Goodreads Choice Award Finalist for Best Romance *Amazon Top 10 Romances of 2016AAR Top 10 Romances of All Time*From the NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, & USA TODAY bestselling series.Make a deal with the devil and you might get what you want, but will it be what you need?Jennifer Sylvester wants one thing, and that one thing is NOT to be Tennessee’s reigning Banana Cake Queen. Ever the … thing, and that one thing is NOT to be Tennessee’s reigning Banana Cake Queen. Ever the perpetual good girl and obedient daughter, Jennifer is buckling under the weight of her social media celebrity, her mother’s ambitions, and her father’s puritanical mandates. Jennifer is officially desperate.
And desperate times call for Cletus Winston.
Cletus Winston is a puzzle wrapped in a mystery covered in conundrum sauce, and now he’s in a pickle. Despite being convinced of his own omniscience, extortion by the exalted Banana Cake Queen of Green Valley has taken him completely by surprise. So… what’s a maniacal mastermind to do?
Likely, the last thing you expect.
Beard Science is book #1 in the Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries series and Book #3 in the WInston Brothers series. Each book is a standalone, full length (110k words), contemporary romantic comedy novel, and follows the romantic exploits and adventures of one of the six Winston Brothers.
more
I love everything about Cletus! I love his not-so-evil machinations, his overall kindness, and his ability to understand most situations on a deeper level. He’s so supportive of Jennifer and helping her to find herself.
Jennifer knows she needs a change and tries to go after it the only way she can think of, but Cletus helps her discover what she really wants. So good!
Cletus Winston is wonderful. I have loved all the Winston’s stories (thank you Ms. Reid!), but I cannot wait for more Cletus. Such fun!
A perfect blend of humor and romance! Beard Science sets the bar of what every romantic comedy should strive for. Yes, I’m late to the Winston Brothers party, but I’m trying to make them last since there’s only so many of them! Jenn and Cletus are my favorite by far! This story was filled with plenty of witty banter among the Winston siblings (and some of their significant others), as well as secondary characters that will win your heart too. Fair warning: You won’t want to eat or drink while reading, for safety reasons, trust me.
Cletus is a favorite- so funny and smart. The tables turned with the blackmailer being blackmailed. I worked in my parents bakery growing up so I could relate to the banana cake queen. I have fallen for the Winston family.
Jennifer Sylvester wants a husband and a baby but has no way of meeting anyone … that is, until she finds herself in possession of blackmail material on the remarkably attractive Cletus Winston. And now Jennifer has the most powerful man in East Tennessee right where she needs him. Will Jennifer regret bringing herself to the attention of the maniacally clever Cletus?
Beard Science is a comical, drama-filled and sweet story that’s a must read! I can’t wait to read Beau’s story in Beard in Mind, Book 4 of the Winston Brothers Series.
Typical girl wants one type of man then realized she needs a different type of man.
4 1/2 stars. I love every book in this series.
WOW. I can’t believe I’ve finally read the book of the most famous couple in the Winston Brothers series. Jennifer Sylvester and Cletus Winston are truly a match made in heaven and everything about them – as individuals and as a couple – was perfect.
First, I need to talk about Jennifer. Considering she suffered a lot while growing up, Jenn became someone withdrawn, shy and afraid of doing the wrong thing. When she said she was used to being laughed at, I was heartbroken because I could see that no one ever took her seriously. She thought everything was wrong with her, when in reality she has always been amazing, smart and super talented.
After 22 years of having her life dictated by her parents and being treated like a doll by everyone, Jenn just wants to get rid of the “Banana Cake Queen” label and be free to make her own choices and live the life she has always wanted. After a random visit to the police station, she was faced with an opportunity to change her reality, but to achieve that, she needed to blackmail Cletus.
I loved that even scared, she came up with a brilliant plan to blackmail someone she considered the most dangerous man in East Tennessee and didn’t back down. This was the perfect plot to show everyone just how complex and extraordinary she was. Jenn slowly started to change things that had always bothered her and she realized that everyone else was wrong, not her. So yeah, I can definitely say that my favorite thing about “Beard Science” was witnessing Jenn’s growth. She became her own person and finally accepted that she was worthy of being treated with respect and love.
Reading romance is my favorite thing in the world, but I’d be lying if I said that the fact that most characters had their first romantic/sexual experiences in their teenage years doesn’t make me sad and insecure. I’ve never been in a relationship before and I only had my first kiss when I turned 23, so seeing an amazing character like Jenn dealing with many of my own insecurities was amazing. I know for most people this is super silly, but being “represented” like that really meant the world to me. (When Jenn said “I feel like I’m constrained by my lack of experience”, I really felt that. If you’re also someone who has a hard time relating to female characters in romance novels, read this tumblr post because it sums up this feeling perfectly).
I could write an essay about how incredible Jennifer is, but I’m just gonna talk about Cletus now. He’s just on a league of his own. Seriously, I don’t know a character that even comes close to be as genius, sneaky and funny as Cletus. He knew people underestimated him and he used that to become stronger and powerful. His plans were always unbelievably amazing and carefully organized. I’m beyond ecstatic that we’re gonna have a whole series to see more of his machinations btw. Another thing I admired about Cletus was how fiercely he loved each one of his siblings and the great lengths he was willing to go to protect them. I obviously also loved how effortlessly funny he was. I legit spent most of the book asking myself “doesn’t he realize what he has just said?” lol He really is the best.
Cletus and Jenn’s relationship was beautiful. Cletus really cherished Jenn and wanted the best for her. He defended her not because he thought she was weak, but because she just needed a little push to start taking control of her own life. I also think it was amazing that Jenn didn’t see Cletus as the “weird” Winston brother, but actually as someone who was smarter than most of Tennessee’s population. I love relationships where the couple are each other’s biggest supporters so this book was perfect for me.
I love Cletus!
Have read EVERYTHING written by Penny Reid.
Got hooked and wound up reading the whole Beard Series. Characters a well developed and engaging
If you ask my husband if he is jealous of anyone else… he will say Cletus Winston!
I am a lover of all things Penny Reid and Green Valley Tennessee. Beard Science is my favorite from the Winston Brother series. There truly is a special place in my heart for Cletus Winston and Jennifer Sylvester. Their love story is one I enjoy rereading and makes me swoon every time. They are a perfect literary match made for one another.
Cletus is clever, manipulative, and sometimes he’s up to no good. Jenny is sweet and kind but has a lot of growing up and finding herself to do. Together they bring out the best in each other. They are also more alike than either one of them could ever imagine. This is a story about love for family and finding yourself. Who knew that the Banana Cake Queen was the one to tame Cletus Winston’s heart!!
Trust me you will love this bushy bearded man! I will read anything that Penny writes with Cletus Winston. So please keep them coming.
not my cup of tea – didn’t like either of the main characters and stopped 4 chapters in.
The writing was fun the story I thought kind of interesting so I gave 2 stars. Would have been 1 for too many overly done sex scenes.
Love the beard series. You will not be disappointed.
Love the characters in this book.
I love Penny’s books. She makes me laugh,she makes me cry. I learn things that help me understand myself better.
Loved this book!! I didn’t want to put it down!!
I have the whole series on order now!!!
Quirky and fun. I love this author and the characters. Read the whole series!