Three books into this series and I think I like this one more than the previous books, but that could be due to my love for Cletus Winston, the best Winston brother (in my humble opinion.)  I so enjoyed this unconventional love story and would be more than happy to see an entire spinoff series with Cletus and Jen.  These books just keep getting better and better and I highly recommend it.

Jennifer Sylvester, otherwise known as the Banana Cake Queen, has spent her life working for the family bakery (for no pay) and dressing and acting how her parents think a girl should.  She is starting to be weighed down by her budding social media career (forced upon her by her mother) and the pressures from her family so she decides that in order to break free, she must get married.  Problem is—she doesn’t have a boyfriend and has no prospects.  When she sees something she shouldn’t, she decides to blackmail Cletus Winston into finding her a suitable husband.   As the two get closer and closer, will they realize their feelings are changing?  Or is the Banana Cake Queen destined to be alone?

From book one, Cletus Winston was my favorite brother.   He is actually described by Penny Reid as “a puzzle wrapped in a mystery covered in conundrum sauce,” and that’s only a small part of who he is.  He always has schemes going and people to influence and he is a delightful character.   As a reader, you never know what is going to come out of his mouth next which makes for a unique character.  Jennifer was mentioned and seen very briefly in the first two books so I didn’t know what to expect from her.  Her character is frustrating but I think that was Reid’s intention.  It was tough to watch her get walked all over by her family and to see her not get rewarded for all her hard work, but the growing romance between Cletus and her was wonderful and very realistic.  In the end, I liked that Cletus was the spark that got her to see how her life could be but that she was ultimately the one to make changes and define herself.    Despite this series being about brothers, Reid writes some amazing female characters who think for themselves and don’t let men get them down.  It’s very refreshing to see in a romance series and one of the reasons I can’t wait to read book four.

My reviews for this series seem to be getting repetitive but that’s because each one is great and unique.  This series should be on every romance fans to read list.

Favorite Quote:

Author: Penny Reid

Published: 2016

Rating: 5 Stars