Joanna Shupe's The Duke Gets Even Review!

The Duke Gets Even

By: Joanna Shupe

Release Date: January 24, 2023

Publisher: Avon

Author Website: https://joannashupe.com/

4.5 Stars

This work started off with an unconventional first encounter and took off from there. Andrew Talbot, the eighth Duke of Lockwood was in need of a wife and was willing to put in the work to insure that his family legacy passed on to the next generation. In possession of abundant charm and good looks it would seem that finding a wife would come easy to him yet he continuously ran into hurdles in achieving his goal. Eleanor "Nellie" Young seemingly could care less about what society thought of her and proudly flouted her independence in a time where women were scorned for doing so.

Steamy encounters and sharp dialog rounded out this work for a read easy to get caught up in. What made for interesting dynamics in this story was that both Lockwood and Nellie carried burdens that leveled their playing field. Nellie's defiant approach to her life and reckless behavior coupled with the fear of committing her heart ultimately made Nellie her own worst enemy. This author did a great job of evolving Nellie and fleshing out her issues. Lockwood's mounting desperation brought about by his father's poor choices and limited time made his dependence on the whims of others that much more difficult. Despite his struggles in obtaining a wife it was hard not to be smitten by Lockwood. As a pair this couple had a lot to deal with beyond their physical attraction keeping this story moving quickly.

One of the things that stands out when reading Joanna Shupe is her strong independent women that stand up against their assigned roles in the society they live in. With works full of history and its constraints this author faces her stories fearlessly. The Duke Gets Even brings another one of a kind Joanna Shupe romance to delight her readers with her forward thinking twist on history!

*I was given an advanced copy. All opinions expressed are my own.*
*While this book can be read as a standalone reading the previous books in this series first would enhance the overall reading experience.*