Hunches, horse races, and heartbreakTen years after Simone Payton broke his heart, all Roscoe Winston wants is a doughnut. He’d also like to forget her entirely, but that’s never going to happen. Roscoe Winston remembers everything – every look, every word, every single unrequited second – and the last thing he needs is another memory of Simone.Unfortunately, after one chance encounter, Simone … encounter, Simone keeps popping up everywhere he happens to be . . .
Ten years after Roscoe Winston dropped out of her life, all Simone Payton wants is to exploit him. She’d also like some answers from her former best friend about why he ghosted her, but if she never gets those answers, that’s a-okay. Simone let go of the past a long time ago. Seriously, she has. She totally, totally has. She is definitely not still thinking about Roscoe. Nope. She’s more than happy to forget he exists.
But first, she needs just one teeny-tiny favor . . .
Dr. Strange Beard is a full-length romantic comedy novel, can be read as a stand-alone, and is the fifth book in the USA TODAY bestselling Winston Brothers series.
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Oh how Roscoe’s story was long awaited.
In truth, I didn’t know what to expect for him, he was largely an unwritten piece of paper..
Knowing there would be a large time jump between previous books and this one made me anxious about all the things in between we’d lose, but reading Dr. Strange Beard, it became clear it needed to be like that to tell Roscoe and Simone’s story.
But from the beginning. Roscoe. Dear, darling Roscoe and his exceptional brain and memory. I felt for him instantly, how terribly lonely that life must be.
Simone. My dear Simone. Being from a different background, it was fascinating to see the different experiences he has to endure. However, overall, I couldn’t quite get her. She seemed brash, somewhat cold towards Roscoe’s feelings, expecting him to know hers, but not acknowledging his as real.
Roscoe made me swoon more than once, and his undying devotion to Simone was more than endearing.
On a last note, Billy is a hero of proportions i cannot imagine, and the wait for his and Claire’s books will be excruciating.
3.5 stars
Another awesome book from Penny Reid! I love that in her novels I can always find unique stories and characters, with unpredictable outcomes and layers and layers of awesome people. And Dr. Strange Beard definitely fulfilled all my expectations and even more, putting Penny in another level of awesomeness.
This book features the second chance of Roscoe and Simone, plus another awesome drama for the Winston family, but I won’t talk about it, because you all need to read it on your own. Anyway… Back to Roscoe and Simone. They were best friends until they were 16. They were inseparable. She was his Sherlock and he was her Watson. Until one day, after a fail declaration of love, he never talked to her, ever again. She tried to contact him again, she went to his house, he followed at school, but he refused to say a word to her, not even look in her eyes. It was like she didn’t exist anymore for him. And that is what he intended to do. He wanted to forget all about Simone, and how much he loved her, but his feelings and heartache were as persistent as they were 10 years ago. Now she is back in town and on a mission and she will need to reconnect to Roscoe in order to complete her job. But that is the last thing Roscoe wants.
This book had me crying and laughing and swooning and everything in between! I felt frustration and desperation!! It gave me all the feels! Don’t worry, not in an angsty kinda way! I gotta admit, it was hard for me not to roll my eyes at Simone. I was team Roscoe all the time and I felt very protective of him. But, the second half of the book, I included Simone in the team, because she’s amazing and badass and perfect, especially perfect for Roscoe, and everything was fine in the world. But, if Penny would have written this book only from Simone’s POV, I would have died of frustration with both of them, but knowing what Roscoe was feeling and thinking and REMEMBERING made me love this book 200% more.
Things I loved about Dr. Beard Strange
-Roscoe and Simone’s relationship in their young years. Heartwarming!
-Simone’s intuition and Roscoe’s memory. Brillian!
-The quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Perfect for the story!
“If you erase all of your bad memories, you erase all of your wisdom.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo
-Simone’s internal dialogue and sense of humor. Refreshing and hilarious!
-The first time they made love. Amazing, romantic, sexy!
-Roscoe’s conversation with Billy and their relationship in general. Family, love, and support!
-The birthday party at the end of the book. #ClownsAlert
I could continue this lost forever and ever and it would go on and on and on. This book is amazing, with the best cameos from all the members of the Winston family. I need to repeat the ones I already read and dive into the awesome minds of Jethro, Cletus Maximus, and Jennifer!!
100% recommended!
These Winston Brother books get me every time. The writing is so smart and witty they are just among my top favorite reads of all time. This one, in particular, is one I have been eagerly awaiting. Roscoe and Simone’s story one hundred percent lived up to the hype in my head.
This story was unique and fun and pulled at my heartstrings. I fell heard for these two and their struggle. I was rooting for Simone and all she was dealing with and eagerly turning each page to find out how these two would work out. While I think you need to read the other books in this series before jumping into this one I do want to make everyone understand this is a book not to miss. If you’ve read this series grab it today and jump in and if you are new to the series now is the time to start.
~miranda
I can’t say enough about Penny Reid’s books. This book is especially relevant in today’s world. I love it when a book helps me see the world through someone else’s experience. Story is powerful. Bad news/spoiler…this is a series, you knew that, but the next book isn’t slated to be published for a year.
You can’t go wrong with Penny Reid.
I was super excited to read Dr. Strange Beard as I absolutely love the Winston Brothers series by Penny Reid. Roscoe and Simone were fantastic together. I loved how this novel made me swoon and gave me all the feels. This was really an outstanding addition to the series as I could not get enough of these two!
When childhood sweethearts Roscoe Winston and Simone Payton reconnect, it’s pure fireworks. Yes, there are miscommunications and secrets but this also a sweet and romantic story with an electric connection. I loved how sweet and sensitive Roscoe was and how well matched he was to Simone’s assertive and strong personality. I loved being back in the Winston family and seriously can not wait for Billy’s book!
All in all this was another fantastic novel by this author and not only had her typical wit, humor and sass but it was filled with what I call Reid’s intelligent romance style. This was brilliant. Bravo! 4 stars! ~Ratula
I love the characters in the Winston family. I love Roscoe a lot! He’s got an eidetic memory/photographic memory, and it is really interesting to read about how he is affected by it. Realizing just how real his memories are for him, it is totally understandable to see why he is the way he is around people. Although I have to say that the words Simone said to him on the night before he had to separate himself from her to save his own heart, well, if someone said that to me, I wouldn’t need a photographic memory to remember those. And I do remember little things like that when people say them to me. Or else sometimes I remember the things I say that are really embarrassing to look back on later, or at the time even.
However Simone was drunk that night she said that, and so in a way, it feels like Roscoe should have given her a chance at some point to explain or at least when she was not drunk say what he said again. And so it is also easy to see how she felt when her best friend Roscoe just started ghosting her, and moving on to what seemed like the whole cheerleading squad.
Without giving away some of the surprises that we have in the book, a couple thoughts I had as I read. First, just because someone is a virgin doesn’t mean they haven’t done foreplay or other sexual things. Second, missionary position isn’t always that bad, it can be good, which Simone does find out later. And third, there was this quote by Simone that I LOVED:
“I mean, ladies. Wow! Get thee a Winston, stat!”
To that I say, sure, find me one now!
I loved all the other family members that we get to catch up with in this story. This type of series, where the books are standalones, yet connect you to all the other characters in some way, these are my favorites. A great thing about this story also is how much it tuned into the culture and climate of America these days. I really liked how Simone let the people who were standing up for her know that while it was greatly appreciated, sometimes you also have to let those people do it for themselves, or else things may not change. I think that is a great point. I haven’t read all of the books in this series so far, but I hope to go back and catch up when I can to the ones that I haven’t, and also get in on any that may be coming out in the future.
I laughed, i cried, i was amazed. The characters are well developed and the storyplot is catching. It is the 5. book of the Winston brother series. As always Penny Reid has an excellent writing style and interessting topics in her story. I greatly enjoyed reading the book!
This is such an amazing book, that I’m still processing it. The main characters are both intelligent, strong people which is very important to me. The story is very rich with drama and humor, tears and laughter, danger and love, so much love. We get to know Roscoe and Simone, and we enjoy meeting back up with other Winston family members, as well as Simone’s family and the residents of Green Valley. Having read the previous Winston Brothers books, I feel that I am visiting old friends at the same time that doors are opening for the beloved characters of the series. The developments in this story are unexpected and even shocking at times, but the author has crafted a wonderful story sure to keep the readers interest.
This was like a family reunion with the Winston Brothers, oh how I have missed them. The Winston family are funny and I have missed all their interactions and hijinx.
Roscoe is the quiet, sensitive one out of the Brothers. He’s a Veterinarian with a prodigious memory. He’s quirky and barges his way into your heart really easily. He has spent the last 10 years avoiding the girl who broke his heart at 16 as he wants to avoid making additional painful memories. This becomes hard when 10 years later she is popping up everywhere.
Simone Payton is back for her job and needs Roscoe’s help but she also wants answers as to why her best friend ghosted her at 16.
Penny’s books are always original, sweet, swoon-worthy, quirky and ones you will be unable to put down.
Like all of Penny’s books, this one is SO good. Roscoe is really different from the other Winston brothers. It was interesting getting to know him and see the family from his prespective as the baby of the family. The other siblings continually address the fact that they all tried to parent Roscoe the best they could & shelter him from their father’s behavior the best they can. Roscoe’s peculiar memory plays into this story in a huge way.
Simone was an awesome character as well. I loved how Penny pulled in current events and showed it to us through the lens of an African-American girl. I think that perspective is priceless.
They are smart romances, you know, so don’t expect to not have to think while you read this book;) But you’ll be glad you did!
So there I was, sitting in my reading spot, a groove in the chair cushion comfortably shaping my butt, ready to delve into the world of The Winstons once again. Instead, noooo… Penny Reid decides to shake things up so much, I felt like my chair cushion had been yanked out from underneath me, leaving me uncomfortably perched on the chair springs. I felt the need to hold onto something tangible as the discrete world of the Winstons is shattered. I am imagining Penny sitting at her computer thinking “It’s for the best” and “They’ll thank me for it.” And yes, I’ll admit I was a tad resentful at first, but dammit, it works.
Sayonara to the world of the Winstons as we knew them. Time has marched on, action is no longer centred around the family home, Green Valley residents feature en masse, secrets are revealed, confidences are broken. Have a strong drink or smelling salts nearby as you’re reading. You have been warned!
Now onto our main characters. We’ve met Roscoe in previous Winston Brothers books but we don’t know him to a great extent. From his eidetic memory (and the hurdles such a skill brings) to his relationships with his siblings and Simone, his childhood friend, I found him to be as unique as the rest of the Winston brothers.
Simone Payton on the other hand, I did not initially warm up to. She reminded me of TV show characters that need to examine every little thing, discuss them at length and give a full length oratory in answer to a simple question, even if the only person she’s talking to is herself. It’s just too bloody exhausting. Thankfully, there’s a relaxation in her character as the book progresses.
I won’t say more about their relationship because it’s heavily tied up into a wider book plot and best revealed as you read along. I really enjoyed the suspenseful element and the way Penny wove existing characters into the tale was very well done.
And of course, I need to mention the other Winstons in this book. They appear regularly throughout the book, with Cletus and Billy appearing most often. There are many words of wisdom and shenanigans from Cletus but the scene that impacted me most and made me cry is a conversation between Roscoe and Billy. It’s incredibly raw and powerful. And it makes me think Penny will absolutely slay us with Billy’s story.
If I haven’t made it clear, I liked this book. I more than liked it. It’s not what I expected but I’ve realised my expectations were set too low.
Highly recommended. I think readers will get much more out of it by reading the book series in order.
Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid is the fifth book in her Winston Brothers Series. While connected, every book can easily be read as a standalone. For better understanding I recommend to read the books in order.
Dr. Strange Beard is Roscoe and Saimone´s story.
Roscoe Winston is the last single one of the Winston siblings. He´s a veterinarian and his job is his calling. He´s a genius, but lacking social skills a bit, lets call him social akward.
Simone Payton is his childhood friend. She´s now with the FBI and works a special case.
Roscoe stayed clear of her for 5 years, but that´s about to change.
Together they go on a breathtaking, speedy journey. Their story hooked me from the start and left me breath – and speechless. Such a mastermind, I didn´t see that coming, not at all.
Dr. Strange Beard dips deep in the Winston Brothers World and I can´t express how much I loved Roscoe and Simone´s story.
Dr. Strange Beard is a emotional read, full of twists and unexpected turns, exceptional well written with characters I could easily connect with.
*3.5 Stars*
ARC kindly received in exchange for an honest review.
This one is really hard for to me review, because as much as I don’t like to say it, this just wasn’t one of my favourite Penny books.
I love the Winston Brothers series, and this one is Roscoe’s story. Roscoe is the youngest Winston and a much anticipated read for many. This one has quite a large time jump which I seem to have someone missed finding out about before I read the book, so I wasn’t expecting it.
Roscoe and Simone were childhood friends, who haven’t had any contact in 10 years, since they were 16. Finding out about them both when they were younger, and having Roscoes very detailed flashbacks was very interesting and helps lend to the level of detail and memory that Roscoe preserves. A very rare thing.
This one is kind of a slow burn, with a lot of back and forth between the two characters and some other things happening in the background which don’t really play out in any kind of intense way until the end of the book.
For me, the last 1/4 of the book was probably the best, as it was a bit more fast paced and not fraught with frustration about the characters.
I loved having the rest of the Winston clan in the story as well, and Simone’s parents were also a nice little surprise.
I’m also left very intrigued for Billy’s book, so I look forward to that.
All in all, another good story from Penny, just not my fave Winston one.
“I mean, ladies.
Holy cow.
Get thee a Winston, stat!”
Any book by Penny Reid is guaranteed to entertain, it is always smart, sprinkled liberally with emotion and dowsed with humor. Dr. Strange Beard is no exception.
“I didn’t fight him on this for a few reasons, but mostly because the element of surprise was my favorite, even if it wasn’t on the periodic table.
My second favorite was potassium, mostly because of its freak show reaction to water.
But I digress.”
Roscoe and Simone were inseparable best friends until when they were 16, Roscoe “ghosted” Simone. Simone is back in Green Valley but secretly working undercover for the FBI investigating the Iron Wraiths Motorcycle Club where Roscoe’s deadbeat dad is Vice President.
“Don’t get me wrong, I have feelings. I just choose not to be preoccupied by, ensnared by, or guided by them. That’s not what feelings are for. If I wanted to be guided, I would open Google Maps or consult a Sherpa.”
Roscoe and Simone have amazing chemistry. Everyone around them knows it and is rooting for them. They are the ones who just can’t seem to get on the same page!
“I was glad that I didn’t let feelings be my guide because my feelings were clearly dumb as rocks.”
As a person who has a really terrible memory, Roscoe completely fascinated me! Roscoe can NEVER forget memories… like EVER. Not matter how good, bad or even painful the memory is, he can only try to bury it temporarily under another memory.
“Memory is a strange thing.” He pressed another kiss to the soft skin of my interior forearm. “An endless reminder of the past, revealing itself—as a cannon blast or a whisper—when you’re least prepared for it.”
Dr. Strange Beard is a standalone and it definitely can be read as such but it continues and at times overlaps a bit with some of the storylines from the other books in this series.
This book has everything! I laughed out loud, I was brought to tears, I swooned, and at times I was on the edge of my seat with suspense. I was just left wanting more of these Winston Brothers and Penny Reid’s writing!!
-6 Stars!!-
Dr. Strange Beard (Winston Brothers Book 5) by Penny Reid is a gripping friends to lovers, second chance, contemporary romance told in alternating POV. Although technically, I suppose it can be read as a standalone, I would not recommend doing so as to avoid spoilers to the previous books. There are also a lot of clues and teasers provided that correlate with previous/continuing storylines that without reading earlier books would go right over the reader’s head.
Taking place 5 years after Beard in Mind a lot has happened in the lives of the characters that we as readers have yet to discover. The story features 26-year-olds, Roscoe and Simone, former best friends who were once inseparable and abruptly stopped talking to each other at age sixteen.
Roscoe is a soulful, sensitive, veterinarian with a situational eidetic memory. In order to escape a painful memory and to avoid making new ones, he has successfully avoided Simone for the past ten years…until now. Now, she seems to be everywhere.
Simone, fiercely independent, scientific, undercover FBI agent, is back home in Green Valley on a secret mission and Roscoe is her key to getting the job done. While she’s at it, she might as well find out why he ghosted her ten years ago.
As with every Penny Reid book, she tackles relevant issues with sensitivity, class and finesse. Her trademark wit and humor is not lost in this book, although overall this story felt heavier than the earlier books in the series. It ran the gamut of emotions. There were suspenseful twists and turns. There were sexy, swoony times. There were some painful and heartwrenching moments as well.
I cried. And not just a tear or two. I full on ugly cried while reading this book. But don’t let that scare you away. It doesn’t end there. Keep going and you’ll see Simone and Roscoe reach their HEA.
I have read all of Penny Reid’s books, and each time I read a new one, I’m reminded of why she is one of my favorite authors. This book was no different. I highly recommend the entire Winston Brother’s Series. Some shocking and explosive bombs were dropped throughout this story creating questions and intrigue about what happened over the 5-year time gap resulting in current circumstances. I’m really looking forward to future books to fill in the blanks.
Dr. Strange Beard was, in my opinion, Penny Reid’s most emotional work to date. I put off starting it until I had a whole Saturday with nothing to do. I *knew* I would need to read the entire thing straight through without stopping.
I don’t honestly think that this book really needs a thorough reviewing. Regular readers of Penny Reid will have already purchased it, new readers should (Seriously. do it) start at the beginning of the series, and by the time you’ve reached this book, you don’t need anyone to tell you the next Winston Bros book will be amazing. Of course it is. This entire series is amazing. Penny is a master story teller, and her character development is unparalleled.
Simone reminded me so much of my little sister, it was uncanny and amazing. I laughed out loud several times throughout the story. Roscoe is a doll. I adore him. I knew in the first few chapters that this would be one of the ones I needed to read again and again. The second I finished it, I wanted to start over. My highlighting game was strong in this one.
I’ve been waiting for Roscoe’s book. Finally! Well, I love to say that Simone’s personality and smarts really gave this two leading roles story. This a real dual POV book.
Without giving too much away, this is a second chance romance. Roscoe and Simone had grown up together but had a falling out towards the end of high school. The reason and the who was the one that pulled away from/pushed away is teased throughout most of the first half of the book. The chemistry is apparent from their first time (in 10 years) seeing each other. At the same time there is a BIG confrontation with my least favorite/most hated character in any of PR books. Grrr.
Simone and Roscoe had been best friends. They were sooo young. Can they be friends again? Can they be more?
Simone is full of personality and really smart. Daisy (of Daisy’s Nut House) is her mom.
The Paytons’ also own Payton Mills, a major employer in Green Valley. Simone had a job (!!??) and apartment in the D.C. area. She comes home on weekends and worked in her mom’s diner.
I loved Roscoe and Simone. I was a little frustrated at the dancing around each other. Roscoe is a veterinarian in Nashville. He would come home on weekends to visit his brothers and sister Ashley.
Roscoe is a smart guy. He has to deal with his feelings for Simone-more than just best friends?
The second half had more progression in their relationship and there’s some twists that have Roscoe and Simone backing up the other.
I enjoyed the supporting characters. Simone’s sister Dani was very supportive. (Mom) Daisy was a crack up with her tactics for having Simone accountable when staying at home in Green Valley. I loved Daisy! Roscoe really looks up to Simone’s dad.
This is a book that should be read in big blocks of time to get the timeline and progression of Roscoe & Simone’s relationship. I love the writing -as usual. The entire series has been great. There are so many things revealed in this book. Roscoe and Simone each have more to them than meets the eye.
There were a lot of fun moments, but there was some suspense, sad and serious parts too. I was shocked near the end. I was on pins and needles. Then tearful. Then…
I took my time reading- my visit to Green Valley. Great HEA- but ONE more Winston to go (Billy!)
I missed the Winston siblings sooo much!!! Dr. Strange Beard is Book #5 in the Winston Brothers Series, a spin-off of Reid’s Beauty and the Moustache (Knitting in the City Book #4) but it can totally be read as a standalone. The book tells Roscoe (the youngest sibling) and Simone Payton’s story, and what a story it is. Through their alternate POVs, Penny Reid portraits a friends to enemies to lovers kind of story, one that swallow you whole, treating you to an amazing tale of love, trust and acceptance, with the addition of great sex scenes and the right amount of angst, mystery and laughter. To top it all, this character-driven novel also provides some food for thought about racial prejudice and discrimination, and how these affect people’s lives. But right up front, there are Roscoe’s ‘peculiarities’ and his relationship or lack thereof with Simone; both have given up on love and taken up their own defence mechanisms against what they see as the most crippling feeling of them all. Is their policy going to work? Yes, but not in the way they both planned it to and their slow surrender to the power of their mutual feelings gives the term ‘delayed gratification’ a whole new meaning. I so loved the banter between them and the way their old friendship helps them sort out the ‘new thing’ between them. Roscoe and Simone’s love story alone makes for a really good contemporary romance novel, yet there is actually more going on blurring the lines between mystery (who murdered more than 20 people in almost as many months?) and social exposé genres, which makes Dr. Strange Beard feel like a rich, amazingly good, multi-layered cake and one of my best favourite reads of 2018.
This friends-to-lovers story, which has a dash of second-chance romance, is utterly unique, engrossing, swoon-worthy and thoroughly entertaining. Simone and Roscoe are memorable characters, who come alive through Reid’s singular ability to peel back their layers and allow us to see their complicated, unvarnished human nature. I fell in love with them and was so invested in their romance that I felt like I shared their every emotion. I ached for them to work things out, felt nervous when they stumbled, became nail-bitingly anxious when they faced harrowing situations and smiled like a loon when they seized their happy-ever-after. It is a fantastic reading experience.
Obviously, I love Dr. Strange Beard, and I haven’t even mentioned how much I adore the secondary characters, who enhance and add magic to the story, or how I intermittently and spontaneously barked with laughter, or how the plot is original, nuanced and wonderfully eccentric. (Well, I guess I have mentioned all of that now.) I’m not sure I can recommend this book any more passionately.
Recommendation appeared @ USA Today’s Happy Ever After on August 3, 2018
ARC provided, but this review was voluntarily and honestly written.