Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid Series: Winston Brothers #5
Published by Cipher-Naught on July 30, 2018
Pages: 350
Format: ARC
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Romantic Comedy
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Hunches, horse races, and heartbreak
Ten years after Simone Payton broke his heart, all Roscoe Winston wants is a doughnut. He’d also like to forget her entirely, but that’s never going to happen. Roscoe remembers everything—every look, every word, every single unrequited second—and the last thing he needs is another memory of Simone.
Unfortunately, after one chance encounter, Simone keeps popping up everywhere he happens to be . . .
Ten years after Roscoe Winston dropped out of her life, all Simone Payton wants is to exploit him. She’d also like some answers from her former best friend about why he ghosted her, but if she never gets those answers, that’s a-okay. Simone let go of the past a long time ago. Seriously, she has. She totally, totally has. She is definitely not still thinking about Roscoe. Nope. She’s more than happy to forget he exists.
But first, she needs just one teeny-tiny favor . . .
Dr. Strange Beard is a full-length romantic comedy novel, can be read as a stand-alone, and is the fifth book in the USA TODAY bestselling Winston Brothers series.
The Winston Brothers series revolves around six bearded brothers who are completely distinctive, wonderfully complicated, and equally endearing. And the award for the sweetest, most sensitive Winston brother goes to Roscoe Winston. In Dr. Strange Beard he gets a chance to pursue his happily ever after.
This is an unrequited friends to lovers story fraught with misunderstandings and intermingled with fond childhood memories. Roscoe is every bit as charming as his brothers, but he’s introspective and his eidetic memory makes him extremely perceptive. This sounds kind of corny, but his good manners made me swoon. He’s also a veterinarian which is super attractive because… puppies and kittens. Basically, Roscoe is totally irresistible to every man, woman, child, and animal in town—everyone except Simone, his former best friend and one true love. Simone is single-minded, with her career being her only priority. There’s no room in her life for love or mushy sentiments. She can be harsh, but I loved her wit.
Roscoe and Simone have a wonderful shared history. Unfortunately, the end of their friendship left lingering hurt feelings on both sides. Communication is not their strongest suit, and I grew antsy waiting for Simone to wake up and smell the freaking coffee and for Roscoe to stop running away. Several times I wanted to lock them in a room and not let them leave until they hashed out all their baggage. It would have prevented so much frustration and repetition.
Most of the Winston brothers have now fallen in love and moved out of the family homestead. I’m a bit homesick for the days when they all lived together with their crazy smorgasbord of personalities, but Penny Reid faithfully reunites them. Would any story be complete without Cletus and his sausage? The answer: no.
The book is filled with Reid’s brain tickling humor, and I also enjoyed the elements of mystery and suspense. There are several loose ends left at the end, which sets up Billy’s story quite nicely. I’ve got a soft spot for Billy, so I already have a date planned with Beard Necessities.
Recommended for fans of:
Doughnuts
Friends to lovers stories
Puppies
*I voluntarily read an early version of this book. This does not affect the content of my review.*
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About Penny Reid
Penny Reid is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. When she’s not immersed in penning smart romances, Penny works in the biotech industry as a researcher. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.
Great review! I am a Penny Reid and Winston Brothers groupie, so of course I loved it! But I think you verbalized better than I did WHAT I loved about it so much!
Thank you so much! I’ll be sad when the series is over.
Oh me too! But she WILL be writing a spin off Green Valley series that starts with Jackson James. It’s not the same….but it’s something!
Yes! I’m super excited about that. I think there will also be a mystery series with Cletus and Jennifer.
Yes! I’m not usually a mystery reader. But I love Cletus so much, I’ll read it for sure!
Amen. I completely agree. I was frustrated by the time jump. I felt like I missed something important. I couldn’t remember Simone’s character enough. She wasn’t what I was expecting at all. That was good and bad. Great review!