The Bourbon Kings by J. R. Ward - Review

Title:  The Bourbon Kings (The Bourbon Kings #1)
Author: J. R. Ward

Source:  Borrowed from the Public Library

Genre: Fiction

Length: 420 pages

Publisher:  NAL

Release Date: July 28, 2015

Reviewed by: Artemis

Rating – 4 Stars

Heat – 3 Flames

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.

First the bad news:

--This is not a romance novel. It does not have a HEA - maybe a HFN.

--If you are expecting a BDB look-a-like wrapped in a contemporary setting, nope, not happening, not even close. The sex scenes are lame lacking, and the leading men are tame in comparison. 

Nevertheless, The Bourbon Kings is a damn good read! It kept me entertained and turning the pages. I felt the devilish J.R. Ewing on my shoulder the entire time. This is reminiscent of the shenanigans of the residents at the ranch at Southfork; only this time they are brewing bourbon in Kentucky.

Even though there are quite a few characters to weed though (all of that world building stuff), I didn't get lost trying to figure out who belonged where. Everyone has clear-cut personalities, and WOW - they are great getting to know. My favorite so far: Edward. His struggles give his character great strength to grow. My least favorite: Lizzie - bordering TSTL.

If you enjoyed the prime-time soap opera dramas of the 1970's, 80's, 90's; you are going to love this book. Ms. Ward alluded to a few of them, this is my favorite:

Heading off to the main road, she decided this had to be the result of her having contracted the flu and taken to her bed. Any moment she was going to wake up...
Really.
She was.

The Bourbon Kings has all of the elements for great television too. 

Yep, I'll be reading the next one!

ARC Review: THE DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND (The Devil's Playthings #1) by Laura Oliva

THE DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND (The Devil's Playthings, #1)

Author :  LAURA OLIVA

Source:  ARC ebook provided by author for an honest review

Genre:  Serialized Romance

Length:  Novella

Reviewed by:  Artemis

Professional burlesque dancer Francesca "Frankie" Strong has learned the hard way: on San Francisco's cutthroat party circuit, crime has a way of going unnoticed. When her best friend is brutally attacked, she's determined not to let the case fall through the cracks, even if that means crawling through every alley and back room in San Francisco to find the truth.

Undercover cop Johnny Marsden is in desperate need of a win. His career on the rocks, he's infiltrated the infamous nightclub Cafe Outré, rumored front for San Francisco's Chinatown mafia. Johnny has never seen anything like the glitter-and-sin-encrusted world he's now a part of. He's certainly never met anyone like Frankie Strong.

Realizing they'll get farther together than on their own, Frankie and Johnny forge an uneasy partnership. Neither expects the heat that flares between them. Neither is ready for what it could mean. Together, they run down a trail that leads directly to Chinatown, and a faceless terror its residents refuse to name.

Frankie's only interest is in protecting her friend, and she's willing to make a deal with the devil to do it. But Johnny suspects the attack was part of something larger, something darker... and he's right.

RATING:  1 - Oh, no.  I didn't like it.
SEXUAL:  3 Flames

The story centers around Johnny, an undercover cop at Cafe Outre, and Frankie, a burlesque dancer. Frankie's BFF, Cookie, was jumped and beaten right outside of the club one night.  When the police fail to investigate the crime, Frankie takes matters into her own hands.  This gives Johnny the perfect opportunity to work along side of Frankie and investigate the Chinatown underground at the same time.

The Devil's Playground is a serialized romance.  It does not end with a HEA. Not even close to a HFN. I would say it closely resembles a work of gum-shoe serial fiction.

I have no idea when this takes place and this is very frustrating.  No one uses a cell phone, and Johnny drives a motorcycle.  Still, that doesn't give me a frame of reference.  Without knowing a time frame or era of some sort, it's very hard to place these characters.

When Frankie and Johnny meet, they call each other "Slim" and "Steve", respectively, in a verbal sparring.   Oh, great!  If you, Dear Reader, are not familiar with classic B&W films, you will have no earthly idea what this is about.  Not only that, these names are used interchangeably with the "real" ones through the entire story.  Talk about annoying.

At one point during their investigation, Frankie takes Johnny to a decaying part of town to talk to someone.  Once they get there, Frankie starts talking with this person in stanzas from classical literature.  However, this is suppose to be a romance book, not Classic Lit 101 where I'm interpreting Poe, Longfellow, Browning, or Nietzsche.  Yes, I did google a few of the lines out of curiosity.

Because sexual intercourse takes place in the story, according to BBR guidelines, I have to rate this book 3 Flames, Sex with Details, R Rating. Although, personally, I would give it 1 Flame All Show, No Heat.  I cannot say any more without giving HUGE spoilers.

Frankie and Johnny have skeletons in their closets.  It is brought up time and again.  It's the BIG reason Frankie isn't able to let herself get close to Johnny - her dark and terrible secrets.  There were plenty of references to the "past", but nothing concrete.  The tale ends the same way it began.

The Devil's Playground contains brief scenes of interracial f/f.

And, just in case if you were still wondering about SLIM AND STEVE.