The Duke Gets Even: A Novel

The Duke of Lockwood needs a dollar princess to save his family holdings. Hedonistic Nellie neither needs nor wants a husband. Yet they can't resist the passion between them. On the surface, they couldn't be more wrong for each other. Will that stop them from falling in love? A high-steam Gilded Age romance with modern values. The plot is strong, while the romance is endearing and emotional. Underneath it all, Nellie and Lockwood are perfect for each other. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

At twenty-two, Nellie Young is an heiress with too much money and time on her hands. During a moonlight swim in the ocean, she encounters Andrew Talbot, the Duke of Lockwood. Andrew is in need of an heiress with a clean reputation, but isn't having any success keeping one as a fiance. Nellie is known for her wild reputation and would never fit as a duchess. The sexual draw between them keeps bringing them back together into a full blown affair. Time is running out for Andrew and he must return to London, but the woman he wants is the one he cannot have. Shupe builds her characters from the ground up with all their flaws to find the real person behind the mask. Stayed up all night to read this hot erotica romance. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

If I consider that this is the first book of Joanna Shupe I read and I know nothing about the book except its blurb and tropes which most are my favorite by the way, I'm impressed and enjoy reading it so much more than I thought. An open scene when Lockwood and Nellie first met is very intriguing and shows me that they are compatible with a chemistry that can set the book on fire. But Lockwood wants a decent bride not someone like Nellie even if she is wealthy as well. Too bad that Lockwood and Nellie can't avoid each other and when all of Nellie's friends settle down, Nellie feels lonely and Lockwood is a good distraction. They finally give in to their attractions and da**, I feel so hot while I'm reading their love scenes. Lockwood is my dream come true (heart eyes emoji.) The problem is aside from Lockwood and Nellie, I'm also intriguing by all of Nellie's friends so I'm going to go back to their stories when I have free times!