For Damien is fighting a battle of his own, one he wishes to keep hidden-along with his feelings for Lady Sophia. A woman with a perilously absurd request, no less.

The man she won’t let destroy her again…The last thing Damien Beecham, Viscount Quint, needs is an intrusion on his privacy, especially from the beautiful, exasperating woman he’s never stopped wanting. But only one person can help her: Lord Quint, the man who broke her heart years ago. All she needs is instruction on how to shoot it. Now her fate is in her own hands, along with a loaded gun. She’s not concerned about the criminals who will cross her path, for Sophie has mastered the art of deception-including the art of wearing trousers. Especially when she’s roaming London’s seedy underground…dressed as a man.A rabble rouser for justice, Sophie’s latest mission is to fight for the rights of the poor, the wretched-and the employees at Madame Hartley’s brothel. (Nov.Lady Sophia Barnes doesn’t take no for an answer.

This tumultuous love affair will charm even the most jaded society matron. The impoverished, good-hearted woman marrying the stuffy millionaire is what fairy tales are made of, but Shupe keeps the romance grounded with the realistic details of Ava’s hardscrabble life. They have nothing in common, but their personalities are highly complementary Ava’s pragmatism and devotion to her siblings draw out Will’s sense of fair play, honesty, and justice, and it’s increasingly difficult for him to remember why they have to stay in their own social spheres.

Will is starch and pomposity personified, but every minute with Ava, in and out of bed, musses him up and makes him more human. The sexual heat between them burns slowly, but when Will finally gives in, he loses control. He’s intrigued that a young woman with no connections, money, or venerable family name still refuses to be awed by his wealth or impressed by his grand plans. Unlike his sister, Lizzie (the heroine of Magnate), who chafed under society’s strictures, Will doesn’t mind the traditions of New York’s moneyed elite, but Ava’s scorn for the wealthy throws him off balance. His political aspirations cannot afford the romantic distraction of Ava Jones, who supports her three siblings with the money she earns as the medium Madame Zolikoff. Railroad tycoon William Sloan knows his fledgling gubernatorial campaign needs his sterling reputation and every single one of his connections to take on the corrupt Tammany Hall political machine. In Shupe’s engaging and sexy second romance set in the glittering Gilded Age, sparks fly when a hardworking and enterprising performer crosses paths with one of New York City’s powerful Knickerbocker families.

Baron by Joanna Shupe