Heading into her second season, Katherine Delafield is feeling the pressure of knowing she should’ve been married by now, but her father arranged a betrothal for her years ago. The problem is that her intended, Preston Clarke, has completely ignored it. Done waiting, Katherine confronts Preston and decides to start living for herself, enjoying the fun to be had by a lady in New York City, even if it is scandalous. It hardly matters now as she knows she and Preston will never marry and she’s not likely to marry at all.

Preston endured a difficult childhood with a gambling addicted father who left the family business in a shambles that Preston was left to clean up. As such, he has no intention of marrying the bride his father picked out for him. Unfortunately for Preston and his new resolve, the potential new lover he meets at costume ball turns out to be his erstwhile fiancée. The connection between them is intense and Preston is shocked by how much he genuinely likes Katherine, but given his behavior towards her, convincing her to be his certainly won’t be easy.

I don’t say this often, in fact I’m not sure this has ever truly been the case, but for much of this story, it was the heroine who carried it for me. I loved Katherine in this story so much. She was able to come off as strong and confident while also being kind and never shrewish and I find that is so very rare in heroines lately. Preston definitely had to grow on me because a lot of the time he came off as an entitled prick, but I did so enjoy seeing Katherine upend his entire world and everything he thought he wanted for his life. Katherine’s determination not to settle and to know her own worth resonated with me as this is something I struggle with often and I enjoyed seeing Preston to shape up to become a better version of himself and to be what she needed. I loved Alice and Kit too, but I think this book is my new favorite in the series so far. That said, Nellie and Lockwood really endeared themselves to me in this story because of how good of friends they are to Katherine and I’m very much looking forward to the next book and heavily shipping them together.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

THIS BOOK!! This was exactly what I needed to get me out of my reading slump!!

The Bride Goes Rogue is a historical romance following two characters who are complete opposites of each other. Katherine is an idealistic dreamer and Preston is a stubborn businessman. After Preston refuses to acknowledge their engagement, Katherine goes off to fulfill her dreams of opening an art museum with the hopes of forgetting all about Preston. But the two end up meeting at a masquerade and they have to figure out how to deal with the feelings they are starting to have for one another.

The tension...the grumpy x sunshine vibes...the groveling at the end...ALL PERFECTION!!! I think the pacing got a little wonky in the middle, but I had such a fun time reading! I also loved that Katherine wasn't afraid to push back and go after what she wanted!

Rating: 4.5 stars!

*Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The main characters were Katherine and Preston and this is book 3. I loved how Katherine was a strong woman that didn’t let Preston walk all over her with no pushback. The only thing I had issue with is that Katherine and Preston’s fathers owned a company together and they were betrothed, but they had never met? I found that hard to believe. Other than that, Other then that it was a good book.

Wow! The Bride Goes Rogue is Joanna Shupe at her absolute best. I have been waiting for Katherine and Preston’s story ever since the first of the Fifth Avenue Rebels series and boy did she deliver. Here’s what I determined after being only 15% of the way into this novel: Shupe is in her best element with character banter. As in SPOT ON. The stiffness of the opening gives way once the male and female start flirting and HOLY COW Shupe can reel me in like that unassuming fish that I am. How good is the banter? Panty-dropping, cover-your-gaping-mouth, hide-your-book-from-your-mother, filthy-talking good. And you can’t talk about the repartee without talking about the sex. Or the “liaisons” between Katherine and Preston. Because they are on fire.
Katherine Delafield has been betrothed to Preston Clarke (unbeknownst to him) for the better part of a year. When Katherine seeks out Preston to make good on their arrangement, he refuses her due to extreme loathing for her father. Katherine, being the feminist that she is, decides she will take a lover and will no longer play second fiddle to any man. Thus opens our novel. I am a sucker for a masquerade ball in a historical, and Shupe strategically uses the French Ball to bind these characters to one another in a very efficient and effective way. I also appreciate the authenticity of the Gilded Age and the dedicated research to New York and this time period (it’s so refreshing not to be in Mayfair for a historical).
The Bride Goes Rogue could easily be read as a standalone, but I loved seeing snippets from Kit, Alice, Nellie, and the Duke which made the reading all that sweeter. And YES!! There’s going to be a fourth book! No spoilers here though.
So if you’ve been waiting for a spicy little historical with a whip smart heroine and brooding rake, I would highly recommend The Bride Goes Rogue. Thank you to Avon and Harper Collins as well as NetGalley for an ARC of this book. This review of my own unbiased opinions.

This was another great historical romance by Joanna Shupe! Overall, I would definitely recommend to anyone who is looking for a good romance!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I think this book was generally a solid read! I honestly kind of found it hard to connect to either character, and I'm not sure what the disconnect was. I think it might just have to do with what felt like a lack of inner dialogue (*to me PERSONALLY*) and the resolution of the third-act conflict was just a quick shift in character priorities and it kind of fell flat. The MMC was a textbook grump and very work oriented, which is kind of the dynamic for a lot of love interests but I think they key to romance is seeing a shift in priorities and I can see where that happened, but I needed more of a conversation about what had happened between the two of them. I'm really invested in a side character, Nellie, and wish that those friendships were better developed. Like there's a whole lot of saying "we're friends, we're friends" but it kind of felt like I wasn't seeing those meaningful connections in action the way I wanted to.

This sounds like a whole lot of negative, but I will say this was a relatively smooth read and their physical connection was so much fun to read. My eyebrows flew up once or twice, Katherine is certainly winning. Overall a nice time. :)

This is excellent! It has historical romance and enemies-to-lovers, which is the best combination. While it is a historical romance, I did enjoy the more modern take on the genre. Everything in this book is well-done and well-developed. I felt that the characters were likable but also had clear flaws, making them seem believable. I haven’t read any of the other book in the Fifth Avenue Rebels series, but I’m going to go back and read them all now after seeing how fantastic this book is.

I have been on a historical romance binge since Bridgerton season 2 and this book didn't disappoint! This book has all the ingredients to be a success and Joanna Shupe has done it again. I loved the dynamic between Katherine and Preston. Katherine and Preston have been betrothed to each other by their fathers since childhood but Katherine has no idea that Person isn't going to follow through with it. From there, chaos ensues! This book definitely solidified Joanna as one of my go to authors for the genre. The writing was superb and I literally couldn't put this book down.

Oh this book! I've read four books by Johanna Shupe now and I've binged all of them. From the minute I met Katherine and Preston I didn't want to put the book down. Their relationship begins when Katherine goes to settle the details for her engagement to Preston to find out he will not marry her, you can see their connection and chemistry. I didn't want to put this down! There's something about Shupe's writing that draws me in.

I loved Katherine and all the women in this series. Katherine has decided she's waited long enough for Preston and that she is going to get what she wants. She has a steamy night out at a explicit party. When the handsome stranger she spends intimate time with tends out to be Preston, they can't keep their hands off of each other.

All of Shupe's books are steamy, but this was next level, the carriage scene, iykyk

One of my favorite parts of this series and this book in particular is the friendships that develop. Preston and Katherine build a sort of friendship and support each other beyond their differences. Even though he messed up, I loved when Preston followed Katherine to the country and starts delivering gifts to her door. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series! I squealed when I saw it will be the Duke of Lockwood's story!

I will update with the link when I share on my bookstagram account.

This is the third book in the Fifth Avenue Rebels series but my first with this author. It is the story of Preston and Katherine. Their parents betrothed them when they were young. Katherine finds out and doesn’t mind because she has a crush on Preston. She keeps thinking Preston will set a marriage date, but he doesn’t and after a year she confronts him, and he tells her he will never marry her. He hates her father for not helping his father out when his father was in trouble. She gets upset and leaves and decides she will not waste her life waiting for another man and will embark on an affair. She goes to a masquerade and gets it on with another masked person (you guessed it – none other than Preston). The story moves on from there. In the end they find their HEA.

I didn’t enjoy this book. I didn’t feel at all connected to the characters. I didn’t feel that Katherine’s character was consistent or in line with the mores of that time. She acted like a contemporary woman, and not one from the 1800s. I did not like Preston. He was like every other obnoxious, angry, hero who is saved by the love of a good woman. I thought he was selfish and not nice to Katherine, and I didn’t see the attraction (outside of sex). Yes, he got better as the book got on, but even his change of heart was so sudden in the end – it seemed totally out of character. I did like the fact that he had to grovel significantly, and that Katherine finally stood up for herself and recognized that he rode roughshod over her. But unfortunately, by then it was too little too late. Overall, I just didn’t enjoy this book. It felt like a contemporary novel set in 1800 with boring characters.

I received a free copy of this book from Avon and Harper Voyage via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

With each book by Joanna Shupe I read, I feel like she just keeps getting better and better, and The Bridge Goes Rogue is my favorite of hers to date. The premise here is a fun one: Katherine and Preston were long ago betrothed to each other by their fathers, and while Preston has no intention of following through on the matter, Katherine doesn't know that. After meeting and crushing on Preston, Katherine finally goes to him to set their wedding plans in motion, only to be hurt and embarrassed when he tells her (albeit nicely) that they'll never get married. Determined to make up for the time she's lost waiting around for Preston, Katherine heads to a scandalous masquerade party where she meets the Louis XV to her Madame de Pompadour and engages in a scorching hot hookup. Of course Louis turns out to be none other than Preston. Despite their initial animosity they cannot move past their mutual attraction, but can it ever be something more?

There is something about a Joanna Shupe hero that really works for me, and Preston is no exception. I love when a stubborn man gradually softens for one woman, and Shupe's leading men always do this is in such a natural and swoony way. Katherine is a great hero, independent and confident in a way that doesn't feel anachronistic. And again, it bears repeating - the steam here is just scorching hot. I'd say that a weak link for me here was Preston's journey - he had a couple reasons for being as walled off as he was, and I wish I had seen him process those issues a bit more. That said, I had a great time reading this book, which is all I can really ask for.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-arc! All opinions my own.

It's hard to believe this was my first Joanna Shupe novel, but I couldn't have asked for a better introduction. The Bride Goes Rogue sizzles with chemistry, female empowerment, and enough dirty talk to fill a dictionary. In short, it was perfect.

Three-sentence summary: When the man Katherine thought she was betrothed to informs her in no uncertain terms that he won't be honoring the contract, our girl resolves to let loose before resubmitting to the marriage mart. Preston Clarke has sworn off marriage in favor of growing the family empire his father nearly demolished with gambling debts, but his attempt at a casual fling lands him firmly in the arms of the woman he just escaped. With the pressure to marry behind them, Katherine and Preston find they're more suited than either wanted to believe -- but can their attraction to one another overcome the ambitions that threaten to tear them apart?

I loved every word on every page of this book (except for one unfortunate "mushroom-shaped" description we can pray gets edited out before the book is published). Katherine knows her mind and desires, and Preston's arrogance/dominant tendencies make a safe space for her to explore who she is behind the society mask. This book delivers strong female friendships, deliciously thorough groveling, and a well-drawn, dynamic secondary cast. It's absolutely everything I look for in a HistRom, and I can't wait to deep-dive the rest of Shupe's catalogue as a result.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Katherine and Preston were engaged or so Katherine thought. When Katherine finally confronts Preston about the betrothal, the arrogant businessman basically laughs in her face and says he could never marry her. Katherine is enraged and determined to start living her life with defiant freedom.
This was a fun hate to love romance and the chemistry was absolutely amazing and made for a very steamy book. Even though Preston’s known as being hard-hearted, his groveling for Katherine was perfect. The heroines in this series are unlike any I’ve ever read. They’re BOLD. STRONG WILLED. And do the HARD WORK to accomplish what makes them happy and the gilded age New York setting was perfect!

ARC provided by NetGalley and Avon for an honest review.

A Bride Goes Rogue is a fun, escape romance with a strong heroine and great, alpha male hero. Joanna Shupe knows her way around a sex scene, creates fun bad boy characters and fills her books with great historical details of the period.

I’ve only read a few of Joanna Shupe’s books so far, but this one is absolutely my favorite. There was so much chemistry and tension between Katherine and Preston. The story did a great job of introducing our characters and setting up the plot while also diving straight into the action.

If you’re looking for your next historical romance to pick up, give this one a try!

Thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Delafield assumed she would be the wife of Preston Clarke since she was a child. Their fathers made an agreement years earlier as business partners that their children would marry. Years pass and Katherine still has not heard from Preston, so she decides to take initiative and start planning their wedding. When she arranges to meet him to discuss the details, he rebuffs her and refuses to honor their father’s agreement. Katherine is angry, but decides to make up for lost time by finding a skilled lover at the annual French Ball. Dressed as Madame de Pompadour, she meets a mysteriously sexy man disguised as King Louis XV. The two have an explosive first sexual encounter and agree to meet up again. Unbeknownst to both of them, they have hooked up with their formerly-engaged partners. So begins a great enemies-to-lovers relationship between two head-strong people with hot chemistry.

The Bride Goes Rogue is another fantastic Gilded Age romance by Joanna Shupe. There are not many historical romances set in this time period which is surprising as it is so sumptuous. Katherine is head-strong and interested in more than just the marriage market; she wants to open her own art museum to display her mother’s collection. Preston is a ruthless businessman and so stubborn in his attraction to Katherine. I love books with heroes who deny their feelings but suddenly get jealous when they realize their partners may be interested in another. There is some intense groveling in this novel! I enjoy the supportive female friendships in this series and how sex-positive it is for a historical romance. There are frank discussions about Victorian birth control and the use of shields. I always love that Shupe combines real historical events and people (mentions of the Astors, vacationing in the Adirondacks, etc.) in her novels. I can’t wait for the next book in the series because the teaser takes place in Newport and I used to live there and loved it!

CW: death of father (off-page), death of mother (off-page), mention of death of friend by alcohol addiction

Joanna Shupe just knows how to pull you into a romance from the very first chapter. When Katherine learns that her engagement to Preston is not what he wants, she decides to take her future and her fun into her own hands. On a clandestine night of adventure, they have an encounter that will bring them together in ways that we love and they loathe. Shupe writes stories of heroines that we can completely relate to. Their lives and wants and dreams are real and honest. Her love stories are so compelling and this book is no different. Bride is steamy. It's filled with plot twists and friendships and conflicts that keep us all reading until we can't stop.

This book was so fun! I loved the relationship between Katherine and Preston and the seduction games they played with each other. Preston goes through great character development and this story shows that holding on to the past can be detrimental to your future. Readers will be sure to love them as well!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Joanna Shupe for this ARC for review!
'The Bride Goes Rogue' is a historical romance set in Gilded Age New York City. This is the third in a series, although I have only read the second one and had no issues.
Katherine and Preston were betrothed by their fathers' when they were business partners, but the betrothal contract remained in place after the business relationship had dissolved. Katherine fully believed herself betrothed despite having met her intended briefly only once. With her father's encouragement, she visits Preston at his office to discuss their nuptials. Preston emphatically informs her they will not be getting married. Katherine decides to live for herself, after finding she has been waiting around for nothing. She meets up with her friend who is 'quite the scandal really' to go out, meet new men, and engage in une affaire--as one does after an unexpected breakup of sorts.
Nellie takes Katherine to 'The French Ball'--which is based on a real event, love when authors include these details--a party for drinking, dancing, and further indecencies. Katherine is masquerading as Madame de Pompadour, a favored mistress of King Louis XV. She forms an attraction with a man masked as King Louis, and some liberties ensue.
I loved this book. Katherine was strong-willed and kind, but totally unashamed of what she wanted and going after it. She made Preston grovel just the right amount and he had to evolve to earn her back. I think some will take issue with how modern aspects of this story are. Katherine is a woman with goals, aspirations, and needs, and not afraid to go after each and every one of them. Some take issue with these aspects of historical romances, but as someone who will similarly go after each of these desires, I believe this quality could exist in a woman in any time period.

Very hot and sexy very fun, thank you.

The Bride Goes Rogue has so many of the elements that make for a great romance novel: sizzling chemistry between the leads; steamy sex scenes; a compelling set up; a masquerade ball; a heroine deciding to live her best life, conventions be damned; a hero too focused on fixing his father's mistakes; an affair that definitely won't result in falling in love. With all of that and more, how could this book not be a delight?

Katherine and Preston make for engaging leads, both full of personality as well as struggles. Katherine cannot get past her mother's death or the fact that Preston refused the engagement she spent so much time banking on, and it is that upheaval that sends her on a quest for fun and independence. Meanwhile, Preston is so focused on living down his father's mistakes and building up a business to rival all others that he refuses to see what is right in front of him. The sparks that fly when the two of them are drawn together are dazzling.

The exchanges between the two leads range from steamy and sexy to sweet and emotional (and sometimes manage to be all of those things at once), and their chemistry was compelling enough to keep me turning the page even when the plot itself dragged a bit (more on that in a moment). I loved watching the two of them negotiate their feelings and desires, making their arrangement for a no-emotions affair and immediately both failing at the whole no emotions thing. Also, every single sex scene in this book was steamy as hell. Hot damn.

Where this book stumbled for me was with the plot, particularly Preston's quest to build New York's tallest building on a specific parcel of land. I kept waiting for his fixation to be explained beyond just wanting to win, but it wasn't. Additionally, too much time was spent rehashing his feud with Katherine's father, Lloyd, without any real ground being gained. When Lloyd admitted to being behind contriving many of the events that had brought Katherine and Preston together in the end, I was mostly just annoyed. He generally felt like something of a distraction to the more interesting dynamic between the two leads, and his reveal at the end was smug rather than satisfying.

Overall, though, a great time that left me excited for the next installment!

4/5