Beard in Mind (Winston Brothers, #4)

by Penny Reid

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.

• ISBN10: 1942874324
• ISBN13: 9781942874324
• Publish Date: 2 August 2017 (first published 31 July 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Cipher-Naught
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 406
• Language: English

Reviews

[bookperson]

I always considered this series to be light and fluffy, but after this book we're moving into a different territory. Maybe not after this one, but after book 3, but in this one whole series changes the tone.
I loved it, even though it was hard for me to read chapters from Shelly's POV, since I struggle with some of the issues she has. Amazing continuation of the story, I'll start next one ASAP.

[Linda]

This series just totally does it for me! These Winston brothers are awesome! And the ladies they find themselves loving are even better.
Beau's story was very different from what I expected! Because the reason why he was so nice and flirty had never entered my mind. Shelley also brought me a new appreciation for people who have to struggle with OCD. Now, I have no idea how realistic this was, but to me, it appeared like something that might be true.
The writing is really good, the character development is out of this world, and the romance is still making my toes curl.

[Sam@WLABB]

If I didn't already love Beau, I would have fallen for him as I read this book.

I love the idea, that people like him exist. That there are people, who can accept you, warts and all, and will work hard to learn how to support you in the least intrusive way. I liked that Reid went beyond the surface of OCD, and showed a side of it we don't see as much. I thought she handled Shelly's OCD with great care, and she went that extra mile to educate us readers by including the therapy sessions.

There was a wedding, a bombshell, and a big goodbye, which made me tear up a little, but there were all little teasers hinting at the romances for the other Winston Boys.

I say this every time, but I really mean it - another great Winston Brothers book.

[leelu92]

4.5 stars
Ohhhh my. I've just spent the last two weeks in Tennessee with the Winston Brothers. I binge read the last three books in the series and once again, Penny Reid is my hero.

I'll admit that in the first few chapters, I wasn't sure if this book was going to work for me because of Shelly.  But knowing Penny Reid, I resolved to hang on because Reid always makes her books worth the time.  Shelly is harsh and difficult to handle at times, her personality, the way she relates to others is detached and sullen at times.

Beau, on the other hand, is Mister Charm. He's easy on the eyes and knows he can charm his way into or out of any situation.  He and Shelly are complete polar opposites so of course, he cannot stand her.

The tipping point is that we learn why Shelly is the way she is.  Seeing how Beau handles it is the heart and soul of this book.  As funny and entertaining as the Winston family is, Beau's care and understanding of Shelly and her needs are why I loved it so much.  Once he figured her out and how to help her, he knew he wanted her in his life and he didn't budge on his devotion to her.  Shelly in her own right, helped Beau work through his issues and she too was just as devoted to him.

Penny Reid's books are not meant to read fast or skimmed, they are meant to be savored. They are dense and layered and every book possesses unforgettable characters and storylines. So, I implore you, if you haven't read this series, please don't miss it. It's intelligent, hilarious, swoon worthy and completely unique in its own lovely way. (Especially Beard in Mind!)

*Review copy provided.

[stacey_is_sassy]

It’s easy to judge on face value

I probably shouldn’t talk about my family as much as I do in my reviews, but I can’t help compare when I’m reading. Beard in Mind made me think about my son. Not just because I’m his mother (well not only because of it), I can honestly say that my son is strikingly good looking. Has been from the day he was born. He has big green eyes, long eyelashes, full and pouty lips, tan skin and a long and lean swimmers body (not a swimmer, just looks like one). All his life, he has had people comment on his looks. Strangers have walked up to us and made mention of it. He could easily become a model, and we’ve contemplated getting photos of him for a folio. Except, there’s one small problem…he doesn’t like attention focused on him. I’d even say, that he’s not overly confident.

I am the first person (very guiltily mind you) to think…OMG!! You’re so good looking. Why aren’t you the most popular boy at school? Why don’t you smirk at all the pretty girls?

Well, plain and simple, he just doesn’t care about those things. My beautiful son is a…duh…duh…duhhh…GAMER NERD. Sit him in a room by himself with an Xbox, and he’s one happy 14-year-old.

Anyways, I know, with first-hand knowledge, that people can easily judge by looks alone. People expect my son to be confident and outgoing. Don't get me wrong, he's polite and sweet, but he won't initiate a conversation with a stranger EVER.

Shelly Sullivan is one of the most beautiful women around. Then…she opens her mouth. With no filter whatsoever, she will tell you exactly what she’s thinking and those hits can hurt like all buggery. If you didn’t know any better, you could easily mistake her for one of the meanest people in existence. Lucky for her, one of the nicest people in existence looks below the surface.

Beau Winston is absolutely gobsmacked by the beauty of Shelly. At first, like everyone else, he attempts to get to “know” her better. This, unfortunately, does not go well and he crashes and burns. The best way for him to handle the situation is by completely avoiding interaction with her. This isn’t as easy as it seems seeing as they work together and she offends most of their customers. Absolutely frustrated, he starts looking at Shelly a little closer and notices "things".

Shelly has OCD and has struggled for many years with it. She has moved away from family so that she can be treated by a doctor so she can “fix” herself. I’ll be honest with you here, Shelly is one of my favourite characters that Penny Reid has ever created. I have a huge soft spot for characters like Shelly, who struggle with their need for perfection. Shelly wants to be normal and interact with people like normal people do. It’s not an easy fix, like when you have a toothache and go to the dentist to fix it. With time and patience, Shelly learns to deal with some of her issues. It definitely helps when Beau reaches out to help and his touch soothes her worries.

I absolutely loved Beard in Mind. From the very first page, I was enthralled. Besides getting to see Shelly and Beau’s beautiful connection, we get to catch up with the Winston’s. Beau is struggling with Duane leaving with Jess soon. Cletus is being his usual nutty self. Billy’s on the sidelines, observing, mentoring and protecting. We also get a glimpse of Shelly brother, Quinn Sullivan and his wife Janie. There is a new development that comes to light with the Winston’s connection to the Wraiths motorcycle club. I really hope that Cletus “deals” with those buggers soon. I’m guessing that things may get resolved when Billy gets his story. I REALLY WANT BILLY’S STORY!!

This series is my craic. I think I have a soft spot for these bearded fellows because I have a bearded fellow myself. I love their differences in character but their unfailing support of each other as well. I cannot get enough…I WANT BILLY’S STORY!! Not impatient at all. 😉

Stacey is Sassy, received a complimentary copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.