REVIEW: Grin and Beard It by Penny Reid

Grin and Beard It by Penny Reid: Sienna is Hollywood favourite funny girl but sometime even she needs a bit of time out, which is how she finds herself lost in the Smokey Mountains. She also didn’t mean to meet a bearded park ranger with smouldering eyes and a mysterious past. But here she is; off-grid, off-script and dangerously close to falling for a man who prefers trees to tabloids. Jethro is trying to live a quiet life, which is harder than one would expect, especially when you’ve got six nosy siblings, a reputation you’re still trying to outrunning and now he has got a movie star parked in your patrol zone. Sienna is everything Jethro shouldn’t want; loud, glamorous and completely out of his league. But there is just something about her that just keeps drawing him back. Soon what begins as a detour turns into something neither of them saw coming, a connection too real to ignore and a love worth rewriting everything for.

There is just something about reading a Penny Reid book that always makes me love romance just a bit more and this is so the case with Grin And Beard It. This book like all of her books is cute, funny, heartfelt and an instant hit in my opinion! I loved the slow burn build up between Sienna and Jethro and just how sweet and meaningful their entire relationship felt. The entire famous Hollywood star falls for rugged mountain man was just written to perfection, if anything at all I wanted more of Jethro and Sienna!

Sienna was simply just amazing! She was confident, self aware, successful and unapologetically herself. The thing that I loved the most about our leading lady was the fact that she embraced her curves, in an industry that glorifies size-zero actresses, Sienna’s body positivity and sharp humour are not just refreshing, but necessary. I really liked that even though she was this curvy sassy outspoken woman, there was so much more to her than this, and I loved getting to see her slowly open up and allow Jethro to see the side to her that no one else gets to see. It was really nice getting to see her learn to allow someone into her heart and be seen for more than her outside public persona. Getting to see Sienna realise that she is worth true unconditional love and affection was really beautiful.

Now what can I say about out man Jethro? Gosh did our hero have layers and boy did I love getting to uncover each one of them! Not only was Jethro this rugged mountain man but he was downright charming without even trying! I loved that while he gave of such alpha vibes, he was actually a total softie a real gentle giant. Though I have to say that there was a lot more going on beneath the surface when it came to Jethro, getting to understand his past and the guilt he carries from his days in the motorcycle gang really made my heart hurt for him. Even after all this time, he felt so much of guilt for his past, which is why I loved the fact that Sienna helped him realise that he is so much more than his past.

“I think we all need someone who sees the best in us.”

The connection between Sienna and Jethro might have start of a bit on the slower side but gosh once these two clicked it was impossible to not root for them. The reason their relationship works is because they both see each other beyond the surface and facades. Sienna sees a man worth loving behind Jethro’s shame; Jethro sees a woman craving authenticity behind Sienna’s fame. While their chemistry is electric and has the pages steaming up, it was the emotional connection and healing that they share that makes this book special.

Grin And Beard It was so much more than a simple slow burn romances, this was a celebration of second chances, self-discovery and finding a love that pushes you up instead of pulling you down. The long and the short is I loved this book, all the sassy banter, the laughs and deep heartfelt moments. This is a definite must read book for me!

Book Info:

Publication: June 10, 2025 | Sourcebooks Casablanca | Winston Brothers #2

Sienna Diaz is everyone’s favorite “fat” funny lady. The movie studio executives can’t explain it, but her films are out-grossing all the fit and trim headliners and Hollywood’s most beautiful elite. The simple truth is, everyone loves plus-sized Sienna.

But she has a problem, she can’t read maps and her sense of direction is almost as bad as her comedic timing is stellar. Therefore, when Sienna’s latest starring role takes her to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park she finds herself continually lost while trying to navigate the backroads of Green Valley, Tennessee. Much to her consternation, Sienna’s most frequent savior is a ridiculously handsome, charming, and cheeky Park Ranger by the name of Jethro Winston.

Sienna is accustomed to high levels of man-handsome, so it’s not Jethro’s chiseled features or his perfect physique that make Sienna stutter. It’s his southern charm. And gentlemanly manners. And habit of looking at her too long and too often.

Sienna has successfully navigated the labyrinth of Hollywood heart-throbs. But can she traverse the tenuous trails of Tennessee without losing her head? Or worse, her heart?