A Review of Penny Reid's Beauty and the Mustache

 I loved this book…ok, review done!

Just kidding. If you’ve seen me on Facebook you would know that I love Penny Reid. My husband actually makes fun of how much I love Penny’s books…since I continue to talk about them ad nauseam. BatM is the fourth book in the Knitting in the City Series and they just keep getting better. The earlier books were quirky and laugh out loud snorting – don’t read at the gym unless you want people staring at you. Or when you’re in a bar while everyone else is watching the home team lose on the big screen. True story with her third book, Love Hacked. We were on vacation, sitting in a bar, watching the Patriots. Well, I was actually sitting in the corner snorting with laughter. The glares you get when people assume you are laughing at the home team’s defeat—seriously! Maybe they would have been in a better mood if they’d been reading the book!

Anyway, I digress. Tangents are my thing!

So back to BatM. This book was different. Yes there were funny parts and laugh out loud moments, but this story was softer. Its heartbreaking moments will make you ugly cry—another reason not to read in public. Honestly this story was beautiful. Penny Reid’s voice shines. Her writing style grips you, pulling you in until you realize that you’ve read the entire book in one sitting because you just couldn’t stop at the next chapter.

It reminded me of the first romances I read twenty years ago. Deep, brooding hero and sweet, sassy heroine. I don’t want to give too much away because I think everyone should read this book, but I LOVE Drew. Love him. I just wanted him to wrap me up in his strong Viking arms and take me away. Sounds corny, I know, but hey, it’s romance and it’s why we love romance. And once you find out what’s in that notebook he carries around…Oh My God, I couldn’t even function. Again, beautiful and amazing.

“Sugar, I’d be honored to catch you anytime you fall.”

Umm, seriously…yes please and where do I sign up for that! I do happen to fall a lot, so I’d be the perfect candidate.

Ashley is fantastic. She’s sassy and sweet, but never a doormat. Her inner dialogue and snarky comments to Drew make you laugh. Each of the heroines, in this series, is very different but I can always relate to them. That is a gift that Penny Reid has. Her characters jump off the page. They are so real that I want to touch them—well, I want to touch Drew—dreams! And then I want to hang out with the ladies and Nicoletta for Tuesday knitting night.

So to put it simply—which I don’t think I’m capable of—you need to read this book. Wait until you meet her brothers. Holy crap, let the snorting commence. Just that schedule alone had me dying! And due to my great love of old musicals, every time Ashley’s six bearded brothers appeared, I just wanted them to break out into song like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Side note—just writing that last sentence made me snort.

I would give this 5 stars and tell you to go out and get this now. And while you are at it, go buy the other books in the series too. You will not be disappointed, I promise!

Happy Reading .