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 … 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.
From the Hardcover edition.
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I love a great big saga to keep me going for days and days of escape. This is a must read in J.R. Ward’s trilogy about this amazing family and its loves & losses.
I highly recommend this well written stories and characters!! JR Ward’s is outstanding at creating wonderful stories and characters!
A STUNNING new series that blew me away…I LOVE this new world that she has opened up to us. The Bourbon Industry was not something I thought I would be interested in, but I find I am…Pick this up and start a new series you will love as much as her other work today!
I love this authors BDB series and was a little reluctant to start this, given the description made it sound a lot like a book version of Dynasty, but it turns out that I needn’t have worried. The central mystery was easy to figure out for a fan of murder mysteries but I came to care enough about the main characters I wanted to see how it worked out in the end. Steamy love scenes, hateful villains and very fun secondary characters made the series for me. Highly recommended series.
This is a fabulous read, and I know that J.R. Ward will continue to shock, amaze, and entice her readers with the rest of The Bourbon Kings to come.
This book was great but some people might find it slow in going at first. Of course, this is a three book series too.
I loved this series! A great weekend escape read!
Tulane “Lane” Baldwin left Charlemont, Kentucky without a second glance after he lost the only woman he loved Lizzie King. Lane is the first one to say he made mistakes in his past but the reason for his split with Lizzie was one he made before they got together. Hearing that the woman who basically raised him, Aurora has fallen ill he finds his way back. Lizzie is still working for his families estate and he decides to go after what he wants, Lizzie. However there is a lot of treachery going on from his powerful father and Lane finds himself unraveling each part of it and finding himself on the cusp of losing everything that matters to him.
There is so much to this story, you have the Lane and Lizzie angle. You have the family dynamic specifically Lane’s brother Edward who I was completely fascinated with. His sister Jen who is just a hot mess. All the characters are intriguing and this is a page turner. Excellent read.
J.R. Ward is one of my very favorite authors. So when I got the opportunity to review an early copy of the first book in her new series, I jumped at the chance.
THE BOURBON KINGS is a world away from the author’s other books. The story has a completely distinctive tone. If I didn’t know J.R. Ward’s name was on the front cover of the book, I would think someone else wrote it.
The story is one big soap opera with a lot of drama. Betrayal, infidelity and greed, are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Move over Kennedys, there’s a new family taking up residence in Crazy Town.
I had a hard time getting into the story and an even harder time connecting with the characters. If you’re hoping for the writing style of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, you will be very disappointed.
THE BOURBON KINGS is a totally sophisticated read full of drama. The book is likened to the television shows of Dallas and Dynasty. I would say, that is a very accurate comparison. This ain’t your average vampire warrior book.
The book is well-written, the characters are devious and two-faced and there is a lot of money and power being wielded. There is no question of the brilliance of the writing, plot-building or the tangled web of deceit holding this cast of motley crewed characters together.
I was disappointed though because there’s not much romance going on. Lizzie and Lane’s relationship—if you want to call it that—was deeply overshadowed by the rest of the ruthless Bradford family.
This was a hard book for me to review. I liked the story, but when I put it into words, I found I constantly kept repeating myself because the theme is the same throughout the story.
Bottom line: The book is good, but it’s a different beast altogether from her previous books.
***I was gifted a hardcover copy from the publisher in July 2015 in exchange for an honest review. All conclusions reached are my own***
bookshelves: adult, romance, contemporary, 0-n-order-by-athr, shared-2-amazon, shared-2-facebook, 2shr2bkbub, 2shr2google
The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward
Genres; Adult, Contemporary, Romance
4.75 Stars
J.R. Ward is one of my favorite authors & she did not disappoint me in this book as far as how well it is written.
There are twist & turns throughout.
It does keep the reader on their toes!
I just don’t know if this series is for me. It’s a bit too ‘Soap Opera’ for me.
Yet I found myself intrigued and wanting to know more about this world she has created.
Will be interesting to see where the 2nd book takes us.
And then I will decide about going any further with this series.
JR WARD IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!!!!! MY FAVORITE AUTHOR OF ALL TIMES
I rate this with a 3 since there aren’t any half ratings …this is more a 3.5 star review. I was both happy and sad with this book. Sad, because unlike with the BDB, I wasn’t instantly sucked into the story line. It took me a long time to get into the story and really feel apart of it. That said, the characters were intriguing and definitely full of emotion that I could feel. I hope that the next book in Ward’s Bourbon Kings series is easier to get into.
*This book was purchased for my personal reading, and I was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
A brilliant book by an incredible writer.
Great book, JR Ward is one of my favorite authors.
One of the very best books of a 3 book sequel series. J. R. Ward is a terrific writer.
Great beginning to great trilogy.
This series was great! Quick to read and very enjoyable. I could hardly wait for the last one to come out!
I read this book a while back. This is a trilogy and have waited for the third book The Devils Cut which I am just now starting.
“Dallas” meets Kentucky!
Excellent, can’t wait for the next installment