Have you heard of author Penny Reid? What about her romantic comedy novels, the Winston Brothers book series?
A friend of mine recommended that I read them. To be honest, I waited weeks to start these books. I made some incorrect assumptions on what these stories would be, but her recommendation and the clever titles of the books had me intriuged. I figured why not give it a try.
The first book is Duane’s story, Truth or Beard. He’s one of the two red-headed, bearded twins and I had just finished reading Prince Harry’s book, Spare. So naturally, I envisioned Prince Harry for both Duane and Beau’s stories. Winning!
Truth or Beard starts out a bit… hot and heavy… which I was not expecting. But then the story begins, you get to know the brothers, their background, their town. Yes, there are romantic scenes as each story focuses on a brother and how he came to find “his woman,” but these stories are so well-written that I really felt like I knew, understood and rooted for this family.
Quick Summary of The Winston Brothers Series
I won’t divulge a lot of details but essentially, these brothers live in a small Tennessee town. Three own an automotive shop, 1 is a doctor, 1 is a park ranger, and one was a senator. Their dad is one of the top guys in a local biker gang, so they grew up knowing the gang, but are no longer a part of it due to their very strong, smart mother who passed away by the time the first book starts.
You can read much better summaries on Amazon, but what I really enjoyed was Penny Reid’s story variety. Yes, the brothers are each individuals, but their personalities are so different. Plus, their love interests each bring their own separate flavor and complexities: a movie star, an FBI agent, a baker, the sheriff’s daughter, a famous artist.
Plus, Penny Reid expertly weaved information from one book to the next. It reminded me of how J. K. Rowling did that with Harry Potter books. Something that came up in books ago but seemed small suddenly made sense later.
Know Before You Read
A heads up though, that book #6 and #7 both focus on Billy’s story. There was A LOT of history needed to do Billy’s story justice, so #6 was his past and #7 was his present. Although I almost lost my mind while waiting for book #7 to become available from my library (so I could read the continuation of book #6), the build up of Billy’s story throughout books 1 to 5 really did necessitate two separate books.
By the end of the series, I was mentally and emotionally exhausted. I laughed out loud so many times, and felt such love for these characters that I was sad that the books were over.
If you’re looking for a light-hearted, witty, romantic book series to read, I highly suggest you try the Winston Brothers book series.
What To Read Next?
It wasn’t until later that I found out that the only Winston sister, Ashley, has her book in the Knitting in the City book series. I’m not sure if it’s true, but I heard Ashley’s story came first, and then Penny Reid wrote her brother’s stories, which makes sense why she’s never a main character in these stories.
After reading this series, I’m a Penny Reid fan! I signed up for an Audible membership just to be able to read the Knitting in the City series. I have to read Ashley’s story that started it all.
The Winston Brothers Book Series In Order
Have you read any Penny Reid books or the Winston Brothers series in particular? If so, what did you think? Do you know of any similar book series that you’d recommend? Please comment below. Thanks for reading!
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