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.

I was only familiar with J.R Ward with her PNR work, specifically the Black Dagger Brotherhood with which I fell in love and when I saw she was doing another series that was contemporary I decided to check it out. I was very drawn in from the start it was like Dallas meets the Kentucky Derby mixed with Knots Landing(before my time, but I’ve seen reruns) and I couldn’t put it down! Lane, the youngest out of three brother’s is back because of the illness of the women who raised him and to divorce his wife who he has been living apart from since they got married two years ago, oh and his family home is also where the love of his life, who is NOT his wife works. See Drama! That’s not to even mention his father, brother, sister mother issues! The chaos and drama he is thrown into had my mouth dropping at times! If this what it’s really like with all the big rich families it’s insane. I never felt this book had any secondary characters even though the focus of the book was Lane and Lizzy (the love of his life, again, NOT his wife). It did lack the heat in the romance department that J.R. is known for but to me, it didn’t disappoint. I will definitely be continuing the series!

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