Name: Cindy McKee's review of The Bourbon Kings by J. R. Ward
Item: The Bourbon Kings
Rating: 4
Author: Cindy McKee

J. R. Ward

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 iron-fisted 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.

The Bourbon Kings

Becky

J.R. Ward

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.

Cindy McKee

This was a soapy delight that harkened back to the days of Dallas or Dynasty. I will admit that the very wealthy and privileged Baldwines (a.k.a the Bradfords) were a bit hard to root for at first. However, as the story moves forward, you see the humanity and vulnerability starting to surface in each character. 
There is also a larger mystery unfolding behind the scenes that begins to move the pieces on the board to what will surely be a heady explosion. I like that Ms.Ward didn't try to just redeem the characters. Instead, she has allowed it to slowly play out as it would likely do in real life. Or, real life in a book about Bourbon Barons in Kentucky. 
People aren't always likeable, nor are they able to pull a 180° turn in their life when it is in such disarray. It is always a slow learning and changing process. I truly hope that this is how Ms. Ward proceeds with her saga. I, for one, will be eager to keep visiting her lovely soap opera to see how it all pans out!

Aundreya Rich

** spoiler alert **
           The first 200 pages were so incredibly slow.

This book was recommended to me and I think because it is centered around KY. 

The mystery and twists and turns were what made this read enjoyable. 
Lane and Lizzie?
Meh.
I’d like Sam to get in there and save Gin. I am completely shipping them.
And Edward and Sutton.

Great characters all in all.
Just a slow build.

Excited for book 2!

Miki Rose

Could not put it down. Best book I have read in a LONG time

So I had an ARC copy from the publisher, not sure but I think I have to mention I'm not paid to review this, and definitely am not paid to give it a good review.

I really didn't like it. And it was really surprising, because there were elements that I usually love- rich people having their lives crumble, chaos, crazy antics, but it just fell really flat.

Honestly it didn't even get mildly interesting until the halfway point, and then the ending was unfortunately more of bait for a second book in the series than an actual ending.

I just...wished for more. Deeper characters if that meant less of them, or something. It just seems like Ward has something bigger going on that could be really good, but he just can't give us the details to make it fantastic.

If you don't mind a repetitive relationship, tons of characters without much depth, and an ending thay doesn't end much of anything, then this is definitely a book for you. I'm sure people will love it, but I about lost it when they used a Gone Girl reference as if it's supposed to be something any reader would understand.

b.andherbooks

So, I've never read any JR Ward before, but I received this as an ARC (thank you Netgalley) and it is about bourbon so I thought I'd give it a go. What a soap opera. This tale of a dynasty of Kentucky Bourbon makers was completely salacious, over the top, and honestly sort of fun in a dark, twisty way. 

 Book One focused mostly on brother Lane (short for Tulane) and his former flame Lizzie the Gardener. They had a hot and steamy romance that was cut short when one of Lane's bimbos told him she was pregnant. After a few years of lies and misunderstandings, Lane is back to visit his "Mama," a saintly cook who is battling cancer and probably not going to be around much longer. Lane and Lizzie can't fight their attraction any longer, but family and some horrible actions by Lane's father threaten everyone's safety-financially and physically.

You're also introduced to a massive cast of characters who I assume will each get their own book in this series. It is a bit distracting and overwhelming and I wanted more details, but again, being saved for additional books. The story did get a bit rape-y, and the sex scenes weren't really too my taste (there were at least two instances of insta-orgasm upon penetration, where it was mutual for both parties involved, yeah right). I will probably read the next installment because I had enough fun, and it took me like a day to get through. Totally a trashy summer read.

Kaycee Castleman

Holy crap. I loved this one far more than I realized. 

It was a random choice on my Overdrive app. Glad I did. This was great. I thought it'd make a great TV show on prime time tv. Turns out the rights were bought just for that!

Lacey

Finally finished reading this after starting this a year ago. So much drama!! Don't know that I loved it, but it was definitely entertaining. On to the next book!

Becky &
The Bourbon Kings by J. R. Ward

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The Bourbon Kings by J. R. Ward