This is a very cute romance that will do well with romance readers when they're in the mood for something small town cute. There was a lot of humor in this story and is a nice, easy read. I could have gone for a snappier first half (and the biker gang didn't do it for me). It was dangerously close to feeling icky with the twin situation, but the way it was written made it ultimately fine (not impersonating someone else to the detriment of others). Overall I will recommend this to folks whose primary genre is romance!

I’ve been meaning to try Penny Reid’s books forever, so I finally jumped in. I’m really glad I did! This was a quirky and fun small town romance. There’s a large subplot with a motorcycle gang that I felt a little confused by and lots of different characters to keep track of, but this was a good time and I’m very intrigued by the Winston family.

Read if you like:
- small town hijinks
- childhood enemies-ish to lovers
- slow burn
- pining
- grumpy + sunshine
- he falls first and harder
- it’s always been you
- meddling family members and shenanigans

I didn’t love the drama at the end and Duane making unilateral decisions, but I think his heart was always in the right place. More grovel would have been better and I also could have done without all the ex drama and details from his “relationship” with Tina. I appreciated that Jessica was confident and smart enough to not fall for it though and the entire miscommunication conflict (for that) was avoided. I’m most intrigued by Claire (and Billy?!?) at this point and will be looking forward to that book later in the series.

Note: I actually didn’t realize there was an earlier book that introduced these characters/family (Beauty and the Mustache), so I would probably read that first if I could do it again.

CW: death of parent (past), grief, parental abandonment (past), blackmail, mentions of hiding/smuggling drugs, threats to safety, guns

OW/OM notes: FMC initially kisses and fools around with the MMC thinking it’s his twin brother, MMC kisses OW (his on/off ex of 5 years) in front of FMC to make her jealous, drama with the MMC’s ex

Thank you to the publisher and author for this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was a solid romance book. I loved the family aspect of the Winston brothers. I thought the way it started off with her being into the other twin was a little awkward, but we moved past it quickly which was good. I did feel like the main characters were a bit immature and I would’ve liked more depth/development from them. I was quite bored in the middle and I didn’t really feel connected to the side plot. The ending brought everything together and I enjoyed it! Overall a solid book

“Be wild for me, be reckless. I love your kind of wild.”

When Jessica James returns home, her plan is to stay just as long as it takes to make enough money to pay off her student loans. then she’ll be off to travel the world. she has no intention of putting down romantic roots. but what Jessica doesn’t know is that Duane Winston has loved her for years, and he sees this as his opportunity to finally make something happen between them.

with Jessica determined to see the world and not get stuck in her hometown, she and Duane agree to spend thirteen months together. they’ll have just over a year, and then they’ll break up, no matter what. this way they can experience life together, but she’ll still get to live out her dreams of traveling the world. however, as the days go by and they get closer than ever, both of them begin to realize a one year deal probably wasn’t a good idea. how are they supposed to just say goodbye when it’s all over? is heartbreak inevitable?

Truth or Beard was fun and flirty, but ultimately, it fell flat for me. the big conflict keeping Jessica and Duane from being able to commit felt like a weak hurdle that could be overcome with some discussions and planning. also, both MCs had some problematic behaviors, especially around intimacy. I understand why so many people love this, but it just wasn’t my favorite.
—

this and that:
♡ band of brothers
♡ bearded men
♡ childhood frenemies-to-lovers
♡ classic cars
♡ dirt road racing
♡ dual pov
♡ he’s obsessed
♡ it was always you
♡ love with a timeline
♡ mechanic x math teacher
♡ open door spice
♡ picnics
♡ small town
♡ skinny dipping
♡ truth or dare

triggers:
☞ biker gangs
☞ child abuse (mentioned)
☞ death of a loved one
☞ domestic abuse (mentioned)

This starts as an unexpected and mistaken identity moment of lust. This love story has many layers and is the beginning of one of my very favorite romance series of all time. The Winston brothers are quirky, kind, and sexy. Duane is unexpectedly everything Jessica needs

Love love love this book! So excited it’s coming out in a special edition. The Winston Brothers series holds a very special place in my heart as it was one of the first series I read when I was getting back into reading!

I stayed up until 2:30 am devouring this book so... that's how you know it was great! This story was so fun! I love dual 1st person POV. I also love romance series where each book follows a different sibling. This book has sooo many great tropes: mistaken identity, rivals to lovers, childhood enemies, etc. I liked how the FMC knew pretty early on who she wanted and the MMC was Down Bad from the start. He fell first, but arguably she fell harder... they were both pretty far gone for one another. <3

All that rambling to say: this small-town romance is worth the read. I'm so glad this series is being rereleased and I'm excited to read all of the other sibling's romance stories!

This story also brought in some danger, and it was interesting to see the small-town biker dynamics. I'm intrigued by how those dynamics will play into future books!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with arcs in exchange for my honest review!

I love these two so much! The banter is top notch. Love the sort of grunpy/sunshine aspect they have. Big bearded grump who is soft for his woman 👏 give me more of that for sure

I realized going into reading Totally Forked that I never read Jessica's book. While I do have to say it's not my favorite of the series (looking at you #2 & #3) it was so much fun reading about the brothers knowing what is to come for them. I would say this is a slow read, that I had started many times before since other books within this series are in my top ten all time favorites. It's a good read, just know it's slow, but the side characters are important and you will see them all again through out the series.

4.5 stars!

"Truth or Beard" is the first Penny Reid novel I have read, and if they are all this good, then I cannot wait to read the rest of her back catalog because this book is HILARIOUS. I genuinely *howled* multiple times while reading this one. I have read soooo many small-town romances, but somehow, "Truth or Beard" felt fresh and authentic. I absolutely adored the main characters, Jessica and Duane. Jessica is a geeky teacher who has a ton of love in her heart and an insatiable wanderlust. She wants more out of life than what her small town home can provide, and she intends to leave as soon as she saves up enough money to travel the world. Enter Duane, a brooding but caring daredevil who has loved Jessica from afar for years. He's protective of his family, especially of his identical twin, Beau. Jessica has had a crush on Beau since grade school, but one kiss from Duane has her rethinking everything she thought she knew about that. I loved watching Duane and Jessica's relationship evolve over the course of the story. Their chemistry is infectious and terrific! The pining between the two of them is dynamic! Their back and forth banter is deliciously fun! I liked all of the geekiness and nerdiness from both characters. Duane is a car enthusiast, and Jess loves stuff like "Lord of the Rings." The secondary characters, including Beau's siblings and Jessica's family, are all excellent, well fleshed-out and necessary to the plot, which is clearly going to keep evolving over however many books are in this series. The one thing I will say is it feels like the main conflict between Jessica and Duane is a little bit overdramatic and overdone, as is the stuff involving the motorcycle club. It's a bit much! Still, it doesn't detract from the overall greatness of the story. I had such a blast reading this book! I highly recommend it to anyone who loves romantic comedies!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penny Reid, and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

My first Penny Reid book & certainly not the last. I had a great time reading Truth or Beard.

I really enjoyed Duane and Jessica. I liked their banter and chemistry a lot. Reid definitely delivered on humor and heat. These two do not have the easiest path to love but I enjoyed the ride nonetheless. I liked that they had obstacles, it made their love story more believable. I also liked that Duane had to find himself too since it is usually the FMC trying to find herself. I liked how headstrong Jessica. These two were great together.

The chemistry between them was nuts! They had so much great tension. I loved it!

A great start to a series.

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I read the OG version of Truth or Beard back in 2015. I am a huge Winston Brothers fan and a huge Penny fan. You do not want to miss this book or this series! It’s absolutely fantastic.

This was a slowwwww burn and I seem to be getting a lot of that lately lol. This book did have a lot going on with the romance and sort of mafia plot and I liked it for the most part. The fmc has known the mmc since she was a teen and has a crush on the mmcs teen brother who has always been nice to her. She did not like the MMC because he was always doing stuff to annoy her. She finds herself thinking she is kissing the nice twin and realizes later that it's the mmc of the book. She spends time trying to convince herself that she's not attracted to him.

I liked that the twin aspect wasn't a love triangle and that it was wrapped up. I also liked that the relationship took a while to develop and did not happen immediately despite the tension and chemistry but it was so slow. There were times that I thought they would get together and something would draw them apart. For some reason that made the book seem longer than it was. I think also this book had very loud subplots that took over the romance at times, especially in the last quarter of the book. Overall this was a cute small-town read with family themes, secrets, and a very slow burn(we got at least 2 steamy scenes though yay).

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for this earc, I liked the dating profiles and mini art sprinkled in.

“Truth or Beard” was a cute and lighthearted read, but it didn’t fully win me over. Penny Reid does a great job creating a quirky small-town vibe, and the Winston Brothers are definitely an interesting bunch. Duane Winston is broody and charming, while Jessica’s adventurous spirit made her easy to root for. Their chemistry had its moments, especially during the banter-filled scenes.

That said, the story dragged at times, and I found myself losing interest here and there. The conflict between Jessica and Duane felt a little repetitive, and I wanted more depth in their connection. Some of the side characters were fun, but others felt a bit over the top and distracted from the main romance.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read but not one that left a lasting impression. I’d still recommend it to fans of small-town romance, but I’m not rushing to pick up the next book in the series just yet.

I absolutely adore this book! Jessica is a teacher who has a had a lifelong crush on Beau Winston most of her life. She finally gets a chance to be with "him" and it is wonderful. Only she finds out it is actually his twin grumpy twin brother Duane. The banter is hilarious. The main characters chemistry is delicious and the shenanigans that the Winston brothers get into are so fun to read. This whole series is an absolute must read!