New Release from Sawyer Bennett The Forbidden (Bluegrass Empires, Book #2)
Synopsis:
The prince of his family’s Kentucky bourbon empire, Gabriel Mardraggon is a ruthless and cunning businessman. Focused on the continued success of Mardraggon Enterprises, relationships and settling down aren’t even on his radar. After all, he’s the product of two people who always put money before love. Loyal to the family’s creed of winning at all costs, as well as their hatred of the Blackburns, Gabe will never accept peace between the dynasties.
Katherine Blackburn is Gabe’s polar opposite—carefree, lighthearted and completely mischievous. Kat works hard as a horse trainer but never hesitates to let her hair down and have a little fun. And lately that has included poking at Gabe and his buttoned-up ways, much to his irritation. Getting a rise out of the cold but gorgeous Mardraggon heir brings Kat unfettered joy, especially given their two families’ ugly history together.
Blackburns and Mardraggons are bitter enemies. Any type of relationship would be strictly forbidden. But when Gabe’s business dealings hurt Kat in a way he never imagined, his walls crumble and he’s forced to lay his feelings for Kat bare. Now Gabe has to decide if he’s ready to alter the course of history or walk away from the only genuine thing he’s ever known.
The Forbidden: A Mardraggon Novel is an enemies to lovers novel within the Bluegrass Empires series. All books in the series can be enjoyed as standalones.
Grab your copy of The Forbidden directly from Sawyer by shopping the Sawyer Bennett Bookstore!
E-Book: https://geni.us/STORE_ForbiddenEbook Audio (narrated by Sean Masters and Kit Swann): https://geni.us/STORE_ForbiddenAudio Signed paperback (available to US mailing addresses): https://geni.us/STORE_ForbiddenPB
You can also get The Forbidden at the following retailers:
Amazon | Nook | Apple | Kobo | Google
Try it before you buy it! Click below to READ or HEAR a sample of The Forbidden:
READ the first three chapters | HEAR the first chapter
About the Author:
New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.
A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.
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Hatfields and McCoys, look out because the Madraggons and Blackburns are giving you a run for your money in the family feud department. From birth the Kat Blackburn and Gabe Madraggon have been raised to hate each other. The only Madraggon that Kat Blackburn loves is her niece, Sylvie. The only Blackburn Gabe loves is his niece, Sylvie. Will a one hundred plus years feud live on, or end with these two.
Trinette Dungee's 4 Star Review!
Gabe Madraggon’s world has been turned upside down. In a matter of weeks, he’s lost his sister, had to except that not only is the father of his niece a member of his family’s sworn enemy, but his sister’s dying wish was for her daughter to live with her father. As if that weren’t enough, he turned his father in to the police for attempting to murder his niece. Now to add insult to injury Gabe has to work with Kat Blackburn, his niece’s aunt and a royal pain in his ass.
In an attempt to help take some responsibilities off her brother Ethan’s plate, Kat must now work side by side Gabe Madraggon. Kate knows this isn’t going to be easy because as it turns out, Ethan isn’t the only Blackburn to have a past with a Madraggon.
This is book two of the Bluegrass Empire Series and right now Gabe Madraggon is my favorite guy! While Gabe was initially introduced as possibly cold and detached like his parents, he is anything but. He loved his sister with his entire soul, and he loves his niece no differently. Sylvie is all he has left of his sister Alaine, and if Ethan Blackburn and his family plan to make Gabe jump through hoops to stay in his niece’s life, then so be it. If that means working alongside Kat Blackburn to prove to Ethan and the rest of the Blackburns that he only wants what’s best for Sylvie, so be it, because nothing matters to him more than Sylvie, but working so closely with Kat brings up old memories, old passions, and old attractions.
There’s no doubt what fuels the tense relationship between Kat and Gabe is a past relationship. The more time they spend together, the more we learn about this relationship. Enemies to lovers, forbidden lovers and secret lovers are the ongoing theme with them. I loved these two. There chemistry was evident from the beginning. I loved their verbal foreplay, their banter and that uncontrollable pull to each other. While I like Kat, this was most definitely Gabe’s story. He’s searching for forgiveness from Kat for their past. He’s searching for redemption from his misplaced loyalty to his family. He’s searching for trust from Ethan when it comes to his niece. I think mostly he was searching for who Gabe really is.
What I’m truly enjoying about this series is the vulnerability of the men. It’s the men who fall first, who crave a relationship, who allow their hearts to be taken. I think my favorite scene/paragraph in this book…
Kat resumes her trek up the stairs, but I call her name one more time. “Kat.” When she looks back at me, I ask, “Do you think we can have a friendship?”
Be still my beating heart.....sigh
