Truth Or Beard is the first book in the Winston Brothers Series and a spin-off from Penny Reid's Knitting in the City book, Beauty and the Mustache. It's not necessary to have read Beauty and the Mustache because Truth or Beard works well as a standalone, but I think the experience of the Winston clan would be much richer if the reader had a grasp of the family dynamic and the events leading up to Duane's story. So, if you haven't read Beauty and the Mustache yet, then go! Go now!
Sheriff James' daughter, Jessica, is back in Green Valley, home from college and teaching Calculus at the local high school. And Duane Winston is ready to set his plans in motion. He's known for years that Jessica James was the one for him. Sure, she never cared much for him, she was a brat and the Winston Charm Gene must have skipped him. But he knew that things were different and now they could come to each other as adults and start fresh.
A case of mistaken identity and some seriously hot Wizard looks are the catalyst for Duane's bold move and it doesn't take long for Jessica to see Duane for the man he is and for her to want him almost more than she wants her wanderlust slaked. But it starts to look like the path Duane and Jessica are on is set to fork in different directions in the very near future, causing both of them to question what they want out of life.
In the midst of Duane trying to squeeze in all the love he can into his time with Jess, The Iron Order MC has come to his door with threats to his brother Jethro's freedom. Duane and his twin, Beau, must find a way to keep Jethro out of prison and the rest of their brothers free of the entanglement with the Club.
To say that I was looking forward to this book would be an understatement of epic proportions. I. Have. Obsessed. Obsessed over this series and these characters. I've even called dibsies on Billy Winston for book boyfriend. The Winston's are my kind of people. Small-town (but in the best sense), family-oriented, hard-working, intelligent (but in the non-smug way), big-hearted, pure salt-of-the-earth folk. And it doesn't hurt that they are all hot and musically inclined *sigh*.
I was very happy that Penny Reid decided to give Duane his story first. If ever there was a sibling that should have identity issues, it's Duane Winston. One of 7, he doesn't have the distinction of being "the girl" or "the troublemaker" or "the weird one" or "the youngest", hell, he's not even the most likeable twin:
"We were hoping for Beau. He's so much nicer than you, plus he knows when to show respect."
But Duane Winston is proof that still waters run deep:
"Jessica." Her name on my lips sounded too loud. I had an odd thought just then, that I should only ever whisper her name, and that she should always be close enough to hear it. "Truth or Dare."
Duane doesn't suffer fools gladly, nor does he fear or tolerate the criminal element. He's brave and stalwart and loves fiercely. Whether it's his mom, siblings or Jessica James, if someone is loved by Duane Winston, he will crawl over coals to keep them safe and happy. He may not smile or laugh a lot, but when he does, it's a gift, and when he wants to be with someone, he's all in. "I want to know you..."And I want to be known."
To add to his quiet, lone-wolf persona, we also see him for the thrill-seeking car racer he is, which is no small turn-on in my book.
"Rationally, I knew it was just an old car, but something about the way he drove it turned all that metal into a sexy machine. He drove with swagger, panache, control. How he could be so unbridled on the race track and yet dominate with precision at the same time rang my bell--like, blaring five-alarm fire bell ringing."
I may make a stink about Billy, but I'm thinking that by reading Truth Or Beard, I just met and fell in love with the Winston of my dreams.
My hat is off to Penny Reid for this book, this series, these characters, this community. Every character has their own distinct personality--personalities that fit their age, life experience, gender and station. The locale is beautifully described and the culture is brought to us so completely I could almost hear the murmur of the crowd and the strumming of the banjos and smell the chili and cornbread as I read.
Ms. Reid has the ability to make me love her heroines--even a heroine I can't really identify with, which always causes me to feel so much when I read her books. There are many reasons why PR books are on my "Keeper-Read-Often Shelf" and heroine-loveability ranks at the top.
I really wanted to get mad and rail at Jessica, but it was impossible. Impossible because the author knows how to get us to see, really see, the heroine's motivations and feelings, even if we wouldn't feel or act in the same way.
I get airsick, carsick, trainsick, seasick and strange food always gives me diarrhea, but no matter how much I'd want to tear up my passport and firmly ensconce myself in Green Valley society and let Duane Winston do fantastic things to my nipples, I get it. I get that a person, young or old, needs to feed their soul. Traveling is Jessica's Siren Song, her passion. I get it, and Duane gets it. Jessica's soul-deep desire to travel might break his heart, but he'd sooner live a lonely life than ask someone he loves to give up on her dreams, nor could he stomach the idea of taking something that wasn't given to him freely and wholeheartedly--a remnant of growing up with a user of a father.
Penny Reid also has a talent for creating secondary characters that don't feel secondary--they feel real and important and like they aren't there just to instigate or aid plot progression. We are invested in everyone. In this case, we're most especially invested in the brothers. As a matter of fact, I'd be a liar if I said that Cletus didn't steal the show. Oh, my God. Cletus is amazing. Brilliant. Calculating. Bizarre. Everything Cletus does or says is done with intent--the intent might not be clear to everyone, but make no mistake, he's got a method and a meaning behind his madness. He also has a way of seeing past obstacles to find the solution to whatever problem they are facing and also a desire to see everything put to rights. He might be serious and lacking in the devilish charm of his father and a few of his brothers, but his strangeness is rather endearing, which sets him apart from the rest.
I'm always hard-pressed to find fault with a book that leaves me so completely in love and immersed in the tale and so happy for the future of the other characters whose stories have yet to be told. I love the Winstons. However, I would have liked to have seen a few particular scenes play out rather than be glossed over and there's a little familial matter involving Jessica that was left hanging that I really hope gets addressed in later books. Actually, there were a few things regarding Jessica's family that I wished were explained more, but overall, Truth Or Beard was a stellar read.
It's also worth mentioning that The Winston Brothers series differs from the Knitting in the City books in that both hero and heroine POV's are represented throughout the book. Just when I thought PR's books couldn't get any better, we get to live in the heads of her heroes!
OR
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Heavy on the romance and light on the $mut!
This book was my first book by Penny Reid and I was quite happy with it! I feel like I’ve read a lot of books in my lifetime, and this book definitely has some stand out moments that felt unique to me. One thing’s for sure, I never felt bored with this book. It has a lot of story packed into it, understandably considering this is the book that set the stage for a 7+ book series and started the Smartypants Romance world!Duane Winston is definitely book boyfriend material ladies! He’s a man that knows what he wants and is upfront and vocal about it when he reunites with Jessica. He’s such a gentleman and his old fashioned values were quite refreshing, such as respecting a woman enough to wait a longgggg time to get to home base, bringing flowers for his date’s mother, etc. Duane ensures this book is heavy on the romance, but I did feel like it was light on the $mut.It’s always such a tough decision when the characters have to compromise or give up something in order to be together and even though things didn’t exactly go the way I wanted them to, it seemed to work for this couple to give them their HEA so I can’t complain.Favorite Quote:“Don’t change a single thing. Be wild for me, be reckless. I love your kind of wild.” -Duane
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2015
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- Romance Me BookBlogReviewed in Germany on January 27, 2024
Get ready for a series of amazing - and sexy - brothers ...
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