Avon
Featuring: Lady Honora Parker; Julius Hatcher
384 pages ISBN: 0062678892 EAN: 9780062678898 Kindle: B01NAOA3O7 Mass Market Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List
A DARING ARRANGEMENT is book one in Joanna Shupe's Four
Hundred series. This is the first book I've ever read
by Joanna Shupe, but this story is enthralling and has me
eager to read more of her stories. I was initially attracted
to this book because I love "fake fiancé" stories, and the
description sounded very Lisa Kleypas-y. This book is
amazing! To get his daughter away from an inappropriate
suitor and a scandal, the Earl of Stratton ships his
daughter to New York City to stay with her aunt and uncle.
Lady Honora Parker may have lost a major battle with her
father, but she is determined to win the war. Rather than
mope, Nora hatches a scheme to get a fake suitor so wildly
unsuitable that her father will send her home to her beloved
starving artist. As clever as Nora may be, she cannot
anticipate that the man she chooses to be her fake fiancé
will be the real deal and practically perfect for her in
every way.
What starts out as a mutually beneficial bargain, becomes
more complicated and problematic for both parties as their
attraction grows along with their deeper feelings for each
other. Julius Hatcher appears to be the exact man Nora is
looking for to attract negative publicity and drive her
father crazy -- wealthy, wild, and womanizing. Nora soon
discovers that Julius is not quite the bad boy he is
purported to be. Although he is no paragon of virtue, Julius
is intelligent, a loyal friend, no despoiler of innocents, a
caring son and brother even when the affection is not
returned, and a lot of fun. As Nora slowly falls in love
with Julius, he becomes equally as smitten. Nora's mind and
spirit are just as intoxicating for Julius as her beauty,
and he has no problem telling her what he thinks of her --
in total swoon-worthy fashion. Nora and Julius eventually
find themselves working at cross purposes -- her wanting to
cause a spectacle, while he wants to avoid one. I love the
many ways in which Nora unintentionally befuddles Julius as
he tries to give Nora what she wants while not giving her
what she wants at the same time. Joanna Shupe does a superb
job of building the sexual tension along with the emotional
connection between the main characters while telling an
entertaining story.
A DARING ARRANGEMENT is a glorious and sensual Gilded Age
romance to die for. Secret rendezvous, dance halls, turret
trysts, and a dash of mystery -- yay! The shadowy villains
and mysteries Joanna Shupe includes in this story add depth
without obscuring the romance. The supporting characters
like Nora's newfound friends are great, and I hope some of
them get books of their own in the future like Julius' BFF
Frank Tripp. I can't wait to read the next book in this Four
Hundred series!
Set in New York City's Gilded Age, Joanna Shupe's Avon
debut introduces an English beauty with a wicked scheme to
win the man she loves--and the American scoundrel who ruins
her best laid plans...
Lady Honora Parker must get engaged as soon as possible, and
only a particular type of man will do. Nora seeks a mate so
abhorrent, so completely unacceptable, that her father will
reject the match--leaving her free to marry the artist she
loves. Who then is the most appalling man in Manhattan? The
wealthy, devilishly handsome financier, Julius Hatcher, of
course....
Julius is intrigued by Nora's ruse and decides to play
along. But to Nora's horror, Julius transforms himself into
the perfect fiancé, charming the very people she hoped he
would offend. It seems Julius has a secret plan all his
own--one that will solve a dark mystery from his past, and
perhaps turn him into the kind of man Nora could truly love.
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