Review: Grin & Beard It by Penny Reid

3 1/2 STARS FOR JETHRO WINTON, BEARDS, & SEXY PLUS-SIZED HISPANIC LEADS!!

Sienna Diaz is everyone’s favorite “fat” funny lady. The movie studio executives can’t explain it, but her films are out-grossing all the fit and trim headliners and Hollywood’s most beautiful elite. The simple truth is, everyone loves plus-sized Sienna.

But she has a problem, she can’t read maps and her sense of direction is almost as bad as her comedic timing is stellar. Therefore, when Sienna’s latest starring role takes her to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park she finds herself continually lost while trying to navigate the backroads of Green Valley, Tennessee. Much to her consternation, Sienna’s most frequent savior is a ridiculously handsome, charming, and cheeky Park Ranger by the name of Jethro Winston. 

Sienna is accustomed to high levels of man-handsome, so it’s not Jethro’s chiseled features or his perfect physique that make Sienna stutter. It’s his southern charm. And gentlemanly manners. And habit of looking at her too long and too often.

Sienna has successfully navigated the labyrinth of Hollywood heart-throbs. But can she traverse the tenuous trails of Tennessee without losing her head? Or worse, her heart? 

 Penny Reid does it again! I have read many of her works from the Knitting in the City series, the first book in the Winston Brothers series,  and I posted a review on this blog about The Player and the Pixie #2 in the Rugby series, which Reid collaborates with L.H. Cosway on the series. 

Similar to Reid's other series and works, Grin & Beard It does not disappoint! I have to admit, I have a problem when it comes to Reid's books. Anytime I pick up one of her books to read, I cannot put it down until I have finished the book. Seriously, it's a problem. This past weekend, I visited the zoo with my boyfriend and what was I doing on the way to the zoo? Reading Grin & Beard It. What was I doing while I was waiting for my boyfriend to get out of the bathroom? Reading Grin & Beard It. What was I doing on the way home from the zoo? Reading Grin & Beard It. I seriously think that Reid created a monster with this series. It consumes my life each time that she releases the next book. I'm not saying that I am complaining. I am willingly handing myself over to the monster with the sexy beard and yelling "YES! TAKE MY LIFE! I AM YOUR'S TO HAVE!" That pretty much describes my weekend with Grin & Beard It. 

Now to the stuff that you actually care about, how is the book and the content. The overall story line and plot is funny and entertaining. There are many scenes that had me laughing out loud. Such as this: 

"He hesitated for just a second before saying, 'It's just that, I like that you eat hot sauce because it means that you can handle surprises in your mouth.'"

Hot damn! Now if that isn't sexy, yet hilarious at the same time? Then I don't know what is! Reid had many scenes like this one and she excels at writing them. 

Sienna and Jethro as a couple are fun, especially Sienna! Sienna cracks me up! She reminds me of a mix between Sofia Vergara and America Ferrera. Short, funny, witty, curvy. grew up in America so she is still connected with the pop culture, but still connected to her Hispanic roots through her parents. Sienna as a character is someone that everyone can connect easily and is relatable. She has struggled with her weight and society's pressure to confirm to their ideals, but has a strong sense of who she is. I believe that is something that needs to be commended. I really applaud Reid for writing her character. There is not enough women characters in literature like Sienna. She stood up to not only to society and her peers in the industry, but even her sister. That is not something that everyone can and will do. 

Jethro Winston is a character that I was really unsure of going into the book. I was already familiar with Beau, Cletus, and Duane from the first Winstons book, so I knew that I would love them, especially Cletus. Cletus really shines  in this book and I can't wait to read his story in book #3. Also, I am super curious about Billy's story. 

(Note to Penny Reid: I felt like you left me hanging with the back story on Billy and Claire! What happened between them? And did Claire leave? We never got an answer!)

But back to Jethro. I enjoyed reading Jethro's character for the same similar reasons that I enjoyed reading Duane's. I like that Jethro really cares about how his decisions affect others. He isn't selfish. He is family oriented. Basically, he has many traits that are really appealing to women. He is handsome, smooth, charming, and do I need to remind you about the quote above? Yet, he has drawbacks with his past. His past is like a killer in a horror movie. The hero keeps looking over their shoulder to see if the killer is there or not. As the viewer, you keep screaming at them to run, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! Yet, you never know when it is going to pop-up and stab you in the back. So this fear that Jethro has is a drawback. 

You are probably wondering why I gave the book 3 1/2 stars when everything that I have been writing is positive. Well, 3 1/2 stars come from a couple personal hiccups that I have. 

1. The previous mentioned unanswered back story with Billy & Claire. Also, only mentioning once that Claire was going to be leaving then never mentioning it ever again. 
1. So, unlike the resolution with Claire. Billy & Claire's history was a topic that was brought up multiple times. I'm pretty sure I can find at least three scenes where their history was brought up for question. Yet, it was never answered. We, as the reader, never received the full disclosure as to what happened. I'm assuming that this will be later revealed in Billy's book, but as a reader I am really kind of frustrated by that because I want to know now. It was brought up now, so I want to know now. Not 4 books later!
2. Did Claire move? I don't know. Claire told Sienna that she was moving and that she wasn't planning on telling Jethro. That is about as much information that the reader got. I'm just going to assume like I mentioned above that this will be revealed in a later book. 
2. Not a enough of conflict. 
1. There were things that were struggles for Sienna and Jethro, but that was limited to between the two. I talking about in terms of outside conflict between the couple. There was one thing that created conflict for Sienna and Jethro, but I feel like it was easily handled and moved on. And I felt like Reid could have taken a step further. I think that in terms of the book, characters, and the overall plot, that there could have been more conflict. Really shake things up for Sienna and Jethro. It just came across too easy, which leads to the next point. 
3. Resolution. 
1. The resolution came across as everything ended perfect and HEA. Jethro and Sienna had a problem. They had a conversation. Happy Ending. Well, what does that mean? Is Sienna moving to Tennessee? Is Jethro living on the road with Sienna or moving to LA? Is Sienna going to be working as much? Are the press and crazy fans showing up at Jethro's house? Are Sienna and Jethro moving in to Claire's place? As a reader, I just wish there was a little bit more resolution to the story. 

Well, I believe that wraps up this review for me. I still really love and enjoy the book. I can't wait till Cletus' story comes out in September. You better believe that I will be reading it and writing a review for you! :) Please comment, like, email, share, do whatever you want to do! :)