In #1 New York Times bestselling author J. R. Ward’s thrilling finale to her Bourbon Kings series, the Bradford family dynasty teeters on the edge of collapse after the murder of their patriarch—and a shocking arrest.

At first, the death of William Baldwine, the head of the Bradford family, was ruled a suicide. But then his eldest son and sworn enemy, Edward, came forward and confessed to what was, in fact, a murder. Now in police custody, Edward mourns not the disintegration of his family or his loss of freedom . . . but the woman he left behind. His love, Sutton Smythe, is the only person he has ever truly cared about, but as she is the CEO of the Bradford Bourbon Company’s biggest competitor, any relationship between them is impossible. And then there’s the reality of the jail time that Edward is facing.

Lane Baldwine was supposed to remain in his role of playboy, forever in his big brother Edward’s shadow. Instead he has become the new head of the family and the company. Convinced that Edward is covering for someone else, Lane and his true love, Lizzie King, go on the trail of a killer—only to discover a secret that is as devastating as it is game-changing.

As Lane rushes to discover the truth, and Sutton finds herself irresistibly drawn to Edward in spite of his circumstances, the lives of everyone at Easterly will never be the same again. For some, this is good; for others, it could be a tragedy beyond imagining. Only one thing is for certain: Love survives all things. Even murder.

Series:

The Bourbon Kings

Book 3

Book Type:

Genre fiction

Review: Devil’s Cut

I’ll follow J.R. Ward anywhere. Time and again she proves her storytelling chops whether it be adventures of a badass vampire brotherhood or a southern saga about a bourbon-making family in Kentucky. And yes, I’m taking about the Bradford/Baldwine family in The Bourbon Kings novels—a soap-opera-like series rife with scandal, secrets and deception. It’s a tale of the privileged and wealthy, and what happens when everything fractures, spilling well-hidden demons and skeletons they never meant for the world to see.

With Devil’s Cut—the highly anticipated series finale—Ward masterfully tightens the tangles of a family on the brink of ruin. The eldest son in jail, the black sheep back and ready to leave again, the sister drowning in a quagmire of her own making and the former playboy doing everything he can to right a sinking ship. Things couldn’t be more wrong, even with their loathsome father six feet under.

Tension mounts as what had been bad gets worse. With Edward in jail, Lane flounders without his guidance. What’s more, something doesn’t seem to add up, he feels Edward’s murder confession to be a cover-up for something or someone else.

Meanwhile, Gin is confronting a lifetime of wrongs, trying to make right in a horrible situation married to the abusive Richard Pford. But her efforts could be leading her to an early death, leaving her daughter and the only man she’s ever loved in the dark about a truth they have a right to know.

Every character’s story hit all the right notes. We’ve come to know each of them intimately thanks to Ward’s skillful hand at character development. Their complexities and struggles were felt viscerally especially as hopelessness seemed to follow their every turn. And yet, because of it all, as certain tangles finally straighten towards the end, the payoff felt deeply satisfying. This finale was everything I hoped it would be—complicated and addictive and brimming with heart.

I’m sad to see this series end, like a soap opera, I felt I could have glimpsed into their lives for years to come. Thankfully, I have the Brothers, their shellans and their legacies to look forward to.

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