I tried reading Truth or Beard last year around this time and for many reasons had to put it down for a bit. So when this one was up as a Kindle Freebie I decided to give the Winston brothers another try by starting with the first, or rather 0.5 novel. And Ithink that worked to its favor since I am willing to give Truth or Beard another chance.

I enjoyred reading about Ashley and her desire to break away from the mold that she was set in with her background an her family. However I also liked how it showed how this affected the relationships with all of her brothers. Most of them understood her desire to leave so when she returned they were trying to show them they had changed. Then there was Billy whom she had to work to get forgiveness from.

(Slight spoilers in this paragraph)Families can be complicated things. Ashley was dealing with wanting to be seen as more than white trash or the baby sister. Her brothers were dealing with wanting to be seen as more than the brothers who admittedly did torment her growing up (because siblings). Then this reunionis further complicated by the Winston siblings dealing with the impending death of their mother and the return of their horrible father. They`re not sure how to act around each other in the leading up to all of these events but they do come together. One of hardest things to experience is the death of a parent and Iliked how that even with their rough history they came together to support and love each other when it was most needed.

Yes this book was a romance and the romance between Drew and Ash was very well done and developed. It was a bit of a twist on the whole hating each other from the start even though that wasn`t the case. I loved their banter and that it was intelligent banter and I hope that this happens in Reid`s other stories since I have a few waiting on my Kindle. This book is yet another one where it would have been easier had they just been honest and communicated but we all know that communication is one of the hardest things in a relationship because as much as you love someone there is a small part of you that doesn`t want to be vulnerable to them.

All in all this book reignited my desire to read this series and more by the author including the Knitting in the City series, the first of which is also waiting eagerly for its turn on my TBR pile.