Truth or Beard (Winston Brothers, #1)

by Penny Reid

Beards, brothers, and bikers! Oh my!

Identical twins Beau and Duane Winston might share the same devastatingly handsome face, but where Beau is outgoing and sociable, Duane is broody and reserved. This is why Jessica James, recent college graduate and perpetual level-headed good girl, has been in naive and unhealthy infatuation with Beau Winston for most of her life.

His friendly smiles make her tongue-tied and weak-kneed, and she's never been able to move beyond her childhood crush. Whereas Duane and Jessica have always been adversaries. She can't stand him, and she's pretty sure he can't stand the sight of her...

But after a case of mistaken identity, Jessica finds herself in a massive confusion kerfuffle. Jessica James has spent her whole life paralyzed by the fantasy of Beau and her assumptions of Duane's disdain; therefore she's unprepared for the reality that is Duane's insatiable interest, as well as his hot hands and hot mouth and hotter looks. Not helping Jessica's muddled mind and good girl sensibilities, Duane seems to have gotten himself in trouble with the local biker gang, the Iron Order.

Certainly, Beau's magic spell is broken. Yet when Jessica finds herself drawn to the man who was always her adversary, now more dangerous than ever, how much of her level-head heart is she willing to risk?

• ISBN10: 194287412X
• ISBN13: 9781942874126
• Publish Date: 28 July 2015
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Imprint: Cipher-Naught
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[leelu92]

I didn't want this book to end.  Isn't that endorsement enough for you?  Ha!  While reading Truth or Beard, my husband thought I was crazy, due to all of the "laughing out loud" I was doing.  I also read out loud to him several times- I could not help myself!  The Winston men are completely addictive, every single one of them.

Now that Jessica is back in town, Duane decides that he is going to make his move on her.  Jessica has had a massive crush on his twin brother, Beau for YEARS.  Beau is the sweet one, while Duane has always been the one to drive her nuts by teasing her and giving her a hard time.  In fact, Jessica has always believed that Duane just plain ole didn't like her.  Well, you know what they say about the little boy that was constantly teasing you on the playground?

"See? This is what I'm talking about.  I don't know if we can call a truce.  All we know how to do is argue."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Isn't it?"

"Jessica," he whispered, "arguing with you is one of my favorite things to do."

Yep, he's got a crush on you.  Once he decides that he and Jessica need to be together, he vows to make it happen honorably and properly.  Unfortunately, Jessica cannot keep her hands to herself and she makes it very hard for Duane to take things slowly.  Ms. Reid throws in a little bit of suspense plot involving a local MC that several characters have ties to.  I thought this was a great addition to the overall plot because it shed some light on the depth of several characters like Claire (I cannot wait for her book).

I loved the longtime connection that Jessica and Duane have with each other. Even though they've given each other a hard time all of their lives, they have incredible chemistry that screams relationship.  Is the path to a relationship like this one ever smooth?  Not so much.  Duane knows that Jessica wants to travel and he is firmly entrenched in Green Valley with no intention of ever leaving.  He has family and a business and a little bit of trouble that pops up (see MC plot) that he feels ties him to home.  Of course, he does not want to hold her back in any way because he truly does care for her deeply.  I have to say that Duane is completely swoon-worthy.

I'm a little bit of a newcomer to Ms. Reid's books but every one I read, I fall deeper in love with her writing.  I absolutely cannot wait for more from this series!  As if I couldn't have fallen more in love with the whole family, Cletus was one of the most entertaining characters ever written. Ever.

If you love a book with romance and humor with a nice bit of sexytimes thrown in, you'll LOVE Truth or Beard!