So, this book is about a debutante and a rake. It is a normal story line for a Historical Romance. So I was not expecting to be impressed, but I started reading. And the story impressed me. Then I read some more, and I felt it was the usual story. Then I read some more and it was a very good story. And it was about my least favorite type of debutantes, the American debutante.
The heroine is the only child of a Boston family. She grew up with a domineering mother who was abrasive to everyone. The heroine and her mother live in New York City, in one of the fancy hotels. The hero is a happy-go-lucky rake of the highest order. They are at a house party in Newport, RI (where all the mansions are). The hero's best friend is there because the girl he has loved since childhood is about to be engaged to an English duke. So the hero comes to the house party because he wants both of his childhood friends to marry since they have loved each other since youth. While there, he has one little indiscretion and a knock on his door after dark makes him think the lady wants more, but he doesn't. He is very surprised to see a virginal debutante, the heroine, who he promised his friend he would not bother, on the other side of the door. She steps in and wants to engage him to teach her how to seduce men. The heroine has decided to try to lose her shyness and gain confidence and wants the hero to help her.
This story wandered from normal romance into different type of historical romance, back to the usual rake with virgin story, then it it's off into a unique story. I felt that this was very well researched and accurate rendition of the time. I learned new things about New York High Society and it made this type of story more palatable for me. The characters and supporting characters seem to be able to start their own stories. I could come up with three other stories from this one book. I give this book 5 stars and recommendation to read.

Shy young woman on the marriage mart in Gilded Age New York makes a deal with a scoundrel. If he will teach her how to catch a husband she will provide her chef's recipes that will make his new supper club a success. Things do not go as expected when Kit discovers Alice is a good student. Along the way, Alice makes friends, stands up to her despicable mother, and discovers she can be a great chef. Kit discovers his father was wrong and he is a good person. Friends are the found family you create. Nellie provides a modified Irish Wake for Kit's friend. I can hardly wait until we read Nellie's story. Is Preston her HEA? I can only hope. I am also beginning to feel sorry for the Duke of Lockwood. Poor guy needs to find an heiress with money so he can fix the leaky roof on his castle. He seems like a nice enough guy, but he keeps losing out to these Fifth Avenue Rebels.

4 stars.

What a delight! I really struggled with Shupe's last series for a variety of reasons, but the character inconsistencies across the trilogy was a big part of it. I accidentally missed the first in this new series, but I'll definitely be backtracking to read it and picking up the next.

Alice and Kit are so very adorable together -- I love a rake who falls for a wallflower and thus am primed to love them. Like, of course you big dummy, of course you're going to fall in love with that quiet girl who happens to be a very passionate kisser!

This book is fairly light, but I'd strongly encourage people to check out content warnings: the times they're featured are pretty serious.

Alice Lusk is a shy American Heiress with a large dowry on the hunt for a suitor. While attending dinner during a house party the hostess is quick to warn her away from a particular gentleman. She is told, “Kit is the very Devil. With one smile, he manages to turn even the shyest woman into a vixen. It never fails.” Alice desperately wants to get away from her verbally abusive mother and wants to marry for love. She quickly convinces herself that Kit is the answer to her prayers. After considering her friends words she devises a clever plan. Later that night Alice confronts Kit in his bedroom and eventually offers him a deal he can’t refuse. Recipes from a famous chef he can use for his supper club in exchange for lessons in seduction.

Alice and Kit have great chemistry throughout. I have always enjoyed reading Joanna Shupe and this book is no exception. Everything is so perfectly described and the phrasing she uses will draw you right into the story.

My only disappointment- I’m not exactly sure why Kit’s friend Forrest was a part of this story. To include such a heartbreaking tragedy just felt completely out of place in my opinion. If we are to believe what occurred was the catalyst that changed Kit’s ways I think it could have been approached in a less gruesome way. TW: Alcoholism

Overall this was an enjoying read I wouldn’t pass up. The growth achieved by both main characters and the slow building of their love for each other was beautifully done.

I was really intrigued by Kit after meeting him in The Heiress Hunt and was so happy to see him find his own HEA in The Lady Gets Lucky. I loved seeing this (reformed) rake have his world turned upside down by the sweet wallflower. Kit and Alice were an unlikely pair, but that's why it worked so well. Their lessons in seduction were so delicious and the sexual tension built up so wonderfully. Seeing Alice come into her own and then take charge of her sexuality and life were the best parts of the novel for me. She challenged and supported Kit in a way that no one ever had and I loved their connection. The story was also very emotional at times, with both main characters trying to overcome years of toxicity from their parents. My heart broke for both Kit and Alice as they struggled under the weight of all that negativity. I felt the angst was drawn out a bit too long in the book and I would have preferred Kit have recognized his feelings on his own. He had some good groveling, but I wanted more since I'm not sure he would have come to his epiphany if not for his personal tragedy and Nellie's influence. The ending was very sweet though and I now have a craving for Babka!

Although it's not necessary to read book 1 to enjoy The Lady Gets Lucky, I think readers will have a more fulfilling experience if they have. The book follows the same timeline as The Heiress Hunt for the first half of the book, so it will give more depth to those events. I really enjoyed seeing what other characters were doing while those events unfolded in book 1 and it was a great way to set the plot in motion. I'm looking forward to Preston's book next, but I'd love to see a book for Nellie in the future too!

CW: death of friend, alcoholism, grief, death of parent, parental abandonment, fat shaming, toxic parental relationship - emotional and mental abuse

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

Joanna Shupe returns with her second book in her series set in the Gilded Age. Alice is a shy woman who is ready to break out of her shell to find her perfect match. To do this she enlists Kit, the epitome of a scoundrel, to tutor her in the art of seduction. Kit is shocked to discover that Alice is a very quick learner and he ends up in a situation that is much more than he bargained for!

This book was perfect escapism for me during a very busy time in my life. “Tutor me” is one hundred percent my catnip! I loved Alice and her development into standing up for herself in everything that matters. While Alice is the one who approaches Kit for help, Kit is the one who needs healing and learns more from Alice than he could have ever expected. One of my favorite parts is when Alice takes her final stand for herself with not only her parents, but also with Kit! If you love to read good food porn and a wallflower coming into her own, you should definitely read this book!

Alice Lusk needs help to become a siren. So that she can marry for love and not solely for fortune. And she loves to cook. Kit Ward is getting ready to open a supper club. But he needs a chef. So they both decide to help each other out. The Lady Gets Lucky was definitely entertaining, great characters and a page turner. Alice's mom was a piece of work. Great story I enjoyed reading it! I received a eARC copy from Netgalley,Harper Voyager and Avon for my honest opinion.
#TheLadyGetsLucky #JoannaShupe #NetGalley #HarperVoyager #Avon

The Lady Gets Lucky was quite a treat. I enjoy the trope of one character asking for love lessons from the other. I got the exciting tingles in my stomach just looking forward to reading more. The characters are well fleshed out. The story always kept my interest. Sign me up for the next book.

I voluntarily read an early copy.

I…did not know I expected from The Lady Gets Lucky, but what I got was so much better than my wildest expectations.

Miss Alice Lusk is in need of a miracle. It’s the only way she’s going to be able to marry for anything resembling the potential for love. Shy and in possession of the world’s worst mother, she wants to marry someone, anyone, who will love her for herself and not just her dowry.

Enter Kit Ward, renowned scoundrel and flirt. He wants to be seen as more than a pretty face and a good time, but all that he has to offer is his charm until he can open his supper club.

Alice sees an opportunity and seizes it — striking a bargain for lessons in how to entice a man in exchange for her knowledge of recipes from the best chef in New York. But when these lessons become more, will they be able to get what they need without a little luck?

Alice and Kit are ADORABLE together and I’m a sucker for “sex lessons” tropes, especially when the master of love is mastered by an ingenue. The addition of the chef subplot is divine and I just ate this book up like a fresh babka…which, incidentally features quite prominently in the text.

A solid 4 stars for this read and I can’t wait for more.

The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe is the second book in The Fifth Avenue Rebels series, but works really well as a standalone book. This book centers around Alice Lusk, a shy heiress with a dreadful mother, who wants to marry for love. At a house party, she sees Christopher “Kit” Ward dynamically charm everyone he meets. She sneaks into his room and begs him to teach her how to charm a man so someone can fall in love with her. Initially, Kit sends her away, but he learns of her connection to a renowned chef and agrees to help her in exchange for some world famous recipes.

This book was an easy and quick read. I loved watching the characters fall in love with each other. The reader can really feel the tension and romance between Alice and Kit. This book was quite steamy. Alice is a fantastic heroine. She aspires to be a chef and I loved the way her HEA played out. I felt like the author was very true to her character. Although she wanted to fall in love, she also wanted to follow her dreams. The epilogue especially had a fun little twist that I didn’t see coming.

I also think it's important to note that this book deals with some heavy issues. Both Kit and Alice have abusive parents. We see the verbal abuse that Alice is put through during most of the story. Her mother is absolutely awful. However, I think it’s interesting that a book that covers such heavy issues can still feel as light and romantic as it did. My heart broke for Alice when she was with her mother, but it was so gratifying watching her break out of her shell. Other characters in the story helped her realize that her mom’s abuse wasn’t her fault and that it is ok to remove toxic people from your life if they do you harm. I think the author handled this all very well.

I haven’t read the other book in this series, but I definitely will. I hope the author writes a book about Nellie and/or the poor Duke, who’s wife hunt has already been thwarted twice in this series.

I was invited to read an ARC of The Lady Gets Lucky, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #TheLadyGetsLucky

The Lady Gets Lucky is the second book in Joanna Shupe's Fifth Avenue Rebels series. I never read the first in the series, The Heiress Hunt, and did feel like I was missing a little bit that was going on with secondary characters, Maddie and Harrison. Using context clues, I could kind of hobble together some things that had happened and it didn't take away from the main storyline.

American heiress, Alice is a shy wallflower with an overbearing mother. She attends a house party where she meets Kit Ward a known scoundrel. Alice knows that to attract a love match she must come out of her shell and learn to flirt. She strikes a deal with Kit to provide him access to recipes he wants for his new super club. In return, Kit will teach Alice how to attract a man and feel more confident in flirting.

Alice was not your average wallflower. I loved that Shupe made her have ambition. She had such a passion for cooking and food and it was refreshing to see a woman in a historical choosing a blue collar career. Kit was so supportive of Alice's cooking from the very first time he learned about it. Alice's friend Nellie is also a breath of fresh air. She's a spitfire who doesn't care for her reputation and is fiercely loyal to both Alice and Kit. I'm hoping she gets her own story next in the series.

CW: I was completely surprised by the death of a secondary character. Having had an extended family manner die in the same gruesome manner made this scene very jarring for me. I couldn't predict it coming. I understand the author used it as a way to show Kit's character development but it was too much for me personally.

A note about Alice's mother. She is horrendous, verbally abusive, and self absorbed. She has no redeeming qualities and unfortunately doesn't get quite the comeuppance that she rightfully deserves.

Overall, this book is for you if you love: kissing lesson tropes, tons of pining, babkas, supportive partners and friends, egg hunts, and undeniably steamy chemistry.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, Harper Voyager, and Joanna Shupe for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Shupe continues her new Fifth Avenue Rebels series with a scandalous romance about a good girl desperate to rebel and the rebel desperate to corrupt her.
A first-rate scoundrel.
A desperate wallflower.
Lessons in seduction.
Shy heiress Alice Lusk is tired of being overlooked by every bachelor. Something has to change!
Christopher “Kit” Ward plans to open a not-so-reputable supper club in New York City, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to hire the best chef in the city to guarantee its success. Even if it requires giving carnal lessons to a serious-minded spinster who has an in with the chef.
This gilded age romance is amazing.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Title: The Lady Gets Lucky
Author: Joanna Shupe
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥/5 (Hot on the Smut-O-Meter)
Series: The Fifth Avenue Rebels #2
Tropes: Historical - American Gilded Age, Upper class marriage market, Seduction tutor, Reforming a rake, Food as seduction
Content Warning: Death of friend, Addiction - alcoholism, Emotionally and verbally abusive parents, Past death of a parent, Feeling of unworthiness, Minor injury - sprained ankle

In Shupe’s second installment of the Fifth Avenue Rebels series, shy heiress Alice Lusk is at the summer home of Maddie Webster (MC of The Heiress Hunt) when she meets notorious rake Christopher “Kit” Ward. She’s desperate to marry to escape her abusive mother, but wants a true husband not a fortune hunter. When Alice overhears someone say Kit could “turn even the shyest woman into a vixen” he becomes her solution. She proposes seduction lessons. While he refuses at first, eventually they make a deal and he begins showing her how to lure a man’s attention. Of course, in the process, they are seducing each other.

I’m trash for the “teach me” trope and this book did not disappoint. While the timeline of the book is fairly short, each seduction lesson feels lavish and unrushed. I loved Alice’s hidden fierceness and her journey of self-discovery. Not only is Kit contributing to her growing self-confidence but the other heiresses she meets at the Websters. Plus her love of cooking and interactions with her various teachers were lovely.

Kit is on a journey to find his worth beyond his handsomeness and wealth. He has his own baggage around his parents. We also have some of the darkest moments of the book during his interactions with his friend, Forrest. Shupe crafts a heart touching and sexy Gilded Age romance that makes me want to dive into her impressive backlog before the next installment of the Fifth Avenue Rebels is released.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I first discovered that the second book in Joanna Shupe's The Fifth Avenue Rebels series will feature Alice Lusk and Christopher "Kit" Ward, I was quite surprised. Alice and Kit seems to be very opposite. Alice is shy and quite. Kit is charming and a bit of a player. I couldn't really imagine them as a couple.

Well, I am SO PLEASANTLY surprised that I find Alice and Kit to be ADORABLE AND SWEET together!! Despite the initial differences in characters, it appears that Alice and Kit totally share one thing: insecurities. Alice thinks that she is too boring, too 'ordinary', and no men will ever like her for who she is (I fully blame Alice's mom for this!). Alice thinks men are only attracted with her size of dowry. Kit is saddled with thoughts that maybe he's just a pretty face, that he is not as smart (and this is totally Kit's father's fault!)

This book sets in the same timeline with The Heiress Hunt - apparently Alice brazenly asks Kit to help her - to understand men, to teach her how to interact with men, so that Alice can find a husband for love (not for her dowry). Kit is aghast at first, but then when he learns that Alice can help secure recipes from a well-sought chef (Kit needs this for his supper club), Kit decides to make a deal with Alice. Lessons for recipes. Only, well, Kit realizes that he wants Alice for himself...

I LOVE THEIR MOMENTS!!! I love how they learn about each other's dreams and fears. I love that Alice understands Kit like no other, and that Kit helps Alice to become more confident of herself. They believe in each other. They are SOLID together. I ADORE them so much! Their romantic progress feels tender - that the two of them become stronger because of the other person. And when Kit finally tries to convince Alice how much he loves her, and that he wants to marry her, well, that scene is SUCH A DELIGHT.

Even that epilogue! It shows how much Kit is proud of Alice, of what she can achieve with her love for cooking. And that Alice will always love Kit more and better than anyone else. SIGH. TRUE LOVE! 💙

If there is one thing that I strongly dislike here is Alice's horrid mother. Shupe tends to write horrible parents, and I start to dread it. Even the next book seems to have another parents' issue (Preston Clarke, Kit and Harrison's friend will be the main male character there, and it is said in this book that his dad is not a good one). I would love, one of these days, for Shupe's character to have loving set of parents who adore their children.

Oh, and also, I wonder why Shupe needs to add that one particular plot with the men's other best friend, Forrest Ripley. FULL spoiler, Forrest meets his demise here in a gruesome way. Is that meant to be part of Kit's character development? 🤷

Aside from those two issues, I will still count this book a good one, and definitely better than The Heiress Hunt. Look forward to Preston and Katharine's book next year.



The ARC is provided by the publisher via Netgalley for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.

On the surface, Alice and Kit couldn't be more different. She's a seemingly shy sparrow with an overbearing mother. He's a handsome, charming rogue with women of all ages fluttering around him. And yet, both of them hide self-doubt in opposite ways and it's fascinating to see the slow-burn romance that begins when she asks for his help in how to seduce a man so that the man doesn't end up marrying her solely for her dowry (which is what her mother insists is the only reason a man would look at her). Alice also hides her passion for cooking (so low-class, according to her mother), but Kit sees her in an entirely new light once he sees her confidence when she cooks. I love how Alice and Kit bring out the best in each other and how they overcome the obstacles in their path to a HEA. The story opens in the same house party that was the setting for The Heiress Hunt, and revisits a number of the characters from that book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and highly recommend it.

Oooof.

I was so excited when I got this ARC. There's nothing I love more than a rake, I loved the Uptown Girls series by Joanna Shupe, and this cover is so sensual. However, I was, on the whole, disappointed with this one. For a wallflower/rake, kissing lessons story, I didn't feel like this book delivered any of those sufficiently I found Alice to be a really timid, meek, old-school heroine, and I didn't feel really satisfied with her evolution by the end. Kit, the hero, was really soft, and particularly unrake-like, and the kissing lessons just fell kind of flat.

I think that the larger arc of the series (all four books take place at the same time, with overlapping timelines and characters) is overshadowing each individual story. I'm really excited about the series, and I am biting my nails to know the next two love stories, but I think that individually, these books do feel like parts of a puzzle instead of standing alone first.

This project is ambitious, and I am still eager to see how it continues.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC.

CW: restrictive eating, controlling parent, accidental death, alcohol abuse

A solid historical romance. It comes packed with everything you need to enjoy a romance: timid wallflower doing it for herself. A rakish richie rich trying to make a name for himself. Love lessons that lead to...well, love. I actually enjoyed seeing the characters from the previous book in it. That was well woven inside the story without skipping a beat or making you question who was who.

I enjoyed reading, The Lady Gets Lucky. The story dragged a bit every once in a while. I guess I can only take being told how shy a girl is. I get it already I said at one point. The second half of the book was the best. I'm glad I gave it a shot.

Heiress Alice Lusk wants to become a siren to escape her fate of being married solely for fortune. She's also secretly becoming an excellent chef thanks to the tutelage of her family's hotel chef. Her connection to this master of cuisine (and her own secret prowess) land her into a sexy pact with rake and party boy Christopher “Kit” Ward, who is looking to start his own supper club. He'll exchange siren lessons for recipes, discovering along the way he's entered a bargain that will cost him his heart.

While I did not connect with The Heiress Hunt, I ate up The Lady Gets Lucky like one of Alice's babkas. Serious chemistry, painfully delicious pining, and oh so much steamy goodness, I loved it. Shupe also deftly interwove a difficult plotline involving Kit's friend's alcoholism.

CW: emotional abuse from a parent, parental manipulation, alcoholism, death of a secondary character

Thank you to Avon for the advance copy.

Plot: I loved this book! Reading about Alice and Kit falling in love, while also dealing with their own insecurities, was so nice, and I absolutely love them as a couple! I also loved that Alice loves to cook! That was really unique for a historical romance. Plus, I loved the ending!

Characters: All of the characters were fantastic, really well developed, with great personalities!

The Cover: It's good!

Overall: I loved this book so much! It was a fantastic historical romance, that I highly recommend reading!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.