The Bourbon Kings

Paranormal romance author Ward (the Black Dagger Brotherhood series) turns to contemporary romance with this melodramatic series opener. Lizzie King is a head gardener at Easterly, a massive Kentucky estate. The Bradfords, the Bourbon Kings of the title, own both Easterly and the most prestigious bourbon distillery in the state. Romance between Lizzie and Lane Bradford is socially unthinkable, no matter how much they desire it, especially since Lane is unhappily married already. Also, Lane’s abusive father seems to be attempting chicanery with the family finances. Ward’s novel doesn’t lack excitement—concealed scandals, unconcealed scandals, murder, kidnapping, incest, racism, the theft of millions of dollars, domestic violence, mistaken identity, and a thinly disguised Kentucky Derby all come in and out of the plot as necessary—and the book flows smoothly from crisis to crisis, but all the ruckus fails to conceal the gaping hole where likable or interesting characters should be. In the end, this soap opera fails to be more than the sum of its parts. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Literary Agency. (Aug.)