*Have You Heard? * Audiobooks For Your Listening Pleasure* The Bourbon Kings by J. R. Ward

The Bourbon Kings (The Bourbon Kings #1) by J.R. Ward
Also by this author: The Shadows, The Bourbon Kings, Blood Kiss (Black Dagger Legacy, #1), The Beast (A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood), The Angels' Share (The Bourbon Kings, #2), The Chosen (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #15), Devil's Cut (The Bourbon Kings, #3), Blood Vow (Black Dagger Legacy, #2), Prisoner of Night (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #16.5), The Savior (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #17), The Sinner (Black Dagger Brotherhood #19), The Jackal (Black Dagger Brotherhood: Prison Camp, #1; Black Dagger Legacy, #5), A Warm Heart in Winter (Black Dagger Brotherhood #18.5), Lover Unveiled (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #19), Lover Arisen (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #20), Lassiter (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #21)
Published by NAL, Penguin Audio on July 28th 2015
Genres: Contemporary Fiction/Family Saga
Pages: 420
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 0451475267
ASIN: B01013PVTA
Goodreads

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 iron-fisted 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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Do you ever long for the sweeping family sagas of the past. . . TV series’ such as Dallas, Dynasty, and Falcon Crest? Books like The Thornbirds, North and South, and Roots? In a direct departure from her popular paranormal Black Dagger Brotherhood books, author J.R. Ward brings us into the real world of The Bourbon Kings with all their wealth, drama, and scandal.  As the first book in a series, this one really got my attention.  The characters are well-written; some are nice, some are naughty and some are downright despicable! The ending doesn’t throw you completely off the cliff but will leave you ready for the next book The Angels’ Share set to be published in July of 2016.

Narrated by Alexander Cendese, this audiobook was my guilty pleasure I listened to while floating around in the pool this past summer and falling in love with his charming southern accent as he performed Tulane Baldwine. As a born and bred Southerner, I frequently find myself very irritated when actors or narrators attempt to duplicate the speech I grew up with, but Cendese did an excellent job conveying the inflections without sounding totally fake. I’m hoping all the books in this series will use the same narrator just as the BDB books do. In doing research for my audiobook posts, it has come as no surprise to me that many of the narrators are also actors. When you have a book such as The Bourbon Kings which is filled with all kinds of passion and perfidy, it definitely enhances the listening if the narrator plays the part.

So, you may ask, how does it feel to leave the netherworld of Caldwell, New York and the Brotherhood for the tame reality of Charlemont, Kentucky and Big Bourbon Business? Fans of Ms. Ward will be pleased to know there is nothing tame about business according to The Bourbon Kings! The book is filled with scandal and secrets, perversion and pathos, and highlights the seemingly unbreachable divide between those who serve and those who are served.  You’ll love it! And. . .if you really love it, you’ll be delighted to know that NBC has purchased the rights for a possible television series. To read Lover Karen’s review of the book, click here.  If you haven’t already purchased the book and are a fan of audiobooks, I highly recommend you treat yourself to this one and immerse yourself in the dulcet tones of the Kentucky Bourbon Kings!