Rumors & Whiskey ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rumors & Whiskey by Victoria Wilder

Mini Cover Wars - Whiskey Bottle vs Taro Cards

NetGalley About Summary

In Rumor, Tennessee, one family sits at the center of every whisper.

The Crowne women have survived decades of salacious gossip. Everyone knows you can count on them for a shot of whiskey and a wild night, but their best kept secret is how they deliver quiet revenge.

I survived a living nightmare. Forced to stay away from my sisters, I’ve been sworn to secrecy about who I am. Somehow, though, I started over again. But all it takes to mess everything up is a sexy stranger—a charming jeweler with a sinful smile, deliciously dirty promises, and far too many questions.

Now, I’m back in my small town, craving routine, hiding my past, and trying not to drown in the pressure to be the old me.

I never expected to see him again. Especially once I discover that the gossip and rumors swirling around my family aren’t the work of bored townies, but of hidden truths.

Between a dead body, a missing cop, and a job that’s connected him to my family, Julian Colton insists on staying here. I should keep my distance—not provoke and flirt with him at every turn. But even with layers of secrets between us, he soothes my anxious thoughts and feeds my touch-starved, broken body.

When his past catches up with him, and mine threatens to repeat itself, it’s my family, their rumors, and our whiskey that’ll save us.

Genre: Adult Fiction, Romance
Goodreads also added Suspense, Mystery

The How/Why: NetGalley

⭐⭐⭐⭐

🎉 Overall Storytelling? 🎉🎉🎉🎉

🎣 Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣🎣

🗣️Would I recommend it to anyone? Yes ➕

🕮 Would I want a sequel? Maybe 🤷 This is labeled as Book 1 so their will be a sequel. 

📚 Would I want to read more books by this author? Yes ➕

💣💥 📢 Content Warnings? Author's note at the beginning warns of Violɇncɇ, caƞȵibalism 😱, MŪrdɇr, DɇaṪh, t0rturɇ, PTSD

🌶 Spice? YES 🌶🌶🌶

🌪 Plot Twist? No

👟 Pace? Good

💻 Tidbits ~ The Prologue had me wondering if this book was for me. I'm glad I closed my eyes while listening for those two+ minutes because *OH*YA*, it's captivating.

It was like a mash up with the intensely dark opening with it's surrounding mystery vs the magnetic attraction of Wyn and Julian and their steamy hot romance brewing. 

Wyn was forced into living a secret life away from her family. Julian shows up and there is an instant attraction creating a situation where she needs to disappear…again…

She’s back in her hometown with her loving and mysterious Grandmother, her fierce mother, and the sisterly bonds that she had been missing.
Enter Julian…again…

Full of secrets of the past and the present, with high-voltage sparks pulling them together, the burn is hotter than that first sip of whiskey my grandfather let me try as a young adult.

Oh ya, the mystery! A 𖤀ɇɐd body and a missing cop. Then more danger. Will history repeat itself or can the Whiskey Women break the cycle with their perfected quiet revenge?

I think the mystery and the spice received equal attention. Yes, this is a spicy one.

Favorite Character: Wyn’s Grandma. She is the family matriarch balancing protecting her granddaughters, decades of small-town rumors, and taking out the trash. She has earthy-witchy vibes and I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side!

🎧 Narrator: Samantha Brentmoor. Connor Crais. Sign me up for everything narrated by Connor Crais! Holy WOW.🔥

🎧13.42 hours 🕮 480 pages

Not yet published. Expected June 16, 2026

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Audio for the free ALC in exchange for my honest review.

19 and counting


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