Avon Books The Duke Gets Even: A Novel Mass Market Paperback – Import, 30 March 2023

“All of us have such a short time to be alive, so grab all the happiness you can with both hands.”Oh my goodness, swooooooon. I loved every single word of this book. From the moment I read that Nellie was getting her HEA with the Duke of Lockwood, I had to get my hands on this book. We see Lockwood jilted in each of the three previous books in this series, and dang was I ready to see his story play out….and did it ever.Nellie Young is the daughter of a wealthy railman and an Irish barmaid. Her father has given her immense freedom and she’s vowed never to marry or be a kept woman. After an insanely hot rendezvous with a mysterious man in the ocean one night (who, of course, turns out to be Lockwood), Nellie cannot stop thinking about him. What follows is a seriously delicious affair and a level of chemistry so intense, I can’t ever remember reading a historical romance like it.I absolutely adored Nellie and Lockwood - both together and individually ideally. The dual POV of this story is fantastic and adds so much depth to each of the characters and their journey, their grief, and their love. They care about each other so deeply and that plays out differently for each of them. Every time they were together on page was steamy and swoony. I also loved seeing all the characters from the other books in the series, including a memorable scene between Nellie and Kit who was my favorite hero of the series before Lockwood. I also absolutely adored seeing more of Nellie’s family. Her aunt and cousin stole the show in my book - the bar scene with Lockwood and Finn was one of my favorites of the whole book. I never wanted this story to end, and indeed hope we get updates on these two in future books!Content warnings: grief from death of Nellie’s mom, chronic illness/heart disease, domestic violence suffered by a side character off page, violence/fist fights, alcohol

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5.First 6 star HR of the 2023.I’m in awe of Nellie. I loved her so much!Nellie is a strong, independent, fierce and fiery woman. She has a prickly side which appears when someone gets too close to who she actually is and she’s fierce and fiery when injustices happens.Her reasons for not wanting a marriage was heartbreaking and it was very understandable why she was so resistant in regards to Lockwood.Lockwood was a surprise. I wasn’t expecting him to be a dirty talker 🤭. What a pleasant surprise he was!He is a man who is sure of who he is and what he wants and since that first meeting between him and Nellie, he was relentless in his pursuit. I loved that he didn’t do what everyone expected of him and stayed true to who he is and wanted.I loved that the story didn’t take the turn I was expecting and I loved how Nellie was the one who in the end had to pursuit her Duke and her happiness and I loved how she did it.Sexy times were the best. Nellie and Andrew are 💥🥵🫠Now now can we take a minute to take about Nellie’s family, the Irish Mob? LOVED IT! I love Finn and the Aunt and I wouldn’t mind one bit for a book ( or multiple 😉) with the Irish. Pretty please and thank you!

I thoroughly enjoyed this high-spirited romp that gives us a different perspective of those high-brow society elite of the Gilded Age. The women who on the surface appear to swoon at the thought of a passionate kiss but are in truth sex deprived are represented by Nellie Young, who has sworn to have as good a time as the men when it comes to romance; she has vowed never to marry but to sample as many (men) as she can. Then there are the men of the Gilded Age: primarily concerned with their work and/or career, they will observe the niceties – shielding their ladies from the baser elements of the sex act while tossing most women of lower social castes upon whom they slake their thirst for the rough games involved in the passionate side of intercourse. The men here are represented wonderfully by the oh so proper Duke of Lockwood, an impoverished yet titled Brit in search of an heiress bride. He and Nellie meet in a most scandalous manner and he knows he has found a kindred spirit. But alas, he feels she would not meet the requirements of a Duchess who must be scandal free. Thankfully, their lust for each other turns into something deeper. But not until they offer us a romantic adventure.I am a fan of Joanna Shupe’s book and this one does not disappoint.

I have been waiting for this book since the moment I met Nellie Young and the Duke of Lockwood in The Heiress Hunt.Nellie is brash, outspoken, and independent. As a side character throughout the series, she was influential in helping her friends find love, and I was so excited for her to get her own love story!Andrew, the Duke of Lockwood, is in desperate need of funds to keep his estate afloat. He comes to New York to find a respectable heiress to marry. And then he meets Nellie. She is against the idea of an affair, and will not be a mistress. Which is fine, because the Duke is in love. Now he’s no longer looking for the respectable heiress of his dreams, he’s hoping that Nellie will accept his proposal.I love Shupe’s writing, and am always impressed with the way she handles the history of the time period, and the way she tackled the Comstock laws was incredibly skillful. I love the honest conversations around women’s rights and reproductive rights, the message is well crafted and timely.This is one of Shupe’s best. Without a doubt.

I've been waiting for this book since the series began.Lockwood and Nellie are such fun characters. I have loved them since first book.Nellie being the wild child taking chances and living life to the fullest.Andrew is playing it safe and trying to find an heiress to help save his family and the Dukedom.Fire and ice differently describe their life between they became a couple.