Bluegrass Empires Series by Sawyer Bennett – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

Bluegrass Empires Series by Sawyer Bennett – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.wownovels.com Thu, 12 Jun 2025 17:30:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 http://www.wownovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Bluegrass Empires Series by Sawyer Bennett – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.wownovels.com 32 32 The Past (Bluegrass Empires #4) Read Online Sawyer Bennett http://www.wownovels.com/the-past-bluegrass-empires-4-read-online-sawyer-bennett Thu, 12 Jun 2025 17:30:03 +0000 http://www.wownovels.com/the-past-bluegrass-empires-4-read-online-sawyer-bennett Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary Authors: Sawyer Bennett Series: Bluegrass Empires Series by Sawyer Bennett
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Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)

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Before ascending the throne of the Blackburn Empire in Kentucky horse country, they were just Tommy and Fiona, two teenagers from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Young love bloomed during an Irish summer set amidst the rolling green hills and lush pastures of Tipperary County.

Fiona Conlan grew up sheltered by her overbearing parents and vibrating with the need for something more. In the summer of 1978, she found exactly what she needed. Ready to test the boundaries set for her, Fiona trained in the exhilarating and dangerous sport of steeplechase, and in an even more rebellious move, started secretly dating a young and brash American she knew her parents would never approve of.

Too much partying and not enough studying during his sophomore year of college had Tommy Blackburn’s parents desperate to get the future heir of the family business to take life a little more seriously. What better way to do that than to send him to Ireland to work at Glenhaven, a massive thoroughbred and breeding operation run by a family friend. But Tommy’s wild ways followed him across the pond and he couldn’t help but pursue the beautiful redhead with fire in her eyes and a wild spirit just waiting to break free.

Tommy and Fiona fell hard and fast, a secret love built from stolen moments. Rife with drama and disapproval, they overcame it all to set the stage for a new generation of Blackburns to run their American Empire. Their epically romantic journey was anything but easy, but you can’t get to the present without The Past.

The A Blackburn Novel is an opposites attract, long distance love story within the Bluegrass Empires series. All books in the series can be enjoyed as standalones.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

CHAPTER 1

Fiona

Blackburn Farms, Kentucky – Present Day

The house is silent.

Too silent.

And it’s times like these that the grief moves back in, settling upon me like a weighted blanket that never feels comforting, merely claustrophobic.

I’m in the formal sitting room, my favorite because of the big windows that overlook the long, oak-lined driveway. Next month the leaves will start turning colors and dropping, but for now, we’re soaking up the last warm rays of summer.

A cup of tea sits on the table, untouched but only because it’s still cooling. The boxes of photo albums from the attic are stacked beside me, on the floor, and piled onto an adjacent chair. More spill across the coffee table—frozen moments of a life now fractured.

It’s been almost a month since my youngest son, Wade, died, and there are times I think I can survive this.

And there are times… like right now… I don’t want to go on.

I pick up an album, a dulled burgundy canvas covering with a placard on the front that doesn’t identify the year or what’s inside. While I was the type of mother who took a million pictures of my kids as they grew up and dutifully put them in protective coverings inside the albums, I never labeled them. Over the years, I would memory surf, and the disorganization never bothered me. On the contrary, it was always a lovely surprise, not knowing what I would find when I opened one up.

I flip the cover and my heart lurches at the very first photograph. It’s of all my children, taken a good twenty-five years ago, if I’m guessing at their ages. Ethan, the oldest, already looking so serious, as if he knew he’d be running the Blackburn empire one day. My precious twin girls, Kat and Abby, holding hands as they jump off the dock and into the pond.

And there’s Wade… always the most mischievous, pushing his brother Trey into the water from the bank. A perfect moment frozen by the snap of the shutter, when everyone was happy and carefree and never suspected the tragedy that would befall us one day.

I focus on Wade with his toothy grin and smile at the look of shock on his brother’s face as he realizes he’s about to get very wet. I close my eyes… calling back the memory, letting it play in my head like a beloved motion picture. Their shrieking laughs that never once grated on my nerves, no matter how rambunctious or playfully rotten my brood could be.

My throat tightens. I press my fingers against my lips, willing myself to hold it together. It’s been a month and it’s time to let the pain go and only remember the good times.

Another photo—Trey, Kat and Abby splashing in the pond shallows as Ethan watched over them. Wade, no older than five, drowsily curled in my lap. My beloved Tommy must have taken this picture when I wasn’t paying attention, and I run my fingertip over Wade’s precious face. His life so full, so bright. And now, we’re all missing a piece we can never replace.

I bite my lip, but it doesn’t stop the tears that spill. I don’t bother to wipe them away, knowing more will just replace them.

Besides, I’m Irish. We’re big on our feelings and I’ve never been one to quash them for the sake of unnecessary stoicism. I’m a mother, and I’m allowed to grieve the loss of a child.

A quiet shuffle of feet pulls me from my thoughts. I glance up to see Sylvie standing in the doorway, her small frame hesitant, her green eyes filled with something I recognize—pain and uncertainty. She’s only been with us for five months, a granddaughter who was a stranger to me when she stepped foot on Blackburn Farms, and now as precious to me as all my children. She’s Ethan’s only child and still finding her place, still adjusting to a family she didn’t know existed until recently. Wade was her uncle for only a handful of months, and yet they bonded tight. She’s mourning him, same as we all are.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” she says softly, her accent lilting over the words. She was raised on a beautiful winery in France, a legacy that she might return to one day when she’s older.

But for now… she’s ours.

“Yer not interrupting,” I assure her, patting the space beside me. “Come, sit.”

She pauses only a moment before crossing the room and curling up beside me. Her small hand presses against my arm, offering comfort. A child, but so intuitive, so aware of emotions bigger than she should have to carry.

“Where’s yer dad?” I ask.

“Working with Skylar,” she murmurs.

I wince at the reminder. The new hire who’s taking over Wade’s duties as one of our horse trainers.

She peers down at the album. “Who is that?” she asks, pointing to the photo I’d just been looking at.

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The Tryst (Bluegrass Empires #3) Read Online Sawyer Bennett http://www.wownovels.com/the-tryst-bluegrass-empires-3-read-online-sawyer-bennett Wed, 30 Oct 2024 13:04:58 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/the-tryst-bluegrass-empires-3-read-online-sawyer-bennett Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Erotic Authors: Sawyer Bennett Series: Bluegrass Empires Series by Sawyer Bennett
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Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)

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As the middle son, Trey Blackburn dedicates his days to the family business, working to ensure that they remain at the top of the saddelbred industry. His time away from the farm is another story. Not one to get tied up in a long-term relationship, he’s the love ‘em and leave ‘em sort of guy. But Trey’s hesitation to commit might be deeper than not wanting to put in the time and effort. His reluctance may have more to do with the blond beauty who just blew back into town and the things they left in the past that have been neither forgiven nor forgotten.

Holland Rhodes may not have been born into the Blackburn name, but she was once considered part of the family. Having a less-than-ideal home life, Holland spent as much time as she could with the Blackburns, the quintessential dynasty full of love and southern hospitality. Dubbed an honorary member, Holland thought their connection would last a lifetime, but one shocking revelation changed everything.

Having left Shelbyville for a fresh start, Holland has limited her time back in Kentucky for the past decade, avoiding both of her families—the one into which she was born and the one into which she was welcomed. But the death of her father and the uncertain future of the family business has brought Holland back to face her past, one Blackburn at a time.

With old feelings reignited and ready to move their relationship forward, everything crashes to a halt when tragedy strikes. Their painful history in danger of repeating itself, Trey and Holland may find that even true love can’t overcome the darkest days.

The A Blackburn Novel is an enemies to lovers novel within the Bluegrass Empires series. All books in the series can be enjoyed as standalones.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

CHAPTER 1

Trey

The late-morning July sun blazes through the front windows of Rosie’s Diner, dulling the neon sign just inside the door that reads OPEN 24 HOURS. Rosie’s could have been plucked straight out of an old movie, the kind where everyone knows everyone and the coffee never stops pouring. With its shiny silver exterior, it reminds me of those classic roadside diners that promise a good meal served with a slice of nostalgia. I prefer to sit at the chrome-lined counter on a red-vinyl swivel stool—those seats are always served faster.

The diner walls are adorned with a variety of horse-themed memorabilia—a nod to the local culture deeply entrenched in both the saddlebred and thoroughbred horse industry. Framed black-and-white photos of famous racehorses from nearby tracks, their jockeys clad in colorful silks, line the walls alongside old horseshoes and prize ribbons. Fancy saddlebreds, high stepping in show rings, and if I look around long enough, I’ll find pictures of many Blackburns up there.

On each table and dotted along the counter are baskets containing horse-shaped salt and pepper shakers and horseshoe-shaped napkin holders. The air is filled with the aroma of coffee brewing, bacon sizzling, and the sweetness of maple syrup. No wonder this place is always packed. It’s why Wade and I only come here occasionally and only if we get out of the house super early to beat the normal rush.

Rosie’s customers are as varied as the menu. On any given morning, you might find elderly couples sharing pancakes and memories, young families with children giggling over large plates of scrambled eggs, or local workers grabbing a quick bite before heading to the farms or markets. Many of the regulars have their unofficial assigned seats, where they trade local gossip.

My younger brother and I enjoy the strong coffee while our breakfast is being made. Our spot gives us a full view of the hustle and bustle, waitresses moving quickly from customer to customer but always willing to stop and have a brief, friendly chat. Through the service window, Sam Parnes mans the grill, his face ruddy from the rising steam.

Wade eyeballs the community bulletin board to the left of the service window. It’s a central place to post flyers for upcoming horse auctions, local markets or other county events. “Look at that… the Whiskey River Gang is going to be playing at the fairgrounds this weekend. Want to go?”

“Maybe.” I take a sip of my coffee. They’re a decent regional country music band and it could be a good time.

“Let’s invite the guys and do some camping down near the lake after.”

“Pass,” I drawl, setting my cup down.

“Why not?” Wade asks, looking offended.

“Because when those guys are together, you all turn into a bunch of morons. Last time we did that, Bruce thought it would be a good idea to catch a copperhead and landed in the hospital for two days.”

“Yeah,” Wade muses with a grin. “He was an idiot.” He then punches my shoulder. “But it won’t be like that this time.”

“So you say.” I laugh, shaking my head. “I’ll go to the concert, but I’ll pass on the camping trip.”

“When did you get to be so old and lame?” Wade teases.

I’m only four years older, but sometimes it seems like more. I’m at the point in my life I don’t need a perpetual party buzz, chasing girls or hanging with my single buds.

But I say, “Bite me.”

“More coffee, boys?” Doris, the diner’s forever waitress, saunters over with the pot in hand. She’s about sixty, with hair as silver as the trays she carries and a wit sharper than Sam’s knives. “Or are you just here to grace me with your charming company?”

“Always for your company, Doris,” Wade quips, flashing her a charming smile. “When are you going to leave Wendell and marry me?”

She rolls her eyes as she tops up our mugs. “Oh, honey, the day I marry you is the day they stop making bourbon in Kentucky. And we both know that’s never gonna happen! Besides, Wendell might be a grump, but he’s my grump and he makes the best burgoo in the county. I’m not ready to give that up.”

I nod my head sagely. “He does make a fine burgoo. Give up, Wade. She’s smitten.”

Doris shoots me a wink. “Your order is almost ready. Be up in a jiff.”

When she’s out of earshot, Wade turns his head to smirk at me. “So, who was the lucky lady last night? Becca Caudill?”

I ignore his curiosity. “I don’t kiss and tell.”

Wade and I have been sharing a house in Shelbyville for six years, eschewing one of the many smaller abodes on the family farm that have been built to house some of the higher level, permanent workers. While it’s safe to say we both love our familial estate and the work we do there, we definitely like leaving at the end of each day and having our own place.

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The Forbidden (Bluegrass Empires #2) Read Online Sawyer Bennett http://www.wownovels.com/the-forbidden-bluegrass-empires-2-read-online-sawyer-bennett Thu, 22 Aug 2024 20:05:37 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/the-forbidden-bluegrass-empires-2-read-online-sawyer-bennett Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary, Insta-Love, Taboo Authors: Sawyer Bennett Series: Bluegrass Empires Series by Sawyer Bennett
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Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)

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The prince of his family’s Kentucky bourbon empire, Gabriel Mardraggon is a ruthless and cunning businessman. Focused on the continued success of Mardraggon Enterprises, relationships and settling down aren’t even on his radar. After all, he’s the product of two people who always put money before love. Loyal to the family’s creed of winning at all costs, as well as their hatred of the Blackburns, Gabe will never accept peace between the dynasties.
Katherine Blackburn is Gabe’s polar opposite—carefree, lighthearted and completely mischievous. Kat works hard as a horse trainer but never hesitates to let her hair down and have a little fun. And lately that has included poking at Gabe and his buttoned-up ways, much to his irritation. Getting a rise out of the cold but gorgeous Mardraggon heir brings Kat unfettered joy, especially given their two families’ ugly history together.
Blackburns and Mardraggons are bitter enemies. Any type of relationship would be strictly forbidden. But when Gabe’s business dealings hurt Kat in a way he never imagined, his walls crumble and he’s forced to lay his feelings for Kat bare. Now Gabe has to decide if he’s ready to alter the course of history or walk away from the only genuine thing he’s ever known.

The Forbidden: A Mardraggon Novel is an enemies to lovers novel within the Bluegrass Empires series. All books in the series can be enjoyed as standalones.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

CHAPTER 1

Kat

The rhythmic sound of hooves striking the soft earth in the training arena accompanies my instructions. “Sit back in your saddle, Eliza.”

I scrutinize the young rider post atop Bentley, one of Blackburn Farm’s lesson horses. The morning sun filters through the open doors at the south end, throwing slivers of dappled light across the ground. Bentley tosses his head, ears pinned back as they approach, and he tries to decide how menacing those splotches of pale color may be. Saddlebreds are spirited horses and some even consider them a little crazy. Bentley’s a good boy, but sometimes he gets easily spooked.

Which is what he does, skittering sideways to avoid the light and throwing Eliza slightly off balance.

The sudden motion from the big bay scares the young girl and she leans her body forward, a counterintuitive move that actually makes her less stable in the flat English saddle.

“You’re fine,” I say, my tone a mixture of discipline and calm instruction that horse training demands. “Get him back in a trot.”

The girl straightens.

“Trot,” she commands, and Bentley falls in line, his big head held high as he slips back into the cadence of alternately lifting each diagonal pair of legs. Eliza rises and falls in the saddle appropriately, bringing the gelding back under her command.

I stand in the center of the arena, my keen eyes observing every movement—the way she holds her hands, her posture, heels down and toes up—as Eliza guides Bentley around the edge, sticking close to the rail as she should.

“Good. Now bring him to a walk and two point,” I say.

“Whoa,” Eliza says with a slight pull on the reins and the horse slows. They plod along as Eliza stretches out of the saddle, legs straightening, body bent forward.

“One trip around and then you can bring him to his stall. Excellent ride.”

Eliza grins because that’s indeed high praise from me.

I start across the arena, intent on grabbing my water bottle. Eliza was my last lesson of the day and I’m looking forward to a long, hot shower. I haven’t had a break yet except for a quick pee, and I’m starved.

My phone buzzes in the side pocket of my riding jods and I pull it out. It’s Ethan, asking me to come up to his office at the main house. Such a request would ordinarily annoy me at the end of long hours in the barn, but I’ve got an extra well of compassion for my oldest brother these days. He’s been through so much lately that I’ll be cutting him lots of slack for the foreseeable future.

“I’m heading up to the main house,” I call out to Sara, one of the grooms waiting to help Eliza remove Bentley’s tack.

“Got it all covered, Kat,” she replies with a wave of her hand.

Outside of the training arena, I tip my face back to the May Kentucky sun and relish the late-afternoon warmth. The light hitting towering oaks casts long shadows across the verdant pastures, highlighting the vibrant greens of spring. The air is filled with the sweet scent of blooming wildflowers, freshly cut grass and bales of hay to feed the horses. It’s the smell of my favorite time of the year and I relish this quiet moment of solace in the bustling life of Blackburn Farms.

I’ve been at the barn since six this morning, working on lesson plans and making sure the schedule of horses was ready. It’s been a ten-hour day, which I’ll repeat tomorrow, and I’ll go to bed with a smile on my face because I’m doing what I love. Being a horse trainer is in my blood—I’m a Blackburn, after all—and our lineage has been producing and training the best saddlebreds in the world for over a hundred and seventy-five years, give or take a decade. This is what I was born to do.

My gaze sweeps over the rolling hills of our acreage, bordered by white rail fencing and dotted with grazing horses. In the distance, I can see the broodmare barn where Ethan has been burning the candle at both ends. This is his time of year… helping to bring into the world all the babies our breeding program produces, but that responsibility is just one of a million he has as the CEO of Blackburn Farms.

To add to his load, within the last six weeks, he learned he has a ten-year-old daughter he didn’t know about—the product of a drunken one-night stand with Alaine Mardraggon—enemy to our family by virtue of her last name. Sylvie was born and raised in France and Ethan only found out about her after her mother Alaine died of cancer. Since then, it’s been a bitter struggle with the Mardraggons over Sylvie’s custody.

It culminated in an ending none of us saw coming when Lionel Mardraggon, Sylvie’s grandfather, tried to kill her so he could assume control of the winery in France that Alaine left to her daughter. The thought of what that monster nearly did causes fury to well in me so hotly, I know I have the capacity to murder in defense of those I love. If Lionel Mardraggon were standing in front of me right now, I’d rip him apart with my bare hands. He’s a monster through and through.

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The Feud (Bluegrass Empires #1) Read Online Sawyer Bennett http://www.wownovels.com/the-feud-bluegrass-empires-1-read-online-sawyer-bennett Mon, 08 Jul 2024 20:39:05 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/the-feud-bluegrass-empires-1-read-online-sawyer-bennett Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary Authors: Sawyer Bennett Series: Bluegrass Empires Series by Sawyer Bennett
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Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 86808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)

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As the oldest of his siblings, Ethan Blackburn bears the weight of responsibility for the day-to-day operations of Blackburn Farms, the largest Saddlebred breeding and training facility in Kentucky. Serious, gruff and solely focused on the success of the family business, Ethan isn’t one to mince words or waste time on anything that doesn’t further his interests. But when his meticulous world is upended by a shadowed secret brought into the light, Ethan is sent into a tailspin.

Marcie DeLeon just navigated her way through a bitter divorce, now intent on reimagining her life as a single career woman. She’s not looking to revisit the burden of a relationship anytime soon but when Ethan turns to her for help, she can’t help but lend a sympathetic ear to the handsome and broody man.

Ethan and Marcie are strangers who find a common thread to weave them together, creating a bond neither were seeking but both are loathe to walk away from. When Ethan faces a high-stakes battle against his family’s bitter enemy, he knows without a doubt there is nothing he won’t do to win the fight. Ready to give of himself completely, Ethan prepares to face-off with his foe hoping that no matter what the outcome, Marcie will be by his side in the end.

The Feud is a friends to lovers novel within the Bluegrass Empires series. All books in the series can be enjoyed as standalones.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

CHAPTER 1

Ethan

This isn’t my first journey down the sweeping staircase, attempting to maneuver my six-foot-three frame as quietly as possible. With my boots in hand so as not to wake the woman I left sleeping in a rumpled bed, I’m thankful for inlaid marble treads rather than squeaky wood. I’ve made this trip more than once over the last handful of years, but I’ve been doing it less and less of late. Things with Diane have run their course. In fact, I haven’t been in her bed in more than two months.

It certainly hadn’t been on my agenda or even on my mind to come here last night, but tragedy struck when I lost a foal and a mare during a very difficult birth. Those bitter losses are hard and it made me crazy with the need for… something.

I could’ve chosen anything, really.

A bottle of Kentucky’s finest bourbon—any brand other than Mardraggon—or I could have picked a fight with one of my brothers, which would’ve ended in fists and bruises. Either one of those might have distracted me from the pain of losing those horses but instead I called Diane.

And now I’m making an escape.

I’ve barely gotten one socked foot on the marble foyer at the base of the staircase before I hear her call out in that twangy southern lilt. “Where are you going, baby?”

The sun has just started to peek over the horizon, as evidenced by the bluish-gray light filtering in through the windows of the palatial home. Glancing over my shoulder, I see her at the top of the stairs, belting a diaphanous peach robe at her waist.

Diane Turner is a stunning woman. Thirty-five years old and widowed six years ago, she’s become something of a friend with benefits except she isn’t exactly a true friend. More of a long-term acquaintance—known her for years in the saddlebred competition world—and she boards her horses at Blackburn Farms.

Tall and voluptuous with a cascade of blond hair spilling down her back and over her shoulders, most men would be running right back up the stairs for another round. But I can only take her in small doses. She married up in age and for significant wealth and then her geriatric husband died, leaving her everything, and she now lives a life of luxury in his Kentucky mansion, vowing never to marry again.

“Headed out,” I say, sitting on the staircase to put on my boots. No need to be quiet now that she’s awake.

“It’s too early,” she croons. “Come back up to bed for a bit and then I’ll make you breakfast.”

Sliding on my last boot, I shake my head and rise. “Too much work to do and not enough daylight hours to do it in.”

“That’s why you have employees, Ethan.” I glance up at her—arms crossed over her chest, hip cocked out, annoyance all over her face. “For God’s sake, you’re the biggest saddlebred farm in the United States and employ a small army of people to do that shit. Why you insist on being so hands on is beyond me.”

Petulant words coming from a woman who doesn’t have to work for her money.

Although I’d never admit it to her, Diane has a valid point. Blackburn Farms is indeed the largest breeding and training farm of American Saddlebred horses in the United States. With over a thousand acres of pastureland, barns, training arenas and medical facilities, over two hundred broodmares, almost seventy retired horses and nine studs, not to mention a sizable yearling population each year, it does take an army of people to make it all run smoothly.

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