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emleemay's review against another edition
1.0
“Everybody’s interested in me.”
“Not him.” Jeff Stern, the host and roommate, tossed in a thousand dollars’ worth of chips. “Ain’t that right, Lane?”
“Are you gay? Is he gay?”
Lane moved the queen of hearts next to the king of hearts. Shifted the jack next to the queen. Wanted to push the boob job with mouth onto the floor.”
I actually hated this book. I'm not even trying to be dramatic - I HATED it.
Even though Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series was a little cliche and more than a little repetitive after a while, I confess to quite enjoying it. Especially the earlier books. So when I heard that she'd moved away from vampires and turned to Southern family drama for her latest series, I was ready to settle into an entertaining - if not mind-blowing - read.
But not only was this book one big cheesy cliche after another, I just despised the characters, found the sexual chemistry completely absent, and was a little uncomfortable - almost offended - in parts.
Firstly, though, how many times do I have to read this story?:
A rich, gorgeous and arrogant guy has fake-boobed, dyed-haired "bimbos" throwing themselves at him, but he is uninterested and too good for these dehumanized women. Yes, that's right - dehumanized into descriptions of their clothes and plastic surgery. Or referred to like this:
"Lane sat back and addressed the fool that had brought the chatty accessory."
Yeah, that chatty accessory is indeed a woman.
This rich dude, however, only wants a nice girl - a Mary Sue who doesn't wear make-up or have surgical enhancements:
“Her face was free of makeup, the skin tanned and glowing, the bone structure reminding him that good genetics were better than a hundred thousand dollars’ of plastic surgery.”
Plus, Lane - the guy in question - is pretty much a rude dick to everyone he doesn't want to fuck. Is it supposed to be sexy when he talks down to and rudely dismisses the staff in his family home? He also has a wife who is a racist piece of shit, which is used to justify him threatening to beat her:
“Don’t be ridiculous. Besides, she’s black— ”
Lane grabbed Chantal’s arm and yanked her up close. “Don’t you ever talk about her with that kind of attitude. I’ve never hit a woman before, but I guarantee I will beat the shit out of you if you disrespect her.”
I honestly don't even know how to feel about that exchange. Should I hate her for being racist? Or hate him for being abusive? In truth, I just couldn't stand either of them.
The whole story is supposed to be about Lane meeting his old flame - Lizzie - after years apart. They could not be together because he is heir to a huge Bourbon empire and she's one of the gardeners. But now she's back and old emotions resurface (etc., etc.) and both of them must try to resist the pull of their pasts.
Now, I admit that there's something really sexy about old lovers with unsolved angst meeting up again. But Ward manages to drain every bit of excitement out of it. There is no build-up, no tension; even the supposed obstacles feel contrived and unrealistic.
This isn't unique to Ward's work, though. It seems to be the modern thing - happening in almost every NA romance I read. Does no one want a slow build of chemistry and tension anymore? Do readers only want instant gratification? Erections popping up and juices flowing as soon as they set eyes on one another? Am I one of a small few who is turned off by this?
Maybe. I don't know. I only know that this book was a mess. And it didn't even manage to be entertaining.
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“Not him.” Jeff Stern, the host and roommate, tossed in a thousand dollars’ worth of chips. “Ain’t that right, Lane?”
“Are you gay? Is he gay?”
Lane moved the queen of hearts next to the king of hearts. Shifted the jack next to the queen. Wanted to push the boob job with mouth onto the floor.”
I actually hated this book. I'm not even trying to be dramatic - I HATED it.
Even though Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series was a little cliche and more than a little repetitive after a while, I confess to quite enjoying it. Especially the earlier books. So when I heard that she'd moved away from vampires and turned to Southern family drama for her latest series, I was ready to settle into an entertaining - if not mind-blowing - read.
But not only was this book one big cheesy cliche after another, I just despised the characters, found the sexual chemistry completely absent, and was a little uncomfortable - almost offended - in parts.
Firstly, though, how many times do I have to read this story?:
A rich, gorgeous and arrogant guy has fake-boobed, dyed-haired "bimbos" throwing themselves at him, but he is uninterested and too good for these dehumanized women. Yes, that's right - dehumanized into descriptions of their clothes and plastic surgery. Or referred to like this:
"Lane sat back and addressed the fool that had brought the chatty accessory."
Yeah, that chatty accessory is indeed a woman.
This rich dude, however, only wants a nice girl - a Mary Sue who doesn't wear make-up or have surgical enhancements:
“Her face was free of makeup, the skin tanned and glowing, the bone structure reminding him that good genetics were better than a hundred thousand dollars’ of plastic surgery.”
Plus, Lane - the guy in question - is pretty much a rude dick to everyone he doesn't want to fuck. Is it supposed to be sexy when he talks down to and rudely dismisses the staff in his family home? He also has a wife who is a racist piece of shit, which is used to justify him threatening to beat her:
“Don’t be ridiculous. Besides, she’s black— ”
Lane grabbed Chantal’s arm and yanked her up close. “Don’t you ever talk about her with that kind of attitude. I’ve never hit a woman before, but I guarantee I will beat the shit out of you if you disrespect her.”
I honestly don't even know how to feel about that exchange. Should I hate her for being racist? Or hate him for being abusive? In truth, I just couldn't stand either of them.
The whole story is supposed to be about Lane meeting his old flame - Lizzie - after years apart. They could not be together because he is heir to a huge Bourbon empire and she's one of the gardeners. But now she's back and old emotions resurface (etc., etc.) and both of them must try to resist the pull of their pasts.
Now, I admit that there's something really sexy about old lovers with unsolved angst meeting up again. But Ward manages to drain every bit of excitement out of it. There is no build-up, no tension; even the supposed obstacles feel contrived and unrealistic.
This isn't unique to Ward's work, though. It seems to be the modern thing - happening in almost every NA romance I read. Does no one want a slow build of chemistry and tension anymore? Do readers only want instant gratification? Erections popping up and juices flowing as soon as they set eyes on one another? Am I one of a small few who is turned off by this?
Maybe. I don't know. I only know that this book was a mess. And it didn't even manage to be entertaining.
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kaninchen21's review against another edition
5.0
Warum so ein verf***ter Cliffhanger!? Ich sterbe doch bis Juli!!
sillylittlefishey's review against another edition
3.0
A great start to a new series! Completely different than black dagger, but just as engaging!
mvbookreviewer's review against another edition
4.0
The Bourbon Kings is the first novel in a sweeping saga that tells the tales of the lives of the four siblings of the Baldwine family. It is not a simple story by any means. With multiple threads of the story happening at once, The Bourbon Kings is a novel that does justice to the reader by delivering a page-turner that is difficult to put down.
Jonathan Tulane Baldwine (Lane) returns home to the news that his mother might be at death’s door – not his birth mother, but the woman who raised all four of them with love and affection that was so glaringly absent from their lives. Lane, who otherwise had no inclination of returning, finds that his love for the woman that he had hurt beyond redemption by marrying another is still very much the owner of his heart. Furthermore, Lane also finds that the family is at the precipice of a change that could devastate them all, a change that could leave them all defenseless in the wake of it, if Lane were not to take up the reins as required.
Lizzie King swore to herself that she would never be taken in by Lane or anyone who looks as good for that matter. But the minute Lizzie’s paths crosses with that of the son that has returned, she finds that she is as helpless in the wake of want, desire and love that courses through her as much as Lane. The family politics that Lizzie has always stayed away from as an employee of the manor is what turns the tables for Lane and Lizzie, the knowledge that nothing was as she believed it to be when it comes to the deep and dark secrets of the family.
The Bourbon Kings is not a story that tells the tale of Lizzie and Tulane’s tale of love alone. It sweeps through the lives of the 4 siblings, Edward Westfork Bradford Baldwine, Virginia Elizabeth Baldwine otherwise known as Gin and Max, the one known as the free spirited sibling, the only sibling who didn’t make an appearance in the debut novel.
Edward is the hated son, the eldest who faced his nightmare at the hands of kidnappers in South America. Edward is a character that you feel for deeply, helpless at being unable to do anything much but read along, horrified at the extent of the betrayal that had basically crippled his life.
Gin being the only female sibling, is the one that carries the scars of having given birth to a daughter that she had felt ill-equipped to look after with basically no support I am guessing, from whom she is pretty much estranged. Gin’s true love remains forever lost to her because of a decision that she is “forced” to take in the heat of the changes that comes to the family dynamics. A decision that had my heart do a dive because of the imminent sorrow I felt for her and the only man she has ever truly loved – the father of her daughter. It once again made me feel helpless as I could basically feel the horror that Gin’s life is going to be, a horror perhaps of her own making, which nevertheless does not make it any easier to swallow.
While Lane and Lizzie’s obstacles remained to be the broken trust that had shattered Lizzie in a way that she had never gotten over since Lane left the estate after his marriage and the woman who pretty much is still Lane’s wife who still lives on the estate, it is the events that takes place within the family, the deaths that came that had Lane reeling from the impact more than anything else that turns all their lives upside down. The fact that their entire family business is at peril, the name of the richest and oldest families in the bourbon making business facing the imminent threat of being dragged through the muck being the reason that requires Lane to step up and fill in the shoes that had been Edward’s role up till the moment he had cut ties from the family.
This being my first J. R. Ward, I was a bit apprehensive and pretty much excited to finally delve into something she had written. All because Ms. Ward is a name that you come across multiple times if you are lover of the romance genre. I found mixed reviews up on Goodreads for this book, perhaps given the fact that most of Ms. Ward’s fans are those of her urban-fantasy/paranormal series known as The Blackdagger Brotherhood of which I became a fan right after I finished The Bourbon Kings.
Talent of the kind that can juggle multiple lines of stories in one setting and deliver on each and every single one of them leaving the reader begging for more is one of the rarest in the world of books, especially when it comes to the romance genre. I found myself totally captivated by the immensely complex and yet profoundly broken and beautiful tale of love, lust, betrayal, jealousy, suspense and heart wrenching pain that Ms. Ward has created with this series. I became a fan from page one itself.
Looking forward to the next installment in the series, Angels’ Share, which has already come out. I can’t wait to see where Ms. Ward takes these characters that have embedded themselves in my heart from the get-go.
Recommended!
Rating = 4.25/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit, www.maldivianbookreviewer.com
Jonathan Tulane Baldwine (Lane) returns home to the news that his mother might be at death’s door – not his birth mother, but the woman who raised all four of them with love and affection that was so glaringly absent from their lives. Lane, who otherwise had no inclination of returning, finds that his love for the woman that he had hurt beyond redemption by marrying another is still very much the owner of his heart. Furthermore, Lane also finds that the family is at the precipice of a change that could devastate them all, a change that could leave them all defenseless in the wake of it, if Lane were not to take up the reins as required.
Lizzie King swore to herself that she would never be taken in by Lane or anyone who looks as good for that matter. But the minute Lizzie’s paths crosses with that of the son that has returned, she finds that she is as helpless in the wake of want, desire and love that courses through her as much as Lane. The family politics that Lizzie has always stayed away from as an employee of the manor is what turns the tables for Lane and Lizzie, the knowledge that nothing was as she believed it to be when it comes to the deep and dark secrets of the family.
The Bourbon Kings is not a story that tells the tale of Lizzie and Tulane’s tale of love alone. It sweeps through the lives of the 4 siblings, Edward Westfork Bradford Baldwine, Virginia Elizabeth Baldwine otherwise known as Gin and Max, the one known as the free spirited sibling, the only sibling who didn’t make an appearance in the debut novel.
Edward is the hated son, the eldest who faced his nightmare at the hands of kidnappers in South America. Edward is a character that you feel for deeply, helpless at being unable to do anything much but read along, horrified at the extent of the betrayal that had basically crippled his life.
Gin being the only female sibling, is the one that carries the scars of having given birth to a daughter that she had felt ill-equipped to look after with basically no support I am guessing, from whom she is pretty much estranged. Gin’s true love remains forever lost to her because of a decision that she is “forced” to take in the heat of the changes that comes to the family dynamics. A decision that had my heart do a dive because of the imminent sorrow I felt for her and the only man she has ever truly loved – the father of her daughter. It once again made me feel helpless as I could basically feel the horror that Gin’s life is going to be, a horror perhaps of her own making, which nevertheless does not make it any easier to swallow.
While Lane and Lizzie’s obstacles remained to be the broken trust that had shattered Lizzie in a way that she had never gotten over since Lane left the estate after his marriage and the woman who pretty much is still Lane’s wife who still lives on the estate, it is the events that takes place within the family, the deaths that came that had Lane reeling from the impact more than anything else that turns all their lives upside down. The fact that their entire family business is at peril, the name of the richest and oldest families in the bourbon making business facing the imminent threat of being dragged through the muck being the reason that requires Lane to step up and fill in the shoes that had been Edward’s role up till the moment he had cut ties from the family.
This being my first J. R. Ward, I was a bit apprehensive and pretty much excited to finally delve into something she had written. All because Ms. Ward is a name that you come across multiple times if you are lover of the romance genre. I found mixed reviews up on Goodreads for this book, perhaps given the fact that most of Ms. Ward’s fans are those of her urban-fantasy/paranormal series known as The Blackdagger Brotherhood of which I became a fan right after I finished The Bourbon Kings.
Talent of the kind that can juggle multiple lines of stories in one setting and deliver on each and every single one of them leaving the reader begging for more is one of the rarest in the world of books, especially when it comes to the romance genre. I found myself totally captivated by the immensely complex and yet profoundly broken and beautiful tale of love, lust, betrayal, jealousy, suspense and heart wrenching pain that Ms. Ward has created with this series. I became a fan from page one itself.
Looking forward to the next installment in the series, Angels’ Share, which has already come out. I can’t wait to see where Ms. Ward takes these characters that have embedded themselves in my heart from the get-go.
Recommended!
Rating = 4.25/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit, www.maldivianbookreviewer.com
archanabookarchives's review against another edition
4.0
This is definitely completely different than typical vampire books that JR Ward usually writes. This definitely gave me dynasty/gossips girl (if it took place in Texas) type of vibes and I loved every second of it. The Bradford bunch simultaneously worked their way into my heart while also giving me a headache from their stupid decisions. Their southern conservative aesthetic made me roll my eyes at some points but it was still such a good read!
hrobison11's review against another edition
3.0
It only gets three because the book literally forces you to read the next one. Nothing is wrapped up in this one - not even a little. What an evil way to write a series…
blessedwannab's review against another edition
4.0
Wow! Great start to a new series! Bourbon Kings book 1, I think, was better than BDB book one so hopefully she keeps the momentum and each book gets better and better.
better review to come.
better review to come.
ljm57's review against another edition
3.0
Think 80s TV soaps - Dallas & Dynasty but set in Kentucky following the outrageous & dysfunctional activities of the obscenely rich Bradford/Baldwine clan who have made their immense fortune through bourbon. With a heartless & unscrupulous father, who has alienated all of his offspring & embezzled the fortune he married into, the book is full of secrets, scandals & lies. A piece of light reading but a good holiday page turner.
kathydavie's review against another edition
2.0
First in The Bourbon Kings melodramatic romance series and revolving around the privileged, excessively spoiled Bradford family.
My Take
Okay, that's not entirely fair. This family has so damned much money, well, okay, I guess if you're going to save money by not heating or cooling the staff quarters, it makes it easier for the dollars to pile up.
Edward has some nasty emotional, physical, and mental issues with which he's dealing, AND he's trying to be productive. We don't know much about Max other than the family story Lane dwells on and one brief comment about his lifestyle. Lane is incredibly irresponsible. And Gin. Jesus.
On one hand, I do feel sorry for Gin, for what her father is doing to her. Then again, she is such a spoiled bratty whore of a girl, that it almost seems like God's justice. Of course, her upbringing has been pretty horrible. The same goes for the rest of her siblings.
Let me start off by repeating. This is a romance, not a paranormal one. The only thing fantastic about it is the tension and melodrama. It is similar to the Black Dagger Brotherhood in one respect, it will focus on each sibling's romance in each installment.
It takes a helluva lot of words to introduce The Bourbon Kings, and it's all that show of Ward's. It is a beautiful example of show, even with the mass quantities of it, and Ward really makes you see the house, the people's characters, feel the emotions.
Why didn't Ward exploit Edward's screw-up, literally, with Sutton? He's been fantasizing about her for years — and paying through the nose for it — and he has hardly any reaction to to his discovery the next morning. WTF?
Why would Lane leave that bitch wife of his in his house? As for Gin and Samuel T. Talk about dysfunctional.
After all the horror of this family, all it takes is Edward encountering Miss Aurora and her calling him her precious boy for him to turn that corner.
I like Lizzie. I do. But she has got to stop leaping to conclusions! Sure it's the second time, but she already knows how Chantal tricked Lane the first time. Why wouldn't she think she was doing it again? Then that last "chivalrous" deed of hers. Really?
Ward certainly cranks up the drama and tension. It's over the top, but does grab your attention.
The Story
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.
The Characters
Easterly is…
…the Bradford Family Estate (BFE) requiring 72 full-time staff, all following a rigid caste system. Bradford Bourbon Company is the family gold mine with No. 15 the most popular bourbon. William Baldwine is their brutal father who married into the Bradfords; he's funneling beaucoup bucks into William Wyatt Baldwine Holdings. Mrs. Virginia Elizabeth Bradford, Mother, a.k.a., Little V.E., is a pill-poppin' addict who lives in her bed.
Edward, the oldest son, was kidnapped a while ago, horribly tortured, and I'm having some nasty suspicions about his father. Despite the fact that distilling is in his blood, he's quit the family business and now runs the family's Red & Black Stables. Moe Brown is the stable manager. Jeb Landis was a trainer of more stakes' legends than any other man. And an alcoholic. Shelby Landis is Jeb's daughter, and she wants to be hired on as a stablehand. Nebekanzer is his primary stallion, breeding fast sons and daughters. Bouncin' Baby Boy had to be scratched.
I reckon Maxwell, the second oldest, will come much later in the series. Seems he's got some kink going on.
Virginia "Gin" Elizabeth Baldwine is the youngest and only sister, and a major slut with no consideration for anyone. She's having an affair with the married Conrad Stetson to get at Samuel. She's already had a daughter, Amelia, whom she doesn't want around as a reminder of her stupid choices.
Jonathan "Lane" Tulane Baldwine is the youngest son who fled the family estate for New York City. Jeff Stern, his old fraternity brother, is his host and roommate. Billy brought the bimbo. Chantal Blair Stowe Baldwine is Lane's golddigger wife whom he ignores, but she lives on the estate, spending his money and ordering the staff around.
Lizzie King is one of two head horticulturalists with a national reputation and a master's in landscape architecture from Cornell. Buella and Ross are Lizzie's helpful neighbors. Greta von Schlieber is German with enough money not to work, but she does like working as a horticulturalist. Gary McAdams is the head groundsman.
Miss Aurora Toms, the cook, is the woman who really loved Lane, and he loves her back, as if she were his real mother. And he's worried that the cancer is back. Miss Patience is her sister. Their father (and a player), Tom, recently died at 86. Her nephews include D'Shawne who's playing wide receiver for the Indiana Colts; Qwentin is center for Miami Heat. She was the one who took the children to church and Lane still goes with her when he's in town. Rev. Nye is the pastor. Tanesha is the reverend's oldest daughter and in residency at U of C. I suspect she's in love with Max. Stan is Thomas Blake's brother.
Newark Harris is the new, snotty butler. Mrs. Mollie is the head of housekeeping. Patty Sweringin is Mrs. Bradford's nurse. Rosalinda Freehand is the family controller having the l-o-o-ng-term affair with William. Reginald Tressel is the house bartender (he's the one who called Lane about Miss Aurora going to the hospital; people also call him the unofficial mayor of Charlemont). I think Hazel is Reg's wife. Tiphanii is a maid with delusions.
Edwin "Mack" MacAllan, Jr., is the Master Distiller, furious with the latest mandate handed down by the accountants. He's friends with Lane. Georgia O'Malley is his secretary. Ms. Petersburg is Daddy's professional executive assistant.
"Samuel T." Theodore Lodge is the family lawyer. Savannah Locke is the date he brings to dinner.
The Sutton Distillery Corporation is…
…rivals with the Bradfords. Sutton Smythe is the heir. Reynolds Smythe is Sutton's father. Brandon Milner was the date with whom Sutton had been going to the Derby ball.
The Pendergasts include…
…Buggy Pendergast who is used to getting her own way, and she wants to invest in Red & Black Stables.
Pford Liquor and Spirits Distributors is…
…the network that funnels Bradford Bourbon to liquor stores and more. It's heir, the brutal Richard Pford IV, has bought himself Gin as a bride. In return, he's promised her daddy favorable terms.
Deputy Sheriff Mitchell Ramsey is a former Army Ranger who's trying to help Lane and Gin. He's the man who actually rescued Edward. Judge McQuaid will help.
Prospect Trust Company handles…
…the Bradford Family Trusts with the household checking accounts handled by PNC. Connie is one of the PTC administrators. Ricardo Monteverdi is CEO of PTC.
The Charlemont Derby is…
…the most important seven days in the state of Kentucky. This year, it's the 139th running.
Beau is the pimp who keeps Edward supplied. Delilah is one of the compassionate girls.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a metallic deep yellow with red etching-like lines forming flowers and leaves as a background and Easterly etched in the same red at the base of the cover, fading up into the tuxedo-clad Lane Bradford.
The title is also the name of the series and the focus of it as well. The Bourbon Kings are teetering on their throne.
My Take
Okay, that's not entirely fair. This family has so damned much money, well, okay, I guess if you're going to save money by not heating or cooling the staff quarters, it makes it easier for the dollars to pile up.
Edward has some nasty emotional, physical, and mental issues with which he's dealing, AND he's trying to be productive. We don't know much about Max other than the family story Lane dwells on and one brief comment about his lifestyle. Lane is incredibly irresponsible. And Gin. Jesus.
On one hand, I do feel sorry for Gin, for what her father is doing to her. Then again, she is such a spoiled bratty whore of a girl, that it almost seems like God's justice. Of course, her upbringing has been pretty horrible. The same goes for the rest of her siblings.
Let me start off by repeating. This is a romance, not a paranormal one. The only thing fantastic about it is the tension and melodrama. It is similar to the Black Dagger Brotherhood in one respect, it will focus on each sibling's romance in each installment.
It takes a helluva lot of words to introduce The Bourbon Kings, and it's all that show of Ward's. It is a beautiful example of show, even with the mass quantities of it, and Ward really makes you see the house, the people's characters, feel the emotions.
Why didn't Ward exploit Edward's screw-up, literally, with Sutton? He's been fantasizing about her for years — and paying through the nose for it — and he has hardly any reaction to to his discovery the next morning. WTF?
Why would Lane leave that bitch wife of his in his house? As for Gin and Samuel T. Talk about dysfunctional.
After all the horror of this family, all it takes is Edward encountering Miss Aurora and her calling him her precious boy for him to turn that corner.
I like Lizzie. I do. But she has got to stop leaping to conclusions! Sure it's the second time, but she already knows how Chantal tricked Lane the first time. Why wouldn't she think she was doing it again? Then that last "chivalrous" deed of hers. Really?
Ward certainly cranks up the drama and tension. It's over the top, but does grab your attention.
The Story
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.
The Characters
Easterly is…
…the Bradford Family Estate (BFE) requiring 72 full-time staff, all following a rigid caste system. Bradford Bourbon Company is the family gold mine with No. 15 the most popular bourbon. William Baldwine is their brutal father who married into the Bradfords; he's funneling beaucoup bucks into William Wyatt Baldwine Holdings. Mrs. Virginia Elizabeth Bradford, Mother, a.k.a., Little V.E., is a pill-poppin' addict who lives in her bed.
Edward, the oldest son, was kidnapped a while ago, horribly tortured, and I'm having some nasty suspicions about his father. Despite the fact that distilling is in his blood, he's quit the family business and now runs the family's Red & Black Stables. Moe Brown is the stable manager. Jeb Landis was a trainer of more stakes' legends than any other man. And an alcoholic. Shelby Landis is Jeb's daughter, and she wants to be hired on as a stablehand. Nebekanzer is his primary stallion, breeding fast sons and daughters. Bouncin' Baby Boy had to be scratched.
I reckon Maxwell, the second oldest, will come much later in the series. Seems he's got some kink going on.
Virginia "Gin" Elizabeth Baldwine is the youngest and only sister, and a major slut with no consideration for anyone. She's having an affair with the married Conrad Stetson to get at Samuel. She's already had a daughter, Amelia, whom she doesn't want around as a reminder of her stupid choices.
Jonathan "Lane" Tulane Baldwine is the youngest son who fled the family estate for New York City. Jeff Stern, his old fraternity brother, is his host and roommate. Billy brought the bimbo. Chantal Blair Stowe Baldwine is Lane's golddigger wife whom he ignores, but she lives on the estate, spending his money and ordering the staff around.
Lizzie King is one of two head horticulturalists with a national reputation and a master's in landscape architecture from Cornell. Buella and Ross are Lizzie's helpful neighbors. Greta von Schlieber is German with enough money not to work, but she does like working as a horticulturalist. Gary McAdams is the head groundsman.
Miss Aurora Toms, the cook, is the woman who really loved Lane, and he loves her back, as if she were his real mother. And he's worried that the cancer is back. Miss Patience is her sister. Their father (and a player), Tom, recently died at 86. Her nephews include D'Shawne who's playing wide receiver for the Indiana Colts; Qwentin is center for Miami Heat. She was the one who took the children to church and Lane still goes with her when he's in town. Rev. Nye is the pastor. Tanesha is the reverend's oldest daughter and in residency at U of C. I suspect she's in love with Max. Stan is Thomas Blake's brother.
Newark Harris is the new, snotty butler. Mrs. Mollie is the head of housekeeping. Patty Sweringin is Mrs. Bradford's nurse. Rosalinda Freehand is the family controller having the l-o-o-ng-term affair with William. Reginald Tressel is the house bartender (he's the one who called Lane about Miss Aurora going to the hospital; people also call him the unofficial mayor of Charlemont). I think Hazel is Reg's wife. Tiphanii is a maid with delusions.
Edwin "Mack" MacAllan, Jr., is the Master Distiller, furious with the latest mandate handed down by the accountants. He's friends with Lane. Georgia O'Malley is his secretary. Ms. Petersburg is Daddy's professional executive assistant.
"Samuel T." Theodore Lodge is the family lawyer. Savannah Locke is the date he brings to dinner.
The Sutton Distillery Corporation is…
…rivals with the Bradfords. Sutton Smythe is the heir. Reynolds Smythe is Sutton's father. Brandon Milner was the date with whom Sutton had been going to the Derby ball.
The Pendergasts include…
…Buggy Pendergast who is used to getting her own way, and she wants to invest in Red & Black Stables.
Pford Liquor and Spirits Distributors is…
…the network that funnels Bradford Bourbon to liquor stores and more. It's heir, the brutal Richard Pford IV, has bought himself Gin as a bride. In return, he's promised her daddy favorable terms.
Deputy Sheriff Mitchell Ramsey is a former Army Ranger who's trying to help Lane and Gin. He's the man who actually rescued Edward. Judge McQuaid will help.
Prospect Trust Company handles…
…the Bradford Family Trusts with the household checking accounts handled by PNC. Connie is one of the PTC administrators. Ricardo Monteverdi is CEO of PTC.
The Charlemont Derby is…
…the most important seven days in the state of Kentucky. This year, it's the 139th running.
Beau is the pimp who keeps Edward supplied. Delilah is one of the compassionate girls.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a metallic deep yellow with red etching-like lines forming flowers and leaves as a background and Easterly etched in the same red at the base of the cover, fading up into the tuxedo-clad Lane Bradford.
The title is also the name of the series and the focus of it as well. The Bourbon Kings are teetering on their throne.