The queen of Paranormal Romance returns to writing
Contemporary
Romance and it seems that J.R. Ward succeeds in every
genre she attempts.
Not your average Contemporary Romance, THE BOURBON KINGS
is rife with
scandal, forbidden love and twists and turns no one will
see coming!
Following the lives of the Bradford family who are the
kings when it comes to
making bourbon, there are four siblings who have been
subjected to their
father's abuse as children. With their mother's health
deteriorating, they go
off to live their own lives coming back together when
strange things begin to
happen in their family home. Ward has multiple points of
views in this book,
coming primarily from Lane and Lizzie, the head gardener
and heroine of the
story.
Lane, the prodigal son of the bourbon dynasty and Lizzie
have a past that
haunts them. Having not seen Lane for years after their
affair together and
him announcing that he was going to be married to another
woman, Lizzie
doesn't want anything to do with Lane when he returns to
Easterly. Despite
the fact that Lane is a very determined man, as the story
unfolds it's clear
that having Lizzie won't be as easy as it seems.
Ward's writing in this book is absolutely spectacular.
While I didn't love the
characters at first, they grew on me. This is because Ward
doesn't write
innately good characters right off the bat. She introduces
them in sketchy
situations, some that are actually bathed in bad light as
is the case with
Lane's sister, Gin. But as the story progresses, something
changes and you
begin to root for the characters despite their faults. The
complications that
arise throw these characters into a tailspin and the
solution isn't clean cut or
easy.
If you're familiar with Anna Godberson's Luxe series, THE
BOURBON KINGS follows the same
vein just without the historical setting. There are
beautiful, rich people and
appearances to be kept. There are dark secrets and
scandalous hookups.
And nothing seems to be what it is in Easterly any longer.
If you're up for a
wild ride, then this is a series you don't want to miss
out on! THE
BOURBON KINGS is a promising start to the series!
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.