The Bourbon Thief by Tiffany Reisz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another fantastic story by Ms. Reisz! I love her ‘Original Sinners’ series and I was curious to see how she would do with such a different type of story. While many authors struggle with making this type of a transition, choosing to stick to the same genres and writing similar stories, Ms. Reisz transitioned flawlessly.
‘The Bourbon Thief’ is storytelling at it’s best. I was completely enraptured with this story from start to finish. The narrator for the Audible edition was fabulous, adding a richness to the characters and story. I put my headphones on and got lost in this book for the day. Everything else ceased to exist. It was that good.
The story spans several different eras. The story begins in the present day with the femme fatale, Paris, getting caught stealing from the wealthy Cooper following a one night stand. It quickly jumps back decades, as Paris tells the story of the young Tamara Maddox, the sixteen year-old heiress to the Red Thread Bourbon empire. Glimpses are offered of the distant past as well, going back to the beginnings of Red Thread Bourbon during a time when slavery was widespread in the South.
Sometimes spoiled and bratty, always stubborn, Tamara proved to be a spirited heroine. Despite my initial reservations where she was concerned, I grew to love Tamara in no time. She was an incredibly strong and loyal character. I admired her tenacity and her commitment to do the right thing, even when that resulted in significant personal hardship.
Tamara’s life was perfect by all outward appearances. She seemed to have the world at her feet and was an object of envy. However, behind closed doors her family life was anything but perfect.
Levi took longer for me to warm up to. He was gruff and, understandably, more guarded than most leading male characters. As a result, it took longer toget to know him. I also felt like he was unnecessarily cold to Tamara at times. Of course, I usually side with the heroine in my stories.
I don’t want to give too much away, because I think this story needs to be experienced. It is one of those stories that makes you thankful for what you have and drills home the message that the grass isn’t always greener. Sometimes a palace is just a bigger prison. You never know the truth of a person’s life, unless you’ve lived that life.
I enjoyed every minute of this story. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys great storytelling. The ending alludes to a sequel, which I’ll grab up immediately. However, this book reads easily as a standalone and it doesn’t leave you hanging.
Book Addict Haven 