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    The Bourbon Kings
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    The Bourbon Kings
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    The Bourbon Kings
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Bourbon Kings

    Written by J.R. Ward

    Narrated by Alexander Cendese

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood delivers the first novel in an enthralling new series set amid the shifting dynamics of a Southern family defined by wealth and privilege-and compromised by secrets, deceit, and scandal....

    For generations, the Bradford family has worn the mantle of kings of the bourbon capital of the world. Their sustained wealth has afforded them prestige and privilege-as well as a hard-won division of class on their sprawling estate, Easterly. Upstairs, a dynasty that by all appearances plays by the rules of good fortune and good taste. Downstairs, the staff who work tirelessly to maintain the impeccable Bradford facade. And never the twain shall meet.

    For Lizzie King, Easterly's head gardener, crossing that divide nearly ruined her life. Falling in love with Tulane, the prodigal son of the bourbon dynasty, was nothing that she intended or wanted-and their bitter breakup only served to prove her instincts were right. Now, after two years of staying away, Tulane is finally coming home again, and he is bringing the past with him. No one will be left unmarked: not Tulane's beautiful and ruthless wife; not his older brother, whose bitterness and bad blood know no bounds; and especially not the ironfisted Bradford patriarch, a man with few morals, fewer scruples, and many, many terrible secrets.

    As family tensions-professional and intimately private-ignite, Easterly and all its inhabitants are thrown into the grips of an irrevocable transformation, and only the cunning will survive.


    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 28, 2015
    ISBN9780698402652
    Unavailable
    The Bourbon Kings
    Author

    J.R. Ward

    J.R. Ward is the author of more than sixty novels, including those in her #1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series. There are more than twenty million copies of her novels in print worldwide, and they have been published in twenty-seven different countries. She lives in the south with her family.

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    Reviews for The Bourbon Kings

    3.5/5

    133 ratings17 reviews

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    • 1/5
      Soap opera kind of family drama. It's like chocolate pr chips. You know it's not good for you but you keep eating them. So was this book. I know it's a waste of time but I kept reading it. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone but soap opera fans.
    • 4/5
      Although its not as good as the brotherhood series (what is ?) I enjoyed the book. It harped a bit more than i would of liked on the wealth of the families but other than that it was good..Solid work
    • 4/5
      The Bourbon Kingsby J.R. Ward#1 The Bourbon KingsAudio narrated by Alexander CendeseFirst in the series about the Baldwine family dynasty, multi-generational bourbon makers in Charlemont, Kentucky. This was like reading the script of a nighttime soap opera from the early 80s. Because it centered around the time of year of horse derbies, there were a lot of men in fancy suits and women in long gowns. The only things missing were large shoulder pads and cat fights involving the swimming pool! It's fun to sit back and watch the ridiculous shenanigans and manipulations between the entitled, especially when most of their problems stem from their own lies and false assumptions.Book 1 centers around one of the heirs to the company, Lane Baldwine, who is welcomed back into the fold after a two-year hiatus in NYC, where he spent his time successfully playing poker because he'd "essentially never worked a day in his life". His purpose was mainly to avoid his gold-digger wife, Chantal. Now that he's back, he's eager to begin divorce proceedings and try to gain back favor with his true love, Lizzie King, who works for the family as their horticulturist. We are also introduced to siblings, Virginia "Gin", and Edward, who both have their own demons they are battling, including righteous anger and broken hearts of their own. A missing sibling, Max, is talked about but not as yet seen. Add to the mix a mother who is hidden away because of either a breakdown or dementia, an abusive and abominably heinous father, and miscellaneous chauvinistic attitudes, rape, voyeurism, possible murders, there is no end to the dysfunction. This could be read on its own, but there is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end. Similar to a "Who shot J.R.?" kind of thing. If you care, you'll want to read on. (less)
    • 4/5
      This was a pretty good book if you like romance. Or J R Ward. I like her way of writing. This first book in the new series is contemporary, with a normal human setting which sets it against her famous Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and while I didn't like the book as much as I do the books in the latter series, I did highly enjoy the characters in this book. There wasn't too much sex to distract from the plot which was nice. I am looking forward to the next book in the series which should be coming out sometime next year.
    • 3/5
      I enjoy the characters, the plot, and the romance. The problem is that it's very much "I smash romance into detective story". "Male lead rips clothes off of female lead here." It's a bit jagged around the edges. The story could have used a bit more blending and some of the sex scenes are a bit much....I mean..the main characters haven't seen each other in years, all this other intrigue and mystery is going on, but the two of you are going to just rip clothes off and go at it, right now? Bit much. Looking forward to seeing what else goes on though.
    • 5/5
      LOVED it. Received an ARC and oh sweet baby Jesus, glad it's close to the actual release date because that means book 2 will be out in another year??

      Seriously though, it's like an epic night time soap with all kinds of drama and plot twists. And of course, it has to end with a major cliff hanger!
    • 3/5
      For generations, the wealthy Bradford family have made their money from producing one of the best bourbon's in the world on their southern estate, Easterly. Head gardener Lizzie King was burned when she fell in love with Tulane Bradford, who has been away from the estate for two years. Now he is back, and events will unfold out of her control. Not too bad - a lot of religious references which is off-putting.
    • 4/5
      Well this was interesting, no paranormal at all, just a dysfunctional family.It's been a while since Tulane Bradford has been home, his wife lives in the family home but they don't really talk much. She enjoys being part of a wealthy family and having all the privileges. The staff work hard to maintain the image, including Lizzie King, the Head Gardener. Tulane has two siblings, one brother badly damaged by a kidnapping, both literally and figuratively and the sister trying hard to deal with being a lone parent trying to work out what she did wrong and ended up pretending to the love of her life that she doesn't mind him being a rake, and that her father seems to see her as a commodity to sell to a highest bidder.And then things start to unravel. Money, murder and politics, and now I want to read book 2
    • 3/5
      Interesting new series from Ward.
    • 4/5
      It took me awhile to get all the characters straight, but when I did, I became pretty interested in the goings on of each of them. I've never liked soap operas so it seems like this wouldn't be my type of book. I really liked it though. I will definitely be reading the next novel in the series. I can't wait to see who figures out what.
    • 2/5
      I am dying of boredom...there are too many storylines with nothing of merit to offer to the words on the pages. Bored!!!!!
    • 5/5
      great listen
    • 5/5

      * Thank you NAL for the ARC *

      4.5 Stars-

      The Bourbon Kings was Southern Charm meets The Royals... It was classy with a whole lot of drama. This was my first read by J.R. Ward and I can now understand why everyone recommends her. The writing was top of the line and the story was intricately weaved and filled with angst, romance, and drama.

      The overall gist of the story is that a wealthy family is not as well off as everyone thinks. Each family member is living in their own personal hell. Secrets are being revealed left and right and scandal is behind every door. The tension within the house is thick and the staff are just as intertwined in the plot as the family.

      Lizzie is the head gardener and bourbon son, Lane's, ex-lover. What they have isn't on the surface though, it’s buried deep within layers of secrets and lies. They are finally getting their second chance at love and a darkness surrounds them. It's edgy, all consuming, and at times, just plain frustrating. My heart was quickly consumed by their fast paced roller coaster ride of a relationship.

      The feel is what sucked me in. I felt like I needed a big beautiful hat on my head and a mint julep in my hand. I could feel the air blowing as I read about the statuesque mansion and when things got dark… I could feel the egg shells cracking beneath my feet. It was a thrilling story that kept me hooked with all the intense mystery. While I loved the story a lot, I did feel that the ending was lacking depth. I think the biggest issue was that it was a lot of ideas being pushed into too few words. I would have liked to see certain parts better developed, with more definition. There were a lot of great scenes that were grazed upon and I just feel like they could have been amazing if fully explored.

      With all of that being said I think it was a GREAT book that is a MUST READ. I highly recommend it!


    • 4/5
      Juicy start to a gripping family saga!
    • 4/5
      DESCRIPTION, NOT REVIEW: For generations, the Bradford family has worn the mantle of kings of the bourbon capital of the world. Their sustained wealth has afforded them prestige and privilege—as well as a hard-won division of class on their sprawling estate, Easterly. Upstairs, a dynasty that by all appearances plays by the rules of good fortune and good taste. Downstairs, the staff who work tirelessly to maintain the impeccable Bradford facade. And never the twain shall meet.For Lizzie King, Easterly’s head gardener, crossing that divide nearly ruined her life. Falling in love with Tulane, the prodigal son of the bourbon dynasty, was nothing that she intended or wanted—and their bitter breakup only served to prove her instincts were right. Now, after two years of staying away, Tulane is finally coming home again, and he is bringing the past with him. No one will be left unmarked: not Tulane’s beautiful and ruthless wife; not his older brother, whose bitterness and bad blood know no bounds; and especially not the ironfisted Bradford patriarch, a man with few morals, fewer scruples, and many, many terrible secrets.As family tensions—professional and intimately private—ignite, Easterly and all its inhabitants are thrown into the grips of an irrevocable transformation, and only the cunning will survive.
    • 2/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: People are greedy, jealous and prideful bastards. The Bourbon Kings was a very dark storyline with terrible things happening constantly. The writing was superb, the story has so much going on that it wasn’t boring, it was just overwhelming.Opening Sentence: Mist hung over the Ohio’s sluggish waters like the breath of God, and the trees on the Charlemont shore side of River Road were so many shades of spring green, the color required a sixth sense to absorb them all.The Review:The Bourbon Kings was a novel that I was severely disappointed in. I’m sure I’ll get some flak for this but all I could think about was how stupid these people are and how big a hole they keep digging for themselves. Imagine this crazy rich family, now imagine every conceivable bad thing to happen to them. There is only one thing that didn’t happen but it would be a spoiler for the things that did happen but I also don’t believe the ending. I have a theory about that one.The Bradford family has lived in style and luxury since the 1800s. They have the best bourbon on the market. Tulane Baldwine has two brothers, Edward & Max and a sister, Gin. Most have benefited with the family money, but all have had to deal with the wrath of their father, William. Lizzie King is the woman that Lane left behind two years before because he chose his family name over love. Lizzie was devastated by Lane’s lies but she continues to work at the family estate as a gardening expert.The Bourbon empire is set up in this first novel by showcasing the family and friends and what money can do for a rich family. The Bradford Estate hosts The Charlemont Derby (aka The Kentucky Derby) every year. When the novel begins the event is just days away. All the family members and friends are showcased in such a way that you know what their position is within the family or what their relation is towards the family.I also just didn’t care for Lizzie or Lane. I couldn’t get into their relationship. Most of the time it doesn’t bother me that they had a past, sometimes it works for the story but I didn’t think so this time. Lizzie kept complaining that she had to stay away from him, that she wouldn’t talk to him but then when she sees him there is no fight. She is just pudding in his hands and gives in to everything until the end. (Please don’t get me started on that rant.)There were way too many point of views going on during The Bourbon Kings. Everyone in the family and their “potential” lovers all had views. In fact there was only one view missing but I’ll not spoil that. So much was going on so I will say that I never got bored with the story, just a bit overwhelmed and angry by some of the events. I think that might have been why I didn’t like the story as much as others did. I like to have someone that I really like, someone that I can root for but everyone was either holding in stupid secrets that they didn’t want to tell or they did something extremely stupid. Actually, I did like Miss Aurora because she’s the only voice of reason in that household.One thing that I really had an issue with beside all the point of views, was the fact that a lot of the names were similar and I had to figure out who was who again i.e. Mack, Max, Edward, Edwin, Baldwine, Bradford. I started to assume names had been changed but they forgot to edit all of them but I know that is not the case after finishing the story.Since I am a glutton for punishment, I will definitely check out the next book in this series only because I can’t let it end on such a bad note, something good has got to happen with this family. If anything I really want to read Edward’s story because I bet it is going to be really complicated.Notable Scene:“Do I have a shot with you again? Because I’ll tell you this right now—if there’s any chance you’ll have me, I—““Stop,” she breathed. “Just…stop.”When he did, she pulled at her hair, tugging, tugging, so hard it made her eyes water even harder. Or maybe that was happening for other reasons.“I wish you hadn’t come home,” she heard herself say. “I wish…I was almost over you, Lane. I was getting my breath back, my life back. I was…and now here you are, saying things that I want to hear, and looking at me like you mean them. But I don’t want to go back. I can’t.”“The let’s go forward.”“Like that’s so easy.”“It’s not. But it’s better than nothing.”As the quiet stretched out again, she felt the need to speak, to explain things further, to go into greater detail. But as words jammed in her head, she gave up the fight.FTC Advisory: NAL/Penguin provided me with a copy of The Bourbon Kings. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 3/5
      I originally got my hands on The Bourbon Kings from a friend who managed to get an eARC from NetGalley. I read 30% while waiting for her to do a few errands and had to purchase it once it came out in ebook. I can’t leave any book half-read, ever. I’m a little sad to say that the little over a month wait for the book might have impacted my review a bit. If you plan on reading The Bourbon Kings you really should be ready for a complete read through without breaks or the magic will be lost. The book requires the reader to be in the moment – not rushing to catch up emotionally after a prolonged delay.

      The Bourbon Kings swerves away from J.R. Ward’s paranormal pursuits and slips into the contemporary world of old money and upper class struggles. We enter with Lizzie King, the estate gardener, and her love affair with the Bradford heir Tulane (Lane). Quickly things begin to spiral out of control as each chess piece is introduced and their secrets revealed. The novel reads a bit like a soap opera with the characters all having a history that the reader learns about as they move through the plot. The stakes for each Bradford rises until the climax approximately 40% of the way through when things really start to get interesting. Even daddy dearest has some dark secrets.

      If I went down the rabbit hole of wanting some kind of justice against that sire of ours, I’d be flat- out insane. And the last time I heard, Mother hasn’t been out of her bed except to take a bath in three years.

      I think that perhaps my biggest regret for this book is the rapidly changing character view. I found myself getting really caught up in Ward’s clever mini-plot between Edward and Sutton and then thrust into the middle of Lizzie and Tulane’s romance. Once I’m comfortable in Lizzie’s shoes I suddenly find myself in Gin’s shoes. I personally found it hard to emotionally keep in key with the characters when I was constantly being dropped into different character’s bodies to deal with their respective problems. I also found it hard to keep my mind on the overarching Bradford problems that really keep the book galloping along. Nevertheless, once I returned to the plot upon completion I found my multi-character experience was actually beneficial in developing a soap opera type novel.

      I can’t wait to read book two.

      “Really?” she whispered. “Really.”

      He came over and turned her toward him. “Lizzie, it’s done. That whole thing with her is done. And before you say it, it’s not just for you. I should have put a bullet into that marriage long ago. My mistake.”

      So, why did I like this book in the end? I feel Ward is well versed in bourbon creation, southern hospitality and there was no black leather to be seen! I did however, have problems with the way that women were treated by Lane and Edward..and yet, the mistreatment of women by prominent male characters actually made the men less story-book and more flawed. The Bourbon Kings has so much going on, the least of which is an epic love story between Lane and Lizzie which is a fantastic change from Ward’s Brotherhood Series. I loved the fact that there’s a little bit of something for everyone in this book and there’s never a moment to catch your breath.

      This novel will appeal to those who love contemporary tales about wealth, love and family dysfunction. The Bourbon Kings is a family saga filled with lies, deceit, pain and drama that spans lifetimes. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a complicated story that constantly keeps you guessing.