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