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 … 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.
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I finished Beard Necessities and have been mulling over this review since last night. I mean how to you really do the ending of a series you’ve loved justice? I don’t know but I’m going to try my hardest.
The story of Billie and Scarlet (aka, Claire, but I’ll forever think of her as Scarlet) was such a good one to end on. Having the mystery of why Billie was the way he was solved in Beard With Me (by the way, read this if you haven’t) meant that we could just sit back and enjoy the show…and what a show it was. The novel picks up where Roscoe’s ended and so we start in the hospital with Cletus running the show (so you know hilarity will ensue…and it does). The entire Winston clan, with the help of their significant others, is in on the plan to get Billie and Scarlet to their HEA. It’s not easy. Billie is as stubborn as they come but thankfully with a little help from the family, the years of them longing for each other are over and they can finally, FINALLY, have the happiness they should’ve had from the very beginning.
This novel was full of laughter and love and I could not think of a better way to close out this chapter. Having a chance to get a glimpse of all of the siblings and their happiness and then an epic epilogue really made what could’ve been a bittersweet final novel nothing but sweetness. I look forward to the new adventures Penn Reid will take us on and have a feeling that these Winston brother novels will be well loved with all the rereads I plan on doing between reading the new reads she has planned.
Beard Necessities (Winston Brothers #7) by Penny Reid is a contemporary, forced proximity, second chance romantic comedy told in first person, dual POV. It’s the final book in the Winston Brothers series and can be read as a standalone; but for the most enjoyable experience, I’d recommend reading the rest of the series first.
After all the hints sprinkled throughout books one through five about Billy and Claire’s past relationship, Beard with Me, book 6, took us back to their teen years, answering series-long questions about their tragic love story and what ultimately separated them. Beard Necessities tells the long-anticipated love story of Billy Winston and Claire McClure (aka Scarlet St. Claire) finding their way back to each other.
The story takes place in Italy where Duane and Jess are currently living after recently having a baby. The whole Winston clan makes the trip over to visit them and enjoy some sightseeing as a family. After almost twenty years of watching stubbornness, secrecy, guilt, and bitterness keep them apart, Cletus has come up with a scheme to get Claire and Billy back together. He rounds up the whole family and enlists their help. No longer able to avoid each other with all the Winston siblings’ plotting, shenanigans, and interference, Billy and Claire are forced to spend time together and finally hash out the past.
Beard Necessities contains the perfect blend of humor, hijinx, heartbreak, romance, and steamy sweet reunion. I loved catching up with all of the Winstons and their significant others and enjoyed how everybody had a role in this story. This is my favorite series, so it’s bittersweet knowing that the end is here. Though it’s hard to say goodbye, this book is a satisfying series conclusion. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend the entire series! I’m looking forward to more of Cletus and Jenn in the upcoming Handcrafted Mysteries series. In the meantime, I’ll be checking out the Smartypants Romance releases.
I am a big fan of Penny Reid and I adore her books but Beard Necessities just didn’t do anything for me. I am glad I read it as it wraps up the series but I didn’t necessarily add anything extra besides Billy and Claire getting their HEA which I kinda knew it was already coming. The author did a great job on writing the story and incorporating parts of the other books. This author always has a great way with words. I would say if you have read the series, read this one. It makes for a good conclusion. If you are new this this author I would start with a different book in the series.
Ahhhhh!! I am so obsessed with Penny Reid and the Winston Brothers series. After the amaziness of Beard With Me, I knew that Beard Necessities would be an epic conclusion to this fantastic series. But after reading this, Epic was an understatement. I loved Billy with my whole heart and could not get enough of him and Scarlett and the rest of the Winston Brothers. This story was truly incredible and a five star winner!
Without giving away any spoilers, just know this story was just superb. After Billy and Scarlett’s separation, the family has taken it upon itself to get them back together. But what follows is a heartwarming and poignant story of two people who found their way back to one another despite all of life’s hiccups. I fell in love with the pure emotion in this story and not only Billy and Scarlett’s love but the love the Winston family had as a whole for Billy. He was their rock and they wanted to see him happy. This series is absolutely magnificent and one of the best I have ever read! Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula
I have been waiting for Billy and Scarlet/Claire’s story. All the hints of their past and their interactions in the other Winston Brothers books has built my anticipation. Their story is full of angst and misunderstanding, but also full of love and self-sacrifice and forgiveness. This book also has lots of humor. Highly, highly recommend!!
Great story!
Beard Necessities is the continuation of Billy and Scarlet’s story, of which was started in Beard With Me.
I love Billy. His thoughts are so poetic, and his love for Scarlet is truly endless. But Scarlet felt weak. They literally would not have gotten together if Cletus and the other siblings hadn’t pushed them together and if Billy hadn’t made the first move.
After over a decade of this push and pull, love and hate, between the two, I would have expected their relationship to be more volatile once they finally got together. Instead it was a little…boring?
I was happy to have an ending to what I had always thought was a sad story, but I felt a little let down. And don’t get me started on the names of their children.
But one thing is true and was 100% affirmed for me: Cletus is my bae.
This is the way you end a series. Billy’s book may be last but by no means does it have any less of an emotional impact as all the other books. Billy and Claire have both gone through so much of an emotional roller coaster and fight so hard to get past each obstacle that appears before them with every part of their being. It makes the finish line so much more satisfying to see when Billy and Claire have to fight so hard and almost give up in their journey to find happiness and closure in their lives. It is so good to see their journey guided by their family and friends. It is definitely a bittersweet feeling to see it all end, but you know that for these characters the journey will continue on in some way that keeps you tied to them for life.
An entertaining book
“The soul becomes dyed with the color of it’s thoughts, and my soul was still Scarlet.”
Billy Winston and Scarlet/Claire McClure have spent the past eighteen years secretly loving, and yet blatantly avoiding each other. But, according to the rest of the Winston family, time is up, and it’s all hands on deck to scheme these two star crossed, self perpetuating martyrs into the happiness they both deserve… or else…
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Beard Necessities is the book that dries the tears that were left behind from the emotionally devastating, yet sadly beautiful love story that was Beard with Me. Claire and Billy’s young love might have been fast and unfulfilled, but the hurt that they have experienced being apart has lingered ever since. And with their mutual secrets having been kept quiet for far too long, Billy and Claire are about to get the full Winston meddling treatment…
Claire (aka Scarlet St. Claire) escaped her horrific childhood and fell into a marriage that started when she was far too young and then ended in tragedy. And while Claire loved her husband, there was only ever one man who truly held her heart, despite the fact that they seem to do nothing but bring out the worst in each other.
Billy has always been the protector of his family, and he once made the ultimate sacrifice to protect Scarlet, and he has never once regretted his decision since. But with the secrets that Billy has long held unsaid being threatened for the greater good, his time of keeping Scarlet in the dark about their past is coming to a close, as well as both Billy and Scarlet’s life of mutual avoidance…
The beginning of Billy and Scarlet’s relationship was a difficult and decidedly fraught time for the young duo. Now eighteen years later, they are older and wiser, and yet still deeply hurt from the damage they once inflicted upon each other. And although their past still hurts to reflect upon, they agree to a tentative friendship for the sake of keeping the peace between them. But Billy and Scarlet were never great about ignoring the love that has always simmered between them…
As a long time Winston fan, this book was simply everything I could have hoped for in the conclusion of the unparalleled Winston Brothers series. While a large part of the Winston clan has decided to spend time together in Italy, the entire family has agreed to do everything possible to push Billy and Scarlet together once and for all, and the antics involved was a comedic treat as well as an epic Winston send off.
I am very sad to see this series come to an end, but Billy and Scarlet were absolutely the story we needed to bring it all together. Beard Necessities presented a completely fun and fresh way to end this series, that not only included every single one of our beloved previous characters and couples, but made us feel that while we have concluded our time in Green Valley, the Winston family is still out there somewhere, living their lives to their delightfully bearded fullest.
I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.
The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts and my soul was still Scarlet.
Wow. Just wow! I ended this book with a face full of tears and a tinge of melancholy in my heart. This series is more than “just a series” to me, and as this chapter closes on the Winston clan, I am left an irrational sense of emptiness. I remind myself that these are just characters in a story, but then I laugh at the ridiculousness, because I know I’m lying as I try to deny that they have become like a family to me. I’ve loved them, been mad at them, rejoiced with them, and cried with them.
Billy Winston, the stalwart protector of his family, has been the one person we never knew much about but always felt like we knew. He was strong, stubborn, and an unfailing protector. He took care of what was his despite his safety. Billy didn’t have a selfish bone in his body, and that would come back to haunt him. Because his need to protect kept him away from the only person he ever loved (outside of his family), but the one person who was always outside his reach.
You are the architect and artist of my own personal paradise.
Meanwhile, Claire was filled with guilt of loving and desiring a man other than her husband. A man who was always hers but never within her reach. Guilt kept her away from Billy.
But the Winston clan would bring them together again. Lead by Cletus, his family realized it was time for them to put Billy first, and to intervene in his life, to take charge. And take charge they did! They schemed, they manipulated, they lied, and they pulled pranks, all with the end goal of bringing Claire and Billy together once and for all.
Billy’s devotion to and love for Claire was so pure and grounded in their rich history. Not always good and not always bad, the two shared experiences that no one else had or ever would. Their experiences bonded them with the strength of steel. It was unbreakable. It may have taken them a while to find their way back to each other, but Billy needed to hate Claire to love her, and Claire needed to lose Billy to love him.
Y’all! Reid killed it with her quote-worthy phrases. I could seriously gather them all and put them on throw pillows around my home!
Nothing lasts forever. Not a song, not happiness, not misery. Mere survival was no safer than living for hopes and dreams. At the end, there will always be the end.
So why not dream? Why not hope? Why not live life with wild faith and abandon? Why not take the risk? Otherwise, all these moments–small or momentous, heaven on earth–would be lost to fear.
Saying goodbye is not easy! This has been a top favorite series, and even though I know Reid has more books in store, I’m not sure there will ever be another series that I love as much as this one.
I’m struggling to judge…
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. 😉
BEST AUTHOR. BEST BOOK SERIES. PENNY REID AND THE WINSTON BROTHERS DID IT AGAIN!!!!
I will be honest and tell you that Penny Reid has written a highly addictive and utterly captivating series! This book is no exception. We have all been waiting for the epic conclusion to the series, that finally answers all of our questions about Billy and Scarlet. I thought that I was prepared, but I wasn’t. I was pretty gutted about all of the trials and tribulations that these two had to separately endure in order to get to this point. There is so much healing that needs to take place, and long hidden truths that need to be revealed. It truly does take a village to bring these two together. I won’t give anything away, but I will say that I was very happy with the ending of this book. I highly recommend this book, and the whole Winston Brother’s Series! Thank you, Penny Reid.
I am going to miss this family. I know I’ll go back read this series again at some point because I won’t be able to help myself. But I won’t lie, I didn’t want these stories to come to an end. And the revelation of just how much I love Billy Winston was a complete surprise to me. But I do. He and Scarlet took a piece of my heart when they told their story. I feel like I need to apologize to Cletus for having another favorite Winston he has to share space with at the top. But knowing how hard he worked and how much he invested in Billy and Scarlets happiness maybe he’d understand and be ok with it.
Am I talking about these people as though they are real? As though all the events and struggles were real as well? If so it’s because they were. Penny Reid has created this amazing family and town of bearded (and not so bearded) characters in Green Valley Tennessee. They are as funny and loyal and loving and flawed as any real people can be and I fell in love with them all, piece by piece, story by story.
Reading this conclusion deeply warmed my heart to see that all the Winston’s are well and thriving and growing. Because you want good friends to succeed and be happy, even though you’ll miss them when they are gone.
Thank you Penny Reid for this family. I’m keeping them and will definitely visit them again.
And so the Winston series has come to an end, and I’m 1000% not ready for that. I have so many thoughts and feelings about this beautiful story I don’t even know where to start. The descriptions of the locations in Italy has given me a little bit of wanderlust when I’ve never really had a desire to travel there. The angst in the book was incredible, my heart physically hurt several times for both Billy and Scarlet, it was so beautiful. I really loved that all the Winstons and spouses were there, each with their personality showing I never once felt confused or had to go back and check who was speaking, it was like spending time with old friends. And that epilogue, my heart is so incredibly full and happy. I would have enjoyed this book without Beard With Me, but having read that made the ending of their story so much sweeter and fulfilling. This book gave me happy tears, I highly recommend the entire series.
The happy-ever-after for Billie and Scarlet brings this epic romance series to a heartwarming end.
It’s sad to be writing this review because it means that the Winston Brothers series has come to an end. As much as I was so looking forward to Billie and Scarlet’s story, I really didn’t want it to end. So, I’ll first say, thank you to Penny Reid for creating this amazing family and amazing community of Green Valley. It’s sort of scary how invested you can get in fictional characters but when you’ve been following these two for 6 books- to say that you get kind of desperate for their happy ending is quite an understatement.
This book was everything I hoped it would be – I cried, I laughed, I sighed and I simply smiled in happiness for these two, especially when reading the final epilogue (which is priceless and another gift from the whole Winston family).
Reid says you can read this as a standalone, but don’t do it. I actually beg you NOT to just pick this one up without investing time in the entire series as it just wouldn’t be the same, wouldn’t carry so much weight and simply wouldn’t be as satisfying a read having not been with these characters and their past from the very beginning. I also highly recommend you read Beard with Me first as well – Billie and Scarlet’s origin story – as it gives you their start and fills in all the blanks leading them to where they are in Beard Necessities.
This book doesn’t rehash Beard in Mind or even focus on any flashbacks which was such a great call because I honestly didn’t need any more angst for these two. Instead, Reid expertly starts us off right where we left with them – the anguish between two people who love each other but AREN’T TALKING and moves us along with Billie and Scarlet until they finally do.
So, the beginning of the book hit me hard in the gut when Billie and Scarlet first see each other. Billie just arrived in Italy where Scarlet has been helping out his brother Duane and his wife Jessica who just had a baby. He’s not doing well after donating bone marrow and the whole Winston family is worried about him.
“Leave…Please. Leave”
Oh Billie, my heart just bleeds for you- for all that you have sacrificed for your family and for the love of your life.
But thank god for Scarlet. She seemed like a new woman to me in this book – which probably had something to do with the therapy she said she had been going to recently. Well Hallelujah for therapy because she wouldn’t let Billie push her away this time. Of course it also took some instigating by the entire Winston family clan to also push these two together to force them to talk, and then FINALLY they did and feelings were revealed.
Even once feelings are shared, I love how Reid carries us along as they now work to find their footing after so many years of hurt and guilt and anger and waiting with the Winston family members still underfoot, trying in their own meddling, hilarious way to finally get these two together.
I loved the quality scenes we got with family members from the past books. The ones between Jethro and Billie were very special and Shelley surprised me with her poignant message that was so beautifully written. (I also think I’ll be laughing over Jethro’s “clam” comment to Sienna for quite some time as it had me in absolute stitches!).
I will say that I wish that I could reach into the here-after and strangle Ben – ugh, what a selfish douchebag. We got just enough to see his true colors and I’m grateful more wasn’t spelled out into greater detail as to his and Scarlet’s time together as it would have just detracted from Billie and Scarlet’s story and pulled me down.
I’m not going to go into more details about the book because if you’re someone who’s followed these two throughout this series you need to just experience it for yourself. It was everything I had hoped for.
Beard Necessities brought a wonderful conclusion to Beard with Me and the entire Winston Brothers series that shows how two soulmates can overcome so much and ultimately claim their happy-ever-after that is so very much deserved. This is a must read book and series!
This is one of only a few long series in books, that I have started from the very beginning at book 1 and read each book on its release. I would be hanging out desperately needing to know what was next for the Winston Brothers. This one was no exception, and I went in reading it with a bittersweet feeling knowing this was the very last Winston tale to be told. That feeling quickly left once I started this novel, which is essentially part two of Billy and Claire / Scarlett’s journey. Part one, or Book 6 gave us the background of how their love story began, and part two picks up just after Roscoe’s book (5), or seventeen going on eighteen, eighteen going on nineteen years after part one – the point is, this is how long their traverse story has been going for. And it is an EPIC one to witness.
Billy is not the eldest in the family, but he had taken on the role of leader from a very early age. It is one he is proud to hold and his family means more to him than his own life. And that includes Scarlett too, she will be forever Scarlett in my eyes. He would do and did anything to keep her safe. Now, all these years later, they are both tired of being angry at each other, they are over all the lies that have been made for the sake of others feelings. And they are sick of the intrusions into their own life but they are in for a doozy because Cletus has plans….. big plans to get these two together, none other than in Italy, and make sure they do not leave until Billy puts a ring on it, at the very least. Now Cletus is smart, but even his plans can’t all be perfect. Billy is a man of his own thoughts and actions, and he will delivery Cletus’s instructions, but in his own way. From here we get to see how these two open up more to each other and fully understand how deep their love goes. Now I have always been on Billy’s side, everything he says is gospel! I think I am a little hung up on him, just like Scarlett. I fully understood his reasons behind why she should never know the entire story back when they were kids. I agreed with him wholeheartedly. And then when she did find out, her being hurt and the reason behind that… well, now I am on her side! I love the way this book pulled me in all directions and opened my eyes up to the “two sides of a story” theory. I always knew it, but felt it more so with this book.
Each brother has affected me in some way, but Billy is the one I am most impressed about. I adored him from book 1 and he will continue to be my favourite brother with Cletus being the most entertaining and charismatic one and a close second. I can not rate the others and they all fall into my third favourite. If I was to recommend which book out of this series is a MUST read? All of them, you couldn’t possible not know each and every one of them and get the full Winston history and drama. I am sad that this jaunt is over, but the epilogue gave me a sense of calm and complete. I also know that I can and will read this series again from its entirety again in the future, which is rare for me, but I love them all so much, I can not fully say goodbye.
*Reviewed by Monique for JoandIsaLoveBooks Blog.
Beard Necessities was definitely one of my highly-anticipated reads for the entire year. I’m soooooo sad to say farewell to the Winstons, however, I’m elated that we get to visit a lot of them in the Smartypants Romance universe.
Okay, the Winstons are back and they’re coming in hot to finally knock some sense into Claire and Billy. This was a long time coming, so ready or not, here they were ready to get things going with these two.
Coming off of reading the extremely emotional origin story of Billy and Claire in Beard With Me. I was kind of expecting the same kind of tone when it came to finally having these to work towards their happy ever after. And that’s not what you get … per se. However, the tone was fitting for this series as a whole because that’s how every previous book was. So I totally understand, but kind of wish it went the other direction.
Billy will frustrate you to no end in this one because of his lack of movement towards FINALLY swooning Scarlet. They had soooo much they needed to talk about and it took a lot longer for them to finally have that discussion. The anticipation was unreal!
The meddling of the Winstons was hilarious at times, but it got a little bit too much for me in the end. I think one simple nudge here and there would have been enough, but it felt like every moment they were there barging in.
With all of that being said, I did very much enjoy the story that I feel like I’ve been waiting my entire life for ;-). It’s been such a crazy journey and I am so happy that I got to be along for the ride. I love you forever Winston family and I’ll be cherishing every moment one of you guys pop up in the Smartypants Romance universe.
**I RECEIVED A COMPLIMENTARY READER’S COPY FROM SOCIAL BUTTERFLY PR FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. THIS DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION OF THE BOOK OR CONTENT OF MY REVIEW**
4.5 stars! Feelings, all of the feelings. I LOVE a broody man. The broodier the better and Billy was that man. I loved learning the backstory of all of the things that transpired between Beard with Me and this book. There was so much heartache and so much love. I feel like neither of them could really just come out and say all of the things they needed to say and that is sad because they wasted so many years. Just when Billy has given up on Scarlet, his family steps in and makes sure they see what is right in front of them.
I loved Cletus and his intervention into their lives for the sake of everyone’s happiness. I loved learning about what happened when Scarlet left and was with Ben even if those things were hard to hear/read. I always knew Ben wasn’t who he made himself out to be, but he really wasn’t a great person. I hate that there were so many lies and untold truths between Billy and Scarlet and that is what kept them apart from each other for so long. This book was lighter than Beard with Me but heavier than other parts of the series. It gave me butterflies and it also warmed my heart. These two finally have their HEA and it took long enough!