The wonderful emmalita offered to share this one with me, but when kindle wouldn’t let her, she gifted it instead! Isn’t she the best!? I finally dipped my toe into Penny Reid’s library, and this one was a great place to start.
Grin and Beard It is the story of Sienna, America’s Sweetheart and Oscar winning actress (think JLaw but Latina), and Jethro, National Park Ranger and a guy trying to turn his life around. They meet cute, and from that instant attraction the story builds. There’s ex boyfriends, con man fathers, and families to contend with, but obviously these two kids work towards making it work.
The story is fine, the banter is fun, Jethro is a little too perfect-y in his current state, but none of that matters as Sienna is f*cking awesome. Like F*CKING AWESOME. She’s smart, confident, at the top of her game, and sassy as all get out. Also she’s not a wilting little slip of a woman. She’s a feminist of the first order, sized healthily, and all about doing it for the POC sisters. I really wish she was real, so I could fantasize about being best friends with her in her fantastic sounding movies that she both writes and acts in. Yeah, she’s that cool. Jethro was fine, but like Lord of Scoundrels, I just really wanted Sienna to get whatever it was she wanted. You want Jethro? Then go get him. Not my cup of tea personally (beyond the beard, always the beard), but if that’s what you want I want you to have him.
Anywho, as my first Penny Reid I would say it was quite a success. There’s a lot of wit, good smolder when necessary, and a kick ass cast of characters. I shall dabble again in the Ms. Reid library, but I think selectively as I hear she can be up and down in her writing.