As a child of the 70's and 80's, I know soap operas. Day time soaps with their never ending supply of dopplegangers, affairs, and heartbreaks. Night time soaps with their glamorous people living extraordinary lives, betrayal, and champagne. Ms. Ward is definitely in the latter with her new series. It is a confection of upstairs downstairs politics and family dynamics, all swirling in the world of Kentucky Bourbon. A delightful guilty pleasure!

The Angels' Share is the second book in J. R. Ward's Bourbon Kings series. For those who haven't read the first book, it might be a little confusing if you choose to start with this one. The storyline continues from what previously occurred. Characters Lane steps up and takes responsibility of his family's company and unfortunately, things are off to a bad start. Luckily, Lizzie as well as a few of his friends are helping him get through the troubles that he and his family are facing in regards to the company's fortune. Edward is a very compelling character and I feel like we are slowly getting to know him more. He is someone whose story I am most interested in. He also seems to be growing as a character and I definitely want things to work out between him and Sutton. Gin is harder to like as a character but she is certainly maturing late in life. She is maddingly frustrating and makes huge mistakes with the decisions she takes. I only hope for the best for her. Hopefully she continues to grow as a person. The relationship between her and Justin T. is heartbreaking as well. Not much is known about Maxwell but maybe we'll learn more in the next book. Storyline The story grabs your attention from the beginning with all the intrigue and secrets held among the Bradford family. Some moments seemed slower than others but the interaction between the different couples were interesting. There are several viewpoints taken. It included, Lane, Lizzie, Edward, Gin, Sutton, and others. Although there were many, it did not hinder the story at all. Opinion Lots of secrets that still need to be revealed. I recommend this book for those who like family drama and secrets. Also, for fans of J. R. Ward's writing style. For more of my reviews please visit my blog https://ilovereading2016.wordpress.com/

We pick up with the Bradford family right where we left them in book one, and while apparently the "focus" of this book is Edward, the rest of the characters have about the same amount of page time. The sheer amount of narrative shifts was enough to make me need a glass of bourbon to steady myself as I read, and some of the story lines are more preposterous than others, but still a fun, soapy, summer read. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

I'm in love with this series. It's such a train wreck of a family. I can't wait until the NBC pilot comes out. I'm assuming the next one will have more from Max's perspective.

Fiiinally finished this after starting this literally a year ago. Not as good as the first but I'm still heavily invested in these characters and am dying for their happy endings!