A review by kaylenereadz
The Bourbon Bride by Adrian R. Hale

4.0

Thank you @sunnybabepr and @adrianrhale for this ARC to read and review! 🫶

“Holy Jesus, sweet tea and vodka!” 

The Bourbon Bride is book 1 in the Southern Gods series by Adrian R. Hale. 

Tropes:

✨ Dual POV 

✨ Slow Burn 

✨ Age Gap 

✨ Marriage of Convenience 

✨ Virgin FMC 

✨ Morally Grey MMC 

I was instantly drawn into the Southern charm of this book and the lives of Paige and Hayes. 

I love that Hayes is all business-like and intimidating in his life and work, but with Paige he is soft and gentle; the way she makes him want to be better and the way he is so protective over her is super sweet 💕 I appreciated Paige's innocence in the beginning and I love that Hayes was patient and moved at her pace, never pushing her or expecting anything from her. 

The whole story evolving in a little over a week was maybe a bit fast and unrealistic, but it works with the length of the book so I'm not overly bothered by it. 

"You're far more romantic than you give yourself credit for, you know that?" 

"Absolutely not. All lies" 

The slow burn is so good - sexy and addicting and so well written that you just can't get enough of it. And when the spice hits?! 🥵 I was so not ready for it, but I absolutely loved it!! 

I love all the characters in this story, not just Paige and Hayes, but also Payton and Zander and Cerberus! No love for Garrison though!! I really hope to see more of Payton and Zander in the rest of the series because they  add so much to the story.

My favourite part is the chapters from the Atlanta Haute List and the way they added perfectly to the story with the little bursts of gossip column 🎙️

This book hits the ground running from the first chapter and carries you through all the way to the end! The twists and turns in this book will take you on an emotional rollercoaster in the best way and the ending will definitely leave you wanting more - thankfully there is another book, The Bourbon Bargain, and I can't wait to dive into what's next for these two special characters!! 

🎉🎉 The Bourbon Bride is available now!!