Book Review ⎜The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe

RATING

A delicious true and tried trope between an alleged wallflower and an infamous rake striking a somewhat easy bargain which will of course backfire on both of them. How long before the rake reforms and the lady gets fucky?

Book Infos

A first-rate scoundrel.
A desperate wallflower.
Lessons in seduction.

The woman no one notices . . .

Shy heiress Alice Lusk is tired of being overlooked by every bachelor. Something has to change, else she’ll be forced to marry a man whose only desire is her fortune. She needs to become a siren, a woman who causes a man’s blood to run hot . . .and she’s just met the perfect rogue to help teach her.

He’s the life of every party . . .

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.

Their bedroom instruction grows passionate, and Alice is a much better pupil than Kit had ever anticipated. When the Society gentlemen start to take notice, Kit has to try to win Alice in other ways . . . but is he too late to win her heart?

Author : Joanna Shupe
Title : The Lady Gets Lucky
Series : The Fifth Avenue Rebels #2

Number of pages : 396
Publisher : Avon
Release Date :  October 26th, 2021
Genre : Historical Romance

My Review

First of all, before we start, I strongly recommend having a loaf of babka at the ready. Please, trust me.

A delicious true and tried trope between an alleged wallflower and an infamous rake striking a somewhat easy bargain which will of course backfire on both of them. How long before the rake reforms and the lady gets fucky?

Seemingly shy debutante Alice Lusk dares strike a deal with Christopher ‘Kit’ Ward, notorious scoundrel known to turn the shyest women into proper vixens, convinced his tutelage necessary to rope-in a love match—or a lust match—anything, really, other than some arranged marriage her mother predestinates her to enter on account of her lack of appeal but considerable dowry.

Alice will provide the famous recipes Kit requires to successfully open a supper club in exchange for his valuable lessons in seduction.

At this point of my review, may I suggest a slice of babka to nibble on ?

I loved how fast the tables turned on our scoundrel during his “how to become a vixen” masterclass. Kit soon finds himself unable to resist his eager but innocent student—the crackling chemistry between them permeating the pages— and Alice can’t help but view Kit as more than he lets people see.

Now is probably a good time to go back for seconds on that babka .

Spurred by the house party time frame they’re both attending and Alice’s mother chaperoning her with a suffocating tight leash, their initial arrangement of kissing lessons for a recipe takes an illicit turn and keeps being revised as both become more invested than they dare to admit themselves, least to one another.

Babka anyone?

I loved the heroine, whose shyness and withdrawn manners were most likely part of the many shields unconciously built to protect herself from her unsufferable mother were just begging to vanish. I enjoyed seeing her wit, charm and confidence florish within her proximity and building intimacy with Kit.
I adored how the hero never stopped pushing Alice to seek new experiences but was still considerate of her safety and feelings as their encounters turned heated. He was so protective of her and we love a protecting hero. I just adore witnessing a total rake get soft for his woman. WAIT. Not soft like THAT—
There’s actually no misunderstanding HOW HARD the hero gets for Alice, the author spares us no thoughts—especially not the dirty ones—from Kit.

The core of their attraction for each other could be they recognized kindred a soul, both sharing a toxic and abusive parenting upbringing that shaped them into who they are today; the quiet, self-effacing wallflower and the nonchalant rake.

There is not such thing as too much babka, have some more

This opposites attract romance was perfectly served with:
▪︎crackling chemistry
▪︎exquisite culinary foreplay
▪︎heady notes of push and pull
▪︎a fairly amount of humor
▪︎heaps of pining
▪︎a healthy dose of steam
▪︎and a pinch of dirty talk.

Yes, all of this. Luscious, I’m telling you. The hero would have probably qualified this as ‘finger licking good’ but it was already taken.

Look, you already devoured all the babka!

Unconditional support, grovel and grand gesture finish to make of this historical romance the perfect treat. (Beside babka.)

Note : This is book 2 of a series but it does not require to read the previous book to be enjoyed. I haven’t read “The Heiress Hunt” which shares a timeline with “The Lady Gets Lucky” and it didn’t hinder my reading at all.

I received an early copy from the publisher

Author Bio & Links

Joanna Shupe has always loved history, ever since she saw her first Schoolhouse Rock cartoon. In 2013, she won Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart® Award for Best Historical. Since then, her books have appeared on numerous yearly “best of” lists, including Publishers Weekly, the Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Kobo, and BookPage. She lives in New Jersey with her two spirited daughters and dashing husband.

In the same series

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