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A review by joyousreads132
The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward
4.0
After almost a year of ignoring this book, I finally succumbed and read it. Perfect timing too, considering the next book comes out at the end of the month. You see? Sometimes, procrastination is a good thing.
Dysfunction is an Art Form.
This brand new series by JR Ward is a take off from her usual Urban Fantasy fare. Fashioned after the 80s tv series, Dallas, it has family drama, scandal, murder mystery, skeletons, and romance. It features a prominent Kentucky family who owned the monopoly on Bourbon in America. The patriarch and matriarch of the Bradford Family are in a what you could consider as a stereotypical marriage of convenience amongst rich people. For appearance’s sake, they live in the same mansion but sleep in different beds. He sleeps around, controls the family’s finances, and treats his family like shit. In short, a perennial Father of the Year candidate. The mother is no better. You don’t even see her through the entire novel. She’s in her room all the time – apparently hooked on whatever painkillers she could get her hands on. But I’m willing to bet that in the end, she will save the entire family from ruin, therefore giving this series the mother of a plot twist. Don’t quote me on that, though.
The Prodigal Son Returns.
So this story is about Jonathan Tulane Baldwine and his return to the family after receiving some bad news. Lane hasn’t lived in Kentucky for years for two reasons: one, he can’t stand his family. And two, because of Lizzie King – aka, the one that got away. Lizzie King is the girl who broke his heart but she’ll tell you that he trampled on her’s first by getting another woman pregnant. And since she still works for the family, the reunion will be spectacularly bad. While the focus of the book is how they get over themselves and realize they belong together, this book is also an introduction to the rest of the family.
The Bradford Brood.
It’s implied that Max, the second oldest is out of the picture for – perhaps the same reason Lane has for leaving; Edward the oldest, left after he was rescued from a kidnapping for ransom in South America. He is scarred beyond recognition. Gin was the only one who stayed because the woman loves luxury too much to have any sense of pride. Later, Lane will find out that the family is well on their way to financial ruin all thanks to father dearest. So it’s up to him to figure out how to save the family from everything else.
In Retrospect
This series is turning out to be one for the ages. The kind that will incite a fervor devotion from her already loyal fanbase. It is enthralling, in as much as a soap opera or a reality tv show devotees follow their beloved shows religiously. We may have gotten a resolution to Lane and Lizzie’s relationship in this first installment, but it left a number of plot arches wide open for speculation. As it stands, there are a few that has me anxiously waiting for the next books: I’m curious about the death of one character; Edward’s relationship to the daughter of a rival family; Sam and Gin’s toxic love affair over the years, and of course, Max’s whereabouts and eventual return.
Dysfunction is an Art Form.
This brand new series by JR Ward is a take off from her usual Urban Fantasy fare. Fashioned after the 80s tv series, Dallas, it has family drama, scandal, murder mystery, skeletons, and romance. It features a prominent Kentucky family who owned the monopoly on Bourbon in America. The patriarch and matriarch of the Bradford Family are in a what you could consider as a stereotypical marriage of convenience amongst rich people. For appearance’s sake, they live in the same mansion but sleep in different beds. He sleeps around, controls the family’s finances, and treats his family like shit. In short, a perennial Father of the Year candidate. The mother is no better. You don’t even see her through the entire novel. She’s in her room all the time – apparently hooked on whatever painkillers she could get her hands on. But I’m willing to bet that in the end, she will save the entire family from ruin, therefore giving this series the mother of a plot twist. Don’t quote me on that, though.
The Prodigal Son Returns.
So this story is about Jonathan Tulane Baldwine and his return to the family after receiving some bad news. Lane hasn’t lived in Kentucky for years for two reasons: one, he can’t stand his family. And two, because of Lizzie King – aka, the one that got away. Lizzie King is the girl who broke his heart but she’ll tell you that he trampled on her’s first by getting another woman pregnant. And since she still works for the family, the reunion will be spectacularly bad. While the focus of the book is how they get over themselves and realize they belong together, this book is also an introduction to the rest of the family.
The Bradford Brood.
It’s implied that Max, the second oldest is out of the picture for – perhaps the same reason Lane has for leaving; Edward the oldest, left after he was rescued from a kidnapping for ransom in South America. He is scarred beyond recognition. Gin was the only one who stayed because the woman loves luxury too much to have any sense of pride. Later, Lane will find out that the family is well on their way to financial ruin all thanks to father dearest. So it’s up to him to figure out how to save the family from everything else.
In Retrospect
This series is turning out to be one for the ages. The kind that will incite a fervor devotion from her already loyal fanbase. It is enthralling, in as much as a soap opera or a reality tv show devotees follow their beloved shows religiously. We may have gotten a resolution to Lane and Lizzie’s relationship in this first installment, but it left a number of plot arches wide open for speculation. As it stands, there are a few that has me anxiously waiting for the next books: I’m curious about the death of one character; Edward’s relationship to the daughter of a rival family; Sam and Gin’s toxic love affair over the years, and of course, Max’s whereabouts and eventual return.