Hannah Davenport, the blonde bombshell belle of Bourbon Springs, Kentucky, and part owner of Old Garnet Distillery, catches her husband cheating in the marital bed and promptly dumps him. But new hope flows into her life in the form of an old flame, Craig County Sheriff Kyle Sammons. Their last relationship, a college summertime romance, ended in disaster. Kyle has never revealed the reason for the breakup, nor has Hannah, although Bourbon Springs has always been filled with rumors--rumors which both Hannah and Kyle know are wrong.
Hannah and Kyle strive to move beyond a painful past, but it will be difficult if she goes to work for the distillery, as her brother and co-owner, Bo Davenport, begs her to do after two key employees leave. Hannah takes up her brother’s challenge and the mantle of the Davenport name as she becomes a working owner of the legendary distillery, and crucial to growing the brand her late father had worked himself into an early grave to build.
But as her romance with Kyle deepens, so do her conflicts with her brother at work. And caught between her brother and her lover, she fears that the truth will come out about what happened years ago—a secret she’s buried and carried for years, unable to think about it because of the pain it still causes to this day…
FILTERED THROUGH BLUE is the second book the Bourbon Springs Series, a nine-book series of smooth, sensual, sexy, slow-burn contemporary romances set amidst the lush and rolling Land of Bourbon and Bluegrass of central Kentucky.
Jennifer Bramseth is the author of the Bourbon Springs Series and Bourbonland Series of contemporary romances, and the Devil Springs Cozy Mysteries. She is a Kentucky native and lifelong resident who lives next to a horse farm and within minutes of several bourbon distilleries.
Rumors run wild in most small towns, one simple comment or event can change a hundred times before it reaches the next person in line to hear it. What you “heard” usually has little resemblance to what actually happened. Lots of people had their own ideas or had heard the rumors about why Kyle and Hannah had gone their separate ways all those years ago. No one was even close to the truth. And now… even more rumors are likely to start because Hannah’s world just blew up and Kyle is there to pick up the pieces.
Filtered Through Blue is Hannah’s story… and Kyle’s. Hannah is a strong woman, she came off pretty much of a… well, witch in Secret Blend. Oh come on, if you read it you know she was a capital B-witch. But you know what? There is usually a reason for that, often something the rest of the world never sees or even suspects. Kyle has always been there in the background, around town. He’s the sheriff now and his relationship with the Davenport family has never been ideal, but he’ll do a lot, put up with a lot for Hannah’s sake.
When Hannah caught her husband cheating, she was done. Finally walking away from a marriage that never was what she really wanted but what she settled for – Hannah is now free. And Kyle is there, ready to fight for the woman he loves. It’s not going to be easy, but nothing worth it usually is.
Hannah has taken on the family distillery. Her brother, Bo, has asked her to step up and help. While he needs her help at the distillery, he certainly isn’t supportive of her growing relationship with Kyle. The past is always there and if these lovers are going to survive they have to face it together and move on to their future – in spite of family opinion.
I really enjoyed Filtered Through Blue. Kyle and Hannah’s story was rich with history, heavy on hidden pain and stuffed full of the kind of love that lasts. I knew I was going to follow this series from the very first book – and the second one didn’t disappoint one little bit, if anything it raised up a level. Plus I’m learning so much about bourbon – that is a definite additional bit of fun.
The secondary characters are enjoyable, realistic and I’m looking forward to discovering even more secrets and stories among the good folks of Bourbon Springs. I would highly recommend this novel and the series to anyone who enjoys really good stories, full of history, that are believable – when you recognize people you know personally in a story, it gives it a bit of an extra kick – those are the folks who will absolutely adore this novel and continuing on with the rest of the series. That’s you, right? Pick this one up and enjoy.
*I received an e-ARC of Filtered Through Blue from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*
(This review is based on ARC e-book provided by the author in exchange for an honest opinion.)
Having enjoyed “Secret Blend”, the first book in the Bourbon Springs series by Jennifer Bramseth, I was fully expecting to like Filtered Through Blue, Hannah and Kyle’s story. Since Hannah was a lawyer and Kyle a sheriff, I have to confess I was hoping for more of a lawyer/cop angst centered theme. Afterall, nothing says drama like conflicts within the law. As per the book summary, it was centered almost entirely around the distillery. The first 25% of the book seemed to live up to my expectations then suddenly it just didn’t. The writing style started to really bother me, too many words to describe insignificant details/events such as what clothes someone was wearing, items in a room, internal dialog, etc. At one point, I noted in frustration that bookshelves were been described. It just didn’t come across as well-written. Looking back I realize I did not feel an emotional connection with the main couple. Maybe it was because I didn’t particularly care for Hannah’s character. She came across strong and feisty in the beginning but later whiny, indecisive, and immature. Perhaps it was due to being big on steamy scenes but lacked more of an interesting plot. Last but not least, the ending was predictable. I sincerely hope others enjoy it, but this book just did not work for me. Fortunately, the first book did.
Book 2 in the series. Hannah has it all a husband that loves her and part ownership in her family's distillery but that all changes in one afternoon. Hannah doesn't know what to do now, she has to move forward but that means having to tell people.
Kyle comes across Hannah on the bridge and he can see that she is upset he is scared that she will jump, he speaks to her and she tells him everything. The thing is that Kyle has already loved her but a secret destroyed what they had. Can they get a second chance but it is too soon and he doesn't even know if Hannah wants him.
They start dating and spending time together but Hannah wants to move away and Kyle loves his town and he is the sheriff. Hannah gets angry with him and her brother hears what happened all those years ago. Hannah runs as she doesn't want people to look at her with pity.
Kyle is destroyed and he can't do this again as he loves her so much but it hurts too much. Hannah wants to try again but Kyle ends it for good. But she will not give up and she loves him.
Can they get a second chance and work through what happened? Will Kyle give her what she has being missing? What will everyone say when they find out?
Another great storyline love that the characters from the other book still have a part in the story. It was get to see that Hannah isn't always a bitch that wants to hurt everyone. Can't wait for the next one. I received ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review which I am more than happy to do.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I liked the character of Kyle a lot, he was calm, steady and utterly loyal to Hannah. Hannah was a bit more problematic. She was funny, feisty and brash and she certainly appeared to take no prisoners and wasn't shy about standing up for herself (I LOVED her interactions with her brother Bo)... BUT I really didn't like the way she let Kyle bear the brunt of her family's ill will for TEN years!! I realise she was traumatised and she didn't feel she could discuss specifics, but it really seemed as though she'd hung Kyle out to dry and I would have admired her far more if she'd defended him more vigorously even without going into any specifics,but she seemed to put her own welfare before his and only offered a token protest when he was vilified during most of the story. I appreciated her willingness to own her faults though and to put aside her pride and by the end I was fully invested in their HEA.
I thought the writing was excellent and I found all the details of a burbon distillery very interesting. The chemistry between Kyle and Hannah was definitely hot and I liked the supporting characters and look forward to reading some of their stories (especially Bo and Lila's, he's got himself into one hell of a mess and I really want to know how he's going to get out of it!!!)
* ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review *
This is the second book in the Bourbon Springs series, which is written by a debut author (Jennifer Bramseth).
While I liked the first book (Secret Blend), I didn't love it and I felt like something was off. I did enjoy Filtered Through Blue much more, but it still wasn't a 'home run' for me. Sort of 3.75 stars, which I of course rounded to 4. Getting to the point, the reason I haven't totally fallen in love is irrelevant details. The author can go on for pages about something unimportant. Like specific locations of a dining establishment. Saying "they went to dinner" is sufficient. I don't care to know the street name, or any other details regarding it. The over-detailed quality had me skimming sections.
Overall, I liked Hannah and Kyle. A lot better than I liked Rachel and Brady. I'm interested to see where the series goes.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
After reading Secret Blend, I was hoping to love Hannah in Filtered Through Blue after my distaste for her in SB. Sadly, that isn't the case. I found her to be rash and inconsiderate. I feel like she always acted out and then expected forgiveness very easily. While I loved Kyle, I just didn't connect with them together as I did with Rachel and Brady in Secret Blend. Hannah repeatedly said awful things to him and even though she did always apologized, it was like he swept it under the rug instead of dealing with it and talking it out.
Furthermore I could barely read Hannah's interactions with her brother Bo. I felt like all Hannah did was yell at him and all Bo did was completely ignore everything she said. It was frustrating to say the least and I really felt for Hannah during these moments. Although I really enjoyed Lila in this book, I dont think I will read the next book because Bo's character was quite hard for me to read about at times.
This is of course just my opinion, please consider reading it to build your own.
3.5 Stars...The story was good with a lot of angst but I just really don’t care for Hannah. I thought she was a selfish wench in book one and while I feel bad for her in book two she is still just so self-involved. It’s really hard to discern just what Kyle could love so much about her. The big reveal is pretty obvious to see coming. Brother Bo, who I’m assuming is one of the MCs of book three is such a jerk I’m wondering how I’m going to make it through that book. Particularly hard to understand why these two “children” (and that’s just how they act) came from such a sweet mother in Emma. The cousin, Goose, is a tool as well so there’s some bad genes here!
Having said that the premise is cute, the town of Bourbon Springs seems like a great place, really like Rachel, Brady and Cici. It seems other characters will be interesting. I’ll keep reading and hoping that Hannah grows up and Bo gets his head out of his butt!
3.5 stars - I did not like this one as much as the 1st book. The female character, Hannah, got on my nerves. There's a lot of back and forth about her job and what is her best career choice and whether or not she can stay with her love interest, Kyle. Hannah has a secret about something traumatic in her past and keeping that secret causes a lot of the tension throughout the whole story. I hope the next books in the series are a bit more exciting or I'm going to lose interest.
Second book in the series. Hannah and Kyle were high school sweethearts. They get close again after Hannah finds her husband cheating their bed. Bo doesn't like Kyle because he thinks he hurt Hannah when they were younger. Hannah falls in love with Kyle again but runs away instead of facing her fears after she tells Bo the truth about that night long ago.
Cute story of Kyle and hannah who have dated in the past and she is finally free again after a quickie divorce. Her family doesn’t like him for something that happened a long time ago or at least they think they know what happened. Cute story
I was prepared to hate Hannah after what she does in book 1 but she redeemed herself. Still tragic when women choose to bottle up their pain rather than tell the truth. Kyle was a very patient man.
This second book in the Bourbon Springs series curtails around Hannah Davenport and the good sheriff of Bourbon Springs, Kyle Sammons. They’re actually old acquaintances of each other considering they dated while in high school. But there is a secret lingering between the two of them that just happens to involve her brother, Bo and what happened the night they broke up. They manage to find themselves back to each other after Hannah gets a divorce from her cheating husband, Jason. Their love is evident from the start but Kyle holds off in making love to her because he doesn’t want to get hurt again. So when they finally do get to the ultimate pleasure in life things get heady. But things aren’t what they were and Hannah tries working with her brother but things come to a head there too.
Hannah is spunky and takes no prisoners yet when we meet her she has found herself in a marriage that is opposite who she truly is inside. What is Hannah hiding from? That's truly what I start to sense about her, she settled for something that she thought felt right but it's not who she really is or what she truly wants. Kyle, the local sheriff, has always loved Hannah. (If you read Secret Blend you picked up on this.) When Kyle finds Hannah at her lowest, he shows her what a true friend really is by just being there to help her pick up the pieces. Now that Hannah is free from Josh, will she let herself recognize what her heart has always known? Will she fight her families dislike of Kyle to have him in her life? How long can Kyle take being the Davenports punching bag? Another fabulous romance from Jennifer Bramseth with all the love, passion and sexiness you want built on a wonderful foundation in the town of Bourbon Springs and their devotion to bourbon. I received a copy for an honest review.
Absolutely AMAZING! Could you walk away from the love of you life and say goodbye? Meeting the characters in the first book in the series, you can kind of tell something is definitely about to happen here. The relationship that Hannah has with her husband already seems under strain in the first book and reading between the lines, one prepares for the inevitable even though you hope it doesn't happen.
For me, I love the realness the male characters have when it comes to their feelings. Men are known to be very closed with their feelings and can hide it without showing any emotion. For Brady and Kyle, this is real and when they are true to themselves, they are able to fight, or walk away if needed. Every girl's dream is to be strong in everyone's eyes and then to make sure that the man they love is stronger when they need it. The hardest part for me in this book was where Kyle made the ultimate decision to walk away because he couldn't handle the pain. This may be cliched for many romance novels but the setting, the pain, the emotion is really felt in their words.
Oh my goodness ! Another great story. I loved the last book. However I REALLY loved this one. You get to know Hannah thru the last book, but now you also get know her family dynamics. Loved the interaction between mother and daughter and brother and sister. again this was another book that captured your attention from the get go, and held it. There were some surprises along the way. I loved how a very sensitive matter was handled. And gentle reaffirms that sometimes bad things happened and you have no control over but need help working thru it. This was a great book and one that is truly a 5 stars. Can't wait for the third book
Filtered Through Blue by Jennifer Bramseth is the second book in The Bourbon Spring Series. This book is a story of empowerment. It takes a lot of inner strength to overcome a painful past and a cheating husband. Loved how Hannah did not let her life experiences or what others said about her affect how she viewed her self. Ms. Bramseth created a great character in Hannah. Overcoming obstacles along the way Hannah faces her demons with grace. Love may just prove to be an added bonus. Received an ARC of this story for an honest review.
I can honestly say at the beginning of this story, I didnt like Hannah because of the way she acted in the 1st book (Rachel and Brady's story). Kyle seemed like a total sweetheart and that was true all the way through the story. The more I read, the more I understood why Hannah acted the way she did. It was good to see her side and she deserved her HEA with Kyle. I would recommend this book if you like a good book that deals with heartache and breakthrough. Hannah had heartache but she broke through and found happiness with Kyle.
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this one almost as much as the first one, though admittedly Hannah's character still irks me a little. That being said, I really enjoyed Hannah and Kyle's love story (I do love Kyle as a character and while I don't really like Hannah, she's still an interesting character as well). I can't wait to read the next book in this intriguing series. I have a feeling Lila is going to be a hoot, especially when dealing with Bo!
Hannah and Kyle... I like these two. Hannah is fiesty, Kyle is laid back. Hannah has some emotional issues from a past event, Kyle is supportive and trustworthy. Hannah and Kyle had a brief romantic history when they were young. And just like a good bourbon, Hannah and Kyle's love just gets better after aging a few years. I really enjoyed reading this book.
The second in the Bourbon Springs series carries on very nicely from the first book. The characters continue to develop and you become more attached to them. Looking forward to continuing the series as it develops.