Looks can be deceiving. While Easterly and the family that reigned the bourbon empire from within always looked so perfect, so imposing, the walls that kept them isolated and in power were crumbling. 
 Lane Baldwine has avoided his father's house for two years, but a vague phone call has him running as fast as he can to get back. Lane is the second son; he was never supposed to be the one to handle the family business. With his oldest brother still recovering from a tragedy and his other brother out of communication, Lane must step up when things start shaking up at home. 
 Lizzie knows what steps to make when working at Easterly. Staff entrances, staff uniform, staff rules. And staff and family don't mix. When she runs into Lane unexpectedly, her world is shaken to the core as all the rigid rules begin to be broken. 
 These two were combustible together. Though Lizzie fought hard to keep Lane away, to remind him that they shouldn't be together, he was determined to prove to her that he wanted her. I loved watching them circle each other, deal with the situations that arose as a result of her working for the family and his own situation. 
 I loved reading Lane with his momma. The relationship all three children have with Miss Aurora is one that I absolutely loved -- at times it had me grinning and others had me feeling a deep emotion I hadn't expected from the story. 
 Lane and Lizzie's story, while the focal couple of this first book, was at times overshadowed by the introductions, build up for other characters, and the general drama and tension growing on the estate. Lane and Lizzie themselves are a nice second chance story. 
 This was like reading a sweeping soap opera/murder mystery on the page rather than watching it on a screen. I found myself reading the twists and turns wondering who to trust and what was going on to the point where I finally gave up trying to figure it out. There is so much going on at Easterly behind the scenes that I just turned the pages as fast as I could and hoped the answers would find me. 
 I am looking forward to more answers. The ending happened rather abruptly, both for Lane and Lizzie's story arch and the rest of the background events going on. I am looking forward to seeing what else comes up as a result of the final day in this story and how the siblings will fare in future books. Edward, especially, intrigued me and I think he has been the most dynamic of the side characters yet. He drew me in to his story from the start. Gin, the only sister, was a character I couldn't quite pin down my feelings about. I started out feeling like she was just a spoiled product of her upbringing, oblivious to everything and everyone except herself. But as the story went on, I found more sympathy for some of her choices, while other choices only reaffirmed my initial impressions. 
 The Bourbon Kings is definitely the first in a family saga. Readers are introduced to the Bradford/Baldwine family, their staff, and a circle of friends and competitors who create drama and scandal around them. As the story quickly unfolds, it expands into a twisted web of family deceit, business questions, and several star crossed pairings. The story does not begin on page one, but began when the siblings were children. The past weaves through the story as Lane, Edward, Gin, and Lizzie remembers threads of the past. 
 I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.