Review: The Courtesan Duchess by Joanna Shupe

Review: The Courtesan Duchess by Joanna Shupe
The Courtesan Duchess
Book Info

Released: March 31 2015
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Wicked Deceptions #1
Pages: 338
 

“If you are looking for a fun and romantic book, pick this one up.”
~ Under the Covers

You may have seen me talk about Joanna Shupe in videos/social media.  Last year I discovered her books when I read a Christmas anthology she was part of.  I wanted to read more of her books, especially her NYC Gilded Age stories.  But I found this gem on Audible Romance and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to start yet another series.  Such is the life of a book hoarder.

First things first, this book is not about a courtesan.  Our heroine gets help from a courtesan to figure out how to seduce her husband so she can get pregnant before she loses everything to her husband’s cousin.  The hero and heroine married when she was just sixteen.  An arranged marriage of course and somewhat forced, especially on the hero who left town right after the wedding and hasn’t seen his wife in eight years.  All part of his family trying to control him after his brother died.  She now sets out to seduce her own husband with the help and guidance of a London courtesan to make that happen.  She wasn’t expecting to develop feelings for him while doing it though.

If you are looking for a fun and romantic book, pick this one up.   Julia showed a strength that many women wouldn’t find in trying to do whatever was necessary to help her situation.  Nicholas was the part of the story that I think could’ve been a little better.  He’s supposed to be the Depraved Rake but I never got a full sense of that from him.  He had a lot to grovel for after he abandoned his wife without looking back and I don’t know if he ever did enough of that for my taste.  But overall, I found them endearing together and had a fun time while reading this.

Another thing that really stood out to me was the fact that this was Ms. Shupe’s debut novel and already it felt like a seasoned storyteller.  I am looking forward to reading more of her books and continuing this series as well.

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READING ORDER & BUY LINKS

Click on the covers to buy the books

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About Joanna Shupe

Award-winning author JOANNA SHUPE has always loved history, ever since she saw her first Schoolhouse Rock cartoon. From an early age, Joanna read every romance she could get her hands on. After graduating from college, she enjoyed a few years in sports and theater marketing but soon returned to writing by crafting her own racy historical novels.

Joanna won Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart® Award for Best Historical in 2013. Since then, her 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.

When she’s not writing or doing laundry, she can be found online at Facebook (Joanna Shupe Author) or Twitter (@joannashupe).

Joanna is represented by Laura Bradford from Bradford Literary Agency.

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