Beard Science

Winston Brothers, Book 3

By: Penny Reid

Narrated by: Joy Nash, Chris Brinkley

Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

Make a deal with the devil and you might get what you want, but will it be what you need?

Jennifer Sylvester wants one thing, and that one thing is not to be Tennessee's reigning Banana Cake Queen. Ever the perpetual good girl and obedient daughter, Jennifer is buckling under the weight of her social media celebrity, her mother's ambitions, and her father's puritanical mandates. Jennifer is officially desperate.

And desperate times call for Cletus Winston.

Cletus Winston is a puzzle wrapped in a mystery covered in conundrum sauce, and now he's in a pickle. Despite being convinced of his own omniscience, extortion by the exalted Banana Cake Queen of Green Valley has taken him completely by surprise. So what's a maniacal mastermind to do?

Likely, the last thing you expect.

Beard Science is the third book in the Winston Brothers series, is a full-length romantic comedy novel, and can be heard as a standalone.

©2016 Cipher-Naught (P)2016 Cipher-Naught

Buy This Book

If you have ever had the pleasure of reading one of Mrs. Reid's prior novels you would know she has skills. This one, however, stands out. It isn't just some love story between a standard man and woman. It's about people loving themselves and forgoing presumptions.

Written from an interchanging dual perspective, the main characters feel more real. They are brought to life by Joy Nash and Chris Brinkley, who I am convinced should narrate all books that are not currently being performed by Stephen Fry.

In short get this book. It has no faults, inconsistencies, nor does it subscribe to the mold of its genre. It is refreshing, original, and gives hope that we all can change for the better.

More Than 5 Quirky, Swoony Stars!!

Love! Love! Love! I didn't think i could love one of these books more than Beauty and The Mustache, but Cletus in all his quirky glory completely stole my heart.

“Stay away from the normals, the small-minded people who fill their brains with small-minded pursuits, who blend in and keep up with the Joneses. Those people will tear you down and make you boring. Instead, surround yourself with the weirds. With the misfits, oddballs, and outcasts. Because the normals, bless their hearts, have no idea how to have fun.”

And Jennifer is amazing! Such a strong heroine who doesn't know her own strength and value! I laughed, I swooned and I never wanted the story to end!

“You want to know what you are to me? Fine. You’re my beginning, middle, and end.”
The words hit me square in the chest, through the heart, straight to my soul.

More than 5 Stars!

Swooning and laughing

What made the experience of listening to Beard Science the most enjoyable?

How wonderful Cletus was, he is so loyal to his family and then to Jennifer, he took good care of her, he is a big softy.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Beard Science?

When Jennifer told her father off and walked bare foot clear to the Winston's house, it was such an emotional scene.

What about Joy Nash and Chris Brinkley ’s performance did you like?

I loved how their voices made me feel like I could picture Jennifer and Cletus right in front of me.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Love can sneak up on you when you least expect it.

Any additional comments?

I loved this book, I love this series, and nothing better then listening to all of these books on audio-books, makes it so much better. Cletus is so fun, loyal, sneaky, charming, and oh so sexy. Jennifer is so sweet, loving, hard worker, and so innocent. I felt so bad for Jen, her father treated her terrible, was so mean, and always made her feel stupid. It felt like her mother was trying to live a different life but through her daughter. I laughed at all the funny shenanigans Cletus had going on, the advice he would give Jennifer, the fake dates with his brother he set up for her, and Jennifer had her own tricks up her sleeve. When Cletus finally realized how he felt about Jennifer the story got even better, I love them together and can't wait to read more about them in the upcoming books. I enjoyed reading about all the Winston's and their ladies, I can't get enough of these characters, these books make me so happy.

5 Beard Science Stars

Cletus & Jennifer

This book took me on an emotional roller coaster, I found myself tearing up for Jennifer, and it wasn't even a sad part. That’s really never happened to me before this empathy for a character where nothing tragic happened.

Maybe it’s because she was hidden under lock and key kind of things, she was made to be pretty and be seen but not have a voice.

I am soooo glad Cletus was her man, he too had to get to know the real Jennifer just as much as she had to become the Jennifer she was always meant to be.

It really is a story of growing up even if you’re already an adult.
I very much enjoyed the interaction between her and Cletus he is just such a fun character, I found myself smiling and laughing.

This is by far my favorite of the whole series!

The narrators hot dang… Chris does it again…to say I am a fan is an understatement. We also get Joy back as the female and I just love the way she narrates an audiobook she has so much inflection in her words it’s as if you can see them in front of your eyes.

I recommend times 10!! Credit Worthy for sure.

*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*

Amazing!

I loved the voice actors! they both did an excellent job. I had already read the book a couple times, the audio version makes the story even better!

Quirky slow burner tender hearted romance

Get ready to fall in love with Jennifer and Cletus! I have enjoyed every book of Penny Reid's Winston series but this literally takes the cake. I knew I'd like Cletus with his quirk and intelligence but to see him falling in love and with such a strong but vulnerable female protagonist was a delight to read. Joy Nash and Chris Brinkley as usually were fantastic. One of Penny Reid's finest to date!

Best of the year!!!

Love Cletus!!! My expectations were huge and Penny Reid's fabulous writing lived up to them.
Probably my favorite novel of the year.

Amazing!

As always, simply wonderful. I love the way the characters continue to develop. This couple is really special.

FUNNY, SWEET, AND SEXY

The characters are funny , sweet , protective, and Sexy . I enjoyed that the story was not just one rescue right after another, that becomes teteus. The characters made me laugh and the love scenes were tender and hot as well. This was the first Penny Reid book and I am buying more right after I submit this review.

It really is as good as everyone says it is!

Where does Beard Science rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's in my top five. I listen to at least 2 audiobooks a week since I have no life, so the fact that this book stood out so much to be in my top five is saying a lot.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Can I say all of them other than her overbearing parents and the weird gang that took her brother. All the good characters are solid and have they're own story and they're introduced so you know where they fit in this particular book in the series and you look forward to where they're going in the next installment. Great character development for the two main characters. I loved watching them grow into the people they're supposed to be through their friendship and eventual romance.

Which scene was your favorite?

The one where Jen blackmails Cletus into helping her escape her parents clutches. It was very humorous. Seriously this whole book is filled with giggles!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book made me laugh quite a bit. I felt so sorry for Jen, because she didn't realize just how abusive her parents were being until the end. Her standing up to her dad and walking barefoot back to Cletus was so empowering.

Any additional comments?

GET THIS BOOK!!!! You won't regret it. If you like the TV show Hart of Dixie, you'll like this book.

Just about perfect

Penny Reid’s books are full of glorious characters that never fit the “norm” and this is a perfect example. There are too many facets of this book worthy of description that I simply don’t know which to highlight. Penny Reid has a way of manipulating the emotions of the reader to make us slowly but surely fall in love with her characters, as they fall in love with each other. This is a fabulous example of romance writing at its best. My only small criticism is that the wonderful pace of the book seems to lag a bit at the end. The last couple of chapters, although enjoyable, do seem a bit like redundant filler. However this does not spoil what is a wonderful, moving and emotional story about two very unusual people.

Goofy smiles and happy sighs. Loved it!

Beard Science gave me so many goofy smiles.

I loved this book, the narration was brilliant and I can't wait to read or listen to more books in this series. I love the Winston brothers.

Cletus is a complex man, not many people saw the real Cletus but there is more to Jennifer Sylvester, the town's and world-famous bannana cake queen than people see too and she sees Cletus, the real Cletus.

A bit about the plot;
All Jennifer wants to do is settle down with a man, have kids and live the dream. Jennifer runs the bakery and is controlled by her mother who puts her out there on social media as the banana cake queen, Jennifer has millions of followers and her mother expects a certain image and the right sort of man for Jennifer to settle down with and one that won't change her or her image.

When Jennifer is video interviewing the sheriff at the station regarding her cakes she notices Cletus who is there to repair something hiding some evidence and catches it on camera, she then uses this evidence to blackmail him into teaching her how to date and get a man, Jennifer is a sheltered young woman who was even homeschooled by her mother so she hasn't experienced highschool, dates or a boyfriend.

What a build-up, what a perfect match, I loved the journey to how they fell in love with each other, I loved both of these quirky characters, I laughed so many times. Brilliant!

you can't help but love Cletus!

I often find these sorts of books formulaic and centred on sex and lustful thoughts the whole time. Not so here. The men are flawed and do of course think of sex but it's contextual, and at least in this case, not insta-love. The friendship and (lust) love grows and actually makes sense. Oh, and did I mention Cletus just rocks!

A fantastic, cleverly crafted, funny & thoroughly entertaining story!

Penny Reid respects her readers so much that she creates clever, humorous characters who are sometimes idiosyncratic, often complex but always authentic. Cletus is a fabulous character and this book is a testament to Reid’s belief that the world is a better place because of individuals that don’t quite fit the mould!

Jennifer and Cletus

I'm a great fan of Penny Reid but of all her characters I totally adore these two and want to know them.

Every word brings joy

I’m loving this series and it’s a pleasure to hear it brought to life by Joy Nash and Chris Brinkley. This particular story was chock full of mischievous fun as well as beauty, heartwarming scenes and moral reminders. The family and the whole environment is amazing. I loved Jennifer from the beginning and it was so rewarding to see her blossom and find her man. I can’t wait to start the next volume.

Beard Science

I love the Winston Brothers books but his was my first one on Audible. The two readers brought a brilliant book even more to life. Recommended.

Amazing!

loved it! my favorite book... the narrators are great and I thoroughly enjoyed the southern charm!!!

Reid is one of my favourite writers.

If you like a smart romance, this is perfect. I strongly recommend the whole series as well as Penny Reid's other books. Her stories are intelligent, romantic and relatively realistic! The character development is phenomenal and most of her books are even educational.
The audiobook was fabulous, great voices, great accents. Loved it and listened to it 3 times.

Penny Reid never disapoints, clever and quirky.

Perfect narrative to a amazingly funny and touching story. Penny Reid has created a addictive world.