Magnate

“Wait!” she blurted. “I have an idea. Let's make a wager. You give me an amount of money, and, if I cannot double it on the exchange within three months, then you're off the hook.”

Before he thought better of it, he asked, “How much?”

She shrugged. “You may decide. Five thousand, perhaps?”

He admired her spirit, so he played along. “Too low. Let's make it ten.”

“Fine. And when I double it, I'll take the twenty thousand and another fifty to start my business.”

“Our business,” he corrected. “And you only get three weeks. Not three months.” No use making it easy on her.

Her jaw dropped. “Three weeks! I cannot possibly—”

“Then we have nothing else to discuss.” He stood and walked around his desk. “Good day, Miss Sloane.”

“Fine! Three weeks.”

He suppressed a smirk. She would need to learn better negotiation skills for certain. He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Tell me something.”

“Yes?”

“What's in it for me?”

“Well, money, of course.”

“I've got plenty of money. You'll have to do better than that.”

This caught her off guard, and she started chewing her lip. “I . . . There's nothing other than altruism and money in it for you, I'm afraid.”

“One unappealing and the other completely unnecessary. What else?”

 

“A beautiful and complex love story featuring a hero who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and a heroine with a penchant for saving the day. Shupe is very talented, walking a fine line between Quint's demons and Sophie's charming, almost madcap character. These two sparkle in this wildly entertaining story.”

—Sarah MacLean,
The Washington Post

 

“Shupe invites readers to sit back and enjoy the terrific chemistry between the unconventional Lord Quint and the exasperating Lady Sophie in the conclusion to the Wicked Deceptions trilogy. With emotional intensity, poignancy, passion and murder, they won't be disappointed.”

—
RT Book Reviews,
4.5 Stars

 

“Sophie's independent nature makes her a delightful protagonist . . . The romance is delectable as sensual love scenes balance the well-woven mystery subplot.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

“I enjoyed this series quite a lot, and am looking forward to see what Shupe writes in the future.”

—
Smart Bitches Trashy Books

 

“
The Lady Hellion
is a fabulous, wonderful book! Sophie is a superb heroine, the kind little girls dream of being. It is also refreshing that Quint is neither a rake nor a rogue, but he is most definitely a brooding hero, and it is totally relevant to the story arc.
The Lady Hellion
is built upon a very clever premise, and Ms. Shupe crafts an exciting and meticulously researched story fraught with suspense, startling plot twists combined with frissons of sexual tension, and a beautiful, tender love story—and what an ending! Absolutely terrific!”

—
Fresh Fiction

 

 

“With her knowledge of the modes and morals of the Regency era, Shupe delivers a well-crafted novel in this second installment of her Wicked Deceptions series. Steady pacing, delightful characters and an ability to build steamy sexual tension make for a lively love story.”

—
RT Book Reviews
, 4.5 Stars

 

“A good story well told. This is a fun series.”

—
Romance Reviews Today

 

“An intriguing tale,
The Harlot Countess
, the second book in author Joanna Shupe's Wicked Deceptions series, is an emotion-packed, sexy historical romance that will keep readers captivated right up to the very end. Angst, heartache, vengeance, blackmail, secrets, miscommunication, passion, forgiveness, romance and love all intertwine in a story that readers will not soon forget.”

—
Romance Junkies

 

 

“The powerful passion in this riveting tale of betrayal and forgiveness will knock your socks off!”

—Sabrina Jeffries

 

“Joanna Shupe's compelling story of an estranged couple brims with emotion and sensuality.”

—Miranda Neville

 

“Heartfelt . . . This original and alluring novel is a very promising beginning to Shupe's career.”

—
Publishers Weekly

 

“Shupe's debut Wicked Deceptions tale is passionate and seductive. Her carefully drawn characters and their nicely crafted, poignant love story engage the readers' emotions and will have everyone anticipating the next book in the series.”

—
RT Book Reviews
, 4 Stars

 

“Shupe launches her romance-writing career with a polished Regency-set historical that successfully merges engaging characters, steamy sensuality, and a dash of danger into one captivating romance.”

—
Booklist

 

“A lively story . . . A naïve, desperate heroine and a thoughtless, rakehell hero mature delightfully as they come into their own in this steamy debut that is the first of a back-to-back trilogy and skillfully sets the stage for more stories to come.”

—
Library Journal

 

“From its first naughty page, be prepared to be swept away by Joanna Shupe's
The Courtesan Duchess
. Julia will win your heart, and hero Nick's too! This skillful debut reads sure and true, and I can't wait to see what Joanna dreams up next in the series.”

—Maggie Robinson

 

“One of the best debuts I've read in years. Joanna Shupe's
The Courtesan Duchess
is fast-paced, compelling, and super sexy. You won't be able to put it down.”

—Valerie Bowman

 

“Joanna Shupe is a wonderful new voice in historical romance.
The Courtesan Duchess
takes readers on a steamy ride from Venice to London, proving that some happily ever afters are worth waiting for.”

—Jennifer McQuiston

Wicked Deceptions

 

 

 

 

 

The Knickerbocker Club

 

(novella)

 

 

(coming in November 2016)

 

 

 

MAGNATE

The Knickerbocker Club

JOANNA SHUPE

ZEBRA BOOKS
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

Table of Contents

 

A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Gilded Age, which falls roughly from 1870–1900, was a fascinating time of innovation, upheaval, and new ideals. This era wrought powerful industry, incredible corruption, and extreme wealth in America. There were social struggles, as waves of new immigrants, the middle-class, and recently freed slaves attempted to find a place in this country. In addition, New York's Knickerbocker families were desperately trying to uphold their rules and traditions while the nouveau riche angled to gain a foothold in the upper classes.

I set
Magnate
in early 1888 for a specific reason. In March of that year, the East Coast experienced one of the worst snowstorms it had ever seen, with over twenty inches of snow dumping on New York City. I couldn't resist using this natural disaster as a plot point. I spent hours looking at real photos of the storm's aftermath as well as reading the news accounts, which were harrowing and, in many cases, heartbreaking.

A great deal of debt is owed to Victoria Woodhull and Tennessee Clafin, who served as part of the inspiration for Lizzie, the heroine in
Magnate
. These two sisters opened the first female-operated stock brokerage firm in 1870. Backed by Cornelius Vanderbilt, the women stormed Wall Street and were an instant success. Interestingly, their offices had a private door in the back that led to a women-only lounge, a system that allowed women to begin to take independent control of their finances. Sadly, their firm only lasted three years, and it would be not until 1967 that the first woman purchased a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.

Many people helped in the writing of this book. First, I am fortunate to have the dean of a business school as well as an economics professor in my family. So thanks to Denise and Joel, who patiently answered all my stock and finance questions, and provided resources to help with the accuracy of several stock details. Also, a huge thank-you to my husband, Rich, who helped plot out much of this story, then re-plot when things weren't working and my head was spinning.

I owe undying gratitude to my pals Lin Gavin, Michele Mannon, JB Schroeder, and Diana Quincy, who each helped brainstorm on this story, read the manuscript early on, and kept me on track when I faltered. Thanks to Chris Gavin, who patiently answered my stock questions on a trip at the beach. Thanks to both Megan Frampton and Sonali Dev for their comments on the manuscript and general awesome writerly support. And thanks to the other Violet Femmes—Tina, Jaye, Maria, RoseAnn—for reading the first chapter at a moment's notice! You rock!

Also, thanks to Peter Senftleben (who pushed me to up my game on this manuscript), Jane Nutter, and the entire team at Kensington for getting behind my stories, no matter what time period I write in. Thank you to Laura Bradford for being her awesome agent self, as well as doing an early read through on
Magnate
and giving me critical feedback on the characters.

My thanks to Greg Young and Tom Meyers, better known as The Bowery Boys, for their amazing podcast, Web site (
www.boweryboyshistory.com
), and willingness to answer my questions about Washington Square. If you like New York history, please check them out!

Most of all, thank you to the readers! I am so grateful for all of the support and feedback I get from you. I hope you enjoy the Knickerbocker Club series as much as I enjoyed writing it. All the errors here are my own.