Cover art by TL Bland
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Drunk on love.
Like a well-aged whiskey, master distiller and old-money entrepreneur Malone Kensington is elegant and refined. Unfortunately he’s also a perfectionist who is more dedicated to the success of his generations-old company than his own love life. That company needs a public spokesman. What Colton Hale lacks in sophistication, he more than makes up for with the charisma that’s allowed him to survive on the street from a young age and charm his way into the lucrative—if overwhelming—public position at the Kensington Distillery. When Mal takes Colt under his wing, hoping to polish off his rough edges, opposites attract and a passionate romance blossoms despite the differences in age and background. But can it survive a Kensington Board of Directors who believe Colt is nothing but a gold digger and a kidnapper determined to profit from the love of Mal’s life—dead or alive? |
Excerpt:
Armed with a stack of papers, he ran most of the way to the distillery. Once there, he headed to the employee break room and dried off before making his way to the offices. Through Audrey’s office was a staircase to the second level and, among other things, the conference rooms. A line of young men was beginning to form outside the door to Audrey’s office. They were reading from sheets of paper, tablets, and phones.
A man, older in comparison to this crowd—maybe late thirties—with dirty-blond hair and blue eyes stood to the side of the door. His hands were folded together in front of him while he stood calmly watching the assembling crowd.
Colt rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. A few deep breaths and he was ready. Time to go to work.
He went to the end of the line and stepped close to the three men there. “I heard Kensington’s a real ass, and he’ll expect whoever does this to be at his beck and call twenty-four-seven.”
One guy shrugged. “Money’s good.”
“Not really. That’s 60K for the entire time, and you have to stay at least five years. Not sixty grand a year.” Colt rocked back and forth on his heels and flicked at the papers he held. “It was in the fine print that was on the website the first few days. It’s not there now, but I printed it off.” He showed them his printout with the sentence about payment highlighted. Then he leaned closer. “And I heard you don’t get paid until the gig is over.” Colt nodded to the offices. “Heard a few of them talking earlier.”
He patted the closest man’s shoulder and moved away. “Do you suppose there is a bathroom around here?”
Colt wandered along the line, pretending to search out a bathroom. When the three men he’d been talking
to left, he returned to the back of the line. “What do you guys think of the abstinence clause?”
“What abstinence clause?” the man ahead of Colt asked. He felt a rush of satisfaction when others in line shifted so they could hear what Colt was saying. “Apparently old man Kensington is some sort of religious nut, and whoever is the public face of his company has to agree to not have sex with anyone outside of marriage. Oh, and of course Kensington would have to approve any marriage. Gotta look good for the company, you know.”
The older man near the head of the line was obviously listening in. He arched an eyebrow, then pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger and stared at his shoes. Colt wondered who he was and why he was here, then took a minute to study him further. Shoulder muscles bulged under his suit jacket, his waist was trim, and he had the stance of someone with confidence.
Bodyguard. It was the first word that came to mind. If he wasn’t, Colt reasoned, he was some sort of security. Just because Colt had never seen him around before meant nothing. It was logical to think Mr. Kensington would be attending the auditions, so some of his personal staff would be here too.
The line cleared of four more applicants. Liking the eccentric billionaire angle, Colt decided to use it in another capacity. “So how serious do you think they are about the fasting and the medical leeches for some kind of bleeding every month?”
A few more men left, grumbling under their breath. Bodyguard guy rolled his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, shaking his head. Colt inched toward the next man but stopped in his tracks when the bodyguard turned and glared at him, then crooked his finger, indicating for Colt to approach him. Colt twisted and looked behind him, then pointed to his own chest and mouthed the word, “Me?”
The man nodded and stepped around the other applicants to Colt. “Come with me.” He took firm hold of Colt’s arm.
Armed with a stack of papers, he ran most of the way to the distillery. Once there, he headed to the employee break room and dried off before making his way to the offices. Through Audrey’s office was a staircase to the second level and, among other things, the conference rooms. A line of young men was beginning to form outside the door to Audrey’s office. They were reading from sheets of paper, tablets, and phones.
A man, older in comparison to this crowd—maybe late thirties—with dirty-blond hair and blue eyes stood to the side of the door. His hands were folded together in front of him while he stood calmly watching the assembling crowd.
Colt rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. A few deep breaths and he was ready. Time to go to work.
He went to the end of the line and stepped close to the three men there. “I heard Kensington’s a real ass, and he’ll expect whoever does this to be at his beck and call twenty-four-seven.”
One guy shrugged. “Money’s good.”
“Not really. That’s 60K for the entire time, and you have to stay at least five years. Not sixty grand a year.” Colt rocked back and forth on his heels and flicked at the papers he held. “It was in the fine print that was on the website the first few days. It’s not there now, but I printed it off.” He showed them his printout with the sentence about payment highlighted. Then he leaned closer. “And I heard you don’t get paid until the gig is over.” Colt nodded to the offices. “Heard a few of them talking earlier.”
He patted the closest man’s shoulder and moved away. “Do you suppose there is a bathroom around here?”
Colt wandered along the line, pretending to search out a bathroom. When the three men he’d been talking
to left, he returned to the back of the line. “What do you guys think of the abstinence clause?”
“What abstinence clause?” the man ahead of Colt asked. He felt a rush of satisfaction when others in line shifted so they could hear what Colt was saying. “Apparently old man Kensington is some sort of religious nut, and whoever is the public face of his company has to agree to not have sex with anyone outside of marriage. Oh, and of course Kensington would have to approve any marriage. Gotta look good for the company, you know.”
The older man near the head of the line was obviously listening in. He arched an eyebrow, then pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger and stared at his shoes. Colt wondered who he was and why he was here, then took a minute to study him further. Shoulder muscles bulged under his suit jacket, his waist was trim, and he had the stance of someone with confidence.
Bodyguard. It was the first word that came to mind. If he wasn’t, Colt reasoned, he was some sort of security. Just because Colt had never seen him around before meant nothing. It was logical to think Mr. Kensington would be attending the auditions, so some of his personal staff would be here too.
The line cleared of four more applicants. Liking the eccentric billionaire angle, Colt decided to use it in another capacity. “So how serious do you think they are about the fasting and the medical leeches for some kind of bleeding every month?”
A few more men left, grumbling under their breath. Bodyguard guy rolled his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, shaking his head. Colt inched toward the next man but stopped in his tracks when the bodyguard turned and glared at him, then crooked his finger, indicating for Colt to approach him. Colt twisted and looked behind him, then pointed to his own chest and mouthed the word, “Me?”
The man nodded and stepped around the other applicants to Colt. “Come with me.” He took firm hold of Colt’s arm.
Reviews
Loves Bytes Reviews: Anabela.m gives 4.5 stars: The way I see it, 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 should be used as a medicine, when one feels down and needs a mood lifter. The story is charming, touching and entertaining…with the added heat from a good Tennessee moonshine. Read the review.
Redz World Reviews: 5 Shooting Stars from Tina: I was really surprised at how much I loved this story, I am not usually a fan of distillery type stories for lack of a better description. But this one is amazing and well done. Serious must read. Read the review.
Love Bytes Book Reviews: 4.5 Stars from Becca: This felt a lot like Cinderella. And it was sweet. A street man and a CEO/owner. I love the relationship that grew between these two. It was all about friendship at first. Not that the chemistry wasn’t there. But both were lonely and Colt had a rough past and being friends is always a good thing. Read the review.
The Romance Reviews: 4 Stars from Merissa: This is a low-angst, slow burn romance, with plenty of story to get your teeth into. I love how Colt worked his way up from sweeping the floors, to taking a chance and making it work. The characters in here are all well-written, both the main characters and the supporting cast. Read the review.
Edge Media Network: Christopher Verleger: The Irish playwright's masterpiece, "Pygmalion," has spawned seemingly endless adaptations for the stage and screen, including "My Fair Lady," "Pretty Woman," "Trading Places," and "Educating Rita." Elizabeth Noble's delightful, endearing rags-to-riches romance, "Whiskey and Moonshine," now joins the ranks of those esteemed works about a lost, desperate soul who unexpectedly and unwittingly finds his mentor in life--and love. Read the review.
Bayou Book Junkie: 4.5 Stars from Mari: This was such a great read! I loved all the research and care that went into the whole distillery process, it was so interesting. And while there wasn't that much angst, the whole thing with Theo and Sully in the last third of the story certainly gave it an edge that had been lacking. Overall, definitely a book I'd recommend and read again! Read the review.
Rainbow Book Reviews: Serena Yates: If you like romances between men who come from very different worlds, if opposites attracting is your thing, and if you’re looking for a read that is entertaining, lots of fun, very informative regarding whiskey production, and full of sweet and tender moments between two men who are falling for each other against everyone’s expectations, then you will probably like this novel. Some books are just fun to read, and this one was definitely one of those for me. Read the review.
OptimuMM Book Blog: 4 OptimuMM m's from Amber Krogh: The book and the plot were good, simple, well-constructed and easy to follow. The characters were adorable, and it was easy to bond with them and most of all to love them. I also love the writing, the author gave us a lot of details and description in the book, but it wasn’t boring or too long. I really enjoyed it. It was well described, and the author must have done a lot of researching before. I appreciated that. Read the review.
MM Good Book Reviews: 5 Sparkly Hearts from Prime: Whiskey and Moonshine is a really charming romance set in Tennessee, obviously amongst whiskey and moonshine stills by Elizabeth Noble. Noble is an author who is certainly on my radar and in my mind as an author whose style and stories I enjoy, and combined with the fact that this is part of Dreamspun Desires line, I was totally down to reading this book. Read the review.