Name: dija's review of Beard in Mind by Penny Reid
Item: Beard in Mind
Rating: 3
Author: dija

Penny Reid

All is fair in love and auto maintenance. Beau Winston is the nicest, most accommodating guy in the world. Usually. Handsome as the devil and twice as charismatic, Beau lives a charmed life as everyone's favorite Winston Brother. But since his twin decided to leave town, and his other brother hired a stunning human-porcupine hybrid as a replacement mechanic for their auto shop, Beau Winston's charmed life has gone to hell in a handbasket. Shelly Sullivan is not nice and is never accommodating. Ever. She mumbles to herself, but won't respond when asked a question. She glares at everyone, especially babies. She won't shake hands with or touch another person, but has no problems cuddling with a dog. And her damn parrot speaks only in curse words. Beau wants her gone. He wants her out of his auto shop, out of Tennessee, and out of his life. The only problem is, learning why this porcupine wears her coat of spikes opens a Pandora's box of complexity--exquisite, tempting, heartbreaking complexity--and Beau Winston soon discovers being nice and accommodating might mean losing what matters most. 'Beard in Mind' can be read as a standalone, is 130k words, and is book 4 in the Winston Brothers series.

Beard in Mind

Zhenya Zhelyazkova 

From the NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, & USA TODAY bestselling series All is fair in love and auto maintenance. Beau Winston is the nicest, most accommodating guy in the world. Usually. Handsome as the devil and twice as charismatic, Beau lives a charmed life as everyone’s favorite Winston Brother. But since his twin decided to leave town, and his other brother hired a stunning human-porcupine hybrid as a replacement mechanic for their auto shop, Beau Winston’s charmed life has gone to hell in a handbasket. Shelly Sullivan is not nice and is never accommodating. Ever. She mumbles to herself, but won’t respond when asked a question. She glares at everyone, especially babies. She won’t shake hands with or touch another person, but has no problems cuddling with a dog. And her damn parrot speaks only in curse words. Beau wants her gone. He wants her out of his auto shop, out of Tennessee, and out of his life. The only problem is, learning why this porcupine wears her coat of spikes opens a Pandora’s box of complexity—exquisite, tempting, heartbreaking complexity—and Beau Winston soon discovers being nice and accommodating might mean losing what matters most. ***** Read the entire Winston Brothers series! Beauty and the Mustache Book #0.5 USA Today Bestseller Truth or Beard Book #1 USA Today Bestseller Grin and Beard It #2 USA Today Bestseller Beard Science #3 USA Today Bestseller Beard in Mind #4 USA Today Bestseller Dr. Strange Beard #5 New York Times Bestseller Beard with Me #5.5 (Coming September 2019) Beard Necessities #6 (Coming October 2019) ***** Topics: enemies to lovers romance, enemies to lovers, contemporary romance, romantic comedy, southern romance, small town, series, geek romance, nerdy girl romance, nerdy girl, geek girl, romantic comedy series, comedy, comedy series, funny romance, laugh romance, modern romance, urban romance, Tennessee, Tennessee romance, USA today, new york times bestselling author, USA today bestseller, USA Today bestseller, small town romance, friends to lovers romance, enemies to lovers romance, smart romance, something funny to read, lighthearted romance, light romance, romance, Penny Reid, penny reid romance, beard romance, bearded, romance novel, free romance book, romantic comedy books, romance books, romance for adults, contemporary romance, funny romance, funny books, comedy books, rom com, hilarious, romance series, romance books, twins, twin romance, beach reads, new adult, college, funny, female, stories, sensual, sensual romance, hot guy, racy, sexy, heartwarming, heart-warming, family, love, love books, kissing books, tension, mental health, heroine with OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, emotional journey, contemporary, contemporary romance, romance series, long series, long romance series, bearded hero, sassy, captivating romance, hot, hot romance, sparks, loyalty, swoon, bearded brothers, saga

A Small Town Romantic Comedy

dija

3.5 

It started so good tbh had me giggling and shit at 1 AM but then it became ok 🚶‍♂️ still love them tho

celene

roscoe babie uwu 🥺 im coming for u boo mwa

Siya S

Super unpoppular opinion right here. ummm I used to love this series so much and I love Penny Reid to bits (I've subscribed to her website for Christ's sake) but ... but what happened???? 

Now the story becomes rather persistantly redundant like a damn tinnitus in my ears. First of all, I didn't get Shelly. At all. I don't believe she's an OCD with a complex minds. Nope. Her character was so unbelievable to the point of being meh. I didn't have any sympathy for her at all and I didn't get what kind of person she was (try A Man Called Ove and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine to see how to write a socially in-ept characters maybe?). It would help too if the story hadn't kept reminding me how beautiful she was every other sentence (show, not tell hello?)

And umm I'm confused. She hated touching people to her gut but she loved sex ?? ok I'll be openminded maybe that happens (but how can you have sex without touching ... and shouldn't the exchange of sexual libido be more disgustig than hand germs in the eyes of the clean freaks?) man, I don't really know...

Also about the scar-on-her-arms thing ... well that girl wore A FRIGGIN TANK TOP into the bar!!! CUTTERS DON'T NORMALLY DO THAT right!?!??! wearing a tank top, WITH NO BRA, I mean because otherwise the world see them and give them hell ok?? People with such scars wouldn't be caught dead in a damn tank top ok?? Especially Shelly since her character seemed to be so secluded and kept to herself ... and hated being a center of attention so.. sweatshirt and jeans shouldn't be a better blending-in option? like I'm confused as hell ok?? First OCD and now split personalities and wardrobe malfunction??? Hello??

Secondly, damn these privileged, shiny people with a first world problem!!!! I know these books suppose to be a light read but DOES EVERYBODY HAS TO BE SUPER SHINY, BEAUTIFUL, PERFECT, RICH, SMART, AND TOTALLY IN LOVE ALL THE TIME??? Gosh it was to the point of being unreal. It's so annoying. So WHITE (yeah yeah Sienna wasn't white but still ..or generally speaking.. do the lives of these people are typical American standard? If so then I'd no longer complain. I mean, I live in a third world, how would I know?). None of their problems concerned me anymore because if stripped all the decoeations down, it's simply a ... daddy issue right? Daddy issues being paraphased over and over. Throwing in some gang stuff now and then for the kicks and voila! So boring! 

Last thing, most important thing .. Beau talked like he's one of the ladies from Sex and the City or something. His dialogues were unnecessary lengthy and .. very feminine. HE COULD TELL SHELLY'S SCARS WERE AN INCH APART AND TIDY. No guys talk like that?? (except my best gay friend, Paul, ...well Beau really reminded me of him) He was on and on about stuff like a leaking pipe. Just .. nope. 

Everything was really contradictory and I felt like I'd been forcefed every other page to believe that eceryone was SO PRETTY AND SMART AND PERFECT AND ALSO HAS DADDY ISSUES BOOHOO BOOHA. It's so annoying ... what happend to the story that I loved??

So I guess I'm putting this down for now. I'm looking forward to read about Billy and Claire though ... so full of angst AND PRETTINESS AND PERFECTIONS AND RICH AND SUCCESSFUL AND MORE DADDY ISSUES but still I'd love to read about them, I really do.

marie

Nikki

would’ve been 5 stars if we were able to read more about shelly

Nicole Cousin 

I absolutely loved it!! This one we had a lot more of Beau's perspective and honestly it was incredible. He has so much more going on, and his understanding towards Shelly was so awesome to see. I also loved Shelly's story, although first time ever lol I wished I had seen more of her. I LOVED HER!! Her growth and strength towards conquering something that was such a apart of her is admirable, accepting and learning to love herself. 

Shewas such a complex character. It was really nice to see someone with this disorder. And how we talk without knowing about our "OCD" tendencies towards things we prefer to see in our daily life organized somehow. When it is so much more complex than that. 

I love these Winston brothers so much!

Laura Antonella Miscione

This series just leaves me wanting a Winston boy of my own. Every. Single. Time.

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


I've gotta be honest, I'm still totally at a loss when it comes to how to review this book. I loved it, that much is clear. It was a bit heavier of a read than most of Penny's other books, but I don't mean that in a negative way. Beard in Mind had Penny's trademark humor, heart and even awkwardness, but it did all that while giving some pretty straight talk about Shelly's obsessive compulsive tendencies. I loved the raw honesty of this one. 

While the book was about more than just a romance, the love story was obviously fantastic, too. I've been waiting for Beau to get a book for ages and I couldn't wait to see who he'd be paired with. Shelly was perfect for him. They balanced each other out in a way I wasn't expecting. Before we got to all that goodness, we had to get through the initial animosity... and I loved all of it. But, I am a sucker for a hate-to-love story so that's unsurprising. I loved their banter and the way they picked at each other. They had such wicked chemistry and there was so much sexual tension I just couldn't wait until it exploded. When it did? It was hot... and sweet. Beau had a surprisingly soft side that I truly wasn't expecting. 

I'm not going to delve too deeply into the storyline here. I think you're far better off if you just experience it for yourself. What I will say is that you should be prepared for some feels. Oh, there were laughs and sexy times... but there were some emotional moments as well. Beau and Shelly's pairing was so perfect, it just left my heart happy. It's also worth noting this book takes place at the same time as Beard Science, so it was fun to get another perspective of what was going on at that time. Beard in Mind was perfection. It's definitely going in my reread pile. 

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

"I'm not counting your girlfriends in high school, because you were just a kid and were never serious about those girls. Then why, as a man, are you settling for someone who is merely fine? You should be with someone amazing." 

"Stop trying to peer into my mind."
"I would never do that, Beau. Your mind is a depraved and dissolute place. I would fear for my eternal soul should I manage a glimpse inside."

"People need to be polished, to be stroked, touched, and when they're not polished, their colors fade. They fade, they change, warp, become something different."

"I love you, Shelly. I'll love you when you break. And I'll love you when you put yourself back together."

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

Oh, Beau. <3

Penny Reid is one of my favorite authors. I always look forward to every new release because I know she is going to give her readers something unique, meaningful, and worthwhile. Beard in Mind is the fourth book in the Winston Brothers series, and though it can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the rest of the books first because a) they are all amazing and b) you’ll understand all the Winston brothers and their dynamics better. And who doesn’t want to know the Winston boys better?

Beau Winston is one of the twins of the family, but he’s the nice, sweet, charming one that everyone always gets along with. There’s nothing that can get under his skin… except for the family’s auto shop’s most recent (and a surprise to him) hire, Shelly Sullivan. They get off on the wrong foot when he mistakenly thinks she’s a stripper and things aren’t about to be mended anytime soon. Even though she is quite literally the most beautiful woman Beau has ever seen, she is rude to him, which makes Beau rude back.

But there’s more than meets the eye with the beautiful, blunt, and unemotional Shelly. She has a severe case of OCD, but she has been seeing a therapist to treat it. She is quite unlike any character I’ve read before, and pretty much a breath of fresh air to read about. And as Beau gets to know Shelly and understand her OCD better, he can’t seem to stop falling for her. These were two characters who couldn’t be more different, yet perfect for one another. I loved how they slowly fell for each other, and even though it wasn’t a crazy hot read or anything, Shelly and Beau’s chemistry was fantastic.


  Moments of quiet ordinary, made extraordinary by sharing them with the woman I love.


I appreciated so much how Penny Reid handled Shelly’s OCD. It was thoughtful and educational – who else could incorporate something you don’t normally read in a romance into her books but Penny? Beard in Mind is an incredible read with an OCD heroine and I loved it. I need more books like this, and can only hope Penny Reid will give us more!

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

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

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/2fLRRAZ
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2vEHPH8

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Zhenya Zhelyazkova &
Beard in Mind by Penny Reid

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