential barrier between us in order to avoid making new memories I couldn’t control—but I actively decided to ignore wisdom and good sense.
Just for a minute.
Just for a moment.
Just to be with her again, like this.
Simone gasped, breaking the silence and yanking her hand away.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
I grinned, my eyes still on her neck, where she was most ticklish.
She covered each side of her throat with her hands, a preemptive defense strategy, but she was giggling.
Lifting my eyebrows, I tilted my head to the side and braced my hands on either side of me, preparing to launch myself if necessary. “Answer the question.”
Now she was laughing again, watching me, as though waiting to see if I did dare.
I pushed myself up and she squealed, her hands bracing against my chest. I easily captured her wrists with one hand, wrapped my other arm around her torso, and brought her back down on the bed. Straddling her thighs and sitting on her knees, I lifted her arms over her head while she focused her defensive efforts on tucking her chin to her chest.
Between gasping laughter, she said, “I should have worn a turtleneck.”
“Poor planning, princess.” I laughed, trying to get my fingers under her chin, and had to work to keep my seat because she was now bucking her hips and trying to bend her knees, proving herself to be stronger than I’d assumed.
No matter. Pulling her arms to the right, I maneuvered her on her side and found the sweet skin at the back of her neck.
Simone bucked again, but this time it was a reflexive response, because I’d found her spot. She shrieked as I tickled her.
“Oh my God, I can’t breathe.”
I stopped. “Answer the question.”
She panted and gasped, shaking her head, and giving me a big, teasing grin. “Never!”
Squinting in suspicion, I studied her twisted form. She wasn’t struggling, her wrists in my hands were slack, her body was both relaxed and clearly bracing for another attack, like she anticipated it, like she wanted it, like she was having a good time and wanted it to last.
Despite the chill, I was getting hot under the collar. My eyes moved over her prone form, traveling from her beaming smile to her neck, the swell of her breasts, the indent of her waist, the generous curve of her backside. The urge to do something—to her, with her, inside her—seized my lungs and nerves and muscles, a blazing flare of carnal want shot down my spine.
Yeah, I’d definitely lost control of this new memory.
Breathing out at the dizzying instinct, I moved completely off her body. I released her wrists—releasing her—as I averted my eyes and backed away to gather my wits. She sat up, reaching for me. I twisted away. The bed of the truck was too crowded, so I turned to jump down. Before I could, she caught me by the arm.
“Hey.” Her grip was tight and she tugged. “What’s wrong?”
I shook my head, tossing my thumb over my shoulder. “Just remembered something.”
“Roscoe—”
Pulling my arm from her fingers, I hopped over the edge of the truck and walked toward the tent. I reached the first post, I walked beyond it, my direction aimless.
I suspected it wasn’t like this for most folks, but this sporadically cruel and often inconvenient time travel to my past was all I knew. Therefore, I dealt with it the only way I knew how.
I retreated. 


 

Penny Reid is the 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.

Please feel free to drop her a line. She’d be happy to hijack your thoughts! You can find her on her blog or email her: pennreid at gmail dot com

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