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avid_reader_96's review against another edition
2.0
It was kind of terrible. The writing was great and I'm a J.R. Ward fan but the story and characters were pretty bad. Something bad happened in nearly every chapter, which didn't keep things exciting but slowed the actual story down. I don't see myself reading another book in this series.
gabmc's review against another edition
3.0
The Bradford family is Rich with a capital R! They have made their money by making bourbon - and they are good at it. The family estate, Easterly, is gorgeous, but the people who live inside are all damaged. Lane, the second son, has been living in New York for the past two years, basically crashing on a friend's couch, to escape the woman he was forced into marrying. Meanwhile, head gardener of the estate, Lizzie King, has been nursing the heart that was broken by Lane. Lane receives a message that his mother is dying, and races back to Easterly. His biological mother has barely left her bedroom for the past three years, pretty much in a drug induced haze. The woman who raised him, Miss Aurora, is very happy to see Lane home, especially after her recent trip to hospital. On his first day home, Lane discovers the body of the financial controller, (her death looks like suicide) in her office. He can't stay away from Lizzie, nor she from him, so they work together to find out what has been going on in the years that Lane has been away. There is Lane's wife, Chantal, his father, William and his older brother Edward - all of whom are nursing grudges. This is the first book in a three book saga and I'm looking forward to reading more.
breezyrenee's review against another edition
2.0
I just need to take a deep sigh.
This entire book is just miscommunication after miscommunication, and honestly, it gave me a headache. Everyone immediately assumes the worst possible thing and reacts before they find out the truth. It's exhausting.
I love the BDB series, but this book almost seems like it was written by a different author.
This entire book is just miscommunication after miscommunication, and honestly, it gave me a headache. Everyone immediately assumes the worst possible thing and reacts before they find out the truth. It's exhausting.
I love the BDB series, but this book almost seems like it was written by a different author.
octopusgarden's review against another edition
4.0
For those of you who have not read this book, it's not what you think it is. This book is barely a romance... This whole time, reading this book. I was trying to figure out what genre this book was and it was mystery, drama, kinda romance, and just a shit ton of plot twists. I've never read a book written by the lovely J.R. Ward but she's definitely well known. Now you're probably wondering what kind of book did I read, well. I thought this book series was going to be based on separate couples but no it's based on a family. It's barely based on Lane and Lizzie, and it's a very serious read. It's not hot sex, lovey-dovey, sweet romance. It's a very serious novel, with a chain of fucked up events.
I'll try to explain the storyline, the best way I can. Let's start off with Lizzie and Lane's story. Lizzie works for Lane's family, she's a florist.. I think? I'm not really sure what she does, it involves the garden though. Lane has always had eyes for Lizzie, ever since she started working for his family. It didn't stop his womanizing ways although, and Lizzie was sure to throw that in his face when he tried to pursue her. Eventually, Lizzie and Lane pursued something more and one of Lane's conquests starts stating all these things, and Lizzie is heartbroken she shuts out Lane and Lane leaves to New York and doesn't come back... Until now. 2 years later. Now let's start with Gin's story, Gin has seduced many men, many married men but it's all part of the game she plays with Samuel T. Samuel can't remember the last time, he slept with a woman just for the hell of sleeping with her, not for the game, him and Gin use to throw their conquests in each other's faces. Although, Gin has secrets of her own. She refuses to lose this game with Samuel, until her father gives her an ultimatum and she realizes, it wasn't the game she valued at all, it was the man she was playing with.
I can't necessarily share Edward's story without giving things away, very important details so I decided to leave that silent. Also, Maxwell.. He's MIA. He was only mentioned in memories, nothing in the present.
Now this book was messed up... I hate how I've invested into a book that I thought was a standalone but ended up not being one!! To describe this book, it would be definitely a suspense/mystery novel. Lane, Maxwell, Edward, and Gin are all siblings that go through a horrible chain of events and have one shitty man for a father. I'm very worn out after reading this book, so my only advice to those who want to read this book is, prepare yourself. If you're looking for a easy, romance novel. This isn't it for you. Overall, it was an okay read. I read it majorly just to figure out what happens in the end.
"I GIVE IT 3.5 STARS"
I'll try to explain the storyline, the best way I can. Let's start off with Lizzie and Lane's story. Lizzie works for Lane's family, she's a florist.. I think? I'm not really sure what she does, it involves the garden though. Lane has always had eyes for Lizzie, ever since she started working for his family. It didn't stop his womanizing ways although, and Lizzie was sure to throw that in his face when he tried to pursue her. Eventually, Lizzie and Lane pursued something more and one of Lane's conquests starts stating all these things, and Lizzie is heartbroken she shuts out Lane and Lane leaves to New York and doesn't come back... Until now. 2 years later. Now let's start with Gin's story, Gin has seduced many men, many married men but it's all part of the game she plays with Samuel T. Samuel can't remember the last time, he slept with a woman just for the hell of sleeping with her, not for the game, him and Gin use to throw their conquests in each other's faces. Although, Gin has secrets of her own. She refuses to lose this game with Samuel, until her father gives her an ultimatum and she realizes, it wasn't the game she valued at all, it was the man she was playing with.
I can't necessarily share Edward's story without giving things away, very important details so I decided to leave that silent. Also, Maxwell.. He's MIA. He was only mentioned in memories, nothing in the present.
Now this book was messed up... I hate how I've invested into a book that I thought was a standalone but ended up not being one!! To describe this book, it would be definitely a suspense/mystery novel. Lane, Maxwell, Edward, and Gin are all siblings that go through a horrible chain of events and have one shitty man for a father. I'm very worn out after reading this book, so my only advice to those who want to read this book is, prepare yourself. If you're looking for a easy, romance novel. This isn't it for you. Overall, it was an okay read. I read it majorly just to figure out what happens in the end.
"I GIVE IT 3.5 STARS"
silver_and_vengeance's review against another edition
4.0
I was pleasantly surprised by The Bourbon Kings. It seemed completely different from everything else I've read by J.R. Ward! I'm anxious to read the next book in the series but I'll probably wait until at least one more is released because one more book just isn't going to be enough.
manocornuta666's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
tallyhotel's review against another edition
3.0
It was nice to read a J.R. Ward book that didn't have the word "shitkickers" in it. LOL. Seriously, I'm going to have to figure out how to get my kindle to swap that word to "boots" when I read BDB.
This series will be a good solid story. There's a lot going on, she's got a solid world built. There were a few dangling threads that I'd have liked to have seen addressed at least somewhat before the next book, which is where I assume Ward is leading the story arc.
Otherwise, I liked it, but did not LOVE it.
This series will be a good solid story. There's a lot going on, she's got a solid world built. There were a few dangling threads that I'd have liked to have seen addressed at least somewhat before the next book, which is where I assume Ward is leading the story arc.
Otherwise, I liked it, but did not LOVE it.
arasjial's review against another edition
5.0
Simply WOW... I bought it because it was von J.R. Ward. The Introduction on the back didn't realy speak for me, but still i wanted to give it a try AND ... SURPRISE!! It is a great story! Yeah there are some kind of books like that out but still it is well written. I enjoed everything. My heart ached, my eyes watered and still I feeled light as if i would fly away. BUT the ending was WHAT THE F***!!!??? How could you. Now I have to wait till July and I can't. I CAN'T!!! TT
valeehill's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
I have to admit that The Bourbon Kings isn’t my typical type of read and I wasn’t sure I’d love it. Southern settings and big business conspiracies aren’t big draws for me. But I’ve been really curious about The Black Dagger Brotherhood for a long time (except for the fact that it’s fourteen books long! Yikes!) – and when I got an ARC of this book at RT, I was too curious to pass it up. Turns out, I’m really glad I held onto it. This was a great book!
What I LOVED:
The soap opera feel.
This may not sound like much of a compliment to some people, but I actually loved soap operas when I was younger. And this book felt like an epic soap opera to me. With the high society life, full of scandal and excess, and the angst-ridden romances, this book brings out the drama – in all the best ways!
Lizzie and Lane.
In the romance department, this book mostly focused on Lizzie and Lane. The two had history, but Lizzie was just the gardener (even if she did have a masters in horticulture) and things didn’t work out between them. The story of exactly why (besides the obvious class difference) is revealed during the first quarter or so of the book. These two had quite a few roadblocks between them and happiness (not the least of which was Lane’s wife). Lizzie was a strong and independent woman, and she was not about to make the same mistakes twice. Lane loved Lizzie, but he also had family drama to deal with – and no matter how hard he tried to escape it all, he kept getting sucked in. I was pulled into the romance between Lane and Lizzie and was definitely rooting for them the whole way!
Gin.
Gin was Lane’s sister and she was all about her life of privilege. You found out early on that she had a daughter young, but she didn’t have much to do with her. Honestly, Gin was pretty unlikable at first, but she definitely grew on me as I learned more about her and about her life. She spent years pining after one man – but the “romance” between these two was complicated at best. I found myself feeling more and more sorry for Gin as the book went on – and then not feeling sorry for her again. She was a complex character that I couldn’t decide if I loved or hated!
The negatives:
The bourbon business.
As I suspected, the parts of the book that revolved around the family business and the scandals involved weren’t my favorite. I just didn’t care all that much about who was ruining the family’s bourbon business and how (and why – okay, I’m slightly interested in the why – that wasn’t revealed in this book). Oh, and the whole southern class system thing kind of baffles me. I think it all still exists, but it made me feel like I was reading a more modern version of Downton Abbey! (Not that I’m saying anything against the show – it’s fantastic!)
So, if you don’t mind books that remind you of the glory days of soap operas, then you’ll want to pick this one up. I’m just waiting for the first case of amnesia or for someone to come back to life (maybe some kids who age ten years overnight?). A guilty pleasure, yes, but still a pleasure!! I give this book 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
What I LOVED:
The soap opera feel.
This may not sound like much of a compliment to some people, but I actually loved soap operas when I was younger. And this book felt like an epic soap opera to me. With the high society life, full of scandal and excess, and the angst-ridden romances, this book brings out the drama – in all the best ways!
Lizzie and Lane.
In the romance department, this book mostly focused on Lizzie and Lane. The two had history, but Lizzie was just the gardener (even if she did have a masters in horticulture) and things didn’t work out between them. The story of exactly why (besides the obvious class difference) is revealed during the first quarter or so of the book. These two had quite a few roadblocks between them and happiness (not the least of which was Lane’s wife). Lizzie was a strong and independent woman, and she was not about to make the same mistakes twice. Lane loved Lizzie, but he also had family drama to deal with – and no matter how hard he tried to escape it all, he kept getting sucked in. I was pulled into the romance between Lane and Lizzie and was definitely rooting for them the whole way!
Gin.
Gin was Lane’s sister and she was all about her life of privilege. You found out early on that she had a daughter young, but she didn’t have much to do with her. Honestly, Gin was pretty unlikable at first, but she definitely grew on me as I learned more about her and about her life. She spent years pining after one man – but the “romance” between these two was complicated at best. I found myself feeling more and more sorry for Gin as the book went on – and then not feeling sorry for her again. She was a complex character that I couldn’t decide if I loved or hated!
The negatives:
The bourbon business.
As I suspected, the parts of the book that revolved around the family business and the scandals involved weren’t my favorite. I just didn’t care all that much about who was ruining the family’s bourbon business and how (and why – okay, I’m slightly interested in the why – that wasn’t revealed in this book). Oh, and the whole southern class system thing kind of baffles me. I think it all still exists, but it made me feel like I was reading a more modern version of Downton Abbey! (Not that I’m saying anything against the show – it’s fantastic!)
So, if you don’t mind books that remind you of the glory days of soap operas, then you’ll want to pick this one up. I’m just waiting for the first case of amnesia or for someone to come back to life (maybe some kids who age ten years overnight?). A guilty pleasure, yes, but still a pleasure!! I give this book 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***