Title: The Duke Gets Even
Author: Joanna Shupe
Paperback (also available in eBook and audiobook)
Pages: 384
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 9780063045071
Release Date: 1-24-23
Book Details: 4.10x6.50
Where To Find It: I got my copy at Barnes and Noble
Time that the story takes place? Late 1800's
POV? Third Person
What caught your eye? First saw it on NetGalley and then promptly went to pre-order it through B&N.
Did you enjoy it? OH MY GOD YES!
Was it predictable? Not one little bit. Like, not even a bit.
Was it sexy? Tame? Don’t read this on public transport, around your mother, your father, children under the age of twenty, service dogs trained to sense your state of mind, or whilst attempting to cook oatmeal. Yes, it was sexy, is there a word stronger than sexy? This was a reeducation of human sexuality. I’m never going to be the same, how the hell am I just supposed to walk around knowing this book exists?
Did you find it funny? Entertaining? I should really change funny to amusing, because this book certainly was. Funny, amusing, entertaining, delightful, pure joy to read.
Would you read it again? Gentle reader, I will most likely buy every single version available to me. Paperback, hardcover, eBook, if there’s a Manga version I’ll buy it.
Is this part of a series? It is! The Fifth Avenue Rebels. This is the next book after The Bride Goes Rogue.
Okay, full disclosure, I originally got this book through NetGalley back in September of 2022 in exchange for a fair and honest review. The truth is, the minute I requested it on NetGalley, I ordered my copy. So, yes, I did get an advance, but I also bought this baby.
I don’t even know where to start, gentle reader, this book was so delightfully unexpected that I want to tell you every little detail and at the same time, tell you nothing just so you have the joy in reading this with zero input.
Eleanor “Nellie” Young is our fearless, and I do mean that, fearless Leading Lady. She is full of life and is set on experiencing every last minute of it. Andrew, The Duke of Lockwood (or is it Duke Lockwood? How do titles work?) is our hero, who is searching for a wealthy heiress to save his crumbling estate back home. He’s also been jilted a few times by this point. “Hey ladies, want to make that man who refuses to commit jealous? Go out with this guy!” I mean not really, but kind of.
Anyway . . .
This story starts out with Andrew having a midnight swim in the ocean, the poor man has a faulty heart and needs the exercise to keep it strong. In the process, he notices a vision of a woman, naked, swimming in the surf as well.
As it is dark, the woman confuses Andrew for the man she was planning to meet. She swims up to his back, wraps her arms around him and tells him that she thought he’d never get here. And then the big reveal! It’s not her intended tryst, but Andrew!
This entire scene is so beautifully written that it’s just breathtaking. We already see the connection between them. The heat, the attraction, even the intellectual connection. He invites Nellie back to his room, which she refuses.
The first three chapters of the book take place immediately following the midnight encounter at a house party where Andrew is fixing to propose to his latest heiress selection, with chapter four picking up four months later. That’s my way of not telling you what happened. Trust me it’s all wonderful, but what a set up!
Andrew is yet again looking for his heiress, with several women making the cut. During a dinner party the two meet up again, where not only do they admit slyly to the other that they recognized each other at the French Ball (The Bride Goes Rogue) but also discuss his search for an innocent scandal free bride. Their banter back and forth is delightful, you can see how well they already know each other just from the little time they’ve already spent together.
Now clearly, all of Andrew’s potential candidates for a bride don’t always work out. As sweet and charming as most of the women are, they are much to . . . well, innocent. They’re boring. Sure, they’re wealthy and will save his family estate from being sold and provide heirs for the future, but the reality is, he doesn’t want them. He wants Nellie.
Nellie however isn’t exactly marriage material. She likes men and isn’t afraid to admit that she’s out to sample as many as she can before she dies. Now, I don’t want you to get the impression that she’s out there just sleeping with every Joe on the street, she’s just not afraid of sex. She’s not afraid of enjoying sex or admitting that she likes it. And because of this, there are a lot of wild rumors circulating about her. Some are true, some are not, and we as the reader are never told what is fact or fiction, nor does Andrew ever ask for confirmation. He never onces brings up her sexual past, which I actually found refreshing. Finally a hero that isn’t obsessed with being “the first”.
At one point in the story, Nellie reflects about her own debut into society and how she was courted by a suitor. While it is never stated outright, the writing suggests that Nellie became pregnant during the relationship and reads as though she had an abortion. The entire scene is written so delicately and with such care that you could probably draw several conclusions of the outcome. Abortion? Miscarriage? None of this is spoken aloud, again, she’s just thinking about all the new batch of young women that are introduced into society every year and what had happened to her and how she bore it all alone and in silence.
One also gets the idea that because of that relationship, Nellie is reluctant to brave another adventure into love. Again, while she loves men and enjoying them, she’s keeping them at just enough distance to protect herself.
However, Nellie is a very warm and compassionate person. She loves her friends, adores her father, has close ties with her mother’s people (an Irish gang called the Saints) and goes to visit them in Hell’s Kitchen at least once a month. She’s an avid gardener, she knows how to fence (seen more in The Bride Goes Rogue), and is a lovely singer, as is demonstrated at one point in the story.
Nellie is at her friend’s supper club, loitering in the back when she sees that Andrew is there with a young woman and her parents. Everyone at the table looks bored, especially Andrew, and knowing that the young woman plays the piano, sends a friend to fetch Andrew’s date. Moments later, the owner of the supper club comes out on stage and tells everyone that while they will still have their scheduled performance tonight, they have a special treat for everyone. And out comes Nellie with Andrew’s date.
Putting Andrew’s date at the piano, front and center on the stage, Nellie stands behind—out of the limelight—and sings while the other woman plays the piano. While the parents are mortified, Andrew is charmed. He realizes that Nellie has done this not only for him, but for his date as well, giving her a chance to shine and show off her talents. Trying to make her look more appealing to Andrew.
While he appreciates the effort, the fact remains, he still longs for Nellie. These little touches are peppered throughout the book. The little things, the little gestures, all that show us how these two have fallen for each other long before they admit it to themselves.
The other big aspect of Nellie’s life is educating women on reproductive health. This is her cause, her crusade, and she does it with absolute joy and love. She risks jail to actually purchase birth control products from a midwife and sits down with each woman (she’s buying products for women who work in a kitchen) and encourages them to ask questions while assuring them that nothing is out of bounds. She’s there to help.
I don’t know how long it took Joanna Shupe to write this book or exactly when she wrote it, but it reads like a love letter to female reproductive rights. The way Nellie speaks so passionately about helping women, educating them in secret on how to use birth control and just how human bodies work and how sex works, is so endearing. Nellie truly loves women, she wants them to have the same rights and privileges of men, which includes being able to enjoy sex without worrying about conceiving a child. The author notes at the back are shocking to read, just when you think we’ve come so far in some areas, you see that not much has changed.
Looking at my page count on my word processor, I see I’ve reached a rather high word count. And I’ve barely scratched the surface of how wonderful this book is. It is a truly passionate tale of love and there wasn’t a moment where I wanted to put the book down. I am a solid fan of Joanna Shupe and I suspect by the time this book is released I will have read a few more and hopefully have collected all the rest.
Do yourself a favor and GET THIS BOOK! Your brain will thank you for it.
And possibly a few other organs as well.
