‘Beard With Me’ is the origin story of Billy Winston and Scarlet St. Claire (aka Claire McClure) and is just the beginning of their epic love story. No one is better at surviving than Scarlet St. Claire and making the best out of circumstances beyond her control is Scarlet’s specialty. In an apocalyptic situation, she’d be the last person on earth, hermitting like a pro, singing along to her CD … singing along to her CD Walkman, and dancing like no one is watching.
Scarlet is clever, Scarlet is careful, and Scarlet is smart . . . except when it comes to Billy Winston.
No one is better at fighting than Billy Winston and raging against his circumstances—because nothing is beyond his control—is Billy’s specialty. In an apocalyptic situation, he’d be the first person on earth to lead others to safety, overcome catastrophe, or die trying.
Billy is fearless, Billy is disciplined, and Billy is honorable . . . except when it comes to Scarlet St. Claire.
COMING SEPTEMBER 2019
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4.5 Stars
Beard With Me is the start of Billy Winston and Scarlett St Claire’s story. It’s an emotional, at times heartbreaking story of friendship, family and love. Billy and Scarlett’s story isn’t always an easy read, but it also contains plenty of hope, humor and Cletus, that kept me coming back for more.
Life hasn’t always been kind to this pair, are both old before their time. The hardships of life and what they have endured and witnessed has caused this pair to think and act in a way that is beyond their years. At times I forgot that I was reading about two teenagers, rather than adults. ‘
Scarlett is a survivor. She’s strong and intelligent, but her upbringing has meant that she has learnt to be vigilant and very adept and merging into the background and not calling attention upon herself.
Billy is a strong, hard working and honorable protector. He’s loyal and although more reserved than his siblings, he loves with his whole heart.
This story has answers so many questions that I’ve had in regard to Billy’s past, but has also left me with more questions and I cannot wait for the release of Beard Necessities to discover more about this complex and endearing pair of characters.
Penny Reid gives her readers a warning at the beginning that isn’t her typical Winston Brothers book, and there are all sorts of potential triggers for readers. She is not wrong, but I still LOVE her and her writing!
This is a prequel of sorts, but it’s also part of a duet with the sequel coming out pretty soon! I was excited to finally get the story of Billy and Scarlet/Claire. It is pretty fast-paced, but I could believe and feel the bond they shared.
Both have pretty terrible childhoods, and both impressed me in the ways they were able to cope with it. Both showed incredible resolve and strength. I loved seeing the Winston clan as children. Those were the places I laughed in the book. I know I’m being kind of cagey in writing the review, but I don’t want to even hint at a spoiler. Just know…this is one of my favorite books by Reid!
Despite this being different, and it doesn’t end like the other books in the series, I loved it! She was able to bring out all my emotions. There aren’t many writers that can make you laugh while also breaking your heart. Yet, Reid did just that. It shows her versatility and talent as a writer. It is always why she will be one of my very favorite writers of all time!
Heading into Beard With Me, I knew that this was not going to be a ‘typical’ Winston Brothers read, and I took to heart the author’s PSA about just how different Billy Winston and Scarlet St. Claire’s (aka Claire McClure) origins story would be.
Billy has always been a bit more myth than man to me, and even though it’s because his personal history hadn’t been provided yet, I didn’t quite know if the Billy of the past would be more or less like the Billy of the present. But what I realized the further into the story that I got was that Billy’s past defines his present, explaining why it seems to always be on the outskirts of the family even though he’s a pivotal member of the Winston clan. The one aspect of Billy that stuck out in both time frames was his need to protect those he loved, even if it meant sacrificing his own well-being and happiness.
Scarlet’s pain and suffering is palpable; it resonates from the pages of her story and the deeper into her personal history and mistreatment readers get and become privy to, the easier it is to understand just how much she had to overcome and just how amazing it is that she turned out the way she did despite her upbringing and abuse.
Since the onset of the Winston Brothers series, it was made perfectly clear just how vile and despicable Darrell Winston was, but because Beard With Me takes readers back to an earlier time in Green Valley, we’re privy to just how much damage he caused and exactly why there’s a place in hell reserved for this man.
The Bethany Winston readers are introduced to at the beginning of the series is not the one Reid portrays in Beard With Me, which makes sense given the time frame of the story. She is very much the matriarch of the Winston children, dispensing important lessons and doing what she can to protect her kids, forging bonds that would hopefully carry them through even after she was gone.
As much as I thought I was prepared to take this journey with one of my absolute favorite fictional families, there were still aspects of the text that left me overwhelmingly raw and emotionally off-balance. But that’s exactly why Penny Reid is one of my must-read authors…she doesn’t confine herself to telling one type of story…she takes risks and refuses to be a one-dimensional author…she crafts smart romances that allow her characters to tell their stories in their own voices…in their own ways, never compromising who they are or what they want to say, which illustrates just how in tune Penny is with each and everyone of her characters.
I can’t wait for part two of Billy and Claire’s story because while I know that there will still be trials and issues for them to endure and overcome, their well-earned happily ever after will happen, making all they had to go through to get to that point worth it in the end.
4.5 Poison Apples
BEARD WITH ME is the sixth instalment in Penny Reid’s contemporary, adult WINSTON BROTHERS romance series focusing on the Winston family of siblings. This is the backstory to to Scarlet St. Claire and Billy Winston’s love story. BEARD WITH ME is a prequel storyline that can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Billy and Scarlet) BEARD WITH ME focuses on the early relationship between Scarlet St. Claire and Billy Winston, children of some of the most vial members of the Iron Wraith MC. Approximately twenty years earlier sixteen year old Billy Winston fell in love with fourteen year old Scarlett St. Claire , a young girl much older than her years; a young woman who has suffered greatly at the hands of your abusive father. Scarlet would find safety living alone in the back woods but her place of refuge would soon be discovered by Billy Winston. Billy, along with one-time football hero Ben McClure, would become guardian and protector of Scarlet St. Claire but no amount of heroism was about to protect our story line hero.
BEARD WITH ME is a well written, detailed, dark and heart breaking story; a tale of fated lovers whose dysfunctional families battle to destroy what’s left of their beating hearts. Penny Reid pulls the read into a story of survival; of abuse and terror; of friendship, love, betrayal and hate. BEARD WITH ME reveals the heartache and struggles of the Winston family siblings; their bruised and battered mother; and of a young girl’s desperate act to save herself from the ultimate betrayal.
Well, you can certainly include me in the long list of people eagerly waiting for BEARD WITH ME. I’ve been a fan of the Winston Brothers series from the beginning, and with each book we learn a little more about the family and their loved ones. I suppose it’s fitting that Penny Reid made us wait until the very end for Scarlet and Billy. Their story has been fed to us piecemeal and anticipation was high, high, high!
Scarlet and Billy’s story is not a pretty one. It’s clear that both Scarlet and Billy were forced to grow up before their time. Circumstances, responsibilities, and the need to just plain survive drive these characters to act in ways well beyond their years. I really am surprised that the many characters we know from previous books managed to make it into adulthood as relatively well-adjusted as they did because for the most part, this story has a heavy grey cloud hanging over it. In a word it’s heartbreaking.
There was plenty to keep me immersed in this story, and my digital copy of this book is a rainbow of colour with the many sentences and passages I have highlighted. There was plenty of lyrical prose, several mysteries from the past were solved for me and even with all the heaviness, there were many poignant moments along with touches of humour here and there.
There are, however, several things that stopped me from loving this book. Firstly, I felt the pacing was a tad lop-sided. The last 30% is fast paced and action filled. I was eagerly flipping those pages and my jaw was hanging open at what came to pass. I was enthralled! The earlier part of the book did hold my interest but several times I felt the messaging was repetitive and had us readers figuratively treading water.
Secondly, I did question the credibility of some of the speech. We are talking about teenagers and I personally feel it rings false when teens are talking about themselves in terms of their ‘sovereignty’ and ‘autonomy’.
Finally, I did feel a level of frustration that there were still so many questions left unanswered in my mind about the Green Valley world. Reid describes this book as the origin story, the foundation of this world. It’s certainly forms part of it but I expected more. That’ll teach me to get caught up in the hype!
Setting aside my nit-picking, I do have to mention that seeing a different side to some of the characters was a welcome eye-opener: Ben McClure, Jethro Winston, Cletus Winston, and of course Scarlet and Billy, all provided serious food for thought.
All that’s left now is to wait for Beard Necessities.
I’ve been waiting for this book for more than two years now and we can finally read the story between Scarlet and Billy, my favourite characters from Winston’s brothers series.
We needed this heartbreaking moments to understand better what happened in the past as we read pieces of it in the other books and I knew we’re in for a helluva of emotional situations and feelings that can’t even be expressed.
Now waiting impatiently for the next book to complete this story that I’m sure will be with us for all time favourite books.
Wow. This was amazing. I have been a fan of this series, and this book broke and filled my heart. It’s the backstory to Billy and Claire, but it’s more than that. It is an insight into how all the characters I love so much, came to be such interesting and powerful characters.
There are some heartbreaking moments in this book, as two young people who carry the weight of the world, fall in love for the first time. Both Billy and Scarlet are mature for their age, and their approach to life and and each other is at times old beyond their years, but I felt my heart strings pull at how innocent and honest their love was.
If you love the Winston’s then READ THIS. If you haven’t had a crack at them yet, what are you waiting for?????
*** I voluntarily reviewed an advance complimentary copy of this book. ***
5 BIG STARS!
Okay, first off, this is not my first Penny Reid book. I already know that I absolutely love her, but for some reason I have never found time to start this particular series. But now that I have read Beard Necessities I am going to remedy that immediately.
This book is everything! And you really don’t need to read the others as this does set up what I would guess is everything else in the series. I can’t even explain how absolutely perfect this book is. You have angst, drama, and a tragic love story. I need more and I need it now. With that said, here goes all of my book money for the month and all of my time. Now don’t bother me, I will be reading!
I really thought I wasn’t in the right emotional capacity to start this read. And I absolutely hated it when I’m right; it was most often when I wished I wasn’t. And I kept thinking about how Penny Reid insisted every time she talked about this one that it wouldn’t be a romance novel. That it was a tragic, real tragic, love story building up to what would be the present Billy and Claire story. And she didn’t mince her words. She crushed me. Hard.
Heck, she even cautioned readers and even went as far as skip the book altogether. (Side note: omfg this one was hard core. The most hard core in Pennyverse.)
But lbr people, we’re all masochists here. Or just immensely devoted to the series. Po-tay-toes, po-tah-toes.
I would never, ever, skip out on any Penny Reid material. With that said, I couldn’t have prepared myself for any fucking thing I unraveled from this read. Psshh. I could have all the right tools on earth and still not be prepared enough. Gdi
First of all, the world-building game is strong and I’d like to say I couldn’t ever believe it. But. Believe. I. Did. All the details, all the puzzle pieces I didn’t know were missing…I just, I kept imagining since the start of the series all the knots and mysteries and yet I couldn’t have come up to this level of mad plotting. Simply put, it was the realest I’ve ever read. Fuck, reality had nothing on this piece of literary fiction. I devoured all the bits and pieces I could and greedy thing like me felt so overwhelmed and empty at the same time at the end. I literally don’t think I could make it till November. I would die trying to make it, though.
Then we have our most revered hero and heroine: Billy and Scarlet. (I know it’s monumental to know the substance of using Scarlet vs Claire).
Perhaps it’s partly because these two were being dangled to us sharks throughout it all, only to end up more ignorant about them after every book. (Or at least that’s the case for me). There was always something about being the one to make the last book, being the ones to hold it out till the very pressuring end. Full of expectations and whatnot.
With that said, Scarlet and Billy measured beyond the hype. They were really the type who went after the stars. (Hellooo, 5 stars didn’t suffice). They were not what I have expected, at all.
Scarlet. From all the snippets I’ve had of her, I kind of got the impression that this uber cool woman was freaking untouchable. The most resilient. Those, I expected. At the same time, I couldn’t have imagined her as also one of the most adorkable and most quirky girl. Her mannerisms, her puns, her oblivion…her walls, her scars…her. She was most def a badass but not exactly how I imagined. Because I imagined she made those mc brats bow down to her in the most nonchalant way. (Again, at least that was how her aura seemed to me all this time).
A-fucking-gain, I wasn’t prepared for the girl-woman who braved the winter and the wild in the middle of the woods. Wasn’t prepared for the heroine who single-handedly supported her self even when she was just a minor. Who probably compartmentalize all too well.
Billy, Good God, Billy Winston. My love for him wasn’t the same as how I crushed on Cletus. No, I respect the fuck out of him. I feel weak at the knees for him but with a great dose of healthy hero-worship. He was so much more. The way he took care of his loved ones throughout the read? Unreal. Superb. Priceless. I felt the need to take notes from the way he took care of his siblings. (And I was eldest child in siblings of four). And honestly Bill Winston put William Shakespeare to shame with the way he romanced Scarlet. He’s just a 16 y/o for Pete’s sake.
But what finally broke me was how cruel and unfair and unkind the end (of this read) to him was. Billy Winston deserved all the best things that are going to come his way. And all the love and hugs.
This read, Scarlet and Billy would hold a very special space in my heart. One had-to-grow-up-early person to another. The connection and appreciation I felt to them were strong. Strong af.
PS The young Cletus totally stole my heart, too.
PPS I understand Jethro and his way of brothering. (I am a little both of Jethro and Billy to my younger siblings). Just that…through Billy’s eyes…it’s less easy to swallow that bitter pill.
PPPS lol I just have to mention I melted down every time Billy speaks/thinks about Scarlet which was why I could never see Billy as a book bf. In my eyes, he will always be Scarlet’s/hopefully Claire’s too…William Shakespeare (the actual one) who?
As usual, Penny Reid is a master of writing unique, real characters. For lovers of her Winston Brothers series, the contents of this book won’t be a surprise, but it will be a joy (and a bit harrowing) to read. I say “joy” loosely, in that Billy and Claire’s backstory is brutal, but you know that going in if you’ve read any of the other Winston Bro books. This book is NOT a romance, but again, if you’ve ready any of the other books in the series, you knew that. What this book does is set up the whole series, gives us a peek into the history of Green Valley, the characters, and their histories. It does contain a fair amount of romance though—we just don’t get our HEA yet. And what it mostly did for me was make me SO excited for Billy and Claire to get their HEA when Billy’s book comes out. You can expect tears, but also moments of delight and the usual Penny Reid strangeness that delights and entertains. Read, enjoy, and count down with me to Beard Necessities!
5 emotionally-broken stars!!
I loved, loved, loved this story about Billy and Scarlet as teenagers and everything they went through. This is the rawest book I’ve read by this author and her words wrung all the emotions out of me. They’d always known one another as much younger children but as they grew up, their circumstances had them steering clear of each other.
“It felt so good. It felt more than good. It felt like the beginning of something terrible and beautiful and dangerous and wonderful.”
It was beautiful to watch them grow into young adult awareness of the other, and learn to understand what truly lay beneath their facades. Oh my heart! Their fears, their joy, the obstacles between them, the desperation, and the intensity! I’m just so desperate for the next book!!
This is my first Penny Reid ARC. I actually have the first book in this series but I just haven’t gotten to it yet.
I read everything in this book… even the warning… And thats probably why I’ve been holding off starting this book. I’m a romantic sap, I want romance and flowers and happy ever afters… I didn’t even mind the triggers but to be warned off because it’s a tragic love story?? I even debated about skipping this book altogether, but I’m not a quitter… and I did sign up for this. So I forged on, with trepidation.
It was a slow burn for me.. like I said this was my first book in the series so I didn’t know anyone—at all. And based on the blurb alone this is sort of a love triangle between Billy and Scarlet St. Claire, and since Scarlet and Claire McClure, I assume is just one person, that only meant she married Ben? Did she? Ugh, now I want more…
It was heartwarming and heart-wrenching at the same time… I can’t imagine loving someone so much and being able to tell them and they’re already gone without them knowing how you feel….
I really wish Billy and Scarlet will have their happy ever after. I know in real life not everybody gets their happy ending but I sure hope the author won’t leave her readers hanging like this… this is just so cruel. My heart broke for the two of them.
An achingly sweet and heartbreakingly beautiful story of the Winston family and the beginning of Scarlet and Billy. In my humble opinion, this origin story makes all of their HEAs that much more…well, more. Bravo to Penny Reid for giving us a stirring piece of the Winston puzzle. BEARD WITH ME has only deepened my love of each and every one of them.
This is an origin story for The Winston Brothers Series and having read the other books in the series, I knew I wasn’t going to get a Happily Ever After or even a Happy For Now but I had to read it because I love these characters – have loved them from the moment they were first introduced. Now, after Beard With Me, I can’t help but love them even more. My heart breaks for Billy and Scarlet and I’m looking forward to November when these two finally get the HEA they deserve.
I needed it…but, maybe not all of it
I’m feeling battered and bruised after reading Beard with Me. For a lot of the story, I was contemplating just skipping to the end to get the info I needed. Thank goodness I didn’t read just that ending. I cried A LOT in the last chapter. The biggest problem and why I contemplated giving up, is that this story is pretty much YA. I’m not a fan of YA with all the high school drama, hormones, finding yourself and growing confidence in your decisions…stuff. I needed to read Beard with Me but I’m not sure I needed it to be full length. I wish there had been a CliffsNotes version, to be honest.
I needed to understand William, see Billy the QB and know the Winston’s ugly and tainted history. Sure, I was kind of interested in Scarlett/Claire but it’s all about Billy Winston for me. I know some of the history and obviously we know bits and pieces of the Winston’s history but I never imagined it could be this ugly.
Beard with Me left me with some pretty dark thoughts. I absolutely HATED what these kids faced and lived through. I was having some pretty damn violent feelings toward the Wraiths and one douchewaffle, in particular, was in my sights.
I’m glad/ content/ satisfied to know Billy and Scarlett’s history but I will be even glad…er/ content…er/ satisfied…er to get to the happy ever after, sighs and smiles I’ve come to expect from the Winston Brothers series. This book made me feel…A LOT!
Life has made both Billy and Scarlet so much older than their years! Wow, these two kids have seen more of the evil side of human nature than most adults. Their young love was brief and full of angst.
Seriously, such a phenomenal story. This is why I love reading! I have so many emotions twirling through my body that I need to finish processing. I so want to reread the whole series all over again! I don’t know, this story was just everything. I loved seeing what happened in their teenage years, it was heartbreaking sometimes. I am just so glad this book was written. I can’t wait to read the rest of it in the next book.
Beard with Me (Winston Brothers #6) by Penny Reid is a contemporary work of literary fiction that tells a tragic love story. As the author has clearly warned all over social media and also in the author’s note, unlike the rest of the series, this book is not a Romance and does not end with a HEA. This origin story tells the beginning of Billy and Scarlet/Claire’s epic love story.
Each book in the series is sprinkled with little clues about Claire and Billy’s relationship and as a long time “Reider”, I’ve been looking forward to their story. They obviously loved each other, but something happened when they were young that kept them apart. This book takes us back to their teen years, answering series-long questions about how Billy and Scarlet fell in love and what ultimately separated them.
I loved going back in time with the Winstons (especially Cletus who has always been my favorite). It provided more depth to these well-developed and beloved characters by giving a glimpse into their formative years and the events that helped shape them. Although the tone of the story is more serious than previous books, there are still moments of humor that help alleviate some of the heaviness, and weighty issues were handled with finesse and sensitivity.
I expected Billy and Scarlet’s story to pull on my emotions and ultimately break my heart. I wasn’t disappointed. It was endearing, moving, and absolutely gut-wrenching. It hurt so good! Expertly written, beautifully tragic, and painfully perfect. I loved Beard with Me and highly recommend it to any fan of the Winson Brothers series.
This is such a beautifully written story. It’s heartbreaking and hopeful all at the same time. I went into it knowing only that it’s the beginning of Billy and Claire, I avoided all teasers, blurbs, and reviews until I finished it, and it is amazing. Penny Reid’s ability to build a world, and not forget the tiniest of details just blows me away. The way she can convey the character’s thoughts and feelings is incredible. I was so broken for all of the Winston kids and Scarlet, Bethany Winston is too good for this world (I know she’s fictional, but still), I’m that much more broken over her death in Beauty and the Mustache. Glimpses of pieces of the other Winston stories were so sweet to see, Duane talking about Jess, 9-year-old Roscoe and Simone, it all ties together so fantastically and beautifully. As difficult as this was to read at times, it left me feeling hopeful, we know, in a way, where they go from here. I’m sure Beard Necessities will have heartbreak, and all the feels, but it’s also their HEA, and that’s something to be excited about. I absolutely recommend anything and everything that Penny Reid writes, and this is no exception.
I went into this book with trepidation because I had at least an inkling of what was to come. I have read, and loved, the other Winston Brothers books. They are full of humor, love, and romance. They also reference Billy and Claire’s/Scarlet’s past and it is in Beard with Me that we finally learn more.
Penny Reid has a gift for writing unique and interesting characters. I absolutely enjoyed getting to see some of my favorites as teenagers and kids. They are easily recognizable and I could see how they became the adults they are in the other books. There are lots of fun references that Penny Reid readers will love. I appreciated, too, that Billy and Scarlet truly felt like teenagers in their dialogue and narration. There certainly were experiences that made them both grow up faster than most, but they still felt like the young adults they are.
The story is, at times, heartbreaking. The experiences Scarlet and Billy have are hard to read and brought tears to my eyes. This is the first book in years that has made me cry. However, it also made me laugh, smile, and marvel at the depth and selflessness of love both familial and romantic.
It has taken me a couple days after finishing the book of thinking about this story and these characters to really put into words how much it affected me. I still find myself thinking about it throughout my day, and I cannot wait to see what happens next in Beard Necessities.
Thank you to the author for providing an ARC for an honest review.