Penny Reid

Everyone in Green Valley, Tennessee knows that the six bearded Winston brothers have been imbued with an unfair share of charm and charisma... and are prone to mischief.

Truth Or Beard

Penny Reid 

Enemies to Lovers Small Town Romantic Comedy

Truth or Beard

Carissa 

This book is a great romance novel that has the main character questioning her future and dreams while falling for guy she NEVER wanted anything to do with. These bearded brothers make for a great group to read about.

Petaco

I didn't hate it, but I didn't enjoy it either. I don't like the hot cold thing they had going on. He either wanted her or he didn't. I would've advised her to move in to someone that'll actually treat her well.

celene

Nicole Goldstein

Oh my gawd! I freaking loved this book! This is going at the top of the 2015 list. I'm pretty bummed that I have to wait till 2016 for the next book. But seriously, the Winston brothers are treats wrapped in beardy and folky paper.

Siya S

★★★★★ 5 INCREDIBEARD STARSSS !!! 


  WARNING, this book contains shitloads of smexy bearded guys.





  “Come with me. I dare you to come with me. Next month, next year, whenever. I dare you to come with me when I go. And stay with me, stay with me always.”


No words to describe how amazing this book was is. Though this is my first Penny Reid experience I'm sure it won't be the last. It's cute, sexy, funny, and relatable as shit. I mean, boy, did she just hijack my mind and put down my thoughts and fears into this book? I'm still dazed and sleepwalking in a massive book-hangover as of this moment. 

Jessica James
Just imagine any blonde chick you like, really. Or maybe even yourself. Because why not?

Duane Winston
But when it comes to Duane, the guy's gotta be Billy Huxley and Billy Huxley only. I'm serious. 



Now, let's get into business, shall we?

Jessica James was a self-proclaimed globe-trotter, if she had enough money to leave town, of course. A bird in a cage, Jessica longed for adventures and dreaded at the idea of settling down in her Tennessee hometown and never going to leave. So this past year of teaching mathematics was just a “preparation period” to pay off her student loans and save enough money to go see the world.


  But with these thoughts also came fear, fear that I would be tied down, unable to travel, unable to leave. Fear that, if my intense like for him eventually turned to love, I would lose my freedom.

...

My dreams would be diluted and I would be stuck. It was the fear that held me hostage, trapped in indecision purgatory.


MY.THOUGHT.EXACTLY. I mean, that's me right there. I dread settling down. I dread starting my own family. Damn I even dread falling in love because I'm sure it's gonna jeopardize my plan of roaming free with the Mongolian caravan in Gobi desert. 

But unlike Jessica, I have not yet found my Duane. Christ, that man might be one of the most terrifying/ amazing thing ever happened in a literary scene. He was hot on the outside, yes, but he was even hotter on the inside! The guy just happened to be the answers to all questions left unasked.


  But then I forced myself to imagine how she might look at me five or ten years from now. I would be the source of her misery because I would be the focus of her resentment.

My mother had looked at my father that way. He’d been the thief of her dreams, of her life. She’d loved us kids, but we all knew she’d longed for more. That road wasn’t one I was willing to travel.




I'll be damned. Not only I found myself in Jess, but in Duane as well. I had the same kind of thoughts toward someone I love and care very much. Of course I don't want to weigh them down. Of course I don't want to be the one to hold them back. The story was told from both Jessica and Duane's perspectives and it sucker-punched me right in the feels in so many levels. 

Though it reads like a standalone novel, this book is definitely the finest introduction to the upcoming Winston Brothers series. Can't wait to read about other Winston brothers (I fell in love with each of them a little bit, well, especially Billy..). It was hilarious, witty, thought-provoking, lighthearted and touchy as hell. The characters are over-the-top with independent girls and swoon-worthy boys. If you are looking for a chick-lit that slays all the chick-lits. This is the one. 

Find out more at:
https://thebleedingeyes.wordpress.com/

Ashley Janssen

Well written characters and funny/clever dialogue. Very enjoyable read.

Kailey Rios

dnf @ 30%

this book was just not it for me sadly

Allison Garrett

The first book in the Winston brother’s series, Truth or Beard is about Jess and Duane who were childhood enemies who haven’t seen each other in years. With Jess moving back in town after college before travelling the world, the last thing she expected was to catch feelings for Duane Winston. This was a cute and enjoyable romance that set up a sure-to-be great romance series. 
	Pros: 
•	Jess- An interesting twist that she is filled with the desire to travel and doesn’t simply abandon it for love. She is honest about her feelings which avoids what could have been a huge and foreseeable problem between them.
•	Winston brothers- The Winston brothers and their world were easy to fall into and be absorbed by. They are almost larger than life with how well they treat women, but it’s an enjoyable fantasy. 
Cons: 
•	Typical romance- As much as I enjoyed this book it wasn’t really anything new. It’s hard to fault it because it did have some original twists, but I’ve read plenty like it and will in the future.

Overall, I’m giving this book 4/5 stars. I was pretty sucked into it and didn’t put it down much. I did truly enjoy all the characters and I will continue with the series.

marie

finally done huhu 2.5/5

it was tolerable but i cringed at the slutshaming comments given by some of d characters ._.

Nikki

Not gonna lie I had no idea what the heck’s going on until the second half of the book. But Duane and Jess were so cute.

Preye

** spoiler alert **
           This is a very sweet book, I won't lie. However, I DNF at 45% probably because I felt it was dragged out and pretty predictable. It also didn't help that I read the blurbs for other books in the series and have an inkling of how the story would go. I love the chemistry between the two main characters but I listened to the audiobook on Scribd and can't say it was a lovely experience. The authors performed wonderfully tbh but I kept getting lost because of the plenty of characters.

As far as the characters are concerned, their conversations were witty and humourous although oftentimes cringey. Fgs the FMC called her breast "coconuts" and referred to the MMC's penis as a "banana". Her inner monologues were barf-inducing and Duane(the MMC) said a lot of things that made me roll my eyes.

 All in all, it's obvious that my problems aren't with the storyline itself rather with the way I received them, so make sure to give this a read!

Nicole Cousin 

Another amazing book by Penny!!! I was so excited to start this series and I am not disappointed. I absolutely loved it. Jess was such ana amzing character, different yet relatable. I had some bits and pieces a could see myself in her and loved the fact she was able to have her happy ending with Dwayne and travel. And Dwayne, uffff LOVE him!! I adore his 0 BS policy, and how much he loved Jess and their relationship developed. It was exquisite.

rockie

This was surprisingly, a delightful read. Light, humorous with enough action. I really enjoyed reading this book, looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Alexis 

5/5 Stars 

I LOVED this book. I've been seeing it around and have had a bunch of people recommend it to me. I am so happy I found this series. I had such a great time reading this book. I flew through it. I'm happy to know there are other books and that this author has a backlog of books. It gave me the feels. It had me swooning and laughing. I highly recommend!

Isabela L.

I thought I was in for a A Hot Mess but this was just A Mess, 1 star for the narrator of the audio version

Spin off series from: Beauty and the mustache.

celeste

i, and i cannot stress this enough, would literally die for every single one of the winston brothers.

razan 

2.5/5
honestly my expectations were very high , it started out very good and funny but then i felt like story was dragging at some places and every time Duane and Jess got together there's always something happening and they drift apart AGAIN  * hits head with the book *  and i also didn't like this whole Order gang thing . overall it was an Okay romance novel .

b.andherbooks

Definitely love at first glimpse of the cross-stitched book cover, and also a great delight inside! While a bit overwrought in the details, I had a blast reading about Duane, his family of bearded renaissance men, and his quest to court his childhood frenemy Jess. Jess was also a great character and it was great to see a woman who wasn't willing to compromise her dreams of world travel.

As mentioned above, some of the plot details were a bit too much and made the story drag a little. There was a lot going on between the motorcycle gang, Duane's drag racing, and a drug trafficking black mail scam and found myself just wishing the story would get back to Duane and Jess sparkling chemistry. I was scared the mistaken twin trope would go on too long, but was very pleased it was mostly the "meet cute" moment for our hero and heroine.

I'll definitely be reading the rest of this series!

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


This book? I loved this freaking book. So. Damn. Much. I shouldn't be surprised. It's Penny Reid after all... plus it's about hot, bearded southern men. If that doesn't have my name written all over it, I don't know what does. 

The Winstons just might be my new favorite bookish family. I loved Ashley in Beauty and the Mustache and I was excited to find out her brothers would be getting books of their own, because each of them intrigued me in different ways. I pretty much fell in love with Duane and Jessica as soon as I started the book. They had fantastic chemistry and I liked the bit of mistaken identity that set their story off and running. I felt like I understood Jessica and her desire for adventure in the great wide somewhere. But, I also got Duane and his desire to be close to home with his family. As things developed between them – even after they put the one year expiration date on their relationship – I just couldn't see them coming to an end. They were too perfectly matched, had too much passion and too many real feelings for me to be willing to accept they had an expiration date. 

I loved every single thing about this book. The romance was steamy and swoony. The characters were amazing – and even the secondary characters drove the story in their own ways – and I loved the way both Duane and Jessica grew. I laughed and smiled my way through the majority of this book, but I also had a few teary eyed moments.

Truth or Beard was laugh out loud funny and a wonderful start to a new series I just know I'm going to love as much as I've loved Penny's previous series. Read this.

FAVORITE QUOTES

  How some pre-teens lose their minds for boy bands, rock stars, and hot celebrities, I always lost my marbles for Beau. It all started when he climbed a tree to save my cat. I was eight. He was ten. He'd kissed me on the cheek. He'd wiped my tears. He'd held my hand. He'd hugged me close. He was my hero. He'd saved my cat.

I loved the feel of him. In truth I was in danger of climbing him. I just wanted to be near him, touch him, snuggle against him. He was so epically enticing.

My companion was most definitely not Beau Winston—hero, world's nicest guy. No, no, no. This man was not Beau. This man was Duane. And this man had just done fantastic things to my nipples.

I'd always been a big fan of kissing when done right. I loved the accompanying hot pooling and heaviness in my belly, the anticipation of more, the whole experience of eyes closed, mouth open, and hot hands. 

Did I want to kiss the hell out of him? Yes, I did. Did I want to wrap his banana and let him have his way with my coconuts? Yes. I wanted that to happen.

"And, if we do this, you're not to bring up the possibility of an extension again. You don't even ask about it. It's just understood. One year from today we'd be over and done and that's it."

"Stay with me tonight, don't leave. Stay with me, and not just for twelve months. Stay with me always."

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

I’ve kind of adored Penny Reid ever since reading her Elements of Chemistry series (one of my favorites of the year!). Her stories are just so compelling yet so down-to-earth – I love them! Truth or Beard was a highly anticipated read for me (because, hello, BEARDS!!!!) and Penny Reid didn’t let me down. Truth or Beard is a fun, sexy, hilarious read with an amazing cast of characters (those Winston brothers will be the death of me) and I can’t wait for more!

Jessica James has always had a crush on the friendlier, more charming of the Winston twins. When she was a girl, she had hearts in her eyes for Beau, all while saving her glares for the broodier, more annoying twin, Duane. But of course, Duane, in that classic way of pulling on the pigtails of your crush, has always loved Jessica James. But after a case of mistaken identity, Jessica questions her true feelings for Duane and whether or not she’s had a crush on the wrong Winston twin all along.

I was always running after her, but this time I wasn’t going to let her get away.

I adored Jessica and Duane. They were characters that felt so real to me. I felt for Jessica and her dreams of traveling the world. She has wanderlust, and she’s saving up for a few years until she can leave her small town and explore the world. Duane, even knowing the limited time he has with Jessica before she leaves, still decides to pursue the girl he’s loved his whole life. He keeps his heart guarded though, so that when the time comes for Jessica to leave, he won’t be left with a broken heart. But the two fall fast and hard for one another as they date and spend time together (kissing and doing other stuff…), so how can the two of them possibly continue their relationship when one is meant to travel the world and the other has an auto shop he has obligations to take care of?

Jessica wasn’t going to break my heart.
I was going to break hers.

Duane and Jessica have a time limit to their relationship, but that doesn’t stop them from steaming it up in the time they have together. They have some seriously sexy times that had me grinning and fanning myself. Duane is a hottie with a beard! BUT, he also says some awesomely sweet, amazing things to Jessica that had my heart swooning – Duane is honestly the perfect package!

“You’re a siren who doesn’t need to sing.”

Oh! Did I mention that this book is also so freaking hilarious? I was laughing so much while reading, most especially because of the Winston brothers. CLETUS! Oh my, Cletus is one special Winston brother. He’s the quirky, dorky nerd and so lovable – I’m keeping an eye out for his book. In addition to Duane, Beau, and Cletus, there’s also Jethro, Billy, and Roscoe. Six hot bearded brothers = book boyfriend heaven!

I’d once overheard my daddy tell my momma that the six Winston boys had inherited their father’s ability to charm snakes, the IRS, and women.

What brought this book down, though, and why I can’t give Truth or Beard five awesome hearts was because the whole other subplot about the local motorcycle club. The brothers have drama with some bikers that puts them and their loved ones in danger. This part of the book felt weak though, and I just wasn’t that into it. I felt kind of just ‘eh’ about it – it wasn’t badly written or anything, but it just didn’t get my heart my heart racing as much as I wanted it to.

In spite of weak biker subplot, Truth or Beard is still a fantastic read. You get to swoon over six sexy, bearded brothers, so what’s not to love? Of course, I can’t gloss over Penny’s fantastic writing, with her intelligent prose and witty dialogue. Her books are always described as ‘smart’ and I can’t argue with that. Overall, Truth or Beard was a book that was SO much fun to read. It made me laugh, swoon, ache – it’s the type of book that wrings emotions out of you, and I highly recommend it.

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Thanks to the author for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1F6Ahqu

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Truth Or Beard

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