Grin and Beard It (Winston Brothers, #2)

by Penny Reid

[stacey_is_sassy]

Jethro is proof that people can learn from their mistakes

What I’m about to tell you will either horrify or make you envious…I spent a whole day in bed reading. Now, I kind of planned it this way and luckily the stars aligned and all my ducks lined up in a row. I had a girls night out last night. It wasn’t the wildest or the latest night, but it did leave me feeling a little under the weather. Yippeee…crazy to think I'm excited to not feel 100%, but like I said it worked towards my dastardly plan. I knew Grin and Beard It was going to be a long story but I was not keen to have my reading time span over days, so the fact that my copy landed on my kindle before today was like I planned it. I started my day lost…

Sienna Diaz has a terrible sense of direction and when she finds herself lost with her GPS/Nav thingamajiggy not working and her phone with no reception, she’s a wee bit frustrated. It doesn’t help that the map seems to be written in hieroglyphics and all of the roads look the same. Luckily, she is saved by a man in uniform and this man is HOT!!! She is really attracted to him and can’t believe it when this man doesn’t recognise her. Not tooting her own horn or anything, but she’s a famous Academy Award-winning actress and it doesn’t happen EVER that people don’t recognise her. She’s actually quite happy about it because he’s flirting and seems interested in her and not about her fame, connections or money. Sienna enjoys being normal for a little while and takes up the flirting challenge and this guy excels at flirting.

This guy is Jethro Winston, the eldest of the Winston boys and a reformed bad boy. When he meets a young lady on the side of the road who’s having a spazzy fit at her map, he’s very intrigued. This woman is HOT!! She has curves that make him sweat and the funniest sense of humour that he can’t help but feel attracted to her. Then he touches her hand and feels a buzz under his skin that heats his blood and it’s been a long time since a woman has made him feel this way. He wants to get to know her more.

Good old Jethro has a very ugly past. Luckily, he learnt from his mistakes and is trying to live a hard-working and wholesome life. I couldn’t help but admire Jethro for making the changes to his life. He feels shame and disgrace that he let his family down. Being the eldest he knows he should have been setting a good example to his brothers but also protecting them from their evil and despicable father. Unfortunately, his evil father, Darrell, manipulated Jethro into living a life of crime in a motorcycle club called the Iron Wraiths. Everything you could imagine happening in an MC, Jethro had done. Women, booze, drugs, and crime were part of his everyday life back then. None of those things has been in his life for the last 5 years and he plans to keep on this track to make up for his past.

Now Sienna isn’t just a famous actress, she’s also a very talented writer. Her sister, Marta, is also her manager. Can’t say I was a huge fan of Marta. It almost seemed like she was living vicariously through Sienna because her career as an actress hadn’t taken off. Marta thinks that Sienna should be single-mindedly focusing on her work and have no outside distractions to take her mind off it. Any relationships and decisions should be with thoughts of her work, not Sienna’s happiness. Sienna is tired. She just needs a break from it all but it definitely doesn’t seem like that’s on her cards anytime soon. I hated that Marta used her family connection to guilt Sienna into doing stuff. Sienna eventually starts to stand up to Marta and realises that her career isn’t making her happy and that she must make changes in her life if she wants to find happiness.

The relationship between Sienna and Jethro is a slow-burning one. Obviously, with Sienna’s fame, she must be careful who she trusts. Sienna is also constantly surrounded by people whether it be her security staff, makeup artist, fellow actors, and crew. When Jethro and Sienna attempt to have some private time together it’s not always easy. They both also have their own hang-ups and issues to deal with especially Jethro and his belief that he doesn’t deserve happiness. He thinks he should still be paying for his sins in the past. It was kind of funny because he’s a confident man in some regards who lacks confidence in other things. I’m glad that they both had Cletus to steer them on the right track.

Yes, Cletus steals the show AGAIN. Cletus is funny, intelligent and a wee bit crazy. I love him.

I really enjoyed Grin and Beard It. This is a long story that felt like it flew by in a flash. The characters were funny and engaging, the sizzling attraction jumped off the pages and the drama never seemed unbelievable or unnecessary. At times, I was nodding my head in agreement with discussions on love, priorities, and happiness. I feel a connection with these Winston brothers and the people we meet in town. I feel like I’ve already met some of the ladies who will lead the other Winston boys astray. I’m not really sure who these women will best suit to or matched up with…but I can’t bloody wait to find out.

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