Item: Beard Necessities
Rating: 5.00
Author: stacey_is_sassy

by Penny Reid

Billy Winston’s family is going to see him happy and in love if it’s the last thing they do.

No one deserves a happily-ever-after quite as much as the second oldest Winston brother and his lady love, Claire McClure (aka Scarlet St. Claire). Cruelty and circumstance tore them apart almost twenty years ago. Secrecy and bitterness kept them separated.

But you know who's tired of their separation and stubbornness? Everyone. Especially Billy Winston’s family. And now they're going to do something about it.

Well-meaning interference means the star-crossed lovers can’t stop tripping over each other in the hills of Tuscany, the catacombs of Rome, and the waterways of Venice. Billy and Claire find themselves thrown together and at the mercy of the Winston siblings’ shenanigans.

But will their forced proximity bring them together? Or push them even further apart?

This second-chance romance brings back the entire Winston gang, playing cupid in one last story of love, hi-jinks, and family collusion.

BEARD NECESSITIES is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy, and can be read as a stand-alone, but it’s probably best read after books 0.5, 2, 3, 5, and 6 of the Winston Brothers series.

Family...

It feels disloyal to judge/review Beard Necessities. It would be like judging my Mum and Dad on parenting, and rating my siblings on whether they are good people. I might not agree with their choices but who am I to judge as I have never walked in their shoes. I'm struggling to rate my feelings about coming to the end of the Winston Brothers series. I absolutely loved the journey and I'm so glad to see them all living their happy lives but it's hard to say goodbye.

When it comes to judging Billy and Scarlett/Claire's relationship, I'm a little lost for words. I'm so happy that they've finally come together, but it was a bloody rough trot to get to their happy-ever-after. Yes, twenty years is a long time to be in love and not together. I don't think *I* would have waited that long but I've never been abused, manipulated or judged based on my parentage.

So while it's hard for me to judge/rate Beard Necessities it was still easy for me to say that the journey was AMAZING. I cried like a baby in the first third of the book as they struggled with the mistakes of their past. I was devastated that for 2.5 seconds, Billy gave up. BUT...I absolutely LOVED that Scarlett finally found her strength. It's what I've been waiting for from the first moment I "met" her. I guess it was easier for her to stand up straight when the demon that haunted her was finally eliminated.

This series reminded me of the importance of family, loyalty, forgiveness and love. I'm glad that it finished on such a high but I'm sad that it's over. Thank you, Penny Reid, for giving me the best-bearded heroes around...almost as good as my hubby. ;-)

Beard Necessities (Winston Brothers, #7)

by Penny Reid

Reviewed by stacey_is_sassy on Nov 10, 2019

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