Publication Date: August 28, 2014
Synopsis
There are three things you need to know about Ashley Winston: 1) She has six brothers and they all have beards, 2) She is a reader, and 3) She knows how to knit.
Former beauty queen, Ashley Winston’s preferred coping strategy is escapism. She escaped her Tennessee small town, loathsome father, and six brothers eight years ago. Now she escapes life daily via her Amazon kindle one-click addiction. However, when a family tragedy forces her to return home, Ashley can’t escape the notice of Drew Runous— local Game Warden, bear wrestler, philosopher, and everyone’s favorite guy. Drew’s irksome philosophizing in particular makes Ashley want to run for the skyscrapers, especially since he can’t seem to keep his exasperating opinions— or his soulful poetry, steadfast support, and delightful hands— to himself. Pretty soon the girl who wanted nothing more than the escape of the big city finds she’s lost her heart in small town Tennessee.
This is a full-length novel, can be read as a standalone, and is the fourth book in the 'Knitting in the City' series.
My Review
Fire burns blue and hot.
Its fair light blinds me not.
Smell of smoke is satisfying, tastes nourishing to my tongue.
I think fire ageless; never old, and yet no longer young.
Morning coals are cool, daylight leaves me blind.
I love the fire most because of what it leaves behind.
This book made me happy and in love. Full stop.
It’s one of those reads that didn’t have unnecessary angst, just a well
thought out plot with awesome dialogue and great characters all around.
I’ve enjoyed every couple in this series, from Quinn and Janie,
Elizabeth and Nico, Sandra and Alex. But I have to say I fell head over
heels in love with Drew and Ashley. Their story resonated with me the
most. I know I sound like a broken record because I’ve been saying this
as each book in the series gets published but this book just keeps
getting better and better. And this is hands down my favorite in this
series.
After 8 years Ashley is back with her family in Tennessee to care for
her ailing mother. Being back home also means seeing her 6 bearded
brothers again, who were partly responsible for her wanting to live a
life away from Tennessee. But as days turned into weeks and as Ashley
spends her time caring for her mother, she realized that things have
changed. Her brothers were no longer the irresponsible hooligans that
she remembered from long ago. They have changed. Everything it seemed
has changed.
And a big part of that change was Drew. Drew Runous was also bearded,
hunky, quiet and the most fascinating man Ashley has ever met. Their
first introduction to each other was hilarious. But as Ashley soon found
out, Drew was more than just a friend to her family. He played a big
role is her brothers’ lives and ultimately her own life as well.
Beauty and the Mustache not only proved that Penny Reid is a talented
author (we already know that), but it also shows the depth in the way
she wrote these characters. While this book still retains her trademark
humor and quirks, it was also more emotional and poignant. Even the
subject that was tackled here was a departure from her previous works.
But it was handled with such care and with humor that even though this
book made me cry, it also made me cry. Sometimes at the same time.
“I’m glad you know my heart, because you are my heart.”
Drew. The fact that Charlie Hunnam and Travis Fimmel was the inspiration
for his character had nothing to do with the reason why I loved Drew at
all (liar, liar, pants on fire). I swears. Seriously though, Drew is PR
best hero to day. He’s sexy alpha minus the asshole part. And he’s also
sensitive, smart, and steadfast. Best of all, he writes poetry. I’m
sorry but any guy character who writes beautiful poetry is a winner in
my book. No doubt about it.
Ashley was just as wonderful. When I found out it was going to be
Ashley’s book, I was hesitant because I couldn’t even remember her from
the knitting group. She sort of flew under the radar. It wasn’t
surprising though because Sandra was such a big personality that she
overshadows even the other girls. But as I continue to read this book, I
fell in love with Ashley as well. It broke my heart the things she went
through in this book.
Ashley Austen Winston,
You don’t know how deeply you cut when your intentions carry no knives.
But what truly made this an inspiring read for me were Ashley’s brothers
and the ladies of the knitting group. If you read this book, you’ll
know the reason why I lumped them together. Ashley’s brothers were just
phenomenal. Either you wanna sleep with or you want them to be your
brothers as well. Each has a distinct personality that just jumps off
the page. They’re bold, hot, loyal and most of all, they all loved
Ashley in their own unique way. They provided some of the most beautiful
heartrending moments in the books.
The ladies of the knitting group outdid themselves in this book as well.
I loved that I was able to get to know these ladies through the course
of this series. They are hilarious. I loved their friendship. Most of
the time, in romance novels, the women are get pitted against each
other; the virgins and the sluts, etc. But in this series, we get to
read about a group of women who love and support each other. And it’s a
beautiful thing to read.
Ultimately, I’d say this book is so much more about the romance between
Drew and Ashley. It’s also about family, friends, loyalty and growing
up. Definitely one of my favorite read this year. Oh, and the quotes at
the beginning of each chapter were fantastic.
ARC provided by Penny Reid in exchange for an honest review!
Purchase Links
(click on photo to learn more about the series)
About Penny Reid
SEX! It all started with sex, between my parents. Personally I don’t like thinking about it, but whatever works for you is a-ok with me. No judgment. The sex happened in California and much of my life also occurred in that state until I moved from the land of nuts (almonds), wine, silicon… boobs, and heavy traffic to the southeast US. Like most writers I like to write, but let’s get back to sex. Eventually I married and gave birth to 2 small people-children (boy-6, girl-4 as of this writing).
By day I’m a biomedical researcher with focus on rare diseases. By night I’m a knitter, sewer, lino block carver, fabric printer, soap maker, and general crafter. By the wee hours of the morning or when I’m intoxicated I love to listen to the voices in my head and let them tell me stories. I hope you enjoy their stories.
