The Bride Goes Rogue: A Novel

Joanna Shupe

May 2022 · The Fifth Avenue Rebels Book 3 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

"Joanna Shupe is the queen of historical bad boys!" — Julia Quinn

By beloved USA Today bestselling author Joanna Shupe, the third installment in the Fifth Avenue Rebels series about an arranged engagement destined for disaster.

A hard-hearted tycoon.

A romantic dreamer.

An engagement set up to fail.

The charismatic and vivacious Katherine Delafield should be married by now. Her father arranged an engagement to the much sought-after tycoon Preston Clarke ages ago. The only problem is Preston refuses to acknowledge it. But this isn’t going to stop Katherine from living life to the fullest as she ditches all silly notions of love and marriage and sets out to sample all the excitement New York City has to offer . . . the more scandalous the better. Because no matter what happens, she and Preston will never marry.

After his family nearly lost everything, Preston is done letting his late father ruin his life—including choosing his bride. But when a mysterious lover at a masquerade turns out to be his would-be fiancée, Preston's resolve begins to crumble. He hadn't expected Katherine to be so charming. Or beautiful. Or passionate. And seeing her out on the town with other men is driving him crazy.

What happens when the wrong bride turns out to be the right woman after all?

Ratings and reviews

This is the third book in the Fifth Avenue Rebels series but my first with this author. It is the story of Preston and Katherine. Their parents betrothed them when they were young. Katherine finds out and doesn’t mind because she has a crush on Preston. She keeps thinking Preston will set a marriage date, but he doesn’t and after a year she confronts him, and he tells her he will never marry her. He hates her father for not helping his father out when his father was in trouble. She gets upset and leaves and decides she will not waste her life waiting for another man and will embark on an affair. She goes to a masquerade and gets it on with another masked person (you guessed it – none other than Preston). The story moves on from there. In the end they find their HEA. I didn’t enjoy this book. I didn’t feel at all connected to the characters. I didn’t feel that Katherine’s character was consistent or in line with the mores of that time. She acted like a contemporary woman, and not one from the 1800s. I did not like Preston. He was like every other obnoxious, angry, hero who is saved by the love of a good woman. I thought he was selfish and not nice to Katherine, and I didn’t see the attraction (outside of sex). Yes, he got better as the book got on, but even his change of heart was so sudden in the end – it seemed totally out of character. I did like the fact that he had to grovel significantly, and that Katherine finally stood up for herself and recognized that he rode roughshod over her. But unfortunately, by then it was too little too late. Overall, I just didn’t enjoy this book. It felt like a contemporary novel set in 1800 with boring characters. I received a free copy of this book from Avon and Harper Voyage via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My latest obsession!! I finished this book so fast! “The Bride Goes Rogue” by Joanna Shupe starts strong and ends with a grand gesture I did not expect!! In between, I love the playfulness and pet names #yesmyking #reinette The affair is hot and steamy. The meet cute via a masquerade is delicious. The meet cute sans masks put a big smile on my face! I love how undone Preston becomes when his actions led to losing Kat. I felt his anxiety, worry, and everything in between.

About the author

Joanna Shupe has always loved history, ever since she saw her first Schoolhouse Rock cartoon. Her books have appeared on numerous yearly “best of” lists, including Publishers Weekly, The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Kobo, and BookPage. She lives in New Jersey with her two spirited daughters and dashing husband.