Review: The Bourbon Kings by J. R. Ward

Item: The Bourbon Kings
Rating: 4.5
Author: Cocktails and Books

Posted October 4, 2015 by Cocktails and Books in Reviews / 1 Comment

The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward
Series: The Bourbon Kings, #1
Published by Penguin Publishing Group Publication Date: July 28th 2015
Pages: 400
Also in this series: The Angels' Share
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The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood delivers the first novel in an enthralling new series set amid the shifting dynamics of a Southern family defined by wealth and privilege—and compromised by secrets, deceit, and scandal....
For generations, the Bradford family has worn the mantle of kings of the bourbon capital of the world. Their sustained wealth has afforded them prestige and privilege—as well as a hard-won division of class on their sprawling estate, Easterly. Upstairs, a dynasty that by all appearances plays by the rules of good fortune and good taste. Downstairs, the staff who work tirelessly to maintain the impeccable Bradford facade. And never the twain shall meet.
For Lizzie King, Easterly’s head gardener, crossing that divide nearly ruined her life. Falling in love with Tulane, the prodigal son of the bourbon dynasty, was nothing that she intended or wanted—and their bitter breakup only served to prove her instincts were right. Now, after two years of staying away, Tulane is finally coming home again, and he is bringing the past with him. No one will be left unmarked: not Tulane’s beautiful and ruthless wife; not his older brother, whose bitterness and bad blood know no bounds; and especially not the ironfisted Bradford patriarch, a man with few morals, fewer scruples, and many, many terrible secrets.
As family tensions—professional and intimately private—ignite, Easterly and all its inhabitants are thrown into the grips of an irrevocable transformation, and only the cunning will survive.

Cocktails and Books received this book for free from Galley Sites, NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect our opinion of the book or the content of our review.

Lizzie King, head gardener and the help essentially, loves and will always love Tulane “Lane” Baldwine of the Bradford family, the help and the heir of a household like Bradfords should never mingle let alone fall in love. Yes, Lane is married, but it’s a marriage on paper only, because she was suitable and other drama, that led to Lizzie and Lane being in love but apart.

This is a romance and it’s not. We get to see the romance between Lizzie and Lane as they fall back in love and this time being older and a bit wiser, actually manage to make a go at it, especially once his divorce is final.

Yet, there are so many interconnected stories going on, death, drama, arrests, and all this happens over a few days leading to a book that I couldn’t put down. This is a pretty substantial story and it has me so hooked into the Bradford family business that I’m already jonesing for the next book. I know Lizzie and Lane are going to make it, but can and will the rest of the family work their way out of the quagmires they’re currently ensconced in? Maybe, maybe not, but either way I need to know what happens to them.

Only downside, some of the overblown Southern stereotypes, I feel like the author was trying so hard to make sure it had Southern flavor that she went a bit far, but I was able to move past those and enjoy the story despite being a bit annoyed at some of the characters being thrown in for uneccesary flavor.

Don’t pick this up if you’re expecting a straight forward romance, that’s not what this is. This is a sweeping family saga, where you will find yourself invested in all the characters, and the good, the bad and the ugly that happens to them. There is some serious ugly in this book, and those parts were hard, but they also worked for the story. I definitely enjoyed this in the end, and I could say so much more about it, but I don’t want to give away anything, it’s one of those books where you need the drama and the tension to build so that you can’t set it down without feeling the urge to just spend the day reading. I highly recommend it.