New Release/Review: The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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.

The Bourbon Kings is the newest release from J.R. Ward, who is probably most well-known for her prolific Black Dagger Brotherhood series. This story revolves around the Bradford family, the reigning royal family of the bourbon industry. They are rivaled only by one other, the Sutton Distillery Corporation. While the family seemingly lives a picture-perfect life, the reality is anything but. When a family crisis brings Bradford son Tulane back to Easterly, their massive estate, he comes face to face with Lizzie King, head horticulturist, and also the one who got away. A series of odd happenings leads Lane and Lizzie to dig deeper than the cultivated exterior, and they discover a web of lies, mystery, and…..murder? Will Lane unearth his family secrets unscathed, or will he become a casualty of deceit and sabotage?