Beard Science

This is the book I waited for yet the one I worried about. Cletus is by far my favorite. Jennifer is the perfect complement to the silent killer that is Cletus Win
Disclaimer: I am an AVID Penny Reid fan. Even novels which have premises I don't typically enjoy, I love. But when Penny stated she was going to write a novel with Cletus as the romantic interest, my anxiety shot through the roof. This is Cletus. This is the man larger than life, but shrouding himself in a hill Billy guise. He is the man with immense covert machinations, but a bigger sense of justice driving them. In essence Cletus is what all of us wishes we could do (the ego of our psyche). So, his romantic interest also, would have to be larger than life. What woman could tame Cletus?

I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to post any spoilers, but this book baffles me in excellent ways.
How'd that happen? - How did I go from enjoying Jennifer (the heroine) to being annoyed by her, to smirking with her, to befriending her all within the first 1/3 of the book. And from that point on, I kept on loving her. Seriously, that girl kept on getting better.
This book is epic, like EPIC - Right when I thought I knew where the book was going, it transformed into something I wasn't expecting. And the great thing was, there was no stupidity. For the amount of plot and the character development, it really should have been Gone with The Wind long. It wasn't, but yet, the story was so rich and fulfilling, like the most decadent cake ever. I want to go into more detail, but once again, I'm not spoiling it for anyone.
All in the family - When some authors write a series, it's almost a chore to read because they re-introduce couples, or make their entrance into the story seem forced, like the Seinfeld finale. With Beard, it flowed, and more importantly, the secondary characters added so much richness to the plot. You have to love a family who enjoys fine sausage, and shares their sausage with the community.
Geeky Heart - I love stories where I feel I grow as a person, and Jennifer is the Janie kind of nerdy who makes the ride fun. She is more than she appears. She has depth and skills no one knows about. This is a story about looking beneath the surface, breaking out of comfort zones, owning who you are, and finding your tribe. Ms. Reid, I adore your work for every bad day I have had this summer your words have given me a smile.

So, in summary, I loved it. It is Cletus-worthy, which is saying a lot.