The Devil of Downtown

Starred review from March 1, 2020
In Gilded Age New York, a young heiress falls in love with the city's most notorious kingpin. Justine Greene is the youngest of three sisters born into the highest echelon of society. Her family thinks she's shy, retiring, and committed to charity, but she hides the full extent of her work with impoverished women downtown. Justine refuses to let anyone make decisions for her and decides to help other women seize control of their lives. Where she used to serve meals or deliver blankets, now Justine is actively investigating and searching for deadbeat husbands who have abandoned their wives and children. One investigation brings her into the orbit of Jack Mulligan, the leader of New York's largest criminal empire. When Jack offers to assist her in exchange for a future favor, Justine has no choice but to agree, and they are inexplicably drawn to each other. Justine is the only person who refuses to bend to Jack's will, and she appreciates the generous, charming man who treats her like an adult instead of a child. In this final book of the Uptown Girls trilogy, Shupe (The Prince of Broadway, 2019, etc.) explores the porous boundary between what is legal versus what is ethical. Although Jack is a criminal, he does more to help people in the neighborhood than Tammany Hall politicians or the local police. Justine falls in love with Jack but fears she will compromise her principles by staying with a man who believes only in power; meanwhile, Jack doesn't understand her na�ve inability to see how the world really works. This dilemma is a richly layered, nuanced exploration of how lovers compromise on seemingly insurmountable differences. A strong finish to an excellent series about strong-willed women determined to live life on their own terms.

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Starred review from April 27, 2020
A dauntless heiress becomes entangled with a devilishly handsome criminal kingpin in Shupe’s sizzling third Uptown Girls romance (after The Prince of Broadway). Gutsy do-gooder Justine Greene’s volunteer work representing the desperate and downtrodden of Gilded Age New York for the Legal Aid Society often lands her in compromising situations. For her latest case, she must locate her client’s deadbeat husband, putting her in the orbit of Jack Mulligan, the powerful overseer of the biggest criminal empire in New York State. Not one to be cowed, Justine asks the dastardly yet debonair Mulligan for his assistance in tracking down the man. As Mulligan helps Justine maneuver among New York City’s seedier element, their mutual attraction and flirtatious verbal sparring grow into an unorthodox relationship. Shupe masterfully captures the culture of New York City in the 1890s, highlighting the restrictions placed on women. In this context, it’s easy to see the appeal of the freedom offered by Mulligan’s roguish ways. The heat between the protagonists is palpable as their dangerous encounters in the criminal underworld push them toward each other. Blending drama, banter, and sensuality, this electrifying historical romance keeps the series going strong. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary.

June 1, 2020

Ruthless Jack Mulligan runs his downtown New York criminal empire with an iron fist. Justine Greene, daughter of a wealthy Uptown family, is passionate about her own causes, namely, guaranteeing safe working conditions and decent pay for those in her community. When she shows up at his office unannounced to request help finding a client's worthless husband, Jack is surprised to feel both sympathy and admiration for her mission. But then her gumption puts her in close proximity to Jack's own ventures--and in his debt. And when he should be warding off an encroaching rival, he finds himself spending time with Justine, offering advice and resources to help her achieve her aims. For her part, Justine fears her success is false and that securing ill-gotten funds from Jack crosses an ethical line, so she breaks off the relationship, in fear of losing more than just her heart. VERDICT Shupe (A Scandalous Deal) concludes the stunning Gilded Age New York-set "Uptown Girls" trilogy with a bang, bringing together a least-likely love match with explosive results. While readers can start with this book, they'll get the full impact of the Greene sisters' saga by beginning with The Rogue of Fifth Avenue.--Kellie Tilton, Univ. of Cincinnati, Blue Ash

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2020
Justine Greene would do almost anything to help the Lower East Side Legal Aid Society, but this time she just may have gone too far. While trying to track down a husband who has been shirking his familial fiscal responsibilities, Justine finds herself placed in the difficult position of owing criminal kingpin Jack Mulligan a favor of his choosing. At first, Jack is amused to think that Justine might have anything he could ever desire, given the fact this insistent do-gooder is definitely not his type. However, the more Justine argues with Jack about why he should care about her worthy causes, the more intriguing this spitfire becomes. Shupe (The Prince of Broadway, 2020) delivers the final title in her Gilded Age-set Uptown Girls series, a tale that is guaranteed to hit the sweet spot for readers who crave historical romances with spunky heroines, alpha-male heroes, and plenty of sizzling sensuality and red-hot love scenes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)