VBB Review: The Angels' Share by J.R. Ward

In Charlemont, Kentucky, the Bradford family is the crème de la crème of high society—just like their exclusive brand of bourbon. And their complicated lives and vast estate are run by a discrete staff who inevitably become embroiled in their affairs. This is especially true now, when the apparent suicide of the family patriarch is starting to look more and more like murder…

No one is above suspicion—especially the eldest Bradford son, Edward. The bad blood between him and his father is known far and wide, and he is aware that he could be named a suspect. As the investigation into the death intensifies, he keeps himself busy at the bottom of a bottle—as well as with his former horse trainer’s daughter. Meanwhile, the family’s financial future lies in the perfectly manicured hands of a business rival, a woman who wants Edward all to herself.

Everything has consequences; everybody has secrets. And few can be trusted. Then, at the very brink of the family’s demise, someone thought lost to them forever returns to the fold. Maxwell Bradford has come home. But is he a savior…or the worst of all the sinners?

Series:

The Bourbon Kings

Book 2

Book Type:

Genre fiction

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The Angel's Share
By J.R. Ward

Review: The Angels’ Share

J.R. Ward’s second installment in The Bourbon Kings saga—The Angels’ Share—packs big-time drama and intensity. With its addictive soap-opera feel, every character, every problem, every secret and stolen kiss, seems larger than life even as the mighty Bradford Baldwines fall hard on their luck.

William Wyatt Baldwine—the family’s patriarch—has committed suicide, leaving the business destitute, with more problems than they can imagine. As Lane tries to keep the fragile empire from collapsing, he unearths shocking truths that worsen their already rock-bottom predicament. Lane’s life unravels, thread by thread, buckling under the pressure and stress.

“I’m losing my damn mind over here. I feel like I’m in a house that’s on fire, and every way out is nothing but flames.”

While scandal taints the kings of Kentucky bourbon, Gin is caught up in her own storm, in the clutches of her violent fiancé. The love of her life berates her, her daughter despises her and she’s stuck in a situation from which she can never escape.

“… they were the union of parasite and its host, locked in a precarious relationship based on his decades-old crush on the most popular debutante in Charlemont and her unexpectedly finding herself on the red side of the ledger.”

At the Black & Red Stables and a shadow of his former self, Edward drowns his pain and heartache with alcohol. Dismissive and reticent, he seems to take the chaos lightly, but his reality continues to consume, his longing for his one true love, Sutton, stronger than ever.

It’s becomes clear to Charlemont high society that the Bradford Bourbon Company—and its owners—teeter at the brink of ruin. Between debt collectors and police investigators, there is never a dull moment with secrets lurking at every corner. Poignant moments lead to the novel’s explosive end, allowing the reader to finally take a breath after the story’s unrelentingly intense and stressful unraveling.

With The Angels’ Share, Ward continues the momentum of a family saga plagued by secrets and betrayal, leaving us readers utterly enthralled and hungry for more.

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One Comment:


  1. Lisa Muhs said:

    I can’t remember is the a trilogy? I have to wait until all books are out before I start a series otherwise i forget too much:O

    Reply

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