Contemporary Romance Review: Beard in Mind by Penny Reid
Beard in Mind by Penny Reid (Winston Brothers #4)
ecopy thanks to the author
Synopsis from Goodreads
All's 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 missing out on what matters most.
Amazon US/UK | Amazon kindle US/UK
8.5/10
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I'll be honest with you, peeps. Cletus and Jennifer's shennanigans was a very tough act to follow, and it didn't help that the timeline of Beard in Mind was overlapping the events of Beard Science.Saying all that, Beau's book has a less comedic vibe and takes on a very serious, heartbreaking issue of mental illness very well. I loved and appreciated that.
Beau comes into his own in this book. He has to. Duane is leaving town to travel around the world. Beau's identity has been tied up to his twin's for so long, that being on his own means that he is rediscovering himself as a separate being. He doesn't need to be the opposite of Duane anymore, and it's weird, scary and liberating.
Amidst his inner turmoil comes Shelly. A prickly, rude, cold, talented and stunning woman, whose outright dislike of Beau bewilders him, considering his reputation as a charmer and a sweetheart.
What he doesn't realise is that Shelly is fighting her own demons and she has no time or room for liking Beau.
Shelly slayed me, peeps. So many bottled up emotions, so many contrasts between her outside facade and what really happens in her head and heart. I think both the reader and Beau got gradually captivated by the glimpses of real Shelly and could not leave her alone in their desire to dig deeper.
My favourite side of her most likely was her incredible attention to detail, which was especially striking in her sculptures. And yet, it was part of her psychological issues.
Beau and Shelly together was an awkward combo like oil and water, but because they were so different, they turned each other into something new, beautiful and fragile.
Overall, a sweet and touching story, not my top Winston brother novel, but lovely in its own right. Recommended.
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Честно говоря, совершенство книги о Клетусе и Дженнифер побить нелегко, и "Бороде в Уме" не помогало также то, что события в этой и предыдущей книге проходят почти что одновременно.
Однако у "Бороды в Уме" есть свои плюсы. Она не так комедийна как "Бородатая Наука" , углубляясь в серьезное описание обсессивно-компульсивного расстройства, что Пенни Рид удается очень хорошо.
Мы наконец-то узнаем Бо получше, так как эта книга для него - переломный момент. Дюан - его брат-близнец покидает город и отправляется путешествовать, и Бо, идентичность которого построена на противопоставлении брату оказывается в растерянности и пытается найти себя.
И тут, посреди его жизненных метаний, судьба сталкивает его с Шелли. Грубой, резкой, холодной, но чрезвычайно талантливой и красивой женщиной. Шелли его терпеть не может, что мужчину с репутацией красавчика и обаяшки приводит в полное замешательство.
Чего не осознает Бо - это то, что Шелли борется со своими собственными демонами и на его шарм у нее нет времени и сил.
Шелли меня конечно зацепила за душу. Ее раздирало так много эмоций и все это было так закупорено и глубоко спрятано из-за ее болезни, что за нее болело сердце. Легко она себя чувствовала только со своими животными и скульптурами.
Шелли и Бо вместе были как вода и масло, и принять читателю их дуэт было нелегко, однако их отношения были красивыми и хрупкими и превратили их обоих во что-то новое.
В общем, хоть и не моя любимая книга серии, история этой пары мила и трогательна. Читать о братьях Уинстонах продолжать я буду с удовольствием. Рекомендую!
