Dr. Strange Beard: Winston Brothers, Book 5

I hate to be the person to brag but, I FREAKING KNEW THIS BOOK WOULD BE AMAZING!!! I feel like Roscoe has been the forgotten brother in this series. But from book one, he’s always been the one that intrigued me the most. I just had the feeling that there was so much more to him than what we originally knew. And while everyone has been excited for Billy’s book or letting the other Winston Brothers claim their hearts, I’ve just been sitting (not so) patiently, just waiting for Roscoe.And oh man.This book.THIS FREAKING BOOK!.I don’t even know what I expected from this book but it met every single one of those unknown expectations and surpassed everything my mind could have even conjured for it. I’m just going to give it to you straight: Dr. Strange Beard is my favorite book in this series. And possibly my favorite book that Penny Reid has written to date. I really didn’t think that was possible because I love Drew and Cletus’s books (not to mention her countless other amazing books outside of this series) something fierce but the way this book made me feel throughout reading, the way I’m feeling right now just tells me that I read something special. I know without a doubt in my mind I’ll be rereading this book asap. I’m already debating if I should go back after I get some rest and start all over again from the beginning. And as someone with a TBR pile taller than the Empire State Building, rereading is a freaking privilege and not something I do often. Heck, most books I'll read once and I’m ok with not reading again. But there’s no way I’m going too long without visiting Simone and Roscoe again.It’s so hard to talk about this book without spoiling anything! I want to explain the plot but then I also feel like telling you anything, even the smallest clues would be a huge spoiler and could possibly hinder your reading experience so I’m going to keep it as vague as possible.As we know from the previous books, Simone and Roscoe were childhood best friends but then one day when they were sixteen, they stopped talking and avoided each other at all cost. No one really knows what happened except that while you used to see them joint to the hip (there were never Simone without Roscoe, and vice versa) now you’d never seen them within 100 feet of each other. Now 10 years later, Roscoe and Simone are both 26 and because of…circumstances, they can no longer avoid each other.That’s all I’m going to say on the plot. But trust me, this book will surprise you in all the best ways. I kept thinking that I knew what had happened, and what would happen throughout this book and over and over this book surprised me. The amount of times I gasped out loud and was kept repeating, “OMG I CAN’T” (can’t what, you may ask? I have no idea lol. I can’t breathe, I can’t believe this, I can’t read anymore because my hurt is bursting from my chest, I can’t believe that the kind of love that Simone and Roscoe have actually exists and that I’m witnessing it, etc. honestly take your pick because I felt every single one of those emotions and more) is insane. I love Simone and Roscoe soooo much. If there is one thing that I kept thinking throughout reading this book, it was that. I love Simone and how strong, funny and amazing she is. I could relate to her in so many ways and she surprised me because the way she thought, or her feelings on certain things were so similar to my own unsaid thoughts (and often things I felt but never knew how to articulate) that it left me feeling shocked and connected to her in a way I don’t often feel to characters. And then there’s Roscoe. Sweet, amazing, soulful Roscoe who owns my heart and soul. I love EVERYTHING about him. But most importantly I love how he loves Simone. I want a guy like Roscoe so bad. To think that there is someone out there who could love and cherish me the way he love Simone, honestly my heart hurts just thinking about them.I’m really, really glad that this book was 100% focused on Simone and Roscoe because I was initially worried that the rest of the gang would take away from their book but that didn’t happen at all. We definitely got so many great scenes with the rest of the gang and I love catching up with them all and seeing where they were at now in life but I liked that their scenes didn't take away from the romance but rather worked perfectly into the book.There are only two things that are minor concerns about the book:1. The fact that the book is over and now I won’t get to read more about Simone and Roscoe. (I’m not ready to move on from them. I am desperate for more of them. Please oh please let them get their own spin off series like Cletus and Jennifer or even a small novella, hell I’ll even take bonus scene. Ugh just anything!! Because I love them so much and I want to read about them forever and ever)2. The time jump was a tad confusing at times. The way that random events were just dropped casually and then not really even explained was kind of jarring because I’d be SHOOK, jaw on the ground and then the dialogue just continued like nothing happened and I’m literally, like “?!?!?!?!”. And then I got confused because it felt like I was supposed to just know this stuff and I started wondering if this stuff had been mentioned in the previous books and I just forgot but the fact that some stuff was really shocking, like literal bomb drops, I feel there’s no way I’d forget them. I have a feeling these will be things that are clarified in future books but they definitely threw me for a loop when I first read it, considering how things were last left off in the previous books.I’m so happy that this book more than lived up to my expectations and I’m so happy that Penny wrote Roscoe and Simone’s story. Fans of this series, you will not be disappointed! In fact, I think Roscoe’s book is going to take quite a few of you by surprise and have you wondering how you could have ever brushed the youngest Winston brother to the side in the first place.Job well done by this author and a top favorite for the year for me!!EVERYONE READ THIS BOOK!!

soooo... how to best start this review... I've been sitting here for a while trying to put all my thoughts and feelings into words... and there are a lot of them... and they are all very mixed... *sighs* this was one of my most highly anticipated books of the year, and unfortunately... even though it pains me to admit it... I am disappointed... because I struggled while I was reading this novel... it took me a while to finish it, and that never happened before with one of Penny's books... she is currently my favourite author for a reason... :) but this one... ok, let me start with a few basic informations about our main couple and the plot, and then I will get into all the reasons why I'm feeling the way I'm feeling... without spoilers of course :)First of all, I have to mention the fact that this particular book is the fifth one in Winston brothers series... and even though most of them work pretty well as standalones, I usually recommend reading them in order... mostly because a lot of secondary characters appear in more than one of them and if you read them out of order you might miss out on the true meaning of some of those scenes... plus, it's really better to see how certain people change over time and how some relationships / friendships evolve... this is especially important when it comes to this installment... because it takes place a few years after the end of the previous one... and a lot of things happened during that time jump... so if you don't know who certain people are, a lot of little teasers and mentionings will fly right over your head and you will have no idea how important they are... but back to our main couple... we have Roscoe, the youngest of the whole Winston brood... he's... well, he's something all right :) he's charming but can become distant sometimes, mostly because of his memory... he remembers everything... I don't want to get into details, because it's explained much better in the actual story... he works as a vet and regularly comes to visit his family in Green Valley... Simone is... I had real troubles with her... and before you all get your panties in a twist, it's not because of her skin color... I adored that she had dark skin, because I am always looking for diversity in books :) nope, it was because she reminded me a lot of Janie and Kaitlyn... Penny's two other heroines that I like the least... so the mix of the two... amplified a bit... yeah... it's one of the reasons why I struggled so much while reading... they were friends when they were younger, until he suddenly cut all contact with her when they were about sixteen... now, ten years later they meet again... because Simone needs something... since it's all very vaguely put in the synopsis, I won't get into more details so I won't spoil you anything, but worry not, it's all explained pretty quickly in the story :) ok, now that we have some basic informations out of the way, let me jump into all my thoughts and feelings...First of all, I feel like I should mention it before everything else... Penny Reid is currently my favourite author... I adore her stories, her writing style, complex characters she creates... her every new book is always very highly anticipated by me... and yes, all that also means that I have very high expectations when it comes to her books... but I can't help feeling like this, all I can be is conscious of that fact and try to write my reviews accordingly... so being aware of all that, I have to say that this installment disappointed me... and it really pains me to say that... I wanted to love this book just as much as I adore all the previous installments... but I just couldn't... Simone grated on my nerves most of the time... I didn't like her cetain actions... I wasn't a fan of how she treated Roscoe... or their relationship in general... I think it's partially because I don't like second chance romance trope in books... and this can be counted as such... more so, I felt like they got together... a bit too quickly... I can't explain that more without spoiling you some pretty big things, so let's just move on... all in all I gave this novel 3,75 stars... I would give it less, if it weren't for all the scenes with the other siblings and their significant others :) those glimpses just reminded me how much I loved their stories and why this one pales in comparison... I wasn't the biggest fan of the time jump as well... on the one hand it was really good to see who have kids and where are they at this time of their lives... on the other hand all the mysterious and vague teasers added here and there... that I know just have to result in future stories explaining everything in many more details, were... too teasing sometimes... if that's a thing :) romance was definitely only a part of the whole book, with a few other storylines happening at the same time... and I wanted to see more of them... to understand why they are doing certain things... ugh... it's really hard to explain all my thoughts and feelings without spoilers... so instead of struggling to get around all the spoilery things, let me sum everything up... :) yes, I struggled while reading this story... it felt chaotic and a bit all over the place at times... but I still am a fan of her writing style... this and all the scenes with the rest of the siblings and their partners were the reasons why I rounded my rating up a bit... I still highly recommend you guys this author and this series... and I'm sure that for some of you this one will become your favourite in it :) it just wasn't for me... and that's ok :) we have our own personal preferences for a reason and just because I had troubles with it doesn't mean you will fell exactly the same :) so I encourage you to check out some other reviews as well and then make your own decision about it ;)

A book about how one sided love changes people, but it still is in hands of the person in love to not turn into a stalker or an abuser. Roscoe has been in love with his best friend Simone since childhood but once when they were drunk and he confessed to her, due to her circumstances she had rejected him and not remembered about that the next day, but Roscoe has been avoiding her since.Simone grew up to be a member of FBI and has some interest in Roscoe and thus is tailing him around. She tells herself that she doesn't care about his abandonment nearly a decade ago but still she cares.The most beautiful thing about this series is the relationship the characters have with their families. Also how they rely on each other and other characters have individual characters and personalities.I did not know how African Americans face prejudice and harsh treatment they face everywhere. I was so impressed and in awe with Penny Reid for her in depth research on these sensitive issues. LOVE THIS!

Roscoe loved Simone when he was sixteen and ten years later she was still the woman of his dreams. When she told him even at that age that she didnt believe in love he knew he had to get away from her and he led an almost solitary life since. Roscoe was a gentle man, determined to stay away from Simone when she returned to their small town. It hurt seeing her and when she pursued him he was at a loss. Daisy was FBI and she had to get him to meet with his father who was a known criminal. When he found out he thought he walked away. Fantastic read and a page turner.

This story follows Roscoe and Simone and their love story which developes through the pages, with realisations on both sides that things are never quite as they seem.Memories are strange things they play a vital role cataloguing our past and the effect they have on how we grow into our future, they haunt our dreams and provide a smile on those quite reflecting moments alone.The book touches on some poignant issues and addresses them sensitively and with clarity, its shown me how hard people face prejudices on a daily basis and what they have to endure just to stay alive, which is a shock in this modern day and genuinely heartbreaking.So will Roscoe finally get his girl? Well you will have to read it to find out but lets say the the path to true love never runs smoothly.

5 StarsAhhhh Roscoe is amazing!Simone and Roscoe were childhood best friends they did everything together until one night, then Roscoe disappeared from Simone’s life and has avoided her since.Simone is now working for the FBI she is normally based in a lab but because of her connections she is now undercover and has been tasked with getting close to Roscoe to find out where his estranged father is.Roscoe has been in love with Simone since they were kids, but he knew she didn’t return those feelings, now she is back in town and seeking him out he is not sure what to do.Can these two resolve the issues from their past and become friends or more? What will happen when Simone’s undercover status is revealed?

These books just keep getting better.Penny's writing skill matures like a fine wine. And much like a fine wine, there are layers of complexity and richness.Roscoe and Simone are true soulmates and I believed in their love story completely.I thought I wouldn't like Roscoe Winston very much, being the youngest in a family lends itself to bratty and selfish behaviour and many authors fall back on this stereotype. I should have had more faith in Penny's ability to surprise.Simone is a woman that if she were real, I'd be intimidated by her all round competence and quick thinking brilliance. By the same token, I would want to be friends with her very badly indeed.Recommended times infinity