Devil’s Cut by J.R. Ward

Narrated by Alexander Cendese

Devil’s Cut, the final book in J.R. Ward’s Bourbon Kings trilogy, was one of my most anticipated books of 2017. The series is part contemporary romance and part family drama set in a fictional city modeled heavily on Louisville, Kentucky, and I loved every minute of it. Alexander Cendese’s narration, though imperfect, adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the story, making it a great choice if you’re looking for something new to enjoy in audio format.

The series absolutely must be read in order, so start with The Bourbon Kings and The Angel’s Share before picking this one up. It’ll be a wonderfully immersive experience.

The story picks up right where book two left off. Edward Baldwine sits in jail, charged with the murder of his father. He doesn’t seem to be upset by his current circumstances except when his thoughts turn to Sutton Smythe, the only woman Edward has ever loved. She’s the CEO of his family’s biggest rival in the bourbon-making business, so Edward is pretty sure they don’t have a future together, and his father’s murder has pretty much made that a sure thing.

Lane, the playboy of the family, is struggling to come to terms with his new role as the head of the family as well as their floundering bourbon company. His father has run the company into the ground, and Lane is fighting hard to keep it afloat. He’s also not sure he believes Edward is to blame for William Baldwine’s murder. He’s pretty sure his brother is protecting someone else, but he doesn’t have a clue who it might be. Will he and Lizzie, the love of Lane’s life, be able to uncover the truth before it’s too late for Edward?

We also spend quite a bit of time with Gin, the only Baldwine daughter, who is trying hard to turn over a new leaf. In the previous books, Gin was spoiled and not very likable, valuing her family’s social status above all else, including her teenaged daughter Amelia and the love of Samuel T., the one man who has stood by her through good times and bad. Now, as the Baldwine family is forced to learn to live without even a fraction of their excessive wealth, Gin begins to explore what it really means to be a mother. She also wants to make things right with Samuel who she has wronged time and time again. Their relationship is pretty volatile, but I loved watching them come together. Samuel knows just how to handle Gin. At least, he does when he’s not letting his emotions get in his way, and things slowly even out for the two of them. They have a long road before they can achieve their HEA, but Ms. Ward lets listeners know this is definitely in the cards for the couple.

I’ve struggled with the existence of Max, the black sheep of the family. He’s been absent for years before showing up unannounced at his father’s wake. The author gives us some insight into Max’s character, and I appreciated knowing more of his back story. However, he doesn’t really play much of a role in the overarching story, and his point of view sometimes felt a bit superfluous.

The ending of Devil’s Cut came as quite a surprise to me. I thought for sure I knew how the author would wrap things up, but I could not have been more wrong. Some listeners might find things to be a bit too convenient for their taste, but I really loved the resolution to the various struggles facing the Baldwines.

Alexander Cendese’s performance was very strong here. He reads with a wonderful southern drawl that added a great layer of authenticity. I was able to tell the characters apart without paying too much attention to dialogue tags, and his pacing was excellent. He doesn’t display any of my major pet peeves such as overly audible breaths or blatant mispronunciation of commonly used words.

I was a little overwhelmed by some of Mr. Cendese’s female character voices. This came as a bit of a shock, since his portrayals of the women in the previous books were pretty believable. Here, he raises his pitch too much, swirling dangerously close to falsetto territory. I found his depiction of Ms. Aurora, an elderly African-American woman, to be especially troublesome. She sounded a little too cartoonish for my taste.

Devil’s Cut, with it’s large amount of family drama and vivid descriptions of the lavish lifestyle the Baldwines once enjoyed, won’t appeal to all listeners, but I personally ate it up like candy. I’m sad the series has come to an end, but I’m eager to see what J.R. Ward comes up with next.

Shannon