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The Four Hundred #1
A Daring Arrangement
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 desires. 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.
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 desires. 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.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 31, 2017
269 people are currently reading
3748 people want to read
About the author
Joanna Shupe
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http://www.joannashupe.com/newsletter/
USA Today bestselling author JOANNA SHUPE has always loved history, ever since she saw her first Schoolhouse Rock cartoon. Since 2015, her books have appeared on numerous yearly “best of” lists, including Publishers Weekly, The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Kobo, and BookPage.
She currently lives in New Jersey with her two spirited daughters and a dashing husband.
http://www.joannashupe.com/newsletter/
USA Today bestselling author JOANNA SHUPE has always loved history, ever since she saw her first Schoolhouse Rock cartoon. Since 2015, her books have appeared on numerous yearly “best of” lists, including Publishers Weekly, The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Kobo, and BookPage.
She currently lives in New Jersey with her two spirited daughters and a dashing husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 578 reviews
June 25, 2023
This is my first read of a Joanna Shupe romance and I enjoyed it. I liked the plot and the characters with enjoyable descriptions of the Gilded Age. The revenge plot was very secondary and added little. A lot of the story rested on the characters, and I think their backstory held the book together. The middle lagged a bit, but all is tied up nicely at the end.
May 6, 2020
Translation widget on The blog!!!
Nora, fiica căzută în dizgrație a unui conte englez, trimisa la New York pentru a-și gasi un soț, este hotărâtă să facă tot posibilul ca tatăl ei sa o cheme acasă. Dorul de Robert- iubitul lăsat în urma este cel care îi dă curaj.
Astfel, ajunge să-i facă o propunere neobișnuită celui mai destrăbălat om din oraș: Julius! O logodnă falsă care să-i oripileze tatăl și să-l determine să o cheme înapoi...
Cei doi pornesc hotărâți în această aventură, încercând să-și atingă fiecare scopurile. Dar, sentimentele și atracția ce apar între ei le dauplanurile peste cap. De aici, începe o luptă constantă a fiecăruia pentru a-și atinge propriul țel...
Apar provocări ce le pun viețile în pericol, comploturi care riscă să se termine cu o tragedie. Cu toate acestea, atât Nora cât și Julius realizează că dragostea poate să apară atunci când nu te aștepți și să îți ofere bucurii fără margini.
O lectură care împletește umorul cu romantismul într-o poveste emoționantă.
Recenzia mea completă o găsiți aici:
https://justreadingmybooks.wordpress....
Nora, fiica căzută în dizgrație a unui conte englez, trimisa la New York pentru a-și gasi un soț, este hotărâtă să facă tot posibilul ca tatăl ei sa o cheme acasă. Dorul de Robert- iubitul lăsat în urma este cel care îi dă curaj.
Astfel, ajunge să-i facă o propunere neobișnuită celui mai destrăbălat om din oraș: Julius! O logodnă falsă care să-i oripileze tatăl și să-l determine să o cheme înapoi...
Cei doi pornesc hotărâți în această aventură, încercând să-și atingă fiecare scopurile. Dar, sentimentele și atracția ce apar între ei le dauplanurile peste cap. De aici, începe o luptă constantă a fiecăruia pentru a-și atinge propriul țel...
Apar provocări ce le pun viețile în pericol, comploturi care riscă să se termine cu o tragedie. Cu toate acestea, atât Nora cât și Julius realizează că dragostea poate să apară atunci când nu te aștepți și să îți ofere bucurii fără margini.
O lectură care împletește umorul cu romantismul într-o poveste emoționantă.
Recenzia mea completă o găsiți aici:
https://justreadingmybooks.wordpress....
December 18, 2017
I've given this a B+ so that's 4.5 stars.
I’ve read all of Joanna Shupe’s novels (I believe) and have enjoyed them to differing degrees. Looking back at my review of her début novel, The Courtesan Duchess, I said that while flawed, it was an engrossing read and that I was looking forward to reading more of her work. Several books later, I’m still reading her and while we’ve had our ups and downs, she’s firmly on my radar and is pretty much a ‘must read’ author for me these days. A Daring Arrangement, the first in her new Four Hundred series, tells the story of the fake-engagement between an English Lady and an American scoundrel and is quite possibly her best novel yet.
Lady Honoria (Nora) Parker, the daughter of the Earl of Stratton was sent to New York in order to avoid scandal after she was caught in a clinch with the man she loves, Robert Landon, an aspiring – and penniless – artist. Nora is currently staying with her aunt and uncle, James and Beatrice Cortland, a thoroughly amiable couple who are only too delighted to have her with them, and Nora is enjoying the chance to get to know her aunt, but unhappy at being separated from Robert, to whom she writes almost daily. She is determined to get back to England as quickly as possible, and to that end has come up with a plan; she will find the most disreputable man in New York and enter into a false betrothal with him. Once news of it reaches her father’s ears, he will summon her home immediately and she hopes she will be able to persuade the earl to permit her to marry Robert.
First of all, however, she has to surmount the major problem of not knowing any suitably debauched men; she can hardly ask her aunt to introduce her to some, after all. But one night at dinner at an exclusive restaurant, she learns that the raucous party taking place on the floor above is being hosted by the well-known financier, Julius Hatcher and it seems as though she’s found the answer to her prayers. She has been in New York for only one month, but is already familiar with Hatcher’s name because it is rarely absent from the gossip columns.
A handsome, brash swell with more money than sense, he threw elaborate parties and associated with a string of high-profile actresses… he’d even built a replica of a sixteenth-century French castle on Upper Fifth Avenue – complete with a moat.
Naturally, while high society looks down its collective nose at Hatcher’s exploits, its members are only too happy to be entertained by them while simultaneously denying him entrée to their sacred halls, so Nora hasn’t actually met the man. But she can’t let this chance slip by, so makes an excuse to her party and immediately hurries upstairs – to discover the ballroom full of men on horseback! When Nora finally manages to locate her quarry, he is more than three sheets to the wind, but she is undeterred. He’s also utterly gorgeous, but she refuses to let that worry her, either. She quickly outlines her proposal – if he will agree to pose as her fiancé long enough to garner her father’s ire, in exchange, she will gain him entry to all the society events from which he has so far been barred – and is relieved when he accepts. Just before he passes out.
Julius Hatcher is a mathematical genius with a real talent for reading the markets and making shrewd investments. He’s a self-made man who has worked hard for his success and has, for the past thirteen years been trying to uncover the identities of the three society gentlemen who screwed over his father in an investment deal. With the entrée to the higher echelons of society provided by his new not-fiancée, Julius hopes to find those men and somehow punish them for what they did to his father. Unfortunately, his desire to gain society’s acceptance is diametrically opposed to Nora’s desire to cause a ruckus; her plan hinges on the fact that Julius is a walking scandal, but obviously she forgot the old adage that one shouldn’t believe everything one reads in the papers, because it very quickly becomes apparent that there’s much more to Julius Hatcher than she’s read in the gossip rags and that he’s far from being as black as he is painted.
I’m always up for a good fake-relationship story, and this is a very good one that came quite close to being a DIK. The writing is excellent, the chemistry between the leads is fabulous and Ms. Shupe develops their slow-burn romance beautifully. Her descriptions of New York’s Gilded Age are evocative and vivid, putting the reader firmly in the midst of glittering society ballrooms and the seedier venues down in the Tenderloin district. Julius is a swoonworthy hero; handsome, sexy as hell and highly intelligent, he is quick to work out Nora’s reasons for wanting a fake-engagement and is determined to save her from herself by protecting her reputation even though she is equally determined to throw it away if it will get her what she wants. But he’s yet another marriage-shy bachelor who avoids anything long term because he doesn’t want that sort of responsibility and believes it will only lead to disappointment. (Although to be fair, once we meet his mother his position becomes more understandable.) Nora is a spirited, intelligent young woman, and for the most part, I liked her; yet she puts herself and others in danger because of her desire to marry a man the reader knows from page one is not worthy of her. Fortunately, she does learn from her mistakes and exhibits character growth as the story progresses; I ended up admiring her for her honesty and the fact that by the end, she is unwilling to settle for anything less than a man who loves her for herself.
The sub-plot relating to Julius’ search for the men who destroyed his father is nicely done, too, but my biggest issue with the story overall is with the final section, which risks over-egging the dramatic pudding by adding on a hero/heroine-in-peril type of plotline. The tacking-on of a mystery or melodramatic dénouement is something that seems to be almost de rigueur in historical romance these days, but rarely do such things feel integral to the story, and often they smack of contrivance. Whereas up until this point the characters have been driving the story, here, the plot takes over, and it’s a noticeable shift in gear which I found somewhat jarring.
Overall though, A Daring Arrangement is a great read, packed with wonderful dialogue, strongly-drawn secondary characters, a well-developed romance and sensual love scenes. I’m more than happy to recommend it to others and am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.
I’ve read all of Joanna Shupe’s novels (I believe) and have enjoyed them to differing degrees. Looking back at my review of her début novel, The Courtesan Duchess, I said that while flawed, it was an engrossing read and that I was looking forward to reading more of her work. Several books later, I’m still reading her and while we’ve had our ups and downs, she’s firmly on my radar and is pretty much a ‘must read’ author for me these days. A Daring Arrangement, the first in her new Four Hundred series, tells the story of the fake-engagement between an English Lady and an American scoundrel and is quite possibly her best novel yet.
Lady Honoria (Nora) Parker, the daughter of the Earl of Stratton was sent to New York in order to avoid scandal after she was caught in a clinch with the man she loves, Robert Landon, an aspiring – and penniless – artist. Nora is currently staying with her aunt and uncle, James and Beatrice Cortland, a thoroughly amiable couple who are only too delighted to have her with them, and Nora is enjoying the chance to get to know her aunt, but unhappy at being separated from Robert, to whom she writes almost daily. She is determined to get back to England as quickly as possible, and to that end has come up with a plan; she will find the most disreputable man in New York and enter into a false betrothal with him. Once news of it reaches her father’s ears, he will summon her home immediately and she hopes she will be able to persuade the earl to permit her to marry Robert.
First of all, however, she has to surmount the major problem of not knowing any suitably debauched men; she can hardly ask her aunt to introduce her to some, after all. But one night at dinner at an exclusive restaurant, she learns that the raucous party taking place on the floor above is being hosted by the well-known financier, Julius Hatcher and it seems as though she’s found the answer to her prayers. She has been in New York for only one month, but is already familiar with Hatcher’s name because it is rarely absent from the gossip columns.
A handsome, brash swell with more money than sense, he threw elaborate parties and associated with a string of high-profile actresses… he’d even built a replica of a sixteenth-century French castle on Upper Fifth Avenue – complete with a moat.
Naturally, while high society looks down its collective nose at Hatcher’s exploits, its members are only too happy to be entertained by them while simultaneously denying him entrée to their sacred halls, so Nora hasn’t actually met the man. But she can’t let this chance slip by, so makes an excuse to her party and immediately hurries upstairs – to discover the ballroom full of men on horseback! When Nora finally manages to locate her quarry, he is more than three sheets to the wind, but she is undeterred. He’s also utterly gorgeous, but she refuses to let that worry her, either. She quickly outlines her proposal – if he will agree to pose as her fiancé long enough to garner her father’s ire, in exchange, she will gain him entry to all the society events from which he has so far been barred – and is relieved when he accepts. Just before he passes out.
Julius Hatcher is a mathematical genius with a real talent for reading the markets and making shrewd investments. He’s a self-made man who has worked hard for his success and has, for the past thirteen years been trying to uncover the identities of the three society gentlemen who screwed over his father in an investment deal. With the entrée to the higher echelons of society provided by his new not-fiancée, Julius hopes to find those men and somehow punish them for what they did to his father. Unfortunately, his desire to gain society’s acceptance is diametrically opposed to Nora’s desire to cause a ruckus; her plan hinges on the fact that Julius is a walking scandal, but obviously she forgot the old adage that one shouldn’t believe everything one reads in the papers, because it very quickly becomes apparent that there’s much more to Julius Hatcher than she’s read in the gossip rags and that he’s far from being as black as he is painted.
I’m always up for a good fake-relationship story, and this is a very good one that came quite close to being a DIK. The writing is excellent, the chemistry between the leads is fabulous and Ms. Shupe develops their slow-burn romance beautifully. Her descriptions of New York’s Gilded Age are evocative and vivid, putting the reader firmly in the midst of glittering society ballrooms and the seedier venues down in the Tenderloin district. Julius is a swoonworthy hero; handsome, sexy as hell and highly intelligent, he is quick to work out Nora’s reasons for wanting a fake-engagement and is determined to save her from herself by protecting her reputation even though she is equally determined to throw it away if it will get her what she wants. But he’s yet another marriage-shy bachelor who avoids anything long term because he doesn’t want that sort of responsibility and believes it will only lead to disappointment. (Although to be fair, once we meet his mother his position becomes more understandable.) Nora is a spirited, intelligent young woman, and for the most part, I liked her; yet she puts herself and others in danger because of her desire to marry a man the reader knows from page one is not worthy of her. Fortunately, she does learn from her mistakes and exhibits character growth as the story progresses; I ended up admiring her for her honesty and the fact that by the end, she is unwilling to settle for anything less than a man who loves her for herself.
The sub-plot relating to Julius’ search for the men who destroyed his father is nicely done, too, but my biggest issue with the story overall is with the final section, which risks over-egging the dramatic pudding by adding on a hero/heroine-in-peril type of plotline. The tacking-on of a mystery or melodramatic dénouement is something that seems to be almost de rigueur in historical romance these days, but rarely do such things feel integral to the story, and often they smack of contrivance. Whereas up until this point the characters have been driving the story, here, the plot takes over, and it’s a noticeable shift in gear which I found somewhat jarring.
Overall though, A Daring Arrangement is a great read, packed with wonderful dialogue, strongly-drawn secondary characters, a well-developed romance and sensual love scenes. I’m more than happy to recommend it to others and am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.
March 22, 2022
I wanted to love this, but it ended up being just okay for me. The heroine is in love with an artist, but her father sends her to America to find a husband. Nora is upset and decides to find the man with the worst reputation to get involved with so that she embarrasses her family and is sent back to be with her artist. She finds Julius and makes him a proposition. Julius has some demons in his past and is trying to figure out who was involved with his father's death. They agree to fake court, but in the end fall for one another. This one was just fine...I didn't love the connection between the characters and the romance was a bit boring. I also felt like her feelings for the artist disappeared way too quickly and I didn't really buy she was madly in love with him. She basically cheated on him throughout this book. I don't mind cheating if it's included for a purpose and this one didn't really have a purpose. So this was a miss for me.
Read
July 3, 2017ARC provided by Edelweiss and publisher for an honest review.
I'm not going to rate this one, I just couldn't get into this book and I tried till the halfway point and finally gave up.
I'm not sure if it was the writing style or the characters, who just didn't appeal to me.
Something just didn't click . Probably just me, so no rating.
I'm not going to rate this one, I just couldn't get into this book and I tried till the halfway point and finally gave up.
I'm not sure if it was the writing style or the characters, who just didn't appeal to me.
Something just didn't click . Probably just me, so no rating.
Read
November 4, 2017DNF @32%
Lost interest, to be honest. I didn’t like the heroine, Nora. Actually, i couldn’t connect to either main character. I didn’t like the execution of the premise. And I didn’t like the constant references to English and American stereotypes.
That, and Caz’s review, which firmly states that there is character growth in Nora, lead me to believe that my DNF may very well be a case of ‘it’s me, it’s not you.’ Therefore, no rating.
I may come back to it one day and finish it.
Lost interest, to be honest. I didn’t like the heroine, Nora. Actually, i couldn’t connect to either main character. I didn’t like the execution of the premise. And I didn’t like the constant references to English and American stereotypes.
“Nora is steel and spice, with centuries of British female resourcefulness in her genes.” Yes, that summed up what he knew of Nora thus far.There were more but after reading about a third of the book and still having my head bashed in about it, in case I forgot that Julius was an American and Nora the daughter of an English earl, I got tired. I guess that having read The Scot Beds His Wife not so long ago, didn’t help either.
****
“Most of those places are in dangerous neighborhoods hardly suitable for an English lady.“
****
“This isn’t London, sweetheart. This is New York City and we can spot a fraud from a mile away.”
****
Messy emotional entanglements? Was that what the British aristocrats called kissing?
That, and Caz’s review, which firmly states that there is character growth in Nora, lead me to believe that my DNF may very well be a case of ‘it’s me, it’s not you.’ Therefore, no rating.
I may come back to it one day and finish it.
January 10, 2018
2.5 stars
The basis for this is a fake engagement, which I can usually get behind but the heroine was in "luv" with another man for over half of story which is what I can't usually get behind. I had a really hard time feeling it between the hero and heroine. The hero felt a little same old, same old and his family relationship with his mother and sister had them feeling like caricature villains. The heroine had some incredible obtuse moments with not understanding how situations could be dangerous to her and why she might not want to fully blacken her reputation.
I really enjoyed the different Knickerbocker time period and the author did a great job describing the over-the-top grandeur. Relationships between characters felt forced or didn't flow well to me but there was something to the author's writing, I just need it to break free from the paint-by-numbers feel.
The basis for this is a fake engagement, which I can usually get behind but the heroine was in "luv" with another man for over half of story which is what I can't usually get behind. I had a really hard time feeling it between the hero and heroine. The hero felt a little same old, same old and his family relationship with his mother and sister had them feeling like caricature villains. The heroine had some incredible obtuse moments with not understanding how situations could be dangerous to her and why she might not want to fully blacken her reputation.
I really enjoyed the different Knickerbocker time period and the author did a great job describing the over-the-top grandeur. Relationships between characters felt forced or didn't flow well to me but there was something to the author's writing, I just need it to break free from the paint-by-numbers feel.
August 10, 2022
3.5 stars
A Daring Arrangment is a fake fiancé historical romances. I love anything fake dating, marriage of convince etc so I was excited to read this. I enjoyed it, it didn’t blow me away but I liked the characters and the story.
A Daring Arrangment is a fake fiancé historical romances. I love anything fake dating, marriage of convince etc so I was excited to read this. I enjoyed it, it didn’t blow me away but I liked the characters and the story.
Audio book source: Hoopla
Story Rating: 3.5 stars
Narrators: Roxy Isles
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: 9h 14m
September 30, 2017
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
This is the first time I have ever read this author and all I can is IMPRESSIVE....I was really blown away by this book and I am not sure if I will give this book the credit it deserves but I am going in full speed ahead anyway.
In A Daring Arrangement we have a story of a couple, that are brought together in a night of birthday parties, drinking, horses and a fake engagement...intrigued yet?? Well you all should be because the beginning of the story was quite frankly the best beginning I have read in a long LONG while and it left me grinning from the first couple of pages. Our heroine is desperate. She has fallen in love with a artist, but her father disapporves and heavily. So he ships her off to America to stay with her aunt in New York City for a time. Honora Parker, has a plan, a dangerous one for sure, but she has a plan. In order to return home, she will need to let scandal erupt but not too much. So she will hunt down the biggest scoundrel and dangerous man in New York City and seek out a fake engagement and then her father will bring her back to England so she can be with her first love. Only there is one problem with the plan, her fake fiancee is starting to feel too real, and she is starting to feel more for this American than she has ever felt for her artist. And this daring arrangement has turned out to be one of true love...
What a story that packs a whollop and boy oh boy, has it been a while since I have read a fake engagement romance and one that deals with a lady of the Ton and an American and takes place in the States instead of England as is the norm. I found this setting to be quite refreshing. And another aspect that I didn't expect was our hero. Now this is a man that has had to go after his own future. When his father made a poor investment, his family lost everything. And he never wanted to suffer that again and he became a investment tycoon. And is one of the richest men in New York City. He does have a "wild" reputation but quite honestly this hero of ours is way more responsible than our heroine. Now don't get me wrong, I liked her in many ways. But she was naive and too innocent and very reckless. She wanted scandal and everything but not too much to destroy her but just enough to make her father angry. Thank goodness for Julius being the logical and sensible of the pair here. He keeps her out of TOO much trouble that she is determined to get herself into. I really did enjoy the adventures these two go on and the chemistry that builds between them. This is more of a slow burn romance, it builds in just the right ways. I liked that it wasn't too rushed and seemed to fit right for this pair.
A Daring Arrangement is a love affair that is full of mischief, laughter, nothing too sensible....lively sparks and packed with emotion and adventure!! A Romance to die for and will lift any reader's spirits. This story is bound to keep you on your toes. Guaranteed.
This is the first time I have ever read this author and all I can is IMPRESSIVE....I was really blown away by this book and I am not sure if I will give this book the credit it deserves but I am going in full speed ahead anyway.
In A Daring Arrangement we have a story of a couple, that are brought together in a night of birthday parties, drinking, horses and a fake engagement...intrigued yet?? Well you all should be because the beginning of the story was quite frankly the best beginning I have read in a long LONG while and it left me grinning from the first couple of pages. Our heroine is desperate. She has fallen in love with a artist, but her father disapporves and heavily. So he ships her off to America to stay with her aunt in New York City for a time. Honora Parker, has a plan, a dangerous one for sure, but she has a plan. In order to return home, she will need to let scandal erupt but not too much. So she will hunt down the biggest scoundrel and dangerous man in New York City and seek out a fake engagement and then her father will bring her back to England so she can be with her first love. Only there is one problem with the plan, her fake fiancee is starting to feel too real, and she is starting to feel more for this American than she has ever felt for her artist. And this daring arrangement has turned out to be one of true love...
What a story that packs a whollop and boy oh boy, has it been a while since I have read a fake engagement romance and one that deals with a lady of the Ton and an American and takes place in the States instead of England as is the norm. I found this setting to be quite refreshing. And another aspect that I didn't expect was our hero. Now this is a man that has had to go after his own future. When his father made a poor investment, his family lost everything. And he never wanted to suffer that again and he became a investment tycoon. And is one of the richest men in New York City. He does have a "wild" reputation but quite honestly this hero of ours is way more responsible than our heroine. Now don't get me wrong, I liked her in many ways. But she was naive and too innocent and very reckless. She wanted scandal and everything but not too much to destroy her but just enough to make her father angry. Thank goodness for Julius being the logical and sensible of the pair here. He keeps her out of TOO much trouble that she is determined to get herself into. I really did enjoy the adventures these two go on and the chemistry that builds between them. This is more of a slow burn romance, it builds in just the right ways. I liked that it wasn't too rushed and seemed to fit right for this pair.
A Daring Arrangement is a love affair that is full of mischief, laughter, nothing too sensible....lively sparks and packed with emotion and adventure!! A Romance to die for and will lift any reader's spirits. This story is bound to keep you on your toes. Guaranteed.
December 4, 2020
Reseña completa: https://masromance.blogspot.com/2020/...
La magia de esta novela está en sus personajes y las situaciones y conversaciones que comparten
No es muy novedosa, da igual el porqué ella está allí, pero estamos ante el usual acuerdo de noviazgo falto y, ya sabemos cómo acaban siempre
Lo nuevo, pues que en vez de en Londres, estamos en la época dorada de Nueva York y él, no es realmente como piensa ella cuando lo elige como candidato.
Sin ser un novelón, me lo he pasado bien, muy bien leyéndolo, sobre todo al principio con las sorpresas continuas de ella
Ambos me ha gustado y solo hay un tema que me ha quedado sin atar, aunque la autora lo ata, pero no de la forma que a mí me hubiera gustado.
A esta autora le gusta adornar sus novelas con escenas poco habituales (o no tanto) en histórica, pero al menos, intenta justificarlas
Leeré los siguientes ;)
La magia de esta novela está en sus personajes y las situaciones y conversaciones que comparten
No es muy novedosa, da igual el porqué ella está allí, pero estamos ante el usual acuerdo de noviazgo falto y, ya sabemos cómo acaban siempre
Lo nuevo, pues que en vez de en Londres, estamos en la época dorada de Nueva York y él, no es realmente como piensa ella cuando lo elige como candidato.
Sin ser un novelón, me lo he pasado bien, muy bien leyéndolo, sobre todo al principio con las sorpresas continuas de ella
Ambos me ha gustado y solo hay un tema que me ha quedado sin atar, aunque la autora lo ata, pero no de la forma que a mí me hubiera gustado.
A esta autora le gusta adornar sus novelas con escenas poco habituales (o no tanto) en histórica, pero al menos, intenta justificarlas
Leeré los siguientes ;)
October 25, 2017
The fake fiancée is one of my favorite tropes, so I was pretty eager to get to this one.
I love love loved Nora and Julius. She’s strong and stands up for herself. He’s charming and there’s way more than meets the eye. Together they have excellent banter and a crap load of chemistry. It was fun to read their relationship grow and change from lust to love.
Plot wise, it was entertaining. I enjoyed seeing the shenanigans they got into and the various other threads outside of their relationship were just as interesting. The small bit of angsty times didn’t last too long and the last couple of chapters were perfect.
Overall, it was a quick and satisfying read. I’ll definitely be looking for other books in the series.
**Huge thanks to Avon Books for providing the arc free of charge**
I love love loved Nora and Julius. She’s strong and stands up for herself. He’s charming and there’s way more than meets the eye. Together they have excellent banter and a crap load of chemistry. It was fun to read their relationship grow and change from lust to love.
Plot wise, it was entertaining. I enjoyed seeing the shenanigans they got into and the various other threads outside of their relationship were just as interesting. The small bit of angsty times didn’t last too long and the last couple of chapters were perfect.
Overall, it was a quick and satisfying read. I’ll definitely be looking for other books in the series.
**Huge thanks to Avon Books for providing the arc free of charge**
March 20, 2022
Joanna's writing is ALWAYS so solid and engaging, I never fail to get immersed in her stories every time. But this one fell a bit flat for me in characterization (they felt flat, not fully fleshed out) and with the promise of a revenge plot that never really panned out.
Looking forward to book 2!
Looking forward to book 2!
November 12, 2021
As always, Joanna Shupe's writing is fabulous, and she managed to transport me to Gilded Age NYC and all the ridiculous splendor it entailed. I was excited to dive into her backlist after loving her Uptown Girls series and her most recent The Lady Gets Lucky. While I didn't love A Daring Arrangement quite as much, it was still enjoyable, and I'm still looking forward to continuing the series.
I didn't particularly connect with either Nora or Julius. They were both perfectly fine characters, but they never tugged at my heartstrings in any way. It was fun seeing Frank Tripp make an appearance and play a role in the story, and I also really enjoyed Nora's meddling but sweet Aunt Beatrice.
My main gripe was with Nora's motivation to return to England: she is in love with a poor artist named Robert, of whom her father disapproves. Even if and that always feels icky.
All in all, I think lovers of Historical Romance would enjoy this, especially if you're looking for a story set outside of the UK. Now on to book #2!
I didn't particularly connect with either Nora or Julius. They were both perfectly fine characters, but they never tugged at my heartstrings in any way. It was fun seeing Frank Tripp make an appearance and play a role in the story, and I also really enjoyed Nora's meddling but sweet Aunt Beatrice.
My main gripe was with Nora's motivation to return to England: she is in love with a poor artist named Robert, of whom her father disapproves. Even if and that always feels icky.
All in all, I think lovers of Historical Romance would enjoy this, especially if you're looking for a story set outside of the UK. Now on to book #2!
November 25, 2017
Lady Honora "Nora" Parker needs to get back to her down-low lover in England so she finds herself a scandalous fiancé, the notorious Julius Hatcher. Julius, meanwhile, needs access to Upper Crust New York society. Their agreement being mutually boner-ficial, they develop raging feelings for one another. Julius repeats that he will not marry Nora while she decides she's in love with him and ends things with the penniless artist. They bone and break up. There's a near death experience which results in much sex and happiness for everyone that isn't the penniless artist. THE END.
1. This was absolutely serviceable and I mean that in a nice way. That is to say that I mostly enjoyed reading it and while the story was very predictable I was pleasantly surprised by some of the quirks to those tropes.
2. I was impressed (but eventually exhausted by) the inclusion of Nora's inner struggle with her feelings for Robert versus her feelings for Julius. I think romances including the idea of change and growth and love being true even if it does not last is a good thing because the pressure to discover / stay with "The One" can be a problematic result from some more traditional romances. People change; circumstances change; and sometimes that means that love, too, can change. That doesn't make it any less or worse, just...different.
That said, it did get a bit heavy handed after the fourth or fifth time Nora went through her confused feelings to justify her breaking it off with Robert and getting it on with Julius (and his—AS POINTED OUT IN THE TEXT—bigger dick. GOOD JOB, BOOK: I THOUGHT WE WERE BETTER THAN THAT.)
3. So with all that said, there's still this creeping ICK factor that I'm struggling to put words to. I think it mostly has to do with the presentation and glorification of the "Bootstraps" mentality that pervades this story. Julius, who was born poor, manages through the power of his intelligence and ruthlessness, to amass a great fortune. He is the idealization of the American Dream: that anyone with enough grit and determination can Make It.
But that ideal just ... doesn't work for me anymore. I get that it very much was a thing, especially during America's Gilded Age when Industry was changing the face of American business and enterprise forever, but it—it reminds of a cancer. It started out as a simple narrative to encourage national pride and then grew into a means of enforcing a society where the poor and lower classes still believe they can "make it" if they just try hard enough. But that's simply no longer true, and glorifying the American Dream reads as gross to me.
Overall, this is more of a reaction to a setting than to the book itself.
1. This was absolutely serviceable and I mean that in a nice way. That is to say that I mostly enjoyed reading it and while the story was very predictable I was pleasantly surprised by some of the quirks to those tropes.
2. I was impressed (but eventually exhausted by) the inclusion of Nora's inner struggle with her feelings for Robert versus her feelings for Julius. I think romances including the idea of change and growth and love being true even if it does not last is a good thing because the pressure to discover / stay with "The One" can be a problematic result from some more traditional romances. People change; circumstances change; and sometimes that means that love, too, can change. That doesn't make it any less or worse, just...different.
That said, it did get a bit heavy handed after the fourth or fifth time Nora went through her confused feelings to justify her breaking it off with Robert and getting it on with Julius (and his—AS POINTED OUT IN THE TEXT—bigger dick. GOOD JOB, BOOK: I THOUGHT WE WERE BETTER THAN THAT.)
3. So with all that said, there's still this creeping ICK factor that I'm struggling to put words to. I think it mostly has to do with the presentation and glorification of the "Bootstraps" mentality that pervades this story. Julius, who was born poor, manages through the power of his intelligence and ruthlessness, to amass a great fortune. He is the idealization of the American Dream: that anyone with enough grit and determination can Make It.
But that ideal just ... doesn't work for me anymore. I get that it very much was a thing, especially during America's Gilded Age when Industry was changing the face of American business and enterprise forever, but it—it reminds of a cancer. It started out as a simple narrative to encourage national pride and then grew into a means of enforcing a society where the poor and lower classes still believe they can "make it" if they just try hard enough. But that's simply no longer true, and glorifying the American Dream reads as gross to me.
Overall, this is more of a reaction to a setting than to the book itself.
May 26, 2024
Review from 2017
I've given this a B+ for content and a B (just about) for narration at AudioGals
I enjoyed reading Joanna Shupe’s recent Knickerbocker Club series, named for the group of wealthy, powerful men determined to make their mark on late nineteenth century New York. The author did a terrific job in those books with her descriptions of the city’s Gilded Age – which hasn’t been used very often as a setting for historical romance – so I was pleased to discover that her new series – The Four Hundred – is set in the same place and time period. A Daring Arrangement, the first book, sees the daughter of an English earl, who has been sent to America in disgrace, entering into a false betrothal with a self-made New York businessman whose name is a byword for scandal.
Lady Honora – Nora – Parker was caught by her father, the Earl of Stratton, in the arms of the young man she hopes to marry, a penniless artist. Believing the man to be a fortune hunter, the earl immediately sent Nora to stay with her aunt and uncle in New York in the hope that she will forget her swain and find a suitable husband there. But Nora has other ideas. If word gets back to her father that she has made a most inappropriate alliance, he is sure to summon her home immediately – and Nora thinks she has found just the man in Julius Hatcher, a man as famous for his business acumen as he is infamous for the reputation for fast living which regularly earns him column inches in the gossip sheets.
She manages to sneak into the party Hatcher is hosting for his thirtieth birthday, and wastes no time in asking him to pose as her fiancé, offering in return to make sure he is introduced into the best circles of society, something he has so far been unable to achieve. Julius is more than three sheets to the wind at this point, but manages to agree to her proposal before promptly passing out.
Julius Hatcher – a mathematical genius who has an unrivalled talent for reading the markets and who has worked hard for his success – has his own reasons for agreeing to Nora’s plan. Since the death of his father thirteen years earlier, he has been trying to discover the identities of the three society gentlemen who cheated Warren Hatcher in an investment deal and ruined him, leading him to take his own life. Julius plans to punish the men for what they did – but has so far not been able to find them. All he knows is that they were men from the upper echelons, the strata of society to which no amount of money will gain him access. But his engagement to an earl’s daughter will certainly open doors that have been closed to him before, and he is determined to take full advantage of it to find out as much as he can. The problem is that his need for society’s acceptance is diametrically opposed to Nora’s desire to cause as much scandal as she can in order to get sent home, and she can’t understand why they aren’t the cause of the sort of gossip that will quickly cross the Atlantic.
I enjoy a good fake-relationship story, and this is a very good one, although there are a few things about it that didn’t quite work for me. Ms. Shupe’s descriptive prose is vivid, putting the listener firmly in the glittering ballrooms and the sordid underbelly of late nineteenth century New York, and she laces the slow-burn romance with plenty of sexual tension and develops it beautifully. Julius is a gorgeous hero; handsome, sexy and highly intelligent, he’s quick to work out Nora’s reasons for wanting a fake fiancé and is determined to stop her from throwing away her reputation – but it’s hard to believe that he could possibly be so dreadful a scoundrel as we’re supposed to think he is. What we get from the text is a hard-working, conscientious young man who has worked his way up from nothing, and who fully understands the workings of society. He does suggest to Nora that his lady companions were always the points of interest to the press – not him – but it doesn’t quite convince. He’s also yet another marriage-shy bachelor who believes relationships only lead to disappointment – although once we’ve met his mother, it’s easier to understand his mindset! Nora is an intelligent and spirited young woman, but she veers close to the TSTL once or twice, especially when she insists on Julius taking her to places that could be dangerous just to try to generate media attention. She puts herself and others at risk so she can further her plans to marry a man who is clearly (to the listener) only interested in her money. Fortunately, she does learn from her mistakes and come to see that she has misplaced her affection; she exhibits character growth throughout the story which makes it possible to – if not forgive, then overlook – some of her more selfish actions. The subplot concerning Julius’ search for his father’s former associates is well done, with a nicely executed twist towards the end, but my biggest issue with the story is with the overly dramatic ending. The author throws in a high-stakes, hero/heroine-in-peril set-piece, that feels contrived and as though it doesn’t quite belong, and I found it rather jarring.
I chose to review this audiobook because I enjoyed A Daring Arrangement in print and wanted to experience it again. Roxy Isles isn’t a narrator I’ve come across before, and an Audible search reveals only two audiobooks listed for her, the most recent one released in 2012. This leads me to suspect that Roxy Isles may be a pseudonym; certainly, her technical ability – her pacing is generally good, her enunciation is clear and she (again generally) differentiates well between characters – would indicate she’s an experienced narrator. The problem, though, is that I’m not sure she’s the right narrator for this particular book.
On the positive side, her characterisation of Nora is excellent. She speaks with a slightly clipped, rather bright tone that immediately indicates both her youth and status, although the downside to this is that her speech is sometimes rather rushed. Ms. Isles doesn’t trip over any words, but she does deliver Nora’s dialogue a little too quickly on occasion. She differentiates well between all the female characters, and does a good job in conveying their various traits; Nora’s aunt is softly spoken and a little more considered in her manner, marking her clearly as a kind, intelligent woman, while the snide, somewhat flat tone she uses to portray Julius’ mother befits the woman’s dour, disapproving nature.
She is less successful when it comes to the men, however, and I’m not completely sure if this is due to the fact that her vocal range isn’t that large in terms of pitch, or if it’s because almost all the male characters in the story are American and her accent leaves something to be desired. (I dislike UK historicals performed in American accents and I’m just as critical when American characters are performed by British narrators who are unable to produce a realistic American accent). The best I can say about her portrayal of Julius is that it’s okay; the first time I heard him speak I winced, although it got better as either Ms. Isles settled in, or I got used to it. She doesn’t lower the pitch of her voice much, but she decreases the volume so that I sometimes found it difficult to work out what he was saying. Many of the older gentlemen are performed in a tone I can only describe as ‘shouty’, sometimes leading to large jumps in volume between them and Julius; on one or two occasions it was almost painful to my ears.
With those reservations expressed, however, I would still say that the audiobook of A Daring Arrangement is worth listening to. Someone like Saskia Maarleveld or Kate Reading, whose American and English accents are equally perfect, would no doubt have been a better fit – but Ms. Isles doesn’t do a bad job, by any means. It’s a more than decent performance with a lot of good things going for it – and as I said above, her portrayal of Julius grew on me. The story is very enjoyable, the central characters have strong chemistry and the love scenes are sensual and well-performed. I’m looking forward to the next in the series, A Scandalous Deal, in 2018.
I've given this a B+ for content and a B (just about) for narration at AudioGals
I enjoyed reading Joanna Shupe’s recent Knickerbocker Club series, named for the group of wealthy, powerful men determined to make their mark on late nineteenth century New York. The author did a terrific job in those books with her descriptions of the city’s Gilded Age – which hasn’t been used very often as a setting for historical romance – so I was pleased to discover that her new series – The Four Hundred – is set in the same place and time period. A Daring Arrangement, the first book, sees the daughter of an English earl, who has been sent to America in disgrace, entering into a false betrothal with a self-made New York businessman whose name is a byword for scandal.
Lady Honora – Nora – Parker was caught by her father, the Earl of Stratton, in the arms of the young man she hopes to marry, a penniless artist. Believing the man to be a fortune hunter, the earl immediately sent Nora to stay with her aunt and uncle in New York in the hope that she will forget her swain and find a suitable husband there. But Nora has other ideas. If word gets back to her father that she has made a most inappropriate alliance, he is sure to summon her home immediately – and Nora thinks she has found just the man in Julius Hatcher, a man as famous for his business acumen as he is infamous for the reputation for fast living which regularly earns him column inches in the gossip sheets.
She manages to sneak into the party Hatcher is hosting for his thirtieth birthday, and wastes no time in asking him to pose as her fiancé, offering in return to make sure he is introduced into the best circles of society, something he has so far been unable to achieve. Julius is more than three sheets to the wind at this point, but manages to agree to her proposal before promptly passing out.
Julius Hatcher – a mathematical genius who has an unrivalled talent for reading the markets and who has worked hard for his success – has his own reasons for agreeing to Nora’s plan. Since the death of his father thirteen years earlier, he has been trying to discover the identities of the three society gentlemen who cheated Warren Hatcher in an investment deal and ruined him, leading him to take his own life. Julius plans to punish the men for what they did – but has so far not been able to find them. All he knows is that they were men from the upper echelons, the strata of society to which no amount of money will gain him access. But his engagement to an earl’s daughter will certainly open doors that have been closed to him before, and he is determined to take full advantage of it to find out as much as he can. The problem is that his need for society’s acceptance is diametrically opposed to Nora’s desire to cause as much scandal as she can in order to get sent home, and she can’t understand why they aren’t the cause of the sort of gossip that will quickly cross the Atlantic.
I enjoy a good fake-relationship story, and this is a very good one, although there are a few things about it that didn’t quite work for me. Ms. Shupe’s descriptive prose is vivid, putting the listener firmly in the glittering ballrooms and the sordid underbelly of late nineteenth century New York, and she laces the slow-burn romance with plenty of sexual tension and develops it beautifully. Julius is a gorgeous hero; handsome, sexy and highly intelligent, he’s quick to work out Nora’s reasons for wanting a fake fiancé and is determined to stop her from throwing away her reputation – but it’s hard to believe that he could possibly be so dreadful a scoundrel as we’re supposed to think he is. What we get from the text is a hard-working, conscientious young man who has worked his way up from nothing, and who fully understands the workings of society. He does suggest to Nora that his lady companions were always the points of interest to the press – not him – but it doesn’t quite convince. He’s also yet another marriage-shy bachelor who believes relationships only lead to disappointment – although once we’ve met his mother, it’s easier to understand his mindset! Nora is an intelligent and spirited young woman, but she veers close to the TSTL once or twice, especially when she insists on Julius taking her to places that could be dangerous just to try to generate media attention. She puts herself and others at risk so she can further her plans to marry a man who is clearly (to the listener) only interested in her money. Fortunately, she does learn from her mistakes and come to see that she has misplaced her affection; she exhibits character growth throughout the story which makes it possible to – if not forgive, then overlook – some of her more selfish actions. The subplot concerning Julius’ search for his father’s former associates is well done, with a nicely executed twist towards the end, but my biggest issue with the story is with the overly dramatic ending. The author throws in a high-stakes, hero/heroine-in-peril set-piece, that feels contrived and as though it doesn’t quite belong, and I found it rather jarring.
I chose to review this audiobook because I enjoyed A Daring Arrangement in print and wanted to experience it again. Roxy Isles isn’t a narrator I’ve come across before, and an Audible search reveals only two audiobooks listed for her, the most recent one released in 2012. This leads me to suspect that Roxy Isles may be a pseudonym; certainly, her technical ability – her pacing is generally good, her enunciation is clear and she (again generally) differentiates well between characters – would indicate she’s an experienced narrator. The problem, though, is that I’m not sure she’s the right narrator for this particular book.
On the positive side, her characterisation of Nora is excellent. She speaks with a slightly clipped, rather bright tone that immediately indicates both her youth and status, although the downside to this is that her speech is sometimes rather rushed. Ms. Isles doesn’t trip over any words, but she does deliver Nora’s dialogue a little too quickly on occasion. She differentiates well between all the female characters, and does a good job in conveying their various traits; Nora’s aunt is softly spoken and a little more considered in her manner, marking her clearly as a kind, intelligent woman, while the snide, somewhat flat tone she uses to portray Julius’ mother befits the woman’s dour, disapproving nature.
She is less successful when it comes to the men, however, and I’m not completely sure if this is due to the fact that her vocal range isn’t that large in terms of pitch, or if it’s because almost all the male characters in the story are American and her accent leaves something to be desired. (I dislike UK historicals performed in American accents and I’m just as critical when American characters are performed by British narrators who are unable to produce a realistic American accent). The best I can say about her portrayal of Julius is that it’s okay; the first time I heard him speak I winced, although it got better as either Ms. Isles settled in, or I got used to it. She doesn’t lower the pitch of her voice much, but she decreases the volume so that I sometimes found it difficult to work out what he was saying. Many of the older gentlemen are performed in a tone I can only describe as ‘shouty’, sometimes leading to large jumps in volume between them and Julius; on one or two occasions it was almost painful to my ears.
With those reservations expressed, however, I would still say that the audiobook of A Daring Arrangement is worth listening to. Someone like Saskia Maarleveld or Kate Reading, whose American and English accents are equally perfect, would no doubt have been a better fit – but Ms. Isles doesn’t do a bad job, by any means. It’s a more than decent performance with a lot of good things going for it – and as I said above, her portrayal of Julius grew on me. The story is very enjoyable, the central characters have strong chemistry and the love scenes are sensual and well-performed. I’m looking forward to the next in the series, A Scandalous Deal, in 2018.
August 11, 2022
Nora is in love with a man her father disapproves of so he sends her to America to find herself a husband. Nora decides she will find the most outrageous man to be her finance to bother him. After some coaxing, she and Julius come to a mutual agreement. Nora is convinced her father will be appalled at how outrageous Julius is and he’ll allow her to marry her boyfriend. Except Julius isn’t anything like the man she met the first night he was drunk. He’s a shrewd businessman.
BOTH OF ME
● Nora (20) & Julius (30)
● Earl’s daughter / financier
● become business partners
● fake courting
● 1819
● historical romance
BOTH OF ME
● Nora (20) & Julius (30)
● Earl’s daughter / financier
● become business partners
● fake courting
● 1819
● historical romance
Audiobook source:
Narrator: Roxy Isles
Length: 9H 14M
August 26, 2023
A Daring Arrangement was an amazing historical romance with an incredibly strong heroine, a fake fiancé, and a beautiful setting of New York City's Gilded Age.
Lady Honora Parker is in need of a fiancé as soon as possible, but only a certain type of man will work. Nora must find a man so unacceptable that her father will reject the match allowing Nora to marry the man she loves. Nora knows just the man and approaches financier Julius Hatcher, a man known for his outlandish behavior. Julius is intrigued by Nora’s proposal and for reasons of his own, accepts the proposition. To Nora’s dismay, Julius transforms into a proper gentleman, charming everyone he meets. As Julius and Nora continue to get to know one another, their relationship slowly becomes more real and they’re forced to decide what it is they truly want.
Nora, the daughter of an English Earl, is in love with a struggling artist Robert who is back in England while Nora is in America. Nora was sent to America to live with her aunt and uncle as her father does not approve of the artist Nora is in love with believing him to be not good enough for Nora. Nora though is convinced they are meant to be and won’t settle for less than what she wants. Nora is a very intelligent woman who can be brutally honest when necessary. She is also quite resourceful and very clever in her schemes to be sent back to England.
Julius is a very charming man who enjoys life and simply wants to have fun. His antics have a habit of getting him into the gossip columns which has resulted in polite society shunning him. Julius is actually a very clever man and a mathematical genius who is extremely good at following the market which has resulted in him accumulating great wealth. When he was young, his father killed himself after an investment went wrong and the fellow investors claimed no knowledge of the investment forcing Julius’s father to take on the entire debt. Julius has spent his life trying to locate those men and has sworn revenge against them.
Fake relationships are one of my all time favorite tropes, so I loved Nora and Julius’s relationship from the start. Their interactions are filled with so much banter and they have amazing chemistry on top of that. Julius teaches Nora that there’s more to life and shows her how to have fun while she gains him access to high society to locate the men responsible for his father’s suicide. Their romance is very much a slow burn as they both cling to the fake aspect for a long time, but that does allow them a chance to get to know each other. There are some great kissing scenes before their relationship moves to the next level, but once it does the scenes are incredibly hot and the two are very sexually compatible.
The Gilded Age as a setting is incredibly gorgeous and the extravagance of the time fascinates me. I’ve never read a historical romance set during this time period, but I have to say I really enjoyed it. It was also a nice change to read a historical romance set in America rather than the usual England or Scotland that I’m used to.
A Daring Arrangement was a phenomenal read and the tropes used are some of my absolute favorites. I can’t wait for the second book, A Scandalous Deal, in the series to come out and am looking forward to checking out more of this author’s books in the future.
Lady Honora Parker is in need of a fiancé as soon as possible, but only a certain type of man will work. Nora must find a man so unacceptable that her father will reject the match allowing Nora to marry the man she loves. Nora knows just the man and approaches financier Julius Hatcher, a man known for his outlandish behavior. Julius is intrigued by Nora’s proposal and for reasons of his own, accepts the proposition. To Nora’s dismay, Julius transforms into a proper gentleman, charming everyone he meets. As Julius and Nora continue to get to know one another, their relationship slowly becomes more real and they’re forced to decide what it is they truly want.
Nora, the daughter of an English Earl, is in love with a struggling artist Robert who is back in England while Nora is in America. Nora was sent to America to live with her aunt and uncle as her father does not approve of the artist Nora is in love with believing him to be not good enough for Nora. Nora though is convinced they are meant to be and won’t settle for less than what she wants. Nora is a very intelligent woman who can be brutally honest when necessary. She is also quite resourceful and very clever in her schemes to be sent back to England.
Julius is a very charming man who enjoys life and simply wants to have fun. His antics have a habit of getting him into the gossip columns which has resulted in polite society shunning him. Julius is actually a very clever man and a mathematical genius who is extremely good at following the market which has resulted in him accumulating great wealth. When he was young, his father killed himself after an investment went wrong and the fellow investors claimed no knowledge of the investment forcing Julius’s father to take on the entire debt. Julius has spent his life trying to locate those men and has sworn revenge against them.
Fake relationships are one of my all time favorite tropes, so I loved Nora and Julius’s relationship from the start. Their interactions are filled with so much banter and they have amazing chemistry on top of that. Julius teaches Nora that there’s more to life and shows her how to have fun while she gains him access to high society to locate the men responsible for his father’s suicide. Their romance is very much a slow burn as they both cling to the fake aspect for a long time, but that does allow them a chance to get to know each other. There are some great kissing scenes before their relationship moves to the next level, but once it does the scenes are incredibly hot and the two are very sexually compatible.
The Gilded Age as a setting is incredibly gorgeous and the extravagance of the time fascinates me. I’ve never read a historical romance set during this time period, but I have to say I really enjoyed it. It was also a nice change to read a historical romance set in America rather than the usual England or Scotland that I’m used to.
A Daring Arrangement was a phenomenal read and the tropes used are some of my absolute favorites. I can’t wait for the second book, A Scandalous Deal, in the series to come out and am looking forward to checking out more of this author’s books in the future.
September 26, 2020
⭐⭐ 2.5 stars⭐⭐
There wasn't just enough spark between the hero heroine.
She was constantly worried about her gold digger artist back in London while flaunting her relationship in New York with the objectionable (so that she can go back to her artist ).
The hero as usual didn't understand the feel of love and tried to avoid it.
I think I could have loved the story but maybe it's the writing style or the annoying characters which didn't fit well. I expect atleast one of the protagonist to be sensible but here both had their own set of flaws.
It feels like a bad week of books for me which generally happens when I've read 5-6 really really good books. Maybe the standard bars for story, characters, emotions and all gets very high.
Also this is my first time with the author hopefully I'll return to her books soon.
There wasn't just enough spark between the hero heroine.
She was constantly worried about her gold digger artist back in London while flaunting her relationship in New York with the objectionable (so that she can go back to her artist ).
The hero as usual didn't understand the feel of love and tried to avoid it.
I think I could have loved the story but maybe it's the writing style or the annoying characters which didn't fit well. I expect atleast one of the protagonist to be sensible but here both had their own set of flaws.
It feels like a bad week of books for me which generally happens when I've read 5-6 really really good books. Maybe the standard bars for story, characters, emotions and all gets very high.
Also this is my first time with the author hopefully I'll return to her books soon.
February 13, 2025
The narrator really sold me on this one. She definitely exemplifies how British folks really use their full vocal range versus Americans who tend to stay in one to two octaves. Even her male voices were really good, I would've thought it was a different narrator had I not already known there was only one.
I enjoyed the story, I love a fake engagement trope.
I enjoyed the story, I love a fake engagement trope.
February 26, 2018
This was fun! It really IS refreshing to read "different" historical romances. And I liked the set up and the characters.
March 18, 2020
3.5! Enjoyable, but I can't say that I loved it. I am looking forward to more Gilded Age romances from this author!
January 2, 2024
I love a wealthy extravagant man who stays humble while also being smooth and sexy. I love also love a confident young women who isn’t afraid to take risks. These two are such a power couple. I would recommend this book to anybody who loves historical romance but wants to step outside of the Regency Era. I loved learning more about the Gilded Age because all I knew about it was from AP U.S. History and the Gilded Age on HBO. The opulence of this era was so fun to read about!
March 13, 2018
I am underwhelmed by the 'daring' arrangement between the main characters. The lack of conflict and tension in the storyline is the key reason that it took me a while to finish the book.
February 15, 2025
3.5⭐️
I went into this one pretty blind, simply because I've always enjoyed Joanna Shupe's historical romances- and this was no exception, but also wasn't my favourite of hers. A fun plot-line in gilded-age New York City, but it did drag in some spots
We have Lady Nora, daughter of an Earl recently sent to New York City to stay with her aunt. She caused a scandal in England, hoping her father would demand she marry her artist lover when the two of them were caught together. Instead he shipped her to America to find a respectable husband.
Nora comes up with a plan so she can return to England, and marry Robert- fake an engagement to an even more unsuitable man, and surely her father will send for her. Does this plan make any sense? No. But you've just got to roll with it.
Enter Julias Hatcher- a self-made man (he does things with stocks??) with a reputation for being a partying scoundrel. And to be fair, when Nora first meets him he is three sheets to the wind at his birthday party- a party on horseback, on the second floor of a restaurant. Honestly this is the scene that made me want to finish the book. It's meant to be an unflattering look at who Nora thinks Julias is, and it's definitely unflattering- but also hilarious.
Julias agrees to be Nora's fake fiancee, as it will gain him entry into society and he can find the men who wrong his father, thirteen years beforehand. Again, you sort of have to ignore the plot and just enjoy the ride here because both Nora and Julias flip flop a LOT. One moment Julias is all for the plan, but then he spend some time trying to stop Nora from causing scandal, to protect her reputation and therefore his own. Then he toys with the idea of making her fall for him, so she won't want to return to England and he can stay in society's good graces. Then he actually falls for her, but doesn't want the burden of a wife and family. Honestly a little exhausting trying to keep up with all the schemes
"She was his best friend, his confidant, his lover, and the keeper of his undeserving heart."
I went into this one pretty blind, simply because I've always enjoyed Joanna Shupe's historical romances- and this was no exception, but also wasn't my favourite of hers. A fun plot-line in gilded-age New York City, but it did drag in some spots
We have Lady Nora, daughter of an Earl recently sent to New York City to stay with her aunt. She caused a scandal in England, hoping her father would demand she marry her artist lover when the two of them were caught together. Instead he shipped her to America to find a respectable husband.
Nora comes up with a plan so she can return to England, and marry Robert- fake an engagement to an even more unsuitable man, and surely her father will send for her. Does this plan make any sense? No. But you've just got to roll with it.
Enter Julias Hatcher- a self-made man (he does things with stocks??) with a reputation for being a partying scoundrel. And to be fair, when Nora first meets him he is three sheets to the wind at his birthday party- a party on horseback, on the second floor of a restaurant. Honestly this is the scene that made me want to finish the book. It's meant to be an unflattering look at who Nora thinks Julias is, and it's definitely unflattering- but also hilarious.
Julias agrees to be Nora's fake fiancee, as it will gain him entry into society and he can find the men who wrong his father, thirteen years beforehand. Again, you sort of have to ignore the plot and just enjoy the ride here because both Nora and Julias flip flop a LOT. One moment Julias is all for the plan, but then he spend some time trying to stop Nora from causing scandal, to protect her reputation and therefore his own. Then he toys with the idea of making her fall for him, so she won't want to return to England and he can stay in society's good graces. Then he actually falls for her, but doesn't want the burden of a wife and family. Honestly a little exhausting trying to keep up with all the schemes
July 27, 2020
Joanna Shupe’s A Daring Arrangement seems to have everything a good romance might need: a fake engagement, a headstrong heroine, an impossibly handsome hero, and even an “unusual” setting: Gilded Age New York City. And yet? I wasn’t too impressed. This book is competently written and goes through all the motions, doing everything a proper romance should. But it lacked that certain something—oomph, pizzazz, polish, depth. Whatever.
I guess what I’m getting at is this: Joanna Shupe knows her genre, she knows the tropes, but she didn’t elevate anything in A Daring Arrangement to the point where it stood out from a variety of other romances working with similar tropes.
The story is this. Lady Honora is in love with an impoverished painter, and that’s just not going to work with her father, an earl. So he packs her off to the States so she can think about her life and her choices. Nora just really wants to go back to England and marry Robert, her One True Love. Her plan to do this? Marry an absolutely reprehensible, scandalous American upstart so that her father has no choice but to bring her back home for her own good. Enter Julius, a reprehensible and scandalous American upstart.
Like…okay. I understand that Romance Logic is different than your typical real world logic. I accept this. But doesn’t this seem silly to you? Why on earth would you think that “ruining” yourself by running around with Julius, a bad marriage prospect, would suddenly change your father’s mind about Robert, another bad marriage prospect? What is most likely to happen here is that the earl is going to force Nora to marry Julius, the man who ruined her, and then make her stay in New York forever.
Ay.
But, in any case. Julius agrees to this fake engagement scenario because he has goals of his own: to expose the men who contributed to his father’s financial downfall and ultimate suicide. Betrothal to a bona fide British noblewoman will open doors he otherwise wouldn’t be able to unlock. Fine, fine.
The problem here is that Shupe sets up this plot, but then it goes absolutely nowhere! All of a sudden, Julius decides to change his behavior, so Nora’s plan of becoming notorious goes nowhere. And the mysterious men who effed-up his late father’s life aren’t exactly volunteering information regarding their dastardly deeds.
So…there’s no revenge, there’s no scandal. Instead, A Daring Arrangement, for all intents and purposes, becomes a regular ole book about two engaged people doing things together. Which…is boring. And that was super disappointing. Look, if you want to write a book about a fake relationship, you have to sell it. The trope is pretty wacky. And if you’re promising scandal and revenge, don’t under-deliver. There are a lot of tepid romance novels out there already. Give me zest!
Now, to be fair to the author, there is some truly bananapants stuff that happens towards the end of the book. Nora’s English lover, Robert, makes a sudden appearance, and he’s clearing unhinged and on a homicidal bender. Julius’s mother and sister are…a whole lot. The problem was that, compared to the more-or-less tame nature of the first 75% of the book, the drama in the final quarter seemed odd. “Insane” ex-boyfriends and Rasputin-like religious zealots/conmen can’t just be dropped into the mix willy-nilly. (Especially if the Rasputin-like preacher is only mentioned in a single paragraph in the epilogue!!!)
So. The plot in A Daring Arrangement is weird and uneven. To go along with that, the characterization is fairly shallow, and the writing was good but not great. As I said in the beginning, this book is competent. It achieves its purpose: to tell a love story. But all the other trappings and hallmarks of a good, high-quality romance novel are missing here.
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I guess what I’m getting at is this: Joanna Shupe knows her genre, she knows the tropes, but she didn’t elevate anything in A Daring Arrangement to the point where it stood out from a variety of other romances working with similar tropes.
The story is this. Lady Honora is in love with an impoverished painter, and that’s just not going to work with her father, an earl. So he packs her off to the States so she can think about her life and her choices. Nora just really wants to go back to England and marry Robert, her One True Love. Her plan to do this? Marry an absolutely reprehensible, scandalous American upstart so that her father has no choice but to bring her back home for her own good. Enter Julius, a reprehensible and scandalous American upstart.
Like…okay. I understand that Romance Logic is different than your typical real world logic. I accept this. But doesn’t this seem silly to you? Why on earth would you think that “ruining” yourself by running around with Julius, a bad marriage prospect, would suddenly change your father’s mind about Robert, another bad marriage prospect? What is most likely to happen here is that the earl is going to force Nora to marry Julius, the man who ruined her, and then make her stay in New York forever.
Ay.
But, in any case. Julius agrees to this fake engagement scenario because he has goals of his own: to expose the men who contributed to his father’s financial downfall and ultimate suicide. Betrothal to a bona fide British noblewoman will open doors he otherwise wouldn’t be able to unlock. Fine, fine.
The problem here is that Shupe sets up this plot, but then it goes absolutely nowhere! All of a sudden, Julius decides to change his behavior, so Nora’s plan of becoming notorious goes nowhere. And the mysterious men who effed-up his late father’s life aren’t exactly volunteering information regarding their dastardly deeds.
So…there’s no revenge, there’s no scandal. Instead, A Daring Arrangement, for all intents and purposes, becomes a regular ole book about two engaged people doing things together. Which…is boring. And that was super disappointing. Look, if you want to write a book about a fake relationship, you have to sell it. The trope is pretty wacky. And if you’re promising scandal and revenge, don’t under-deliver. There are a lot of tepid romance novels out there already. Give me zest!
Now, to be fair to the author, there is some truly bananapants stuff that happens towards the end of the book. Nora’s English lover, Robert, makes a sudden appearance, and he’s clearing unhinged and on a homicidal bender. Julius’s mother and sister are…a whole lot. The problem was that, compared to the more-or-less tame nature of the first 75% of the book, the drama in the final quarter seemed odd. “Insane” ex-boyfriends and Rasputin-like religious zealots/conmen can’t just be dropped into the mix willy-nilly. (Especially if the Rasputin-like preacher is only mentioned in a single paragraph in the epilogue!!!)
So. The plot in A Daring Arrangement is weird and uneven. To go along with that, the characterization is fairly shallow, and the writing was good but not great. As I said in the beginning, this book is competent. It achieves its purpose: to tell a love story. But all the other trappings and hallmarks of a good, high-quality romance novel are missing here.
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September 4, 2017
What a fantastic start to a new series!
This is the first Gilded Age romance I've ever read and I have to say, I wish there were more! Especially if they're this well written. A Daring Arrangement starts off with a bang, making the reader eager to know where this thrilling ride of a novel will take them.
Lady Honora Parker (Nora) has been shipped off to New York by her father after deliberately getting caught in a compromising position with the man she wants to marry - a struggling artist named Robert. But when her plan fails to result in the special license she'd hoped for, another plan must be devised. What better way to encourage her father to fetch her home to England and to Robert, than to form an attachment with the most scandalous man in New York?
Enter Julius Hatcher...
Julius is at first amused by the prospect of escorting Nora around Town. Certainly, she's easy on the eyes, but if there's one thing this bachelor investor will never do, it is marry. But when Nora assures him their "engagement" will never lead to that because she in fact hopes to marry someone else, he considers her proposal more seriously. After all, there could be benefits. Her title will certainly grant him access to places he's otherwise been denied, allowing him the chance to pursue a long-sought vengeance.
The only problem is, that the more these two spend in each other's company, the closer they become and the more difficult it will be to leave emotion out of this daring arrangement.
Spectacularly written with all the glamour and glitz of New York's Gilded Age, this book is one you won't want to miss!
This is the first Gilded Age romance I've ever read and I have to say, I wish there were more! Especially if they're this well written. A Daring Arrangement starts off with a bang, making the reader eager to know where this thrilling ride of a novel will take them.
Lady Honora Parker (Nora) has been shipped off to New York by her father after deliberately getting caught in a compromising position with the man she wants to marry - a struggling artist named Robert. But when her plan fails to result in the special license she'd hoped for, another plan must be devised. What better way to encourage her father to fetch her home to England and to Robert, than to form an attachment with the most scandalous man in New York?
Enter Julius Hatcher...
Julius is at first amused by the prospect of escorting Nora around Town. Certainly, she's easy on the eyes, but if there's one thing this bachelor investor will never do, it is marry. But when Nora assures him their "engagement" will never lead to that because she in fact hopes to marry someone else, he considers her proposal more seriously. After all, there could be benefits. Her title will certainly grant him access to places he's otherwise been denied, allowing him the chance to pursue a long-sought vengeance.
The only problem is, that the more these two spend in each other's company, the closer they become and the more difficult it will be to leave emotion out of this daring arrangement.
Spectacularly written with all the glamour and glitz of New York's Gilded Age, this book is one you won't want to miss!
September 8, 2024
I really liked this story. The characters are so lost in their own goals and persuits, that their feelings for each other took them by surprise. I found them to be a very suitable match.
Didn't care much for the ex or his machinations, though.
Didn't care much for the ex or his machinations, though.
August 26, 2020
Reseña más completa en: https://sombraslectoras.blogspot.com/...
A Daring Arrangement es el primero de la serie "A four Hundred" de Joanna Shupe.
Una serie, que tengo que advertir, va ANTES que la de Uptown Girls, por si estáis interesados en leerla. Y sí, yo lo he hecho mal, pero culpadme a mí por no leer antes de empezar que las dos tenían relación...
En fin..¿Qué es lo que vamos a encontrarnos en esta historia?
Inicialmente, podemos decir que es una historia de amor a tres bandas, ya que Honora, nuestra protagonista, está enamorada de un hombre con una posición inferior y, para que su padre esté de acuerdo a ese romance, no se le ocurre nada mejor que "contratar" a un prometido falso.
Ese prometido será un bribón, un borracho y preferiblemente un mujeriego. De esa forma, Honora le hará ver a su padre que a pesar de estar en América, los prometidos decentes no aparecen como setas y que, entre su prometido y su querido amor, es muchísimo mejor este último.
Y ahí es donde entra Julius. Cuando Honora le conoce no solo está borracho como una cuba, sino que también está montado sobre un caballo en uno de los hoteles más prestigiosos de Nueva York. Emocionada por su buena suerte, decide que él es el hombre adecuado para interpretar el papel de su prometido.
Pero esa ayuda no será gratuita, ya que como condición, tendrá que ayudarle a entrar en los círculos sociales más elevados de la sociedad Americana, ya que está buscando venganza por su padre.
En principio, la trama puede parecer simple y bastante cliché (con todo eso de los prometidos falsos para conseguir una meta común), pero Joanna Shupe de nuevo crea de un cliché una historia entretenida, emocionante, romántica e incluso divertida. Tiene todos los ingredientes de los que disfruto cuando quiero sumergirme en una historia romántica.
Honora es una mujer diferente a las típicas protagonistas de estas tramas. Ella sabe lo que quiere, como lo quiere y cuándo lo quiere. Si algo no la gusta lo dice y si tiene que enfrentarse a Julius, lo hace sin dudar. Y es ese carácter fresco y decidido el que ha hecho que me haya caído bien como protagonista.
En cuanto a Julius, ha sido un personaje más complejo. Al principio de la historia le conocemos como un completo bribón. Pero a medida que avanza la trama, vamos viendo que las apariencias engañan, y lo bueno es que lo vamos descubriendo al mismo tiempo que la protagonista, por lo que podemos asumir cuándo y por qué empieza a estar atraída y más adelante enamorada de él.
Si a esta historia romántica le añadimos unos secundarios bien construidos a pesar de sus cortas apariencias, entonces son casi 300 páginas bien invertidas.
Por que sí, a la trama del enamorado de Honora hay que añadirle una trama misteriosa que atañe a la búsqueda de los inversores que Julius busca.
En definitiva, un comienzo de serie que me ha enganchado mucho y que, sin duda alguna continúo, ya que la trama del segundo es muy interesante también por cómo se gana la vida la protagonista.
A Daring Arrangement es el primero de la serie "A four Hundred" de Joanna Shupe.
Una serie, que tengo que advertir, va ANTES que la de Uptown Girls, por si estáis interesados en leerla. Y sí, yo lo he hecho mal, pero culpadme a mí por no leer antes de empezar que las dos tenían relación...
En fin..¿Qué es lo que vamos a encontrarnos en esta historia?
Inicialmente, podemos decir que es una historia de amor a tres bandas, ya que Honora, nuestra protagonista, está enamorada de un hombre con una posición inferior y, para que su padre esté de acuerdo a ese romance, no se le ocurre nada mejor que "contratar" a un prometido falso.
Ese prometido será un bribón, un borracho y preferiblemente un mujeriego. De esa forma, Honora le hará ver a su padre que a pesar de estar en América, los prometidos decentes no aparecen como setas y que, entre su prometido y su querido amor, es muchísimo mejor este último.
Y ahí es donde entra Julius. Cuando Honora le conoce no solo está borracho como una cuba, sino que también está montado sobre un caballo en uno de los hoteles más prestigiosos de Nueva York. Emocionada por su buena suerte, decide que él es el hombre adecuado para interpretar el papel de su prometido.
Pero esa ayuda no será gratuita, ya que como condición, tendrá que ayudarle a entrar en los círculos sociales más elevados de la sociedad Americana, ya que está buscando venganza por su padre.
En principio, la trama puede parecer simple y bastante cliché (con todo eso de los prometidos falsos para conseguir una meta común), pero Joanna Shupe de nuevo crea de un cliché una historia entretenida, emocionante, romántica e incluso divertida. Tiene todos los ingredientes de los que disfruto cuando quiero sumergirme en una historia romántica.
Honora es una mujer diferente a las típicas protagonistas de estas tramas. Ella sabe lo que quiere, como lo quiere y cuándo lo quiere. Si algo no la gusta lo dice y si tiene que enfrentarse a Julius, lo hace sin dudar. Y es ese carácter fresco y decidido el que ha hecho que me haya caído bien como protagonista.
En cuanto a Julius, ha sido un personaje más complejo. Al principio de la historia le conocemos como un completo bribón. Pero a medida que avanza la trama, vamos viendo que las apariencias engañan, y lo bueno es que lo vamos descubriendo al mismo tiempo que la protagonista, por lo que podemos asumir cuándo y por qué empieza a estar atraída y más adelante enamorada de él.
Si a esta historia romántica le añadimos unos secundarios bien construidos a pesar de sus cortas apariencias, entonces son casi 300 páginas bien invertidas.
Por que sí, a la trama del enamorado de Honora hay que añadirle una trama misteriosa que atañe a la búsqueda de los inversores que Julius busca.
En definitiva, un comienzo de serie que me ha enganchado mucho y que, sin duda alguna continúo, ya que la trama del segundo es muy interesante también por cómo se gana la vida la protagonista.
April 28, 2021
Franchement, j'ai beaucoup aimé cette romance. Malgré tout, parfois c'était un peu redondant, mais j'ai quand même adoré. Les personnages sont attachants ; tantôt drôle tantôt torride.
Le monde de la bourse à l'époque est bien décrit, on passe aussi sur des sujets comme le suicide.
Il y a de vrais rebondissements auxquels on ne s'attend pas vraiment. Donc il y a de bonnes surprises. La plume de l'auteure est fluide, on entre facilement dans cet univers grâce aux descriptions.
Le monde de la bourse à l'époque est bien décrit, on passe aussi sur des sujets comme le suicide.
Il y a de vrais rebondissements auxquels on ne s'attend pas vraiment. Donc il y a de bonnes surprises. La plume de l'auteure est fluide, on entre facilement dans cet univers grâce aux descriptions.
August 2, 2019
Lady Honora Parker is brilliant. I mean she's smart, cunning, and sassy. I loved the way she went about trying to get what she wanted. Pair her with Julius Hatcher, who is also brilliant and smart, and the two were incendiary. He is totally a match for her! I loved how the attraction between them flared bright and fast, but they didn't act on it right away. It was one of the hottest slow burn romances I've ever read. My anticipation of their passion had me on edge the entire I was reading. And when they finally gave in? Total fireworks!
I loved how this story was more than what it seemed from the outside. Yes you have a fake engagement beneficial to both parties, but you had two people finding each other regardless of their original reasons for entering into their agreement. Issues from the time were included, giving it all a more realistic feel.
A Daring Arrangement is very well written. The writing is vibrant and vivid. I totally escaped to New York City. This book made me wish I had a time machine and an invisibility cloak so I could travel back to The Gilded Age and New York City to see all the splendor of the time for myself. Hats off to Joanna Shupe for an amazing story. I can't wait for her to take me back there in more stories! In the meantime, I will be adding her backlist to my tbr and devouring them. I recommend you do so too!
I loved how this story was more than what it seemed from the outside. Yes you have a fake engagement beneficial to both parties, but you had two people finding each other regardless of their original reasons for entering into their agreement. Issues from the time were included, giving it all a more realistic feel.
A Daring Arrangement is very well written. The writing is vibrant and vivid. I totally escaped to New York City. This book made me wish I had a time machine and an invisibility cloak so I could travel back to The Gilded Age and New York City to see all the splendor of the time for myself. Hats off to Joanna Shupe for an amazing story. I can't wait for her to take me back there in more stories! In the meantime, I will be adding her backlist to my tbr and devouring them. I recommend you do so too!
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