"The Bourbon Kings" by J.R. Ward

I'm a big fan of J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series.  I enjoy her over the top characters and her heavy hand with rap references gives me shivers of pure glee.  "The Bourbon Kings" is the first book in a new, non-supernatural series.

Summary:  The Bradford Family is Southern Royalty.  Extremely wealthy and even more entitled, the newest generation of Bradfords play hard and spend harder, without really caring where it comes from or how its made.

Tulane "Lane" Bradford is the youngest son of the family.  Devastatingly handsome and very charming, he lives in New York to escape an unhappy (understatement) marriage, a domineering father, absent mother, messed up siblings and the love of his life, who's heart her broke when he married someone else.

Lane gets a phone call that brings him home to the family's estate, Easterly, where the glamour and privilege enjoyed by the Bradfords starts to crumble.  As Lane realizes he needs to man up, his romance with Lizzie rekindles as his family falls apart.

My Thoughts: I'm still torn about "The Bourbon Kings" and its been a few weeks since I've read it. Part of me enjoyed the story in a rubbernecking, guilty pleasure sort of way.  I am endlessly fascinated by the train wreck lives of the idle rich.  Add in dark family secrets, a little bit of intrigue and a quickie in the million dollar wine cellar and I'll be turning the pages faster than a Kardashain can take a selfie.

"The Bourbon Kings" had all of that, but...the characters also left me so cold that I couldn't find it in my bookwormy heart to sympathize with them when the choices they made brought them to the lowest of lows.  These characters aren't just the idle rich, they are entitled to the point of ridiculousness.  They don't own their mistakes unless forced to, don't work for anything they're given, and really have almost no redeeming qualities.

Lane thinks he impregnates a college fling and marries her, despite being in love with someone else.  Then, instead of facing the fact that he made a mistake he runs off to a life of alcoholism and gambling.  Even after he learns that his gold-digging wife aborted their baby.  Although Lane is the male lead of the romance in "The Bourbon Kings", I didn't find him worthy of the leading lady.

Lizzie King, the leading lady of the book, is an an independent, strong willed woman.  She's the head gardener at Easterly, works hard and knows her worth.  Except amid the chaos of the Bradford family, she ends up feeling like a supporting cast member.  I was far more interested in the messed up Bradfords than the romance between Lane and Lizzie.  Plus, I wanted Lizzie to see that she could do better than Lane and run away as far as she could.  A hot body and a Porsche aren't worth it.

My gut reaction to the miserable characters and their glamorous lives is that Ward is bringing each member of the Bradford family to their low point before raising them up.  Towards the end of the story Lane filed for divorce and even took a minor interest in unraveling the mess of the family business.

Point of interest, I still can't wrap my mind around the only lady Bradford.  Ginny, the only daughter of the family, is filled with so much self loathing and fear that she agrees to marry her rapist instead of get a job.  SAY WHAT?  Add in the fact that she doesn't interact with her teenage daughter and can't be bothered to pick up her own clothes, I found absolutely nothing likeable about her except for her taste in accessories.

Rating:  I found the romance lack luster but the family drama titillating.  I'm glad I read it, moreso that I got it from the library.

Also Read by This Author:  All of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, most of the Fallen Angels series.

Reviewed By:  Tami

First in a Series: Vampires That Don't Sparkle

The First in a Series posts are a new feature we'll be bringing to the blog to help fellow readers find a new series to enjoy.  Check our First in a Series tag or page for more suggestions on what to read next.

Before vampires were glittery teen heartthrobs, they were super sexy bad boys with a naughty side and a penchant for murder.  That's right, you heard me...before Edward Cullen there were leather pants wearing, human blood sucking pretty boys that wanted nothing more than to seduce a willing lady and kill anything that got in his way.

Enter the vampire series written with the fully mature adult in mind.  These blood sucking books have independent heroines, compelling heroes and plots that are too steamy for tv.

But don't take my word for it.  Grab the first book from one of these series and let me know what you think.


The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward
     Book 1:  "Dark Lover"
Six killers roam the night in Caldwell, New York.  The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a band of six warrior vampires tasked with protecting their species from brutal massacre.  The brothers use every weapon in their arsenal to fight Lessers created by the Omega.  From 40s to fists, the brothers kick ass and crack jokes while doing it.

But its not all murder, mayhem and glorious rap slang.  While the Brotherhood is a central theme in each book, the series overall is a full on romance, therefore each individual story focuses on one specific brother and his battle to find and hold on to true love.  And for super sexy alpha-males, it's not as easy as you'd think.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood series isn't for the shy or the prudish.  The books are graphic when it comes to sex and the violent scenes aren't for the faint of heart.  That being said, the books are hilarious, tender and sometimes totally ridiculous in a "I can't believe I'm reading this...must turn the page" kind of way.


Undead/Queen Betsy Series by MaryJanice Davidson
    Book 1:  "Undead and Unwed"
Betsy wakes up dead, which is traumatic, but not nearly as traumatic as waking up in shoes from Payless.  After a truly heinous week, Elizabeth "Betsy" Taylor (for real) wakes up unemployed, single and on the worst liquid diet imaginable.  And it gets worse.  She's soon faced with letting her family know she's not really dead, looking for a new home and figuring out just what parts of vampire lore are real or not.  She's also courted by the darkly handsome and bloodthirsty Sinclair, which would be great, except she's not all that interested and he won't lay off the charm.

The Undead series is like a bloodthirsty Clueless.  Betsy is endearingly self-absorbed and oblivious to the world around her.  Her reactions to the day-to-day life of a vampire are hilarious and Sinclair's reactions to Betsy's shenanigans and ridiculous priorities are down right hysterical.

While there isn't an overarching plot that ties the series together, the main characters are interesting enough to keep the reader coming back for more, if only to see what kind of shoes Betsy picks up next.


The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison
     Book 1:  "Dead Witch Walking"
After the near extinction of the human population due to genetically modified tomatoes, the supernatural beings of the world revealed their true selves.  A generation later and Witches, Vampires and Weres live (mostly) side by side with humans.  In Cincinnati, bounty hunter Rachel Morgan hires her ass-kicking skills to the Internlander community to help keep the darker of the supernaturals in line in a world where Master Vampires keep the city under their grisly, blood soaked thumbs.

The Hollows series starts at the very beginning of Vampiric Charms and follows snarky witch Rachel, foul-mouthed pixy Jenks and damaged living vampire Ivy as they break away from local law enforcement to open their own business in an old church in the Hollows.

Each subsequent book in the series follows a new case or problem that can only be solved by Rachel and the team.  The plot of each book expands upon the last in a way that builds a rich and interesting alternate history and which allows the characters to grow beyond their beginnings.

"Lover At Last" by J.R. Ward

I first came across the Black Dagger Brotherhood series while reading a book review on the first book in the series in one of my mom's First magazines.  It was during the "Twilight" phenomena and was coined as vampires for adults.  I ordered it from the library and have read every book since.

Please note:  These books are not for the uptight.  They're from the romance category and the author doesn't shy away from sex or sexy topics.  She also doesn't discriminate against same sex relationships, of which this installment covers.

Summary:  The Black Dagger Brotherhood returns!  The latest alpha-male, ass-kicking vampire romance installment showcases the first homosexual romance story I've come across.  Baylock and Qhuinn grew up as BFFs...or at least, that's what Qhuinn thought.  Blay, on the other hand, found himself hopelessly in love with Qhuinn and watched in agony as Qhuinn used sex and danger to counter his emotionally damaged heart.  As the guys grow up, Qhuinn's emotional distance and occasional downright obliviousness finally breaks Blay's heart and forces him to cut Qhuinn out of his life...and himself into the arms of Qhuinn's debonair cousin Saxton.  Except Blay can't stop loving Qhuinn, no matter how hard he tries.

What Blay doesn't know is that Qhuinn has a soft spot for Blay, even thought he knows in his (damaged) heart that he's not worthy of such a male.  Qhuinn tries to let Blay go.  But then Qhuinn is slammed with personal tragedy after personal tragedy that forces his heart to finally open.  But will bygones be bygones?  Will Blay unlock his own wounded heart to accept what Qhuinn is finally offering?

What I Liked:  The author pays respect to the long history Blay and Qhuinn have.  Their love drama has unfolded across several books, and I was afraid that one character would weaken and "give in" to other.  This didn't happen and I was so glad each character stood their ground.

I also enjoyed how Ward dug into the feelings of the supporting characters as Blay and Qhuinn's relationship unfolds.  She doesn't sugar coat the coming out process and she is honest about the characters feelings as they make their big step into being their true selves.  Brava, Ms. Ward.

I also really enjoy how the author touches on past characters from the series to move the plot forward (instead of just checking in) as well as introducing future characters for the next book in the series.  There are a few couples I'm speculating on!

What Drove Me Nuts:  The dialogue is sort of hip-hop fabulous (which I secretly like) and full of acronyms that I have to pause and think about or google to decipher.  I admit that this could be due to my own lack of coolness.  I also think the names of the main characters are a little ridiculous.  Qhuinn?  Zsadist?  Phury?  Vishious?  I totally get that each brother has a Warrior name, but do they have to have to be spelled like that?  My post is full of red lines and I'm pretty sure my spell check is going to revolt.

Rating:  If you like romance and vampires, this series could be for you.  If you're homophobic, you should read this so you can get over it.  But that's just my opinion.

Also Read by This Author:  I've read them all.  For a complete listing, go here.

Reviewed By:  Tami