Prah, Constantine and Baryeh Reviews: Truth or Beard by Penny Reid | @empibaryeh @nanaprah @cathconstantine #PCBReviews #BookReview
Hi folks! Welcome to our first Prah, Constantine and Baryeh review of 2019. For this first review, we chose Truth or Beard by Penny Reid. Don't forget to check out the reviews by Prah and Constantine
Here's the blurb
Beards, brothers, and bikers! Oh my!
Identical twins Beau and Duane Winston might share the same devastatingly handsome face, but where Beau is outgoing and sociable, Duane is broody and reserved. This is why perpetually level-headed Jessica James has been in naïve and unhealthy infatuation with Beau Winston for most of her life. Whereas Duane and Jessica have always been adversaries. She can’t stand him, and she’s pretty sure he can’t stand the sight of her…
But after a case of mistaken identity, Jessica finds herself in a massive confusion kerfuffle. Jessica James has spent her whole life paralyzed by the fantasy of Beau and her assumptions of Duane’s disdain; therefore she’s unprepared for the reality that is Duane’s insatiable interest, as well as his hot hands and hot mouth and hotter looks.
When Jessica finds herself drawn to the man who was always her adversary, how much of her level-head heart is she willing to risk?
Truth or Beard is book #1 in the Winston Brothers series. Each book is a standalone, full length (110k words), contemporary romantic comedy novel, and follows the romantic exploits and adventures of one of the six Winston Brothers.
MY REVIEW
I have to confess, the cover on its own would never have attracted me to pick up the book despite the witty title, so I am glad one of my colleagues pointed it out and I read the blurb. The lesson here is to not judge a book by its cover!
Truth or Beard is the story of Jessica James and Duane Winston who have known (and despised) each other since childhood. However, when a case of mistaken identity thrusts them together, they discover things their childhood rivalry had blinded them to.
The romance builds at a slow-ish pace as they navigate the waters of their newfound attraction coupled with Jessica's dreams, which may mean ending their relationship before it even begins. Don't get me wrong, there are some really hot make-out scenes along the way, but I thought it dragged on longer than necessary. Eventually when it happened, I was actually (then) more interested in the story than the sex, so I rushed through it a bit. Duane is a perfect gentleman, infuriatingly so at times, and he had to learn a thing or two about letting go and taking chances. He did one thing that I thought needed some grovelling before he got his HEA, but I suppose Jessica's happiness is what matters in the end, and we're never in doubt about his love for her. There are also a couple of things that are not settled in the story. They don't really affect the romance, but they left me curious, and it would have been nice to have those things explained.
To my delight, the story doesn't conform to the usual Hallmark-type storyline where love doesn't exist outside the small town. The heroine was allowed to follow her dreams and be with the man she loves.
The story is full of humour and heart. The secondary characters were well-defined. Duane's brothers--each with his own personality--were a hoot. I enjoyed the family dynamics and was happy to discover each Winston brother gets a story of his own.
Here's the blurb
Identical twins Beau and Duane Winston might share the same devastatingly handsome face, but where Beau is outgoing and sociable, Duane is broody and reserved. This is why perpetually level-headed Jessica James has been in naïve and unhealthy infatuation with Beau Winston for most of her life. Whereas Duane and Jessica have always been adversaries. She can’t stand him, and she’s pretty sure he can’t stand the sight of her…
But after a case of mistaken identity, Jessica finds herself in a massive confusion kerfuffle. Jessica James has spent her whole life paralyzed by the fantasy of Beau and her assumptions of Duane’s disdain; therefore she’s unprepared for the reality that is Duane’s insatiable interest, as well as his hot hands and hot mouth and hotter looks.
When Jessica finds herself drawn to the man who was always her adversary, how much of her level-head heart is she willing to risk?
Truth or Beard is book #1 in the Winston Brothers series. Each book is a standalone, full length (110k words), contemporary romantic comedy novel, and follows the romantic exploits and adventures of one of the six Winston Brothers.
MY REVIEW
I have to confess, the cover on its own would never have attracted me to pick up the book despite the witty title, so I am glad one of my colleagues pointed it out and I read the blurb. The lesson here is to not judge a book by its cover!
Truth or Beard is the story of Jessica James and Duane Winston who have known (and despised) each other since childhood. However, when a case of mistaken identity thrusts them together, they discover things their childhood rivalry had blinded them to.
The romance builds at a slow-ish pace as they navigate the waters of their newfound attraction coupled with Jessica's dreams, which may mean ending their relationship before it even begins. Don't get me wrong, there are some really hot make-out scenes along the way, but I thought it dragged on longer than necessary. Eventually when it happened, I was actually (then) more interested in the story than the sex, so I rushed through it a bit. Duane is a perfect gentleman, infuriatingly so at times, and he had to learn a thing or two about letting go and taking chances. He did one thing that I thought needed some grovelling before he got his HEA, but I suppose Jessica's happiness is what matters in the end, and we're never in doubt about his love for her. There are also a couple of things that are not settled in the story. They don't really affect the romance, but they left me curious, and it would have been nice to have those things explained.
To my delight, the story doesn't conform to the usual Hallmark-type storyline where love doesn't exist outside the small town. The heroine was allowed to follow her dreams and be with the man she loves.
The story is full of humour and heart. The secondary characters were well-defined. Duane's brothers--each with his own personality--were a hoot. I enjoyed the family dynamics and was happy to discover each Winston brother gets a story of his own.
Wonderful review Empi!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with your great review.
ReplyDelete