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A review by nicolemhewitt
The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward
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.***