Series: Taking Risks
Release Date: July 12th, 2014
Do something drastic.
Fall in love.
When Amberlyn Reilly loses her mother, her whole world comes crashing down. Having been a caretaker to her for most of her teenage years, Amberlyn is inexperienced in many aspects of life. She hadn’t had time to live, have fun, or enjoy even the little things. It’s only when a letter from her mother, asking her to fulfill three things, sends her off to Ireland to live a life she never thought possible that she begins to heal.
Declan O’Callaghan was born and raised in Ireland and has his family’s legendary whiskey in his veins. He’s shy and not a fan of the pressure and spotlight that comes with his family name, or the title he was given at birth – the Whiskey Prince. Declan knows just what he wants and that is to take over the family dynasty, but when his father gives him an ultimatum, everything he’s worked for could come undone in the blink of an eye.
With six months to get married, the reclusive Declan spots Amberlyn across a lake and instantly feels the need to know her. Soon, the two find themselves travelling down a path neither expected. However, like any road, there are bumps and side streets to derail them. Can Declan help find the pieces that will make Amberlyn whole again? And will Amberlyn stay or run when she learns of Declan’s deadline of marriage?
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
• Cancer
• Gun violence
• Rape
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
– The Heroine is a virgin
• Does have OM drama
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 4/5 stars
You know the book is gonna be good when it starts off with a Harry Potter quote:
“What’s life without a little risk?”
Sirius Black in Harry Potter by JK Rowling
And although the Cinderella themed-plot (a poor girl in love with a rich boy = lots of problems to come) has been recycled over and over again, I’m a sucker for these books and Whiskey Prince didn’t let me down.
Finding out that the author who wrote this book was the same author who wrote the Assassins hockey series was shocking. I was really surprised by how much I liked this book. This is mainly because I’ve never been a fan of Aleo’s writing, finding it flat and two-dimensional. But Whiskey Prince, wow. I admit there were points in the book where I recognized the same writing tone as the Assassins books, but that didn’t last long, mainly because the actual story drew me in.
The characters in Whiskey Prince were awesome! I really related to Amberlyn with her love of books:
“There wasn’t a summer day that mom or dad didn’t find me out there almost sunburned, claiming I only needed to read one more chapter.”
Which is the story of my life! And Declan! He was a hermit, and I didn’t really get why he was the way he was until it’s explained later on. But I also understand how creeped out he feels when everywhere he goes, people just stand or sit there and stare. Talk about weird, but that’s what you get for being the “Whiskey Prince,” I guess.
“I want to get lost in her kisses, I want to get tangled in the sheets, I want to feel her…”
I found the plot was really well navigated. Aleo didn’t let Amberlyn jump right into a relationship when she was only just recovering from her mother’s passing. And while people say Amberlyn’s grief process wasn’t realistic, you have to keep in mind that in one of the chapter’s in Amberlyn’s POV was, “I’ve been here for a month now….” or something like that. It’s basically informing the reader that time has gone by, this is what’s happened (in a brief summary), and this is what I’ve dealt with.
This leads to the romance between Declan and Amberlyn. It’s hesitant, it’s quirky at times, but it’s also beautiful and just right for them. Both of them are dealing with things: Amberlyn, with her mother’s recent passing and Declan with the ultimatum his father gave him, or he won’t get the distillery. But it’s also more than that, both of them are there for each other, Declan to be serious, comforting and reassuring when Amberlyn gets drawn back into the past, and Amberlyn to be light, fun and distracting when they’re in public and people stare at Declan. It’s a great dynamic and the fact that they both adore books is just a huge bonus–especially because Declan is hot, has a sexy accent, and he loves books! Like, hello? Dream guy!
“I run my thumb along her jawbone, taking in every single feature of her. The freckles, the pain in her eyes, the redness of her lips and nose, the beauty that is Amberlyn.”
There is a WTF moment near the end, but it’s not WTF in the breaking up way. It’s dramatic and awesome because I love those types of twists and it really brings out how much Declan cares for Amberlyn.
Now this book is part of a series, Taking Risks and the second book, Becoming the Whiskey Princess is set to be released in 2015. At the end of Whiskey Prince, it’s said that Becoming the Whiskey Princess is a companion novel to Whiskey Prince. But I honestly wouldn’t mind it being a continuation of the first book. I want more Declan and Amberlyn!
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