The Feud
by Sawyer Bennett
Release Date: June 25, 2024
Publisher: Big Dog Books, LLC
Book #1 in the Bluegrass Empires series
Number of pages: 265
Contemporary Romance
Ages 15 and up
CW: grief, cancer, death of a parent
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As the oldest of his siblings, Ethan Blackburn bears the weight of responsibility for the day-to-day operations of Blackburn Farms, the largest Saddlebred breeding and training facility in Kentucky. Serious, gruff and solely focused on the success of the family business, Ethan isn’t one to mince words or waste time on anything that doesn’t further his interests. But when his meticulous world is upended by a shadowed secret brought into the light, Ethan is sent into a tailspin.
Marcie DeLeon just navigated her way through a bitter divorce, now intent on reimagining her life as a single career woman. She’s not looking to revisit the burden of a relationship anytime soon but when Ethan turns to her for help, she can’t help but lend a sympathetic ear to the handsome and broody man.
Ethan and Marcie are strangers who find a common thread to weave them together, creating a bond neither were seeking but both are loathe to walk away from. When Ethan faces a high-stakes battle against his family’s bitter enemy, he knows without a doubt there is nothing he won’t do to win the fight. Ready to give of himself completely, Ethan prepares to face-off with his foe hoping that no matter what the outcome, Marcie will be by his side in the end.
The Feud is a friends to lovers novel within the Bluegrass Empires series. All books in the series can be enjoyed as standalone.
It’s been almost two years since die-hard Sawyer Bennett fans were introduced to some of the Blackburns in Code Name: Omega from her Jameson Force Security series. These two series are not related in any way other than this series involves one character’s family, so no worries if you haven’t read that book. Anyway, I’m excited to read a bit of a different subgenre from this author.
This story had a lot of heavy lifting to do to get the world-building of this series laid out. Sometimes I felt it was a bit repetitive about the catalyst of the feud between the Blackburns and the Mardraggons. I also felt the overall descriptions of homes, buildings, décor, etc. were more detailed than they had to be. Yet the book still had a nice flow.
Ethan and Marcie are both amazing characters. I cannot wait to get to know the rest of the Blackburns better because they all seem like terrific characters. I love how loving the whole family is and how they have each other’s backs no matter what. Unfortunately, as much as I love Marcie and Ethan as a couple, I felt their love story took a back seat to the world-building that was happening. The romance is still a central part of the story, but I still wanted to see them together a bit more.
Some horrific and gut-wrenching things happen in this story, but there is a HEA. I think we’re going to find some characters who are villains in this book may not be so bad after all as this series progresses. At least I hope so!
4 stars
All In Good Time 