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Title: Devil of Downtown
Author: Joanna Shupe
Sub-genre: Historical
Trope(s): Grumpy/sunshine
Alright, I don’t think I need to reiterate my absolute love for Gilded Age historicals at this point. We’re all clear on that by now, yeah? The Uptown Girls series has been one of my favorites, and I’m sad to see it end. Hopefully we have more Gilded Age from Joanna on its way soon! I will say, it’s tough to follow up a book like Prince of Broadway, with two characters I absolutely adored. But I really liked reading Justine and Jack’s story and I think it was a solid conclusion to the series.
Justine is the youngest Greene sister. Her elder siblings, Mamie and Florence, are both known for being troublemakers, but Justine is known for being a do-gooder. She spends most of her time working with charities and trying to help those less well off than she is. But Justine also doesn’t shy away from doing the hard work. She hunts down husbands who have abandoned their wives and children, forcing them to pay child support, and recruits law enforcement to strong arm abusive factories from exploiting their workers. When she meets Jack Mulligan, New York’s biggest crime boss, while hunting down an absent father, Jack is instantly captivated by this woman who seems to be his complete opposite. Justine is equally intrigued by Jack, and despite several warnings from her sisters and brothers-in-law, Justine starts a secret affair with Jack. But the two come from totally different worlds, and have some very different principles, despite sharing similar goals and intentions. Luckily, this is a romance, so we know they end up living happily ever after.
I think the one thing this book doesn’t have going for it, which really isn’t a bad thing it’s just different from the other two, is Justine is a quiet heroine. Both Mamie and Florence were kind of in your face with their badassness, and while Justine is definitely a badass, she is mostly a calm and logical one. Again, I don’t think that is a bad thing, but she wasn’t totally what I expected in keeping in line with the series. Jack, on the other hand, is super in your face. He does not shy away from the fact that he is a criminal, he is very open and honest about how he operates and how he isn’t willing to change (though of course, he does change, because love). I thought the dynamic between Jack and Justine was pretty perfect. There was chemistry and sexual tension, and she never backed down or let him push her around. The sex scenes were hot, no surprise there after reading Joanna’s other books. Overall, the read was entertaining and enjoyable, even if I wouldn’t call it my favorite in the series.
Overall Rating: 4.5 stars