#BookReview The Bourbon Kings by J. R. Ward @JRWard1 Title: The Bourbon Kings

Author: J.R. Ward

Series: The Bourbon Kings #1

Published by: NAL on Jul. 28, 2015

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 420

Format: Hardcover

Source: Purchased

Book Rating: 8.5/10

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.


Review:

I really enjoyed this story.

This novel takes you into the lives of, the multi-generational bourbon maker family, the Bradford’s. They are southern. They are rich. And they have everything you would expect, debutante wives, fast cars, and beautiful houses. But like most families with money, power, and privilege everything is not as it always seems, and hidden away behind closed doors you find adultery, abuse, lies, secrets, and murder.

This story is very engaging and captivating. The characters are complex, flawed, and self-destructive. And the plot is well written, interesting and suspenseful.

This can be read as a standalone novel, but I guarantee by the end you will be looking forward to reading what comes next in the Bourbon Kings Book #2, The Angels’ Share, due to be published July 26, 2016.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy of this story from your favourite retailer or from the following Amazon links.

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About J.R. Ward

J.R. Ward is the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series of vampire books. She is a winner of the prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA award for Best Paranormal Romance and is a multiple RITA nominee. A graduate of Smith College, she was a double major in History and Art History with a medieval concentration in both and she still longs at times for a return to those days sitting in dark lecture halls, looking at slides of old triptychs and reliquaries. Prior to becoming a full time writer, she was a corporate attorney, serving for many years as the Chief of Staff of one of Harvard Medical Schools premier teaching sites. Her idea of absolute heaven is a day filled with nothing but her computer, her dog and her coffee pot and the Brothers, of course.