When Kaylee McDouglas, a vibrant young woman from small-town Ohio, accepts the marriage proposal of Stanimir Dragov, she never imagines that her dream vacation to Bulgaria would turn into a nightmare. Stranded in a foreign land and ensnared by the ruthless Thracian Brotherhood, Kaylee's life is at stake.
Her best friends, Tiff Knight, an exotic dancer, and Angie Hunter, a martial arts teacher and welding shop owner, refuse to abandon her. Defying all odds, they embark on a daring rescue mission to Bulgaria. With courage, tenacity, cheap beer and a profusion of cursewords, they navigate a dangerous underworld, facing betrayal and uncovering unthinkable evil.
Joined by the enigmatic Dueza and the attractive bartender Og, Tiff and Angie confront the powerful forces that hold Kaylee captive.
"The Bulgarian Bartender" is a gripping tale of friendship, courage, and the fight for freedom. In a world where trust is scarce, three women stand united against the darkness, proving that the power of friendship can overcome even the most insidious evil. Join Kaylee, Tiffany, Angie, and their new allies as they take on a journey that will change their lives forever—and possibly the world.
When Kaylee McDouglas, a vibrant young woman from small-town Ohio, accepts the marriage proposal of Stanimir Dragov, she never imagines that her dream vacation to Bulgaria would turn into a nightmare. Stranded in a foreign land and ensnared by the ruthless Thracian Brotherhood, Kaylee's life is at stake.
Her best friends, Tiff Knight, an exotic dancer, and Angie Hunter, a martial arts teacher and welding shop owner, refuse to abandon her. Defying all odds, they embark on a daring rescue mission to Bulgaria. With courage, tenacity, cheap beer and a profusion of cursewords, they navigate a dangerous underworld, facing betrayal and uncovering unthinkable evil.
Joined by the enigmatic Dueza and the attractive bartender Og, Tiff and Angie confront the powerful forces that hold Kaylee captive.
"The Bulgarian Bartender" is a gripping tale of friendship, courage, and the fight for freedom. In a world where trust is scarce, three women stand united against the darkness, proving that the power of friendship can overcome even the most insidious evil. Join Kaylee, Tiffany, Angie, and their new allies as they take on a journey that will change their lives forever—and possibly the world.
Tiffany Knight’s body swayed from side to side, her long red hair sweaty and knotted. Dead if I do. Dead if I don't. She could either risk falling five stories to an asphalt parking lot by letting go of the bottom balcony railing and reaching for a higher hold, or she could keep hanging where she was and get tired and fall anyway.
Tiff could feel numbness start to creep into her fingers. The decision may be made for her.
“Tiff!” Angie’s face appeared at the edge of the hotel balcony above her.
“Oh thank God - Ang!” Tiff tried to pull herself up the jagged concrete ledge, one leg flailing without success, only managing to scrape her thigh with every attempt.
Angie reached her long arm through the vertical bars in the railing to where Tiff was hanging, but she didn’t budge. “Grab my hand!” Angie urged. Tiff was hesitant to let go of her perch, even for a second. One breath of wind, one shift in her balance and she would drop to the blacktop below. But Angie’s hand, only a few inches away, was Tiff’s only way up. "C'mon girl!" Angie's gaze was locked onto Tiff's swinging body.
Tiff used her whole body weight, swung her hips and locked on to Angie’s hand and held tight. Her grasp was forsaken by blood that covered Angie’s palm, though, and she slipped briefly before Angie tightened her own hold. Slowly, Angie started bringing Tiff up one inch at a time.
For Tiff, it seemed like it took forever between one heave and the next and even though Angie was making progress in pulling her up, Tiff’s hand was sweating madly and she knew that at any moment, she could slip and fall to her death, She could feel the warmth emanating from Angie’s hand and was comforted by the thought that her best friend would not let her go—no matter what.
“I got you,” Angie assured as she was able to hold onto Tiffany’s elbow with her other hand. Tiffany held onto the railing and found her footing at the same spot her fingertips had been only moments ago. With Angie’s help, she hoisted her body over the balcony railing.
“I guess we found the Brotherhood!” Tiff hissed and spit hair out of her mouth as she slumped to the concrete balcony floor. Her heart was beating like a bass drum.
Angie dropped down to the floor as well. It took a lot to exhaust athletic Angie but pulling her best friend up from certain death was enough to do it, at least for a few minutes. The blood from Angie’s hands dripped onto Tiff’s leg as she rested her arm on her friend.
Tiff looked at the blood on her leg and on Angie’s fingers.
“Are you okay?”
“Not my blood,” Angie said coolly.
The Bulgarian Bartender by Daryl Kulak is a wacky action-comedy caper that follows the escapades of three friends embroiled in an international mafia scheme. Friends Tiffany and Angie prove the bonds of friendship when they travel to Bulgaria to execute a daring rescue mission for Kaylee, their third trio member, who finds herself in a sticky situation. Little do they know, they’re about to stumble across something much bigger.
Kulak’s prose is lighthearted and fun, keeping the reader engaged in every chapter, with a solid plot that is refreshingly character-driven. At times, the deus ex machina is a bit heavy-handed, with ends tied up neatly (and then some!), but the vibe of the story never takes itself too seriously, so suspension of disbelief is easy. Much of the novel takes place in Bulgaria, and Kulak’s research into Bulgarian attractions, regions, and people adds richness to the narrative detail and could effectively promote tourism.
The bond between the three friends comes across as genuine, and the reader can feel the care between them all. Kulak does an excellent job presenting them with distinctive personalities, motivations, and goals. However, Kulak leans hard into the girls’ depiction as naïve Americans, asking the reader to believe three young women raised with social media & web 2.0—two of whom do specific research into the foray overseas—are clueless about life abroad, especially since other characters often praise Tiffany, Angie, and Kaylee for their latent spying prowess.
One firm criticism is that Kulak veers hard into “men writing women” territory in his depiction of exotic-dancer Tiffany, with one example of many being “adjusting her breasts from underneath and jiggling them up and down, causing additional in-flight mental turbulence,” not to mention adding raunch with her IBS in an otherwise raunch-free narrative. The author’s fixation on Tiff’s body almost ruins the goodwill of his overall portrayals of these three young women, but thankfully, these instances aren’t ever-present, which allows the reader to immerse themselves once again in the world of the story.
The Bulgarian Bartender is a thrilling read that sets the stage for Kulak’s “Country Girl Courage” series. Readers who enjoy stories such as Hudson Hawk and The Spy Who Dumped Me will enjoy tearing through this narrative; however, readers seeking a more realistic and gritty story may not find this novel to their taste.