Grin and Beard It by Penny Reid
Winston Brothers #2
Publication Date: May 31, 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romantic Comedy
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Smashwords
But she has a problem, she can’t read maps and her sense of direction is almost as bad as her comedic timing is stellar. Therefore, when Sienna’s latest starring role takes her to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park she finds herself continually lost while trying to navigate the backroads of Green Valley, Tennessee. Much to her consternation, Sienna’s most frequent savior is a ridiculously handsome, charming, and cheeky Park Ranger by the name of Jethro Winston.
Sienna is accustomed to high levels of man-handsome, so it’s not Jethro’s chiseled features or his perfect physique that make Sienna stutter. It’s his southern charm. And gentlemanly manners. And habit of looking at her too long and too often.
Sienna has successfully navigated the labyrinth of Hollywood heartthrobs. But can she traverse the tenuous trails of Tennessee without losing her head? Or worse, her heart?
Review
Life is all about perception. Positive versus negative. Whichever you choose will affect and more than likely reflect your outcome. -Author Sonya Teclai
Perception is everything, so regardless of how much people don’t want to allow it to have control over how others perceive them and how they perceive themselves, it’s unavoidable, and it definitely plays a role in shaping everyone’s life.
Jethro Winston’s self perception is definitely skewed by his past. Being labeled the disappointment of the family…the one most like his deadbeat father, and the one who has conned, cheated, and lied and got away with it definitely affects who he is, even after five years of clean living – five years of not hurting or using people – five years of improving himself for his family and himself.
Sienna Diaz is America’s sweetheart; she’s a champion for plus sized women because she’s comfortable in her own skin – her size doesn’t matter to her, which only endears her more to a society obsessed with body image. She’s a comedic genius who has become a household name, but with her iconic roles, she has her own labels and societal perceptions – she’s the funny one…the one who doesn’t want to settle down because she would rather be a temporary maneater than someone’s everything.
But to Jethro, Sienna’s his forever chance. She’s the woman he’s been waiting five years for, but in order for Sienna and Jethro to have a chance at something more than fleeting, they need to realize what they are and aren’t capable of according to themselves, not society, not public perception, not past sins.
Boy do I adore the Winston siblings! Each brother as well as Ashley is uniquely eccentric, and they absolutely complement one another. Their relationships have grown leaps and bounds since their mother’s death, and while I can’t wait for Cletus’ story because his views, philosophies, and meddling all illustrate how marvelous he is, Jethro had my heart and my compassion from the start of Grin and Beard It.
Sienna is just the woman to prove to Jethro that he deserves to be happy…that because he has remorse for his wrong doings, he has made amends and his past should no longer affect his future because he’s not that man anymore, and that is clearly illustrated in every gentleman act…in every broad smile…in every kind word and compassionate thought.
Penny Reid never fails to dazzle me with her quirky, lovable characters and her off the wall as well as emotionally charged story lines. Nothing is forced in Reid’s writing; there’s no gaps in her stories or lulls due to filler information. Reid has her own style and she refuses to create anything that doesn’t represent who she is as a writer as well as a person, and that idea is clearly demonstrated in Grin and Beard It.
Jethro and Sienna’s story is a heartwarming, romantic comedy that proves that people are more than their labels and that getting lost just might be the best thing to steer one’s life in the right direction – a path that may not have ever been deemed a possibility, but now that it’s in front of him/her, it’s the one to follow because it offers so much more than every thought possible.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 Poison Apples
Excerpt
Jethro placed his coffee on the small table and leaned back at an angle on one arm, his long legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. My tummy fluttered with excitement as I sat on the floor next to him and picked up the frosted confection. I was going to smudge the corner of my mouth with frosting. And then he was going to lick it off. And then we were going to kiss. And then . . . good things after that. Hopefully including but not limited to rolling around and making out on the carpet. And then sex! Holding Jethro’s eyes with mine, which were heavily lidded and hot with interest, I took a small bite, careful to dab the side of my mouth with the frosting. But then something unexpected happened and it startled me out of my sexy thoughts. The doughnut was insanely delicious. Insanely. Delicious. It was still warm from the oven, and it melted on my tongue. It was sweet, but tempered by a center filled with rich, smooth, bitter high-quality chocolate crème. Unable to help myself, I moaned, “Oh my God.” Jethro’s lips quirked to the side, his eyes on my mouth, and—right on cue—he leaned forward. “You have something just there.” I ignored him, swatting his hand away, and took another bite, speaking around a mouth full of heaven on earth. “Holy shit, this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.” Jethro rolled his lips between his teeth, his eyes bright with laughter, and watched me devour the doughnut. I continued to moan with each bite, licking and sucking my fingers until it was gone. Completely preoccupied, I didn’t notice the shift in his mood. I was just about to lick off the last of the crème when he caught my wrist, forcing my attention to him. My protest died on my lips as the weight and intensity of his gaze hit me. He looked hungry. To be more precise, he looked ravenous.
Jethro brought my finger to his lips and sucked it into his mouth, his tongue darting out to lick the junction between my index and middle finger. The light, slick touch sent unexpected trembles to my low belly and pulled a soft whimper from the back of my throat. “As I was saying,” his darkened gaze drifted hotly from my eyes to my lips, and he used my hand as leverage to tug me forward, “you have something . . .” He didn’t finish the sentence. Instead he licked the corner of my mouth and then delved his tongue ardently between my lips, caressing mine hungrily. Jethro’s grip on me shifted. His arm came around my waist, supporting me, while my hands cupped his jaw. In a controlled and graceful movement, he rolled me onto my back, held himself above my body, and claimed my mouth. I felt his fingers on my thigh, sliding the hem of my skirt higher, skimming fingertips between my legs. Instinctively, I arched and strained, wanting to be touched, needing him to touch me. “Undo your shirt,” he ordered, pulling his mouth from mine and fastening it to my neck. “Why don’t you—” “Because I’ll rip it off.”
About Penny Reid
Penny Reid is the USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. When she’s not immersed in penning smart romances, Penny works in the biotech industry as a researcher. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.
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