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White Whiskey Bargain

At one point in this book, the hero and heroine sip moonshine and slowly grind on the dance floor of a speakeasy, both of them dazed by the attraction that pings between them. The scene is languorous and sexy, and neatly epitomizes what I loved about White Whiskey Bargain. This is a book where heat builds slowly but intensely, featuring an emotionally mature couple who don’t let their fears keep them from exploring a romance. It’s also a very atmospheric book, with a strong sense of its setting in Harlan County, Kentucky. I had this song running through my head while I was reading.

Hannah Hawkins has just dutifully taken over the family moonshine business after her mother’s sudden death, when a mysterious outside competitor forces her into an alliance with her local rivals, the Mezas. The uneasy truce is sealed with a marriage of convenience between Hannah and Javier, the son who’d rather spend his time mixing up moonshine recipes than running a sprawling illegal liquor business.

The backbone of the story is lightly suspenseful, but low-angt. Hannah and Javier investigate the threat against them, while working to merge their two operations. Competence porn abounds! I now consider myself an expert on corn liquor after seeing Hannah manage her temperamental distillers. I loved that despite her imposter syndrome tendencies, Hannah was a fantastic leader, and Javier, a supportive sidekick with a powerful presence. Hannah sees the marriage as a short-term solution, but Javier gently pushes against her reserve, and asks her to stay open to their relationship growing into love. Already once divorced, he’s hoping not to fail at marriage a second time.

Javier is a protective nurturer, and I found the combination soothing to read. He seduces Hannah with a lovingly described pozole; I’m a sucker for a hero who cooks. Watching pragmatic Hannah slowly let down her guard and acknowledge their chemistry made me squirm with joy. And did I mention the cunninglingus scene, on the hood of a car, in the rain? Whew.

Unfortunately, the antagonists were cookie-cutter villains, and the rationale for their behavior wasn’t as complex as I’d hoped. After the relaxing pace of the first part of the book, the mystery is resolved abruptly. It was a bit like guzzling grain alcohol after nursing a glass of bourbon. However, the focus of the book is the love story, and the HEA was satisfying, although I would have liked to see a deeper exploration of Hannah and Javier’s challenges, and spent more time with them settled into married life. Still, it’s a good sign when my biggest gripe is wanting more of the characters I loved.

Going into White Whiskey Bargain, I only knew that it was set in Appalachia, and reflected the racial reality of the region, with Latinx and Black main characters. All true, and delightful. I was pleasantly surprised to be sucked into the book, and weeks later, I’m still thinking about my favorite chapters.

– Shana

“I want to give you my gratitude someplace other than that pretty mouth of yours.” – Javier Meza

The sudden and tragic death of her mother throws Hannah Hawkins into a position she doesn’t feel at all prepared for. With the duty of leading her family’s decades-long moonshining business weighing heavy on her shoulders, the last thing she needs is something making her transition even harder. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what she gets. A band of vicious new players has arrived in small-town Harlan, Kentucky, and while what they really want remains a mystery, it quickly becomes clear they’re willing to stoop to dark lengths to get it. To fight off a beast, Hannah realizes she needs to join forces with a rival.

Javier Meza may be the sole heir to his family’s moonshining empire, but he’s certainly no leader. He has no head for business or diplomacy, preferring to spend his days in the trenches, making corn liquor with the rest of the “cooks.” That doesn’t mean he isn’t more than willing to step up and take charge when his family finds themselves in danger. Forming a shaky partnership with the Hawkins family is one thing, but marrying Hannah Hawkins to keep their deal on the straight and narrow is something else entirely.

From All Things Burn author, Jodie Slaughter comes a multicultural romance about illegal white whiskey, a marriage of convenience between decades-long rival families, and Black Appalachia. Readers of Kenya Wright, Theodora Taylor, and Lucy Score & Claire Kingsley will enjoy this full-length romance novel with a strong heroine, swoon-worthy hero, and a very satisfying HEA.