Beauty and the Mustache: A Small Town Romantic Comedy (Knitting in the City Book 4)

Book: Beauty and the Mustache – a philosophical romanceSeries: Knitting in the City #4 and Winston brothers 0.5Author: Penny ReidMain characters: Ashley Winston and Drew RunousBasic story: Ashley Winston has a great life in Chicago – she was desperate to get away from her native Tennessee, and her band of idiotic brothers eight years ago. Settled in a good job with a close-knit circle of friends (excuse the pun – it wasn’t intentional), her life takes an uncertain turn when she gets the call that her mother is ill.Returning to Tennessee to look after her mother forces her to reconnect with her six brothers – at one time her biggest tormentors. She also has to deal with family friend Dr. Drew Ruinous, an intense, poet and bearded park ranger, whom she can’t figure out. He seems to hate her on sight – at least, at the times when he isn’t looking at her like she’s a glass of water and he’s a VERY thirsty man. What’s up with that?As Ashley learns about herself and absorbs her mother’s enigmatic advice, she comes to realise that Chicago may be where her life is, but life in Tennessee could also hold some exciting possibilities – if only Drew would finally lay his cards on the table and use those words he’s so good at capturing on paper…Why you should read it: Because. Penny Reid. She’s fabulous and funny and whose poetry ‘will melt your butter.’ (A phrase that I will now be using constantly!) Her characters are well-rounded, complex and feature some familiar faces that you may have read about in earlier books. Good news is if you love Ashley’s brothers, they have their own spin-off series – they all have beards and are super silly and sweet! The chemistry between Ash and Drew was HAWT – he is a deep and old soul and Ashley is the right balance for him. I loved their dynamic and swooned many a time.What you might not like: Erm…hot mountain men with lots of facial hair? Didn’t think it was my thing, but I confess I’m a convert! Especially if the dude’s a poet. I honestly can’t criticise this book – it was superb – so fun and a great study in family dynamics, with some drama thrown in.Rating: 5/5 for me – thoroughly entertaining, sexy and smart – which is something you can rely on with Penny Reid books.

This book made me cry.Even after being about 3 books deep in The Winston Brothers series before I even realised that this book existed, it made me cry.I started the Knitting In The City series to read this book.Ashley Winston is losing her mother, and she's not been home to Green Valley in years. When she gets there, she runs into Drew who is now the executor of her mothers estate.She doesn't want to be in Green Valley for a bunch of reasons. Her live is in Chicago. She doesn't get along with her many MANY brothers. Her father is THE WORST.All of this remains true until way into this book (although her dad remains the worst to this day)but Ashely and Drew are super cute

Ashley was a paediatric nurse in Chicago, she'd paid her way through college and university to gain her qualifications for nursing.This had taken her 8 years, and in which time she'd not been home to Tennessee to see her mother and six brothers!!Ashley regularly phoned her momma and met up with her but not at home.Being the only girl and having 6 brothers who to Ashley felt was their target for practical jokes of all kinds none of them particularly nice to say the least! This was the deciding factor in leaving Tennessee plus her father who was a violent man who wouldn't let his wife divorce him - mainly because her family were a monied family - and he thought every penny should come to him........Ashley got a call from one of her brothers saying that momma was in hospital and wouldn't see any one but Ashley.Ashley arranged time off work and drove home via the hospital where she found her mother had terminal cancer...........When she got home she didn't recognise her bearded brothers and their friend - who Asley later found out from her mother when she came out of hospital to be nursed at home that Drew was her close friend and also her power of attorney and executor of her WillAshley and Drew took a long time and in a round about fashion to get together - via poetry a lot of intellectual discussions en route

I do not posses the beautiful brilliance that is Ms Penny's writing I cannot extol the virtues of Nietzsche or the deep layering and meaning of poetry. However I defy anyone to read this book and not be totally lifted with it's humour, immense joy in the kindness of friends and the utter devotion that family can have. This book to me wasn't about Ash and Drew Mr Epically swoony although their story was almost spiritual in their journey and sometimes seemed from a bygone era, no to me the book was about Ash's relationship with her momma, her friends. Who I have to say where just bloody marvellous, but it was her brothers who had me with a lump I'm my throat probably more so as I'm an only child and can only imagine how wonderfully frustrating but also heart swelling a big family can be, I loved them all, Roscoe, Billy, Beau, Duane Cletus and Jethro, who were all just plain lovely in their weird and wonderful way although my heart belongs to Cletus the banjo playing big bearded gentle soul of a man, I cannot tell you how happy I am to know that there will be a spin off series about the brothers, I need to read more about these extraordinary fellows. Loved this book and the series definitely a keeper.