I write this review with a twinge of sadness because I have absolutely loved The Fifth Avenue Rebels series.
The Duke Gets Even is the story of Lockwood, the Duke every previous heroine has thrown over for the hero, and Nellie, the raucous, loud, fun friend in the group who doesn't believe in marriage, doesn't want kids, and lives life however she wants to.
How on earth can a Duke in need of an heiress (and an heir) find common ground with Nellie? Well, it takes a while but, as always, Joanna Shupe weaves them a beautiful love story. Great nods to contraception in the gilded age and women's rights!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, and thank you, Joanna Shupe, for a wonderful ride.

This book was absolutely perfect in every way. The Duke of Lockwood is visiting America to find the perfect bride—rich, and free of scandal. Nellie is a wealthy heiress who purposefully ruined her reputation long ago and now spends her days as she pleases. The chemistry between Nellie and Lockwood is present from page one. Lockwood’s desires tend darker than your standard regency hero, and Nellie likes him best when he sheds his proper Duke persona. Included in the book is perhaps the BEST historical cameo I have ever read. I won’t spoil it, but I did audibly gasp when I read the name. I immediately went to google afterward to read further on the matter. You can tell that Shupe did her research!

I requested this book because I happened to see the author’s tweets about the Comstock Act, which was a ploy by the religious leaders of the time to ban such things as contraceptives and pornography. Nellie uses her wealth and influence to discreetly distribute contraceptives to women. It felt especially timely in a post Roe v. Wade world. Nellie and her friends are the kinds of activists we still need today!

I really liked this novel. The setting is fun because it's not the standard historical romance setting. Shupe's book are pretty racy, which is enjoyable!

Really good feminist historical romance! I was washer you see the story between these two characters, as it had been teased throughout the other books, & it did not disappoint. I liked this one more even than done if the others since the hero was not as much an “alpha-hole” as some of the other books heroes were. I like a reasonable hero, myself.

This highly anticipated final book in the Fifth Avenue Rebels series did not disappoint! Nellie and Lockwood have been circling each other since the first book and I was delighted to see these two dummies finally get over themselves and fall in love. The happy ending was truly earned for both of them!

This has been my favorite Joanna Shupe yet and dare I say my favorite read of 2021. SO much just went right between the chemistry, the depth of the two love interests, the real reasons that it wasn't easy for them to be together. I just smiled the whole time I read this.

The Duke Gets Even is an absolute knockout from Joanna Shupe, and features two of the most magnetic characters I've read so far this year.

Three-sentence summary: Railroad heiress Nellie Young lives on her own terms, disregarding the aristocracy's social and moral conventions in favor of pursuing a life of pleasure that most assuredly does not include marriage. Meanwhile, the Duke of Lockwood is forced to play by the rules as he endeavors to find and marry an
American heiress whose fortune will save his crumbling, debt-ridden estate. When Nellie and the duke's secret affair turns into a deeper connection, they each have to decide if taking a chance on one another is worth sacrificing the futures they always thought awaited them.

A warning for the prudish: This is a sex-positive, explicit romance that celebrates women's rights and, to some degree, kink. Nellie and Andrew's physical intimacy generates a language and subtext integral to their character development both separately and as a couple, so readers bent on dismissing the book for "too much sex" are always-already missing the point.

My one, ardent hope for Joanna Shupe is that she stops booking Justine Eyre for her aBooks, so I can enjoy rereads in an alternative format. I want to hear all that ducal dirty-talk in a voice that doesn't make my ears bleed.

Thanks to Avon/Harper Voyager for the advance copy.

Joanna Shupe does it again! In every one of her series there is a book that always stands out to me and it is definitely the story of Nellie and Lockwood. We have seen their story unfurling for the 3 previous books and it was worth the wait. Not only was the spice level on point, but Nellie’s passion for women having the right to choose and have access to contraception feels timely in today’s society. This is for sure going on my reread pile!

This book was amazing! I've read the first two books in this series and was not overly fond of book 1 but adored book 2. Therefore, I didn't know how I would like this book, but was so excited to see a pairing with the Duke and Nellie. This book didn't disappoint.

Pros:
I all around love these characters that Shupe created and adore that this is a historical romance that doesn't take place in Regency era England. That said, Nellie is an awesome heroine. I love her progressive attitude towards women's right issues and equality between the sexes. I liked that Nellie had a great relationship with her father and that he was more progressive in giving Nellie freedom. My biggest issue with historicals is that all the female characters often read the same since they rarely have the freedom to do anything. However, Nellie was able to do as she pleased and I liked that there was the aspect of her being shunned from society since no one who behaved as Nellie did would be accepted by high society.
I enjoyed that there was more of a backstory to Nellie and Lockwood's relationship. I also loved that things moved past that initial weekend at Maddie's parents house really fast. What was included was necessary for understanding the characters, but it was nice to move beyond that since books 1 and 2 spent a significant chunk of time at that house party.
Lockwood's character was great. I liked his progressiveness and the way he felt about Nellie. I think his reasons for looking for a bride were realistic since it was an actual issue that many members of the aristocracy couldn't seem to transition their estates well once new technologies came about. I also liked that Lockwood's mother wasn't a central part of the plot. Lockwood felt the pressures for why he had to get married and adding additional pressure from his mother would have been unnecessary.
The addition of Tooter was perfect. I loved that Lockwood seemingly didn't want to sacrifice his title on principle more than anything because his cousin insisted on being called by a nickname as ridiculous as Tooter.
Nellie's concerns over marriage were so realistic and great. Someone like Nellie is very independent and would need someone who allows her freedom in order to be happy. The fact that Lockwood was more than happy to give her that freedom and her father didn't pressure her into marriage was amazing.
I liked that this book takes place during an era where contraception was starting to be used. I also liked the whole subplot of the Comstock Law.
The evolution of Lockwood and Nellie's relationship was great. It felt organic and appropriate for the characters.
Nellie's concerns over being left behind by her friends were a nice addition. It's a realistic concern that you'll sort of get left behind as your friends get more into their relationships and grow their families. The fact that Nellie just sort of accepted that and didn't become hostile towards her friends or try to push them away was great to read. Throughout this entire book Nellie was simply an awesome friend.
The cameo from Teddy Roosevelt was awesome.
I loved that Lockwood came to his decision that Nellie was who he wanted pretty early on. While the beginning of their relationship sort of established that Nellie wasn't a suitable match, I like that Lockwood changed his mind on that pretty quickly and became dead set on proving to Nellie that they were perfect for each other.
I loved all the times Nellie's Irish half of the family were featured. It was fun and different from the typical high society settings.
The character growth with Nellie and Lockwood was perfection.

Cons:
The only thing I can think of is that I sort of wish the epilogue had been a little more detailed. We got a little tidbit about Lockwood's health situation, but I would've liked just a little bit more detail on that. I also would've liked to get just a little bit more on how Lockwood has changed his estate around. While that isn't super exciting I think just one sentence about getting help from Nellie's father on implementing good business practices on the estate and making smart investments would've ben nice.

Overall, this book was perfection. I'm assuming this is the last book in this series and I think it was a perfect conclusion. Aside from my one con mentioned above (which was a bit of a stretch), I wouldn't change anything about this book. I think I could wax poetic about this book for ages. I highly recommend!

Joanna Shupe concludes her fifth avenue rebels series with an outstanding romance between spirited Nellie and the thrice rejected Duke of Lockwood. There’s adorable antics, plenty of angst, and of course, enough heat to burn a house down. This series is one that has only grown stronger with each passing installment and has quickly risen to be one of my all time favorite romance quartets!

So. Ding. Dang. Hot.
The straight buttoned English lord with a spicy dark side & the free spirited heroine?? 🔥🔥🔥🔥
I tore though it and can't wait for the pb version.

This is a great conclusion to The Fifth Avenue Rebels series. I love the Gilded Age period in America and series has been a treat. Joanna Shupe brought to life four heiresses and their road to love while showing the rules and constraints of the time period. All four books have flashed back to a party at Newport in which all the characters are together. Nellie Young met a fascinating stranger while swimming in the ocean at night. She is stunned to learn the next day it is the Duke of Lockwood who the next day becomes engaged to her friend. If you read the previous books Lockwood is featured in all as a pauper Duke come to America to find an heiress wife to save his family estate. She needs to be rich and beyond reproach. Nellie is only one of those.

Nellie is a free spirit who has led a life of freedom with no plans to marry. She is drawn to the irresistible Lockwood but knows her reputation can mess up his plans. I love these two characters together. Nellie is tough but has a tender loyal side she doesn’t let others see. She longs for Lockwood as he yearns for her, not seeing how their futures can align. I like her bringing Lockwood to meet her mother’s Irish side of the family in Hell’s Kitchen. Nellie’s support of reproduction rights and education, always a part of her character, feels all the more timely today. And Lockwood who has always been a likable character gets a little more backstory and backbone. The epilogue makes me happy and is fits them.

I highly recommend if you like historical romance. This can be read on its own but you will get much more enjoyment if you read the whole series. The covers have all been stunning. This is my first review for a book not coming out until (Jan) 2023 but I jumped to read it once it became available. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager and the author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this latest Gilded Age romance by Joanna Shupe, headstrong Nellie Young has ruined her own reputation on purpose to avoid matrimony. So she's open to trysting with the stranger she meets swimming one night in the ocean...until he turns out to be the very proper Duke of Lockwood, almost-fiance to her best friend. Nellie and Lockwood continue to circle each other through his American bride hunt, but even as the two give in to their smoldering chemistry, she refuses to admit there's anything more between them.

It was satisfying to see Lockwood finally get his own HEA, after being rejected multiple times through the previous books in this series. He and Nellie are a good match and deserve one another (in a positive way). It was also nice to see everyone again, as they join forces to help Nellie and Lockwood get together.

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

A great entry into Shupe's current series, this book finally gives us the story we've been waiting for. The Duke is a wonderfully stern, buttoned-up hero, and Nellie is exactly the right heroine to finally catch him. Highly recommended.