Take a photo of a barcode or cover
thatcydney 's review for:
Bourbon & Lies
by Victoria Wilder
challenging
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay, so yet another cover grab that pulls me into a story that is completely mad and outlandish—but I had fun! Would I classify this as a proper romantic suspense? Well…no! It's not at all suspenseful in my opinion, and really dropped the ball on building out a compelling subplot that is both engaging and interesting enough to care about throughout the book. As it stands, the subplot was very thin and became thinner the longer it was stretched. I wish that the ways Laney's backstory and Grant's backstory tied into each others was more fleshed out and clear. I also wanted to see more about the villain, understand the "why," and feel like they were scarier on page than they were described by others.
With that said, Bourbon & Lies excels when it comes to banter and spice. So if you want a banter-filled, spicy, fast-paced read with a lot of found family and discussions about bourbon layered between, this is worth picking up. I did feel the love story between Grant and Laney was a little instalove-y, but I also felt like it matched their vibe and the overall way of living in such a small town.
I will say I was put off by Grant constantly referencing his time as a cop. I don't typically read books where one of the MCs was or is a cop. However, as the story progressed, I learned that Grant actually carried a lot of guilt and resentment surrounding his time as a cop, and it rubbed me less wrong LOL. This is clearly a very ~me~ thing, but I felt like it was worth mentioning for those who also avoid books featuring police.
The writing has moments of being absolutely beautiful and entertaining and then tiptoeing a line where it borders on being overly descriptive. However, as a lover of details, I ate that up! Hearing those details in dual narration? Chef's kiss.
Looking forward to reading the other brothers' books!
3.5 ⭐️
3 🌶️
With that said, Bourbon & Lies excels when it comes to banter and spice. So if you want a banter-filled, spicy, fast-paced read with a lot of found family and discussions about bourbon layered between, this is worth picking up. I did feel the love story between Grant and Laney was a little instalove-y, but I also felt like it matched their vibe and the overall way of living in such a small town.
I will say I was put off by Grant constantly referencing his time as a cop. I don't typically read books where one of the MCs was or is a cop. However, as the story progressed, I learned that Grant actually carried a lot of guilt and resentment surrounding his time as a cop, and it rubbed me less wrong LOL. This is clearly a very ~me~ thing, but I felt like it was worth mentioning for those who also avoid books featuring police.
The writing has moments of being absolutely beautiful and entertaining and then tiptoeing a line where it borders on being overly descriptive. However, as a lover of details, I ate that up! Hearing those details in dual narration? Chef's kiss.
Looking forward to reading the other brothers' books!
3.5 ⭐️
3 🌶️