A rebellious heiress.
A duke in dire straits.
An anonymous midnight tryst.
To escape the shackles of marriage, Nellie Young purposely ruined her reputation a long time ago. Now she dedicates herself to hedonistic pleasures only, like kissing a handsome stranger in the ocean under the moonlight…
To save his estate, the proper Duke of Lockwood must marry the perfect bride—wealthy, with an unblemished reputation. While in New York he’s the perfect gentleman, and no one knows he’s suppressing his darkest desires. The last thing he needs is another scandal.
Except Nellie sees through Lockwood’s charade, straight to the real man underneath. This uptight duke is far more than he lets on, and she can’t resist him. Their secret affair turns scorching, far more than either expected. And when his beautiful rebel finds an unconventional cause, Lockwood has to decide if he’s willing to sacrifice everything to keep her.
Release Date: Jan 24, 2023
Series: Fifth Avenue Rebels
Book: 4
Heat Level: Hot
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Avon
Price: $6.99
The series ends just how I wanted it to… with a bang.
Throughout the entire Fifth Avenue Rebels series I wanted the continuously jilted Duke of Lockwood to get his redemption story and a chance to fall in love. Shupe delivers and once again provides a fresh historical romp blending reality with fantasy. It doesn’t get better than this.
Headstrong Nellie Young isn’t going to marry. Nope, she’s got big plans to do things her way, and turning her freedom over to a man isn’t one of them. She’ll sample the wares and discard them when they no longer suit her, which is exactly why she’s amazing. But the carefree life can also be a lonely one as she watches all her other friends get married and partner off with men who love and adore them. She fears being left behind and discarded, but that’s still not enough to give up her freedom… even for a man she can’t get out of her mind.
Andrew Lockwood, our lovely duke, is just looking to save his family’s estate from ruin, and he needs a rich wife to do it. Nellie is everything not suitable to the role of a duchess. Headstrong and not willing to put up a façade for the sake of society’s conventions. Still, after a midnight tryst, Lockwood can’t get Nellie out of his mind or life. She’s everywhere he goes, even in his dreams. So naturally, they have to get this out of their systems.
Except all the wrongs make rights. There is so much heat between these two it helped keep me warm on a cold winter’s day. Nellie is fabulous as a do-what-she-wants female in a world and society that prefers to have women follow their rules. Lockwood is a man who is trapped in conventions and expectations, so what better than someone like Nellie to make him question everything. The story is on point, the sex heavy, the intros to some other characters lead me to believe Shupe is readying for a fun spinoff. Pacing and story work very well, and the ending kept me surprised.
Overall, Shupe provides this nice balance between fantasy and historical reality with plenty of character development and a swoon-worthy romance. There are callbacks to other characters and locales from the earlier series books, but readers who are hopping in won’t be in the dark at all. This is for readers who enjoy Maya Rodale or Delilah Marvelle.
~ Landra
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