Bourbon Springs Series Vol. 3, Box Set by Jennifer Bramseth #review
Pages - 963
Published - April 28, 2017
Sold by - Amazon Digital Services LLC
Series - Bourbon Springs
Genre - Contemporary
Language - 2/5
Sexual Content - 4/5
Narrative - 3rd P
Welcome to the Land of Bourbon and Bluegrass… Welcome to Bourbon Springs, Kentucky…
Books 7-9 in the Bourbon Springs Series box set includes:
Bottled Bluegrass: Mack Blanton dreams of returning to Nashville to make music. Jorrie Jones is tired of practicing law in small town. But after a chance meeting, Mack can’t stop writing songs about Jorrie, and she realizes the attractions of small-town life in the form and voice of Mack. As they discover the simple gifts of love, will they spread their wings or choose to stay in Bourbon Springs?
Toast and Char: She’s the love of his life. She’s also the woman he left at the altar. When Prent Oakes jilted Miranda Chaplin two years ago, he was sure it was over. Except Miranda has never been able to tell him to get out of her life. The heat still burns between them—but will their love be resurrected from the ashes or will they both be left burned?
Water of Life: Widowed judge Cara Forrest guards her young son as fiercely as she does her heart. But when Drake Mercer makes a plea to be more than professional acquaintances, it is an argument she can’t resist. As Cara faces the prospect of getting a seat on a higher court, she and Drake are forced to face allegations of unethical conduct due to their relationship. The choice is theirs: to be sustained by love or pulled apart by the currents of doubt.
DEAR READER: while I am truly happy and honored that you visited me to read my review, I must warn now that if you are highly sensitive or do not like to read negative reviews, please click away.
My reviews are honest and prove points about my reasoning and not much more.
If I really love a Romance Novel, you will read why as well, and hopefully with at least a few logical reasons as to why.
Sadly, a majority of the works I read fall into the barely readable category, and this happens to be one of those instances.
I've mentioned this numerous times in older posts that the fault is difficult to pinpoint IF an author is working with a Publisher (especially a Brick & Mortar), because then the blame could lie with either the editor, the publisher, the author, or a combination of all three.
In this case, the author appears to be self-published (and best-seller) so my critique becomes that much more... critical, as I don't think the word harsh should apply.
Hate to say this, folks, but while I happen to possess all 9 books in this series, I only read one (Bottled Bluegrass) and called it quits.
Not even remotely interested in reading the rest of the stories, and here's why.
#1 - this is written by a celebrated best-selling author with Hundreds of positive reviews about the entire series at both Amazon and Goodreads and I fail to understand why.
this is at only 4% in:
“Who said you had to go alone? I’ll go with you, and I can probably get Jon to come along as well. We missed BourbonDaze and could do with a dose of crazy fair food. I haven’t had a corn dog or an elephant ear in years.” Jorrie pressed her lips together, still unsure about idea of ditching her friend and unsure whether going to see Mack—a cute guy but a little remote—was worth it. But the eager expression on Pepper’s face reminded her she was looking at Mack’s friend. A friend who wanted to help him. Jorrie wasn’t about to throw cold water on that to go the fair on Friday.
Good grief, this was a poorly-written story, and by what I felt was a teenager pawning herself off as a grown woman and attorney at law.
And, there's more.
- a marked police or sheriff’s cruise, (or? and, it's a cruisER)
- “They moved the concert to the grandstands,” and they neared the grandstands,
- impressed into service as a trash can.
- far distance (and then) far distance (and again) far distance
- quaking from desire and the cold breezes (plural? and nothing like building up tension then abruptly crushing it with a dose of reality!)
- why aren’t you wearing underwear?” Jorrie demanded, (he said he didn't have any clean ones, folks)
- “He wrecked in it earlier this year,
- sweet talk her and then get a quick bang?
- Her touch caused him to pull his lips from her neck.
- could come and speak to his students (followed by) see if they’d be interested in talking to the students. (and then) speaking to a bunch of at-risk summer school students (ending with) a small smattering of applause from the students.
- she was going on that stupid blind date. (and) attributed to the stupid lawsuit; (and) That stupid boyfriend she’d mentioned (and) The stupid thing was (and) pay off that stupid debt (and) If not for the stupid money,
- “Let’s give these guys our orders, (how many wait-staff does it take to...)
- Jorrie rolled her lips into her mouth,
#2 - it was entirely too juvenile for my taste.
The author is an attorney, but she writes her attorney characters like school-age children behaving badly.
The relationship between these two (Jorrie and Mack) was cringe-worthy awkward, stiff, and lopsided.
The author's poor choice of words and phrases coincided with this romance -- a sophomoric attempt at playing adult but sounding more like bumbling teens.
She actually wrote that Jorrie's attorney friend got angry with her and 'stomped off in a huff' -- a practicing attorney with her OWN firm I might add -- which would put her at at least age 30, yes?
Do grown women practicing law behave like they're still in 8th grade?
And the inclusion of entire song lyrics threw me, yet the author mentions that she wasn't going to include the song titles for whatever reason.
This happens to be the exact opposite of what is lawful when it comes to publishing lyrics!
(I still don't know if they are her own lyrics or those of a real recording artist)
#3 - the author found a Thesaurus and fell madly in love.
Here are some of the oddball and antiquated words/phrases tossed around like confetti:
- intuited
- his ill-disguised longing
- when in the thrall of
- eschewed the opportunity
- adrenaline produced by his rapturous reception
- to discern her caller’s identity.
- slowly divest her of her shirt and bra
- “Hush,” she chastised the teen.
- (alas, they weren’t grilling burgers and steaks that night),
- It was that look of revulsion when presented with the failure of another.
- on the razor’s edge of being a leer.
- After perfunctory good-byes
- She marveled at the combined brilliances of
- ... as the mélange of flavors
- the inexorable retaliation would be...
- His hubris—where had it gotten him?
- Jorrie accepted these gifts with alacrity,
#4 - I am not fond of Merry-go-Round rides and this felt like I was on one start to finish.
This one story out of nine went around and around and around, lasting about six weeks total but occurring in the same places, with the same people milling about, saying the same things over and over again, and with no one and nothing really going anywhere or doing anything.
I was so sick and tired of Bourbon, Kentucky, the town, its few businesses, and the two leads that I just didn't care anymore.
It felt more like I was watching a teenage 'kid' being followed by a stray cat than two grown adults falling in love.
She was an attorney who never went to work in all the time the story took place, or if she did, it wasn't mentioned or I just don't remember because I was lost trying to keep track of the boy with a guitar strapped to his back and the stray cat constantly following him around this one-horse town.
The author attempted to make me believe there was angst and intrigue just around the corner, but the build-up never amounted to anything.
I had no idea if the author wanted me interested in the budding romance or her knowledge of the Kentucky Bourbon business.
To say I just don't get it is putting it mildly.
Why all the hype and praise?
What is it about this rambling, uneducated-sounding series that has so many people falling in love (as a lot of the reviews said)?
I couldn't wait to finish this one story just to get it over with, sorry to say.
I have all 3 volumes in my possession and zero interest in reading another novel by this author, which is sad.
Seriously, who has that many friends to be able to turn this into Best-Selling work?
In case you're still interested, here are all 3 volumes in box sets.
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