Preview Review: The Bourbon Kings by JR Ward

I believe it is safe to say that anyone who pays attention to our blog knows that JR Ward aka The Warden is our #1 author. She is how we all met, and we are all complete fangirls for her work. That being said, Let me tell you about the day NetGalley (or better, The Penguin Group) slaughtered all my hopes and dreams.

       Once upon a time there was a blogger, (yes this level of drama is important) and this blogger loves JR Ward. One day when this blogger was checking her blog mail she found an email that could have only come from the book gods themselves. (Or, ya know, NetGalley. Whatever!) She silently exclaimed with excitement and joy. This blogger was so overwhelmed by this email that she had to send a text message to a few of her fellow JRW fangirls/blog partners;

*S* -  OMG I just got this in my email!! 

Blogger has iPhone 6 plus, so the picture is shown in actual size.

*QN* GASP!
*I* GET! IT
*S* I'm going!!!!!!!!

   I'm not sure why the blogger decided to message her besties before requesting, she just did. Maybe it was confusion in her excited moment. Maybe it was because she was sitting in the orthodontists office waiting for her son. MAYBE it was because she couldn't remember her NetGalley password and couldn't sign in from her phone. Who really knows the reason, it isn't important. 

   What matters is that the blogger went straight onto her PC when she got home and requested The Bourbon Kings.

   And then the blogger waited

                                    ...... and waited

                                                       ..... and waited.

   Finally after a week of waiting, an email arrived. The blogger was once again clapping like a seal. "OMG! Squeeeeee!" Only, the blogger wouldn't remain happy at all. In fact the blogger would have all of her hope and dreams crushed. 

NetGalley                                                                              Jun 22
:to me  

Subject: Request notification from PENGUIN GROUP Berkley, NAL / Signet Romance, DAW. 

Thank you for your interest in #1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward’s THE BOURBON KINGS.  Unfortunately we are not able to approve your request at this time, but we do have a special opportunity for you!  The first 500 U.S. readers to fill out our address form will receive a sampler of the first three chapters of the book.  Fill out the form here: (Form Link)

Cue dramatic text message

*S* They said I cant have The Bourbon Kings. My life is over! I can't go on

credit alltheragefaces.com

*QN* OH! Get the sample chapters

*I* YES!! Get the chapters!!!

*S* 

Credit: Mayanrocks.com

Credit: commentphotos.com

The blogger filled out the request form. And waited   

                                                                        ....and waited

                                                                                     ......and completely forgot about the sampler.

Until......

The UPS guy brought me (I mean the blogger) this!!! THREE chapters of happiness.

Which brings us to our preview 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.

PRE-ORDER Now on Amazon

My thoughts (so far): Okay, I am hooked. I read the first chapter and was like, "Hmmm, well Ward definitely knows how to put words together on the page." Then I read the second chapter and I was like, "Oh, this is gonna get interesting!"

And then I read chapter three. By the end of this chapter (or the part that I got in the sampler) the hook was set. One sentence. Actually, one word of one sentence and I was like, "GASP! What? Noooooo!!" And that is the moment I knew I was going to really like this series. If you can set me up for that reaction in less than 3 chapters then I think it is safe to say the book is going to be great.

I will hold my full excitement until I read the entire book. I mean it could be awful after this, maybe everyone is crazy. Maybe aliens from another planet suddenly appear. Who knows, I only have three chapters.

***Disclaimer, I am pretty positive there are no aliens***

So, if anyone needs me for all of July; I will just be here, analyzing these three little chapters of The Bourbons Kings while counting down the days until I can read the full novel.

Happy Waiting!!

~S

Review: That One Night by Josie Wright

We do not normally do review requests here at PLR. They can become overwhelming and it gets really hard to say no to one, while accepting another. But every so often I get an email with a book that peaks my interest and I can't help but accept. This is one of those books. So on that note.....

**This book was sent to me by the author for an honest review**

This is Josie Wright's Debut Novel

Photo Credit: Goodreads

3-4 Stars

All it takes is just one moment to change the course of your life. For me, it was one perfect night.
I have always had a thing for my brother’s best friend, Ben. When I found him on my parents’ couch, drowning his sorrows in a whiskey bottle, my attempts to comfort him quickly turned into a night of raw and intense passion.
My foolish heart hoped he might feel the same way I do.
But Ben wasn’t there to stay and I woke up the next morning alone with a broken heart.
I attempted to forget the guy with a smile to die for and a touch that sets me on fire.
I thought I was over him.
I thought he was gone forever.
Until, eighteen months later Ben returns and learns my secret. Now, he is hell-bent on winning me back.
He plays dirty.
And he won’t stop until he gets what he wants—me.

But he has secrets of his own.
Secrets that could destroy everything we might have and everything we are.

Not suitable for under 18's due to strong language, violence and sexual content

*This book is an interconnected standalone and first in the series.

approx. 86,000 words 

BUY NOW on Amazon

   My Thoughts; Don't let my Star Rating confuse you. This was an excellent story and I am happy that I chose to read it, I just had a few hang ups along the way. I will get to those later. First, let me tell you a bit about the story.

   It was not a challenge at all to get into this book. I was pretty much invested before I finished the first chapter. I want say that I was not shocked at any point in the book. The storyline was straight forward and as the book moved along I could see where it was going from one point to the next. I loved that this story is not just a love story between a man and a woman but also about parents falling in love with their child and learning to become a family. And in my opinion that is the greatest love story of all.

   It was also refreshing to see two adults acting like adults. Actually working through the issues that arise between them. I read a lot of books where I just think to myself. "Do these people even communicate with each other.... at all?" I just want to reach into the pages and choke some sense into them. WAKE PEOPLE! That was not the case in this book. Yes, each character has some serious issues to work through. Yes, it does cause conflict along the way. But they handle themselves the way two adults who have someone else who depends on them should act. Overall, the story rates at 4 Stars and I look forward to the next couple in this series..... which I am also pretty sure I have figured out. The author did a great job of setting it up for the sequel without it overwhelming the story at hand.

   The only real issue I had with this book was the editing. It wasn't so bad that it made it difficult to read, but there were a few of typos along the way. I have had numerous emails with this author since reading and she is having her proofreaders go over it once more. I have to say that she is a very pleasant individual and I can see her going far. I think authors need to maintain that level of professionalism. This is a tough industry, everyone is a critic and not everyone is kind. And I say that as someone who has had their critique spit back in their face. I look forward to reading more of Josie Wright's work in the future and I wish her all the luck in the world with her debut.

   I want to mention one more thing, this is not a critique per se, but more of something I do on all books with warning labels. Lets call it a 'readers view'. In a day where everyone is offended by everything, I understand the need for these types of "labels" so I just like to give my opinion on them from a reader's perspective.

   While this book is intended for mature audiences it is in no way erotica. There are several racy sex scenes but that is to be expected in a romance novel, no? I am not a huge "erotic" novel reader so I may have skipped the book based on the author warning. But trust me when I say you will get plenty of well developed STORY in this book.

   Ben and Frankie are a beautiful couple and it was extremely easy to fall in love with them. And I look forward to seeing where the rest of the characters we met in That One Night go from here as well.




Happy Reading

~S