The Lady Gets Lucky
Joanna Shupe
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: October 26, 2021
Series or Standalone: The Fifth Avenue Rebels #2
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: Alcoholism; suicide; death of a loved one; emotional abuse

The Lady Gets Lucky was literally *chefs kiss* – fitting as this book features a lady who wants to be a professional chef! Joanna Shupe is the master of the Gilded Age romance and this book is her at her best. Kit and Alice’s romance hits all the right notes, leading to a swoon-worthy, steamy read that I could not put down.

Shy heiress Alice Lusk doesn’t want to be a wallflower anymore. She wants to spark desire in a man and hopefully attract a husband who wants her for her, not for her money. Who better to teach her than Christopher “Kit” Ward, the suave and charming rogue who has a way with women. Meanwhile, Kit has a plan of his own as he’s aiming to open up the first supper’s club in New York, yet is struggling to find a chef. While Kit doesn’t want to offer lessons in seduction to Alice at first, when she shares she can provide him with the recipes from a renowned chef in exchange for lessons, he readily agrees. As their lessons in seduction grow more passionate and begin to pay off with the Society gentlemen, it’s harder for Alice and Kit to push their feelings aside for each other.

I’ll fully admit, I was hesitant going into this book as I was not a fan of The Heiress Hunt despite being a big fan of Shupe. I went into this book with an open mind though and was pleasantly surprised how quickly I fell for it. As soon as Alice snuck into Kit’s room asking for lessons in seduction, I knew this book would be for me. 

The romance in The Lady Get Lucky hit all the right notes. I love a good lessons in seduction trope and Shupe executed this one exquisitely. I’ve been craving romances with hardcore mutual pining between our romantic leads and this one delivered! My heart was fully invested in Kit and Alice’s romance. They’re an unlikely pair on paper, but when they’re together, it feels so natural. Not only is there fiery chemistry between the two of them, but there is also a deeper connection, a mutual understanding, that helps form the basis for their relationship. The pacing for their romantic relationship was incredible as the sexual tension continued to slowly build while their emotional attachment also steadily grew. Thanks to the seduction lessons, we get some incredibly steamy and sexy scenes – this one is up there with The Devil of Downtown of one of Shupe’s sexist reads!

Part of why this romance worked so well is due to Kit and Alice. They’re fantastic lead characters with incredible depth. Despite being incredibly shy, Alice has amazing hidden inner strength and spunk. Watching her come into her own and embrace her passions – both in the bedroom and in the kitchen – was thrilling. Her terrible mother (who I HATED) has constantly belittled her, ruining Alice’s self-esteem. It was amazing to watch Kit help bring Alice out of her shell to see her own worth and help her gain confidence. Meanwhile, Kit is the perfect charming rogue. He’s incredibly personable and has a way of making others feel at ease. Despite having a bit of a reputation, particularly with the ladies, he never judges Alice for her request for seduction lessons. He genuinely seemed like a good guy who looks out for others. I fell for him pretty hard, pretty fast. I also loved that Kit also gave Alice the opportunity to fulfill her wildest dreams – working as a professional chef. Not only does this mean the two of them will see each other more often, but it also shows how much Kit understands and trusts Alice.

In terms of the plot, I loved how the story unfolded. The beginning of the book overlaps with The Heiress Hunt as we’re out in Newport, but I really felt like the story picked up when Kit and Alice returned back to New York. They both thought they wouldn’t see each other again after Newport, yet they keep running into each other and can’t stay away. 

As a heads up, there is a bit of a dark turn around the 80% mark involving one of Kit’s friends that might be off-putting to some readers. I’ve left the content warnings for it as it’s a bit heavy, yet it felt like the expected outcome for this character. The tone shift is a little jarring and the event in question is a bit graphic, but I think it served a purpose as it helped with Kit’s character development and the progression of his and Alice’s relationship. 

I’m currently dying to read the next book in the series, though it’s not focused on the couple I’m most interested in. I’ve been dying for Nellie and the Duke of Lockwood’s story since I met them in The Heiress Hunt, but book three, The Bride Goes Rogue, will focus on Preston and Katherine. 

The Lady Gets Lucky took me by surprise as I was not expecting to love it as much as I did! I literally could not read this fast enough and stayed up until 2 am two nights in a row to finish it. The romance between Kit and Alice hit all the right notes and I could not read the book fast enough. 

This book has also caused me a SERIOUS book hangover as I’ve been struggling to find another romance I want to pick up. The Lady Gets Lucky is one of Joanna Shupe’s best books and my new all-time favorite of hers. I’m already looking forward to the next time I can read this. Definitely pick this one up if you haven’t already!