Review - - BARON

BARON
By Joanna Shupe
Knickerbocker Club - Book 2
Publisher: Zebra
Release Date: October 25, 2016
  

Born into one of New York's most respected families, William Sloane is a railroad baron who has all the right friends in all the right places. But no matter how much success he achieves, he always wants more. Having secured his place atop the city's highest echelons of society, he's now setting his sights on a political run. Nothing can distract him from his next pursuit--except, perhaps, the enchanting con artist he never saw coming . . .

 Ava Jones has eked out a living the only way she knows how. As "Madam Zolikoff," she hoodwinks gullible audiences into believing she can communicate with the spirit world. But her carefully crafted persona is nearly destroyed when Will Sloane walks into her life--and lays bare her latest scheme. The charlatan is certain she can seduce the handsome millionaire into keeping her secret and using her skills for his campaign--unless he's the one who's already put a spell on her...


 
Joanna Shupe returns to 1888 New York City for another terrific story in her The Knickerbocker Club series. Readers of MAGNATE will remember Will Sloane as a pompous, snobbish railroad baron and older brother of heroine, Elizabeth Sloane. In BARON, he's still obsessively driven to succeed, not only running the railroad but also running for Lieutenant Governor of New York. Unfortunately, his running mate has fallen under the spell of one Madam Zolikoff, a so-called medium. Confident of his social, financial, and intellectual superiority, Will sets out to teach the woman a lesson and expose her for the fraud she is. Little does he know that he will be the one learning the lessons. 

Ava Jones may not have the money or the social connections that Will enjoys but she's one smart cookie. She dreams of a bucolic farm far from New York City where she can give her three younger siblings a good life away from the factories and gangs that threaten to pull them under. As Madam Zolikoff, she is slowly earning the funds she needs to make that dream come true. She just needs a few more months and is not about to let a stuffy know-it-all ruin everything, even if he is handsome. But then she sees flashes of generosity, how he interacts with her siblings, and begins to wonder if there isn't more to this man than what he shows the world. Will he be her worst nightmare...or the answer to her prayers?

Shupe brings the streets of New York to life in this Gilded Age story. After reading MAGNATE, I was curious as to how she was going to make Will into an appealing hero. She not only succeeded, she kept me flipping pages far into the night to find out what would happen next. Ava is a wonderful character and the perfect match for Will. I love how she keeps him on his toes and is a constant reminder that the world does not revolve around him. Shupe skillfully reveals the hidden depths of Will throughout the story, allowing us glimpses into the childhood that molded him into a man driven to prove his father wrong. He's much more complex than I expected him to be. 

BARON stands well on its own but I think readers will have a richer reading experience if they read MAGNATE first as characters from MAGNATE have pivotal roles in this book. If you're looking for an American historical romance, rich in history, with vibrant characters, a fast-paced story, snappy dialogue, and a sigh-worthy romance, look no further than Joanna Shupe's BARON...and MAGNATE!

~PJ

Today's Special - - Joanna Shupe

Photo by Kathryn Huang Photography

It's my pleasure to welcome Joanna Shupe to the Romance Dish today. I'm so excited about her new The Knickerbocker Club series, set in New York City during the Gilded Age, one of my favorite American historical periods. You can read Janga's reviews of TYCOON (a novella) and MAGNATE (first book in the series) here. 

Joanna Shupe has always loved history, a fact that is clearly evident in her writing. She was the 2013 winner of RWA's Golden Heart® for Best Historical, her first Regency historical, The Courtesan Duchess was nominated as Best First Historical by RT Book Reviews, and The Lady Hellion was named one of the Washington Post's top five romance novels. Joanna can be found online at: Facebook  Twitter.

The Gilded Age vs. The Regency

Thanks for hosting me on The Romance Dish today! I’m excited to be here today to discuss the Gilded Age, which serves as the setting for my new historical romance, MAGNATE.

In Romancelandia, we know all about the Regency. It’s the beloved time in British history of Jane Austen, Byron, and the Prince Regent. Just say the word and we imagine balls, dukes, fancy gowns, and strict social conventions that heroines love to skirt.

Most romance readers are less familiar with the American Gilded Age, a pocket of extreme wealth

and industrialization at the end of the nineteenth century. You might recognize Boss Tweed, Tammany Hall and trust busting from school, which are, in concept, about as interesting as a root canal. But stay with me, because I’m about to blow your mind (I hope).

All that stuff you love about the Regency era? The Gilded Age has it, too. Let’s break it down…

Fashion

In the Regency, English ladies wore elegant gowns with empire waists and long flowing skirts. The Gilded Age had gowns, too, and wealthy American women had oodles of money to spend on the very best, which usually meant dresses designed by the House of Worth, the originators of haute couture as we know it today.

Just search “House of Worth Gowns” on Pinterest. You. Will. Not. Be. Sorry.

 Balls

The Gilded Age had fancy balls, as well as debutantes. And yes, the balls were just as exclusive as the Regency soirees. You might have heard the term “The Four Hundred,” which originated because Mrs. Astor’s ballroom only held four hundred people. Needless to say, this quickly established a list of who’s who in New York society.

With so much money on hand for the Gilded Age’s elite, the balls were extravagant. Want 10,000 butterflies shipped in from Brazil? What about swans floating in a real pond as a centerpiece? Or party favors of gold pencil cases, jewelry, or cash? All of these actually happened.

High Society

In Regency romance, we adore our dukes. And little wonder: the British aristocracy is an exclusive club not many could join. The high society of New York, however, operated in much the same way. No matter how wealthy you were, if your roots couldn’t be traced all the way back to the Dutch settlers of Manhattan, you were too gauche for this crowd.

This was why many of the nouveau riche in America married their daughters off to English noblemen; they couldn’t buy acceptance in society, so they hoped to gain it through a British title.

There are more similarities—from stately mansions and scandals, to class struggles and social upheaval—but one major difference between the two eras are the industrial advances.

The Technology

The Gilded Age had more modern toys, including railroads, the telegraph, and telephones. Even the automobile comes in at the tail end. Thankfully, there were still carriages and horses for those quick romantic rides across town. Have you watched The Age of Innocence, when Daniel Day-Lewis seduces Michelle Pfeiffer in the carriage? Gilded Age hotness!

If you like historical romance, I hope you will give the Gilded Age a try. It’s a fascinating era, and my very favorite.

What’s your favorite historical movie? Comment below with your answer for the chance to win a signed paperback copy of MAGNATE!

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New York City’s Gilded Age shimmers with unimaginable wealth and glittering power. The men of the Knickerbocker Club know this more than anyone else. But for one millionaire, the business of love is not what he expected…

Born in the slums of Five Points, Emmett Cavanaugh climbed his way to the top of a booming steel empire and now holds court in an opulent Fifth Avenue mansion. His rise in stations, however, has done little to elevate his taste in women. He loathes the city’s “high society” types, but a rebellious and beautiful blue-blood just might change all that.

Elizabeth Sloane’s mind is filled with more than the latest parlor room gossip. Lizzie can play the Stock Exchange as deftly as New York’s most accomplished brokers—but she needs a man to put her skills to use. Emmett reluctantly agrees when the stunning socialite asks him to back her trades and split the profits. But love and business make strange bedfellows, and as their fragile partnership begins to crack, they’ll discover a passion more frenzied than the trading room floor…