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bookwife's review against another edition
3.0
I am not going to write a full review.. just give a quick opinion.. I did't love nor did I hate the book. I was more interested in Edward than I was Lane. I will read the other books just because J.R. Ward is amazing and the book was well written and it was interesting. There was just WAAAAAY too much drama for me.
dragon_lion64's review
4.0
The Bourbon Kings
By J. R. Ward
I wasn’t sure if I was actually going to read this book because, although it is written by one of my favorite authors, it is not a paranormal romance but I couldn’t resist all the hype about it so I went ahead and read it.
I liked it. J. R. Ward is at her best when she is writing about rich people. She knows her expensive clothing and accessory designers. I wouldn’t know a Rolex from a gumball machine watch but she does and she makes it seem all so glamorous.
The characters were just my kind of characters…all flawed, not pure and innocent but not evil either…well not most of them. I cannot stand sweet and innocent characters. They bore the crap out of me. Have you ever met a sweet and innocent person above the age of fifteen? Neither have I? I’ve met people who think they are perfect but they tend to be judgmental and lack a sense of humor. So, I like the characters in this book.
Even though I enjoyed the book, I probably won’t read any more in the series just because I am more into paranormal romances and historical romances and I spend enough money on those.
By J. R. Ward
I wasn’t sure if I was actually going to read this book because, although it is written by one of my favorite authors, it is not a paranormal romance but I couldn’t resist all the hype about it so I went ahead and read it.
I liked it. J. R. Ward is at her best when she is writing about rich people. She knows her expensive clothing and accessory designers. I wouldn’t know a Rolex from a gumball machine watch but she does and she makes it seem all so glamorous.
The characters were just my kind of characters…all flawed, not pure and innocent but not evil either…well not most of them. I cannot stand sweet and innocent characters. They bore the crap out of me. Have you ever met a sweet and innocent person above the age of fifteen? Neither have I? I’ve met people who think they are perfect but they tend to be judgmental and lack a sense of humor. So, I like the characters in this book.
Even though I enjoyed the book, I probably won’t read any more in the series just because I am more into paranormal romances and historical romances and I spend enough money on those.
laurj's review against another edition
2.0
Two stars only for the fact that it wasn't boring and at the end of the day, could have been worse, may rate down later
It is possible to have unlikeable characters you feel sympathetic towards, these characters were just rancid. Even the ones that weren't "all bad" were underdeveloped to the point of either just being silly (Lizzie) or being a stereotype (Aurora). Literally a soap opera, and whenever tension was built it would be immediately dropped by changing to someone else's perspective who would be dealing with a different problem. I do not care about these rich people and their rich people problems, especially when everyone seems to owe them "a favour." Lane would get horny constantly, even upon just learning his family is out of money and he's trying to get his sister out of jail. TW for a written out rape scene.
I will be reading the second book only out of obligation to someone who recommended it to me, but I'm not looking forward to it and I would not in good faith recommend this to anyone
It is possible to have unlikeable characters you feel sympathetic towards, these characters were just rancid. Even the ones that weren't "all bad" were underdeveloped to the point of either just being silly (Lizzie) or being a stereotype (Aurora). Literally a soap opera, and whenever tension was built it would be immediately dropped by changing to someone else's perspective who would be dealing with a different problem. I do not care about these rich people and their rich people problems, especially when everyone seems to owe them "a favour." Lane would get horny constantly, even upon just learning his family is out of money and he's trying to get his sister out of jail. TW for a written out rape scene.
I will be reading the second book only out of obligation to someone who recommended it to me, but I'm not looking forward to it and I would not in good faith recommend this to anyone
khaleesimod93's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
I tried so hard to like this book! But omg, it was awful!!!! This book should have been right up my alley, but it didn't have one redeemable quality, except maybe Edward. His story seems compelling, and I cared more about him than anyone else. But even still, I just couldn't stand the rest of the characters. Chantal was disgusting, and so was William! Lane was a douche who didn't deserve Lizzie. And Lizzie was such a doormat!! I get she still loved Lane and love like that is hard to let go of, but she just rolled over for him and let him back in with very little fight! If the characters weren't bad enough, the writing itself was awful. How much drama did she need to fit into a 400-page book? Choose one or two things and write it well! Not fill the book with so much drama and horrible characters that it eclipses everything. I normally love books with drama and second chance romances, but this one wasn't done well. It was not written with compelling characters nor a storyline that made any sense. It felt like the author threw out all the abuses and bad things and thought that it made a novel 😔 I'm so disappointed with this book!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Domestic abuse
lizzy_22's review
2.0
What is mostly amusing and predictably cheesy in the BDB series is not so tolerable in a contemporary, real world setting.
kayla_llbr's review against another edition
5.0
"I lost my chance with you once, Lizzie King–that is not going to happen again."
Wow! You ever read something and not realize just how desperately you needed to have a story like that in your life? That's how I feel about The Bourbon Kings. It was unlike everything I've ever read before. The Bradfords/Baldwines, the dynasty of bourbon makers, is Kentucky's very own royal family. They are beautiful, rich, and so very twisted. I didn't know if I should have been entertained by their antics or horrified by them. Shows like Dynasty and Dallas were ahead of my time but if I could liken The Bourbon Kings to anything it would basically be every soap opera I've ever watched, with a dash of Southern flair, and basically airing on HBO.
"You're the love of my life, whether you're with me or not."
True to Miss Ward's brand of storytelling there was a LOT going on. If you've read her BDB series then you know the drill. There are MANY characters and there are quite a few storylines already set in motion. Like all the drama surrounding the Bradford/Baldwine children. There is Lane, the charming playboy, who has fled all the way to NYC to not only get away from the clutches of his family but to nurse his broken heart. Circumstances force Lane to come back to deal with not only his demons, but Lizzie, the one who got away. Their love story is tumultuous and heartbreaking. Then there is his sister, Gin, who I am most intrigued by. She is the quintessential poor little rich girl; deceptive, promiscuous, and utterly fascinating. As much as I wanted to dislike her I ultimately felt the most connected to her. Then there is Edward, the oldest of the four siblings, and the most damaged. Edward kind of broke my heart. And last but not least there is Maxwell Baldwine, He is the most mysterious of the four siblings and I'm very intrigued by what is to come of his hand in this crazy family.
"Until this moment, she had assumed her family's position was set in stone. Now, she feared it might be sand."
This is one of those books that can be intimidating at first. I admit that I picked it up and set it down a few times in the very beginning because I was worried that I would be overwhelmed. By 6% I was already messaging my girlfriends telling them to clear their calendars on the 28th because this is a must-read! As someone that is an EPIC fan of BDB, I can honestly say that I was very satisfied by Miss Ward's newest foray into contemporary. I am a sucker for damaged characters, dysfunctional families, impossible love, and a whole lot of scandal, and The Bourbon Kings had all of those in spades. I cannot wait to see what those Baldwine's have in store for us next!
4.5 stars!
Wow! You ever read something and not realize just how desperately you needed to have a story like that in your life? That's how I feel about The Bourbon Kings. It was unlike everything I've ever read before. The Bradfords/Baldwines, the dynasty of bourbon makers, is Kentucky's very own royal family. They are beautiful, rich, and so very twisted. I didn't know if I should have been entertained by their antics or horrified by them. Shows like Dynasty and Dallas were ahead of my time but if I could liken The Bourbon Kings to anything it would basically be every soap opera I've ever watched, with a dash of Southern flair, and basically airing on HBO.
"You're the love of my life, whether you're with me or not."
True to Miss Ward's brand of storytelling there was a LOT going on. If you've read her BDB series then you know the drill. There are MANY characters and there are quite a few storylines already set in motion. Like all the drama surrounding the Bradford/Baldwine children. There is Lane, the charming playboy, who has fled all the way to NYC to not only get away from the clutches of his family but to nurse his broken heart. Circumstances force Lane to come back to deal with not only his demons, but Lizzie, the one who got away. Their love story is tumultuous and heartbreaking. Then there is his sister, Gin, who I am most intrigued by. She is the quintessential poor little rich girl; deceptive, promiscuous, and utterly fascinating. As much as I wanted to dislike her I ultimately felt the most connected to her. Then there is Edward, the oldest of the four siblings, and the most damaged. Edward kind of broke my heart. And last but not least there is Maxwell Baldwine,
Spoiler
who has yet to make an appearance."Until this moment, she had assumed her family's position was set in stone. Now, she feared it might be sand."
This is one of those books that can be intimidating at first. I admit that I picked it up and set it down a few times in the very beginning because I was worried that I would be overwhelmed. By 6% I was already messaging my girlfriends telling them to clear their calendars on the 28th because this is a must-read! As someone that is an EPIC fan of BDB, I can honestly say that I was very satisfied by Miss Ward's newest foray into contemporary. I am a sucker for damaged characters, dysfunctional families, impossible love, and a whole lot of scandal, and The Bourbon Kings had all of those in spades. I cannot wait to see what those Baldwine's have in store for us next!
4.5 stars!
lucy_qhuay's review against another edition
4.0
DAAAAAAAAAAAMN!
I feel exactly like Frodo at the end of the journey to destroy the One Ring:
What a freaking ride! Here I was thinking J.R.Ward couldn't possibly come up with a series that could rival with the Black Dagger Brotherhood in terms of sweat, tears, blood, sex and the entire dramatic she-bang, but I was wrong.
I still can't wrap my mind around most of the things that happened and I have tons of information in my mind that will surely keep me busy in the year I have to wait for [b:The Angel's Share|26024583|The Angel's Share (The Bourbon Kings, #2)|J.R. Ward|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|45948189]:
- the workings of the Bourbon industry;
- the dynamics between the Bourbon dynasties and other powerful people;
- the 4 damaged Bradford siblings, Tulane, Edward, Maxwell and Gin, each ruined in their own way;
- William Bradford aka THE Devil, whose fate is too good to be true;
- Tulane, Lizzie and the entire drama with the Chantal bitch;
- Gin and Samuel T.'s obviously destructive relationship. (How can you love someone that much and still break that person in ways that'll make it impossible for her to go back to what she was?)
- Gin's big secret (Holy shit! How can Samuel not know?)
- Gin's apparently stupid, selfish decision (Just awful!)
- Maxwell's whereabouts;
- Edward's tragedy and his involvement with Sutton. (What about Shelby?)
- Deputy Sheriff Mitch's mysterious background;
- Jeff and Mack possibly getting their own stories (?)
Ah, hell! Congrats J.R.Ward for getting on my nerves, taking me to the heights of anguish and ecstasy, making me passionately love and hate and opening my mind to endless possibilities and theories. Again.
If you haven't read The Bourbon Kings yet, you need to do it ASAP, especially if you're a fan of the author, since it is the perfect option for those who are seeking an emotional roller coaster of a ride, sure to have you on the edge of your seat until the end.
ashlit's review against another edition
5.0
Reminiscent of the Dynasty, Dallas type soap operas of the 80s. The juicy drama and personable, delicious characters have me falling in love with this series.
thaven's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5