Bourbon Bliss

Bootleg Springs, Book 4

By: Claire Kingsley, Lucy Score

Narrated by: Stephen Dexter, Natalie Duke

Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

“I didn’t reply. I couldn’t. Seeing this man’s naked private parts had not rendered me speechless but watching him lick ice cream off his finger had.” (June Tucker)

June Tucker doesn’t understand people. Numbers, data, and statistics? Those make sense. People? Not so much. In a town of Friday night fighters and moonshine-swilling line dancers, she’s the odd duck. And that suits her just fine. But her sister and friends are pairing off, and the change is unsettling. 

George “GT” Thompson was at the top of his game — one of the best receivers in football. But a career-ending injury sidelined him for good. Now he’s hoping to find relief in the healing waters of this tiny West Virginia town. And maybe an idea of what life has in store for him next. 

He doesn’t expect the no-nonsense girl at the hot spring, telling him he’s not supposed to be there. And pointing out his sizeable…equipment. 

George is fascinated by June, with her head full of statistics and blunt honesty. He appreciates her in a way most others don’t. And when the local missing persons case takes a shocking turn, he’s by Scooby-June’s side as she digs for the truth. 

He was her fantasy receiver. Now he’s her real-life boyfriend. But as their relationship heats up, June worries she’s not capable of the kind of intimacy he needs. He's convinced his campaign to get her out of her own head — to stop thinking and feel — will work. But his own crisis could drive them further apart.

©2019 Claire Kingsley (P)2020 Claire Kingsley

Fav of the Series

Stephen killed it as GT but the performance goes to Natalie and capturing Junes voice!

I am a little biased because this is my favorite out of the series!
June is smart as a wip and a lot of people don't get her besides her friends and family but when GT blew into town and they started to spend time together he blew her expectations out of the water and made her feel things no man ever did. LISTEN TO THIS AND THEN LISTEN AGAIN!

I forgot how much I love these two!!!

If you have read this book then you know that June Tucker talks in the most technical of ways and Natalie Duke brought those words to life in the perfect way. I can't count how many times I was giggling at the things she was saying and how she was saying it. That first scene where she has a run in with George and starts feeling all of those emotions....I loved it. Let's not forget how sexy Stephen Dexter is with whatever it is he is reading. Hearing him talk about Marshmallow the rabbit was priceless.

I don't think there is a more suited man for June Tucker than George Thompson. The way that he understands what makes her tick and she is just a bit different than others. His patience with her is beautiful. Claire definitely outdid herself when writing these two people who couldn't be more opposite of each other and yet found each other.

Love You Just the Way You Are

Bourbon Bliss is book 4 in the Bootleg Springs series and is about June and George (GT). Each book focuses on one couple, but there is a suspense storyline that spans the entire series, so the books should be read in order.

Things to look forward to in Bourbon Bliss:
- celebrity sports (retired) romance
- opposites attract
- an adorable pet rabbit named Mellow
- a do-over prom
- Bootleg Justice!
- more twists and turns in the Callie Kendall case

I enjoyed being back in Bootleg Springs and seeing June find someone who truly saw and understood her. June has a hard time understanding people and their intentions, so I appreciated how June's fears and concerns about relationships and love were addressed. I did feel uncomfortable at times though when it felt like June's responses were only to add humor to a situation. It's a fine line between showing her authentic self and adding deliberate confusion to elicit a laugh. The instalove is also strong in this one and I would have preferred a little more build up between George and June. The narration by Stephen Dexter and Natalie Duke was wonderful and I was especially impressed with Natalie Duke's performance. She voiced June so perfectly. Overall this was a sweet small town romance and I'm looking forward to continuing on with the series.

CW: mentions of: issues with IRS/tax evasion, ongoing missing person's case, career ending injury, and bullying (past)

Love this series.

I’m disappointed that the next 2 books aren’t out on Audible. I’m invested in the families and need to know if Jonah and Gibson get there happy ever after.

Love this latest Bootleg Springs audio!

June has really met the man of her dreams in Bourbon Bliss. Or at least the man of her Fantasy Football Team dreams. And as George and "Scooby-June" embark on adventures and build their relationship, we get to know June as much more than the quirky friend and sister from the previous Bootleg Springs books. I love the way George recognizes right away that there is something special about June, when in the past people haven't been able to see past her quirks to really see and appreciate all of her. I love that they really connect instantly in a way that happens often in books, but don't always come across as genuine or believable. This is a truly believable and genuine-seeming connection.

Claire Kingsley and Lucy Score are telling an amazing set of stories in this series, and even though there is no Bodine in this couple, June is still family in the biggest and best sense of the word.

The narration by Stephen Dexter and Natalie Duke was great. Stephen captured a lot of George's playfulness, and he oozed appeal and charm when it came to romancing our Junebug. Natalie Duke portrayed June as capable, determined, and willing to try to learn when she wasn't the expert. She was quirky, but still endearing.

Loved this book.

My fav book of this series!

Natalie Duke and Stephen Dexter are hands down my fav narrators. The way they bring June Bug and GT to life - just phenomenal! I don’t think anyone else could have done these two characters justice.
I know I’ll be listening to this more than once! June is such a special character and I absolutely loved “seeing” her come alive in this audio. Stephen Dexter’s deep, sexy baritone is EVERYTHING!!

Love June and George

Narrator review:
Natalie Duke and Stephen Dexter are two of my favorite narrators. They bring the characters alive and know how to add infections to the story that makes them real! They totally nailed June and George!

Book Review:
I just LOVE LOVE June Tucker! I love everything about her! Her big brain and how she doesn’t care that she is different, she just goes on and lives her life. I love how the people that love her don’t try to change her and make her fit into their world. They help her navigate it, but allow her to be her.

I love George Thompson! I love how he fell for June Bug for who she was not because she had quirks or was different. I loved how he understood her and tried to fit into her world. Their love story was HOT!. How can it not be? Watching June try to navigate her feelings was adorable. George didn’t rush her, he let her move at her own pace and was there for her. Their relationship blossomed and grew with tenderness and love. I just HEART this book soo much!

Claire and Lucy truly created characters that just just can’t help but love and cherish.

I had my doubts...

I honestly had doubts about the voice of June. She has a particular syntax and style and almost robotic monotone voice. Natalie Duke did an excellent job of performing her voice! Stephen Dexter was perfect as GT as well.

Whew Baby

This was an incredible audiobook. The narrators nailed the voice work. Both were so skilled in changing their voices for every side character and making them unique. I was slightly worried how June’s voice would work for an entire book, but Natalie Duke did amazing. The tone was somewhat monotone but not robotic and every realization of emotion was just so believable.

As I said about the last book, I will say it again. These books are perfectly written to be audiobooks. They have incredible passion, witty dialogue, suspense and realistic plot points, even for fiction. Even though I’ve read this book a bunch of times, this audio version is a completely different experience.

Amazing book!

The Bootleg Springs series is written by two beautiful geniuses who get better with age like wine and cheese. I would like to buy them both very expensive luxury never ending supply of tacos so they never have to leave their writing caves:-)
Bourbon Bliss is book 4 in Bootleg Springs series and I would recommend reading these series in order. While Bourbon Bliss is its own story with HEA for June and GT, there is an underlying mystery running through the series and will not be completely resolved until book 6. The Bootleg Spring series is amazingly written, with extremely well developed charachters and every time a new book comes out I get lost in the story and feel as if I am transported to Bootleg and hang out with my best friends. The characters are so real, you feel like you’ve known them growing up and are visiting back in your home town. If you like your romance sweet, swooney, steamy and with a bit of mystery, you are going to love Bourbon Bliss!
The narration by Steven Dexter snd Natalie Duke is phenomenal, they bring the story alive in the best possible way!

Just perfect!

This was a Top Read 2019 for me when I read it on Kindle and I couldn't wait to listen to the audio when it released.

I've read the whole series but this is my favourite book - and that's saying something since I adore this series!

June Tucker has always known she's different but her loved ones accept her for who she is. She's a genius with numbers and stats, and says what she thinks. She doesn't have a great track record when it comes to men but it's never really bothered her. However, when her favourite fantasy football player appears in her town, there's something about him that stirs some alien feelings in her - feelings that she struggles to deal with above a clinical level.

George Thompson thought June was beautiful. Aside from her beauty, there was also something arresting about her and her manner. During their first verbal exchange, he's hooked and intrigued by her. He realises that she's different but, instead of repelling him, it draws him in. The more time he spends with her, the more he wants her. However, he realises that he needs to tread softly.

Oh, June! I adore her and I KNEW that her story would be flippin' wonderful! She's quirky, clever and wholly singular. She's funny without meaning to be (the first scene between her and George was hilarious!), socially awkward, and literal, but she has a heart of gold and a razor-sharp brain. I loved her reaction to George and her journey of sexual discovery.

George AKA GT is downright gorgeous and swoony as hell! I loved his way with June. I loved that he really saw the real her - the woman she was beneath her quirkiness. He was completely fascinated by her, and just wanted to understand her and learn about her. He made a couple of hiccups along the way, but he was so sweet and sexy with her (dance scene alert!!) that the two of them totally melted my heart. ADORED this book so much!!

Stephen Dexter and Natalie Duke did an absolutely cracking job with this story. I thought their narration was on point. Dexter is one of my favourite male narrators. He completely nailed George - his character, his humour, his good nature, and his adoration of June. Duke was amazing as the quirky June. Her vocal differentiation between June and the other female characters was very distinct and I look forward to catching up with the other audios in this series and listening to her interpretation. The two of them of them delivered humour, sexiness, emotion and tenderness brilliantly. Fabulous job!

You won’t be disappointed

I read/listen to a lot of books per year. I do not wax lyrical about books very often. I’m quite picky as the staff at audible will know. You also need to know that I find the accent for the south of USA difficult to listen to not sure why. However I have enjoyed each of this series although they definitely stand alone. Between the accent and knowing June’s individual traits through the previous books, I’ve been resisting this one. I just couldn’t see how I would enjoy a believable romance. .!, how wrong I was. The first thing I enjoyed was there was not a single cliche, nor a well worn romantic storyline to be seen. There’s no dark angst, no ridiculous reasons for falling outs, I quietly chuckled and throughly enjoyed her journey. The writing drew me in from the first page and captivated me through every sentence, paragraph and chapter, the writing drew such an amazing complex fascinating picture, The narrators do a great job. and when I think on it the narration starts with June having a very starchy, pedantic speech pattern, almost uncomfortably so but as the chapters move on this suitably changes...that was clever. The Overall thank you for such a wonderful entertaining 9.5 hours. Definitely looking forward to Jonah’s story

fantastic loved it

5*
George's (GT) football career is over due to his 2nd acl tear to his knee. Needing to get away he heads to Bootleg springs to visit his sister Shelby.
June bug has been my favourite character in this series and I couldn't wait for this book. Been a follower of football she's aware of who GT is. He's drawn to her and she's confused about her feelings. I thought the story was absolutely brilliant, I read the book when it was released but listening to the audio blew me away the narrators fetched the characters to life. I definitely recommend it.