*****5 Stars*****
Well after I felt that Ms Ward was losing her way somewhat with her Black Dagger Brotherhood series, I am truly ecstatic to say she is back to her best with her first contemporary romance since writing under the alias J.R Ward. Her Black Dagger series was what introduced me to the power of reading. I'll never forget the feeling I had when I read Dark Lover for the first time, so the fact that I thought the series wasn't up to her usual standard simply breaks my heart. But like with most things, taking a step away might breath new life into it, but I'm not here to talk about those sexy as sin vampires, this is the book I want to tell you about.
This story is what I can only describe as the human version of the Glymera and fans of Ms Ward will know what I mean when I say that.
The Bradfords are a family who have been extremely wealthy over the years, beginning with their ancestors, by producing and distributing Bourbon. My first thoughts were this was a family that have everything, but in this case money most definitely doesn't buy you happiness.
A family crisis has Lane returning to Easterly, the family estate, after being gone for two years. He will once again come face to face with his one and only true love, Lizzie, the Head Gardener.
Lane is one of four siblings, the others being his eldest brother Edward, his sister Gin and his other brother Max. All but Max have a prominent role in this book, but it's more about Lane and Lizzie's story and the lies, deceit and corruption within the family. And if I'm truly honest it wasn't the love story that had me hooked, but the drama within the family itself. I love that this is so much more than a romance story.
It did take me a while to get used to Ms Wards style of writing again, because she writes in the most unusual way and this book was certainly typical of her. Using lots of abbreviations. Some I was familiar with and some I had to go and research. I think unless you're from the U.S. it is quite possible you will experience the same. It was also written in multiple points of view, so once one point of view leaves you wanting more, it then switches to someone completely different, leaving you totally in suspense, but the switch is clear and defined, so there was no confusion.
I imagine that if I went back and reread this book, I would find that I have missed lots of details, but just like when you watch a film for a second time and notice things you hadn't seen the first time, it doesn't take away the feeling you had the first time you watched it.
I simply cannot wait to find out what happens to the Bradford family and can't wait for Gin and Edwards story and hopefully Max, because he was very much a mystery. I also hope Sutton and Samuel T feature prominently.
This series could possibly be the future for Ms Ward and my faith in her has been restored. Amen!
Synopsis
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.
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.
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Loved this book! I'm so ready for the next one.
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