Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: death of a loved one to alcoholism (past), grief, death of a parent (past)

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f historical romance
-family rivalry
-frenemies to lovers
-one night stand
-this is just a hookup
-an engagement gone wrong
-sex education

I feel like every book in this series just gets steamier and steamier. I adored the set up. An engagement set up by their parents, Preston has no intent to keep. A masquerade party where all bets are off, and figuring out what's going to happen next. Every scene between Katherine and Preston is simmering with sexual tension.

I loved that the propulsion of the story was entirely Katherine wanting more from her live, wanting to be an active participant and not being out of control. Going after Preston, her museum. He's the one scrambling, in denial about his feelings, what to do. Not realizing how entirely soft he is on her, how protective, chalking it up to attraction when we know it is so, so much more.

A well earned grovel, Katherine truly made Preston work for it and he did. Chasing her, proving to her and to himself how he really felt. I laughed, I sighed, I cheered. Honestly a wonderful and well earned HEA. And easter eggs for who I think the fourth book that I am eagerly anticipating. This series just keeps getting better (and I can't not scream about the covers)

Steam: 3.75

A fun crush to enemies/ lovers read, perfect for the summer.

I have to say off the bat I am normally not a fan of historical romances set in America, but this one hit it out of the park for me. Katherine and Preston are set to be married by their fathers, but when Preston's father dies he does not want to hold up the deal. Thinking that Katherine's father had everything to do with his father's business failings and not wanting anything to do with the family. Katherine does not know this and wait a YEAR for him but finally had enough.
I loved what a fire ball Katherine was in the book and how she decided she was going to live for herself and be done waiting. Preston was the grumpy business man who was knocked off his feet by Katherine and didn't know what to do with her at every turn. I really enjoyed this read, and hope that you do too.

4.5 stars rounded down.

I loved this one and think you guys will too.

Gilded age New York. Loads of bickering. A heroine out to ruin herself. Mistaken identity and masquerade ball sexy times. Carriage wanks. A groveling, head-over-heels hero. What more could you want?

Well-researched. The French Ball is fascinating and I had never heard of it before.

My only ding — I think we needed another scene or two from the hero’s perspective near the end. We skip straight to his grovel, which includes some pretty major life changes. But we don’t see him make those decisions, so it feels a bit rushed.

3.5/5🔥

I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley and voluntarily left a review. All opinions are my own.

I've heard wonderful things about Joanna Shupe's writing, and was excited to see The Bride Goes Rogue on my NetGalley shelf; many thanks to @netgalley, @harpercollins
and @joannashupe for this eARC. This steamy historical romance hits shelves in May 2022.

Preston and Katherine are to be married, per a business agreement between their fathers..When Preston refuses to honor the betrothal contract, Katherine is crushed. She attends a masquerade, and a case of hidden identity sends these two on an unexpected path.

Katherine is fiery, stubborn, and ahead of her time. Preston is marriage averse, but honest about it with the women he brings home... he just doesn't expect to fall for one of them.

As mentioned above, the sex scenes are explicit, and there are more of them than I expected (Shows how new I am to historical romance!) What I appreciated about these scenes is, in addition to clear consent, there's true romance in them (which I didn't expect given the no- strings- attached arrangement).

The growth arcs of Katherine and Preston individually were another highlight for me. Katherine learned to put herself first in all aspects of her life, and Preston had to do some self- searching to realize he wanted Katherine for more than what she could give him. The ways he eventually showed his affection, his pining, and the ending all had me swooning.

Thanks again to NetGalley for the ARC! I highly recommend every spicy romance reader pick this book up when it releases in May. Meanwhile, I'm going to read this author's back list!

I am never disappointed with Joanna Shupe's Fifth Avenue Rebels series! I absolutely loved how strong and confident Katherine is throughout this book. Of course Preston is swoon worthy!

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for the opportunity to receive this ARC for an honest review!

This was really great (and steamy!) but at about 50% I just stopped caring. I liked Preston and Kat, but the plot and their conflict was not my favorite thing to read about.

I did like how things resolved between them, but getting there was a bit of a pain.

I don’t have a ton of comments on this one, if you like Joanna Shupe and this series then I would recommend it, but if you’re new to her, I would not recommend starting with this one. Try THE LADY GETS LUCKY or THE PRINCE OF BROADWAY for your introduction to Joanna Shupe’s steamy Gilded Age books!

Katherine Delafield has been waiting a full year for her betrothed to propose marriage to her. Only problem - Preston Clarke has no intention of ever marrying a Delafield. Preston and Katherine's fathers may have been good friends once - even going so far as proposing a marriage for their children - but Preston will have none of it.

Katherine is done waiting. Waiting for a proposal, waiting living in the shadows, waiting to live her life. She's ready to conquer and go rogue. When Katherine agrees to go to a masquerade ball with her friend, she never imagines that the person she ends up spending the evening intimately with would be Preston.

Soon these two end up spending more and more time together. Do they still hate each other as fiercely as they once did or have their walls come crumbling down. Does Preston still hate Katherine because she's a Delafield, or are they ready to move past that?

The Bride Goes Rogue was swoony, angsty and so sexy. Joanna Shupe has such a way with words and once I started reading The Bride Goes Rogue, I had a hard time putting it down. Katherine and Clarke's relationship wasn't always easy. These characters were never black and white - and the scenarios they found themselves in had my heart breaking on their behalf on more than one occasion.

If you're looking for a sexy, angsty and swoony historical romance I highly recommend The Bride Goes Rogue.

4.5 stars 💫
Thank you SO much for this ARC!
I loved this! I love this series. I would say i loved this one just as much as Kit & Alice! Preston and Kat 🥺🥺 the whole premise was perfect! Their secret rendezvous was so fun, I only wish Preston realized how much Kat meant to him a little sooner. But still!! So good. A fun, sexy HR read set in old time New York City. Can’t wait to read about Nellie 🥰

Katherine and Preston have such wonderful chemistry and an unlikely bond that makes this book un-put-downable. I'll remember the book for its deliciously sexy scene at the french ball, with both characters masked and in costume, completely unaware that they are seducing their enemy.

Thanks to @avonbooks for an advance copy of The Bride Goes Rogue by Joanna Shupe, out May 24th!

Katherine and Preston’s story is an absolute delight. I was dying for Nellie’s story (it’s going to be book four 🙌🏻) but I was not expecting to love this couple with my whole heart, especially after how much I loved The Lady Gets Lucky!

“‘We’re friends.” She emphasized the last word, and he nearly laughed. “That’s not what I would call it, but fine.” “What would you call our relationship then?” […] Angling toward her, he said, “Unfinished.’”

Katherine and Preston have an anonymous hook up and only afterward realize they know (and have a history with) each other (!!!)

Some of my favorite moments:
-“Details were among her favorite things.”
-Kit’s WTF IS HAPPENING
-Tall girl energy
-the dirty talk

I had SO MUCH FUN reading this book and should have recorded my reactions because it included so much squee-ing. I’m such a sucker for this Fifth Avenue Rebels series because we get to revisit/build on characters and relationships from previous books. I also loved how different Kat and Preston’s relationship was than I expected: I adored how sweet and sheltered Kit and Alice’s relationship was, and Kat and Preston’s is pretty much the opposite. If it wasn’t clear, Joanna Shupe is quickly becoming a favorite and I need to read more of her backlist ASAP.

TW: alcoholism, loss of a loved one, sexual content

The Bride Goes Rogue is the third book in Joanna Shupe's Fifth Avenue Rebels series. Set in New York, it follows Katherine Delafield, the dreamy and sheltered heroine, and Preston Clarke, the savvy but heartless businessman whose father brokered a betrothal between the two. As a huge fan of Joanna Shupe, I was too excited to receive an ARC copy for review purposes.

After a bit of a slow start, I started to realize how much I enjoyed this book. It was just so fun - the glam of the New York lifestyle, the tension between the characters, the sexual energy, the classic enemies-to-lovers. And as always, Shupe throws in lots of wonderful scenery, from a masked party to a high-end New York restaurant.

I'll be honest: I struggled to get into this book. It all seemed a bit silly in the first few scenes. Katherine goes to visit Preston, her supposed finance of a year, because her father tells her to. Katherine has been pining over Preston, eagerly awaiting their marriage (after being engaged for twelve months), following his every move in the papers like a middle-school girl. Her father has been indulging this and expecting them to marry, but when Katherine complains that it's taking too long, he sends her to visit Preston herself, which was wildly out of place for the time. Preston quickly shuts her down and informs her that he never thought the betrothal was real or valid.

We're told that Katherine and Preston met a year ago, but according to Preston, he never intended to marry her and is shocked that she thinks they're engaged. Did he not make this clear during their previous meeting? And if he DID play along with the engagement, then why is he surprised? Clearly, one of them made a huge blunder, but this is not addressed. I felt that this miscommunication could have clearly been avoided with either of the characters thinking outside their tiny box. It just didn't seem like enough - maybe it would have helped if her father was the one to facilitate the miscommunication, or their lawyers, or someone else. 

When Preston states that he absolutely will never marry her (and she immediately asks if it's because of her looks - yikes), her father seems unsurprised and says they must jump on her season immediately before she's an old maid. If her father spent the last year thinking they were engaged, why is he not more upset? I'd have thought he'd run off to see Preston and possibly come to blows. We later learn that there's some bad blood between Katherine's father and Preston, but none of this was evident in the first scene, making the setup a bit confusing. 

I wish that Katherine had been awaiting their marriage from a more practical point of view. I also wouldn't have minded if she wanted to get married simply to start her own life and was looking forward to being mistress of her own home. This would make more sense to me than a silly schoolgirl crush, which set the rest of her actions up to be a bit ridiculous - she clearly starts acting out due to hurt feelings. For me, the beginning of the book creates an unlikable heroine and I struggled to get past this.

From there, Katherine decides that she will "go rogue" and have an affair. While I liked her sense of independence, she was clearly out of her element and yet was unafraid. As a sheltered young lady who was pining over her future husband after only meeting him once, this change of character seemed too abrupt. I wanted to see her struggle to let loose; sure, it's a cliche in the historical romance genre, but that's because it makes sense. No sheltered young woman will suddenly do a 180 and act the part of a seasoned mistress convincingly enough to fool a worldly man.

After the beginning, the book picked up for me. There's a good deal of sexual tension and the whole drama of the characters wearing masks the first time they're physical with each other was just perfect. Then there's the reveal and the subsequent fallout - Preston is angry, thinking she's trying to trap him, and that her father is in on the scheme. Her response made me warm up to Katherine - she's annoyed instead of weepy and stands her ground. Meanwhile, Preston is fighting his attraction to her due to his hatred for her father. The tension jumps off the page! In fact, this is really the first time that I started to love the chemistry between the characters.

Katherine continues to avoid Preston and in doing so she becomes a likable character. We start to truly see her backbone. Preston is forced to chase her under the guise of caring about her father's actions, a very good play.  The pacing of the book is very good. The reader is led from scene to scene with ease and nothing drags on. In fact, there's plenty of plot, scenery, and liveness to go around. One things picked up between the characters, I was hooked.

Other than some larger plot issues, it's a fun little read, if you can get past the out-of-place elements. There are SO many actions and bits of dialogue that just don't make sense for the era, even in New York City. In many ways, it reads more like a contemporary. The characters are just too bold and follow the cultural standards of the 21st century rather than centuries past. I love how Joanna Shupe writes stories that are more than the typical regency, but I do wish that this book didn't have so many out-of-place elements, especially how Katherine suddenly turns into a modern-day woman despite living a very sheltered life.

The steam is very good. I can always count on Shupe for some toe-curling scenes and once again, she delivers. Not only are the *places* the characters get intimate fantastic, but the dirty talk is great. The chemistry is also very good between the characters - you can really feel the heat start to build, making the actual consummation scenes that much better. 

Overall, I'm giving this book a 4/5. It's a classic happy read that will put you in a good mood as long as you can overlook some of the smaller details that stand out. And if you're looking for a book with tension and steam, you'll definitely want to give The Bride Goes Rogue a read.

*I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

4 🌟's | One of my most highly anticipated books of 2022 and one I really enjoyed!

Joanna shupe's 3rd book in the Fifth Avenue Rebels series follows Katherine (Kat) Delafield & Preston Clarke, who we've been introduced to in the previous books and have been very much looking forward to finally getting their story! Kat & Preston had been engaged to be married a long time ago when both of their fathers, being business partners, had made a betrothal agreement. When Kat brings this engagement to Preston, he immediately rejects it. But Kat decides she's going to continue living her life to the fullest, nevermind holding herself out for a year! She decides to attend a ~spicy~ French ball where she has a good ol' time with a handsome man that later turns out to be....Preston himself! When their sexual attraction refuses to diminish, things take a heated turn as we follow the two down an inevitable path.. one that makes Preston reconsider his earlier refusal of marriage!

Let's start off with saying that nothing will come close to "The Lady Gets Lucky" - going into this, knowing how much I loved the previous book in the series definitely made me have high expectations for this and unfortunately they weren't entirely met.

[What I Loved]
- the setting; JS does such a wonderful job with making historical romances unique with the different locations, jobs of the characters, and detailing she inputs within her stories and this one was no exception!
- the steam; whEW both this one and the previous book definitely has some of my favorite steamy scenes in historical romances i've read --- can we talk about the masquerade ball?? the CARRIAGE SCENE?? *chefs kiss*
- the enemies-to-lovers/business enemies/grump x sunshine-y vibes
- the GROVELLINGGGGGG / not gonna lie, had me in tears a few times LOL

[What I didn't love as much}
- there were many times where I felt like Kat acted very immaturely - her continuously not forgiving him, not dealing with her father situation in an appropriate manner & with what Preston did like... idk, she just annoyed/frustrated me at times
- the lack of magnitude to what the third act conflict was had me so annoyed lol - the way Kat reacted to something that (TO ME) wasn't that, like crazy.. idk, it further irritated and increased my dislike for her and the conflict plotline of this book

other notes;
- so excited for the next book being about **you know whooo**
- LOVED the representation of the female architect ---- i haven't read JS's other books yet but i'm assuming that was one of the character features?
- unpopular opinion: i liked Preston more than Kat and think he deserves better LOLDGKJHD
--------------
In general, I really enjoyed this 3rd installment in the series and can't wait to read more of from Shupe !

I've been a fan of Joanna Shupe for years so I'm excited to say that I really liked The Bride Goes Rogue!

Shupe's work has always been among my favorite in the romance genre because in her books, there are always stakes, and the women in particular do morally ambiguous things and are genuinely flawed people. In other words, Shupe’s books don’t attempt to pass off “She was just too beautiful and clever for the world” as real flaws that are going to remain with the reader and cause us to judge the protagonists. And, this entry in the Fifth Avenue Rebels series was no different.

I liked that Katherine and Preston both had actual reasons for being how they were, and their conflicts weren’t just contrived plot points for the sake of conflict. There were realistic motivations for their actions, even when we as readers disagreed with those motivations in question. Also, I loved seeing a few cameos from Kit from the previous book, The Lady Gets Lucky, but I wish we could have seen more of Alice, whom I adored!

All in all, this book was excellently written and plotted and sweepingly romantic like all of Shupe’s books, but the only issue I had with this book is that it sort of like a stepping stone to the next book in this series, which I’m assuming is Nellie and Lockwood’s book. And, I adore a classic wild-girl meets buttoned-up man story and I know Joanna Shupe will kill it so I’m looking forward to it when the time comes!

**Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

This book is so good! Every time I picked up "The Bride Goes Rogue", I was whisked back in time to the Gilded Age, and went on such an emotional journey with this book.

This is the third book in Joanna Shupe's "The Fifth Avenue Rebels" series, and, THIS SERIES IS SO GOOD! Ms. Shupe has such a brilliant way of bringing this era in history to life right before the reader's eyes. Moreover, her characters all feel like such real people, and from the first page to the last, I found myself so gripped by their stories.

Katherine is such a strong, opinionated, caring, and intelligent woman with such an amazing heart who goes after what she wants. When she is turned down by the man whom she believes she will be marrying (her father and Preston's father agreed that their children would one day marry one another), she decides to take her life into her own hands, and live it how she wishes too.

Preston, at first, seems cold-hearted to those who don't know him well in many ways, even though in truth, he is not. He is very protective of those he cares for, and truly has a good heart. Never could he have imagined how Katherine will change his life, and perhaps give him a chance at true happiness and love.

(Possible Spoilers!)
Oh my gosh, the chemistry between Preston and Katherine is so palpable, and they truly are drawn to one another! These two truly are one another's happily-ever-after, and the ending is so sweet! With an adorable little one, heart, art, and museums, I loved it!

If you enjoy historical romance, I highly recommend this book! It kept me turning the pages into the early hours of the morning to see what would happen next, and I look forward to reading what Ms. Shupe writes next.

Thank you so much to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC of this book! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was so easy to read in one sitting. I was effortlessly absorbed by the first scene when Katherine strikes out to meet her fiancé and get him to set a date already only to have Preston tell her he has no intention of marrying her. From there the two meet up at a masked ball and attraction flares so brightly while their identities are hidden that it is hard to ignore when they are faced with the truth. The pacing is spot on, keeping everything moving at a clip and never letting my attention wane. Helpful, because when I did pause to reflect I had to admit that Preston was a pretty terrible hero. He was selfish. unscrupulous in his business dealings, treated his friends poorly and was the overall type of person I would tell a friend to run from. His dealings with Katherine's father made less sense after the explanation than they did when Preston was making assumptions but at that point I did not like either of them and kind of wanted Katherine to decide she liked England enough to move there after all. I had fun reading the book on a surface level but it did not stand up to scrutiny.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love how this book starts off with a bang (not that kind of bang...) with Katherine coming to see Preston about their supposed engagement that was arranged by their fathers years ago. Preston refuses to fulfill his end of the bargain, and Katherine is caught off guard but now wants to just live a little after believing herself to be betrothed for a year.

Next stop: The French Ball! A costume party filled with people looking for a good time. Preston and Katherine both end up at this event (looking for their own good times) in costume so they do not realize they are with each other. They come up with some nicknames based on their costumes that stick around.

After arranging a second meetup after the ball, they realize just who they spent time with at the French Ball. But their chemistry is just too strong, so they continue meeting up. Driving the business side of things: Preston has a long-standing grudge against Katherine's father over how he perceives her father treated his father. Preston will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if that means hurting Katherine in the process. He's also dealing with his own demons and guilt over the death of a friend.

Can Preston right the wrongs he's committed against Katherine in the name of getting revenge on her father? I think we know he has it in him, and I love what he uses to profess his love to Katherine. As usual, Joanna Shupe has delivered a story with steam, passion, and lots of cool history/historical settings.

Thank you to Avon Romance for the eARC copy of this book.

Thank you Avon for the ARC to read and review.

Good gracious this story was H.O.T. The chemistry between here two was off the charts. Katherine makes Mr. Preston fall to his knees. Loved everything about this story and the set up for the next installment.

Gilded Age socialite Katherine has had enough. She's been engaged for a year, but hasn't heard anything from her fiance about wedding plans. So she storms into Preston's office to demand that he set a date. But Preston informs her that he doesn't consider them engaged--the betrothal was arranged years before by their fathers--and he doesn't intend to honor the agreement. Katherine decides to start experiencing life to make up for the year she missed out on, and she begins with a scandalous masked ball. Of course, you can imagine who else is at the ball, also masked.

These two had really hot chemistry, which made for an entertaining read. I felt like the plot dragged a bit in the middle, but it led to a satisfying conclusion.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Katherine Delafield is excited to finally start planning her wedding to Preston Clarke, arranged by their fathers long ago. When she shows up to start the talks, he turns her down flat! She resolves to start living her life and taking more risks. He resolves to stop thinking about the passionate, attractive woman. When they cross paths again, it isn't so easy for him to walk away.

There is a lot of gender role reversals, which I thought was very refreshing for a historical. The characters were intriguing to follow through the story. I really enjoyed many of scene settings, especially the masquerade. It was nice to see the characters from the series, to show both main characters having actual friends. Sharing the focus among all of the characters contributed to the world Shupe is building. The story really pulled me in, I found myself getting so angry at Preston! The ending was very satisfying as well.

Society miss Katherine Delafield and business tycoon Preston Clarke were betrothed by their fathers. The only problem is Preston refuses to honor it. Realizing she has wasted a year of her life waiting for Preston, Katherine decides to let go and have some fun. But when a masked encounter at a scandalous party brings them together, they need to decide if their temporary liaison could turn into more.

This is the third book in the Fifth Avenue Rebels series. I recommend reading book two first, as that couple makes a few appearances and an event from that book has lasting effects on this hero, Preston.

After his father nearly lost their family fortune and business, Preston has been working non-stop to put things to right. Unfortunately, it has made him a cold workaholic who blames Katherine’s father, Lloyd Delafield (Preston’s father’s former business partner), for not doing more to help his family when they needed it most. Preston is done letting his late father ruin his life…he’s certainly not going to let him choose Preston’s bride. Katherine is unknowingly caught in the middle, believing herself betrothed and devastated when Preston callously tells her it’s not going to happen.

I absolutely loved this book! I fell in love with the characters - especially Katherine - right away. She was open, loving, and organized; expecting that her life was on a happy, predictable path. Preston seemed like a jackass at first, but I loved how possessive and protective he became with Kat. This story was hella sexy and such a wonderful read. I also love Shupe’s world building…both of the characters in this series, and an appearance of a previous series character. The author notes at the end are always great, as well!

Tropes: Arranged Marriage, Feuding Families, Disguised/Masquerade

Steam: 5

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #TheBrideGoesRogue #NetGalley