The Angels’ Share by J.R. Ward

Narrated by Alexander Cendese

In 2015, I chose J.R. Ward’s The Bourbon Kings as my top contemporary romance of the year. As soon as I finished it, I longed for more, and, finally, Ms. Ward has released the sequel. The Angels’ Share is not a book one can read as a stand-alone, so pick up the first book ASAP. This review contains spoilers for events in The Bourbon Kings. Read on, bearing that in mind.

The Bradford patriarch is dead, but no one is really mourning. His wife and children hated him and his staff and business rivals feared him. However, his death brings quite a bit of trouble to his family. Millions of dollars have vanished and the family’s prized bourbon company is in danger of going under. Now, as the police begin to investigate the death they originally viewed as a suicide, the Bradfords are forced to fight to keep hold of everything they hold dear.

Tulane Bradford, prodigal son and his family’s unwilling savior, can’t bear to see the company go up in flames. He knows his father misappropriated funds, but where did he put them, and can they be found in time to stave off impending disaster? With the help of Lizzie King, his fiancée as well as his estate’s head gardener, Tulane will stop at nothing to find the answers he seeks, even if those answers will bring more heartache to those he loves.

Edward is the black sheep of the family. Once the heir to the Bradford fortune, he is now pretty much a stranger. The fact that he hated his father is common knowledge, especially after Mr. Bradford arranged to have his son kidnapped from South America and subsequently refused to pay the ransom. Now, people are asking uncomfortable questions about Edward’s possible role in his father’s death, and Edward doesn’t want to face any of it. He spends most of his time drunk, hating his father and himself. When he’s not drunk, he finds himself torn between the devotion of two very different women, one of whom holds the key to the Bradford fortune in her hands.

Gin, the only Bradford daughter, can’t come to terms with the changes to her family’s status and social standing. She’s about to marry a man she loathes, and she can’t even have a wedding reception. She secretly pines for Samuel T., her brother’s lawyer and a long-time family friend. Their relationship is contentious most of the time, and Gin dreads the day Samuel T. learns he is the father of her sixteen-year-old daughter. All she can do is hope her coming marriage will funnel some much-needed funds into her family’s coffers. Beyond that, Gin feels helpless.

A big deal is made of the fact that Maxwell Bradford has returned to the fold. Honestly, I’m not sure why the author chose to include this plot point since nothing really comes of it. We learn nothing about Maxwell, not where he went or why he came home. He’s just sort of there, and that’s the one thing I found frustrating about this book. I wanted his return to amount to something, and it didn’t.

Whoever chose Alexander Cendese as the narrator for this series is an absolute genius. He brings Ms. Ward’s setting and characters to life so vividly. The entire book is read with a spectacular southern accent. It doesn’t sound phony or exaggerated. Instead, it helped anchor me in Kentucky where this book is set.

His pacing is wonderful, and I was very impressed with his ability to differentiate the various characters. Both his male and female voices are believable, and he possesses a wide range of character voices, ensuring no two people sound alike. This is especially important since the cast of characters is quite large.

If you’re looking for a scandalous but fun summer listen, I highly recommend The Angels’ Share. Ms. Ward has crafted a highly dysfunctional yet addictive story, and I’m already counting down the days until the release of book three. The summer of 2017 can’t come soon enough.

[section label=’Audiobook Information’ anchor=’Audiobook Information’]

Shannon

AUDIOBOOK INFORMATION

TITLE: The Angels' Share

AUTHOR: J.R. Ward

NARRATED BY: Alexander Cendese

GENRE: General Fiction

STEAM FACTOR: Glad I had my earbuds in

REVIEWER: Shannon [button type=’link’ link=’http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GF2GAJ6/?tag=audiogalsnet-20′ size=’btn-lg’ variation=’btn-default’ target=’blank’]Buy The Angels' Share by J.R. Ward on Amazon[/button] [section label=’Excerpt’ anchor=’Excerpt’]EXCERPT: