Release Blitz : The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe

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The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe
Series : The Fifth Avenue Rebels #4
Genre : Historical Romance
Publisher : Avon
Publication date : January 24th, 2023
 
By beloved USA Today bestselling author Joanna Shupe, the fourth installment in the Fifth Avenue Rebels series about a secret affair between a free-spirited heiress and an uptight duke which turns more passionate than either could have imagined.

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.

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I've only read the first two books in this series, but I was very excited for Lockwood's story and I'm so glad we finally got it! Also, can we take a moment to appreciate the covers in this series and how steamy they are? Love them!❣️😍

Coming to the story(which runs parallel to the other books in the series - so it can be read as a standalone), the Duke of Lockwood - twice jilted and in need of a bride with a hefty dowry (to save his estate) meets his match in fiery Nellie who has a ✨scandalous✨ reputation!😂 Both of them are not what the other is looking for, as Lockwood needs a prim and proper heiress and Nellie is not even interested in marrying. But, sparks fly from the very first moment they meet each other in the ocean and though they try to pull away from this attraction, life keeps bringing them into each other's orbits! Will they give in and fall for each other?

I loved the first meeting between Lockwood and Nellie - it was such a perfect and steamy encounter. But it does get a little awkward after that when we learn that he plans on courting her friend. So, it took me a while to get past that(and reminded me of Mayne from Pleasure for Pleasure by Eloisa James where he was sorta involved with the other Essex sisters). But, as things progress and Nellie's friends fall in love with other people, we see that Lockwood and Nellie keep circling back to each other. There's a bit of animosity between them but lots of attraction and tension too. And Nellie is known for breaking the rules - and she doesn't care much about what others might say. Though they try to fight hard against the attraction, they find themselves liking and appreciating each other as they get closer.

I loved the fact that Nellie was experienced and not afraid of being honest about her desires(gets a bit tiring to keep reading about virgins that need to be *taught* in HR). And Lockwood was equally filthy in the sheets while being a bit starchy outside!😂 It was so good when they finally got together! 
I just didn't understand why Lockwood didn't just go after Nellie from the beginning itself - like he needed an heiress and her father's got plenty of money. And though they do talk about her scandalous reputation, I never got this feeling that he cared too much about it, like his estate needs money not a virtuous duchess, so it doesn't really matter in the long run. So, he needn't have courted other heiresses at all lol😂 But then we wouldn't have that little bit of angst at first 😆


I enjoyed the parts where we got to meet Nellie's aunt and her cousins and saw her involved in helping women fight for their reproductive rights - very relevant considering what's happening right now. I understood her hesitation about marriage and how her grief made her scared to lose others, especially when Lockwood revealed some of his reasons for wanting to marry an heiress. It was nice to see her courage finally come out and I loved how her dad was so supportive(though I didn't understand why she wanted to have such a scandalous reputation when he always loved her no matter what. Like I'd get it if she just wanted to have fun or to explore, but I didn't understand why she needed to be so notorious to thumb her nose at society, when it was also making her lonely at times).

In the end, I really liked how everything was wrapped up with both Lockwood and Nellie taking equal steps to reach each other while letting go of the very reasons that kept them apart at first! This was such a satisfying conclusion to this series and was so steamy and lovely at the same time! 

*I was provided with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

USA Today Bestselling author Joanna Shupe has always loved history, ever since she saw her first Schoolhouse Rock cartoon. Joanna's books have appeared on numerous yearly "best of" lists, including Publishers Weekly, The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Kobo, and BookPage.

She currently lives in New Jersey with her two spirited daughters and dashing husband.

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