A Daring Arrangement (Four Hundred Series #1)

by Joanna Shupe

Overview

Set in New York City’s Gilded Age, Joanna Shupe’s first book in her Four Hundred series features 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 loves. 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062678898
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	10/31/2017
Series:	Four Hundred Series , #1
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	211,101
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.60(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Joanna Shupe has always loved history, ever since she saw her first Schoolhouse Rock cartoon. In 2013, she won Romance Writers of America's prestigious Golden Heart® Award for Best Historical. Since then, 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.

Editorial Reviews

09/25/2017
Shupe (the Knickerbocker Club series) takes readers back to the Gilded Age of 19th-century New York in the enjoyable debut of her Four Hundred series. After Lady Honora “Nora” Parker’s father learns of her unsuitable relationship with penniless artist Robert Landon, he sends her away from her home in England to live with her aunt and uncle in New York and find an appropriate husband. Nora devises a plan to find a most unsuitable fiancé so that her father will relent and allow her to return to England to marry Robert. She settles on Julius Hatcher, a wealthy financier known for his outlandish parties and scandalous liaisons with actresses. Julius agrees to pose as Nora’s fake fiancé in exchange for her assisting him in his quest to enter New York upper-crust society. He’s astonished to feel intense attraction and come to admire her. When the romance sizzles between Nora and Julius, the barriers of their arrangement begin to fall away. Mystery simmers in the background as Julius searches for the unknown men he believes drove his father to suicide. Shupe has expertly developed her winning protagonists to reveal great depth of character. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Nothing makes me happier than a new book from Joanna Shupe.” — Sarah MacLean

“An intelligent, sexy romp!” — Entertainment Weekly

“Shupe’s unique talents shine in her start to The Four Hundred series as her sparkling light humor mixes with poignancy, danger, heated chemistry and delightful dialogue. This enchanting series starter hooks readers who will be craving more.” — RT Book Reviews (top pick)

“Shupe continues to raise the bar for Gilded Age romance with the first book in a promising new series.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Shupe takes readers back to the Gilded Age of 19th-century New York in the enjoyable debut of her Four Hundred series…Shupe has expertly developed her winning protagonists to reveal great depth of character.” — Publishers Weekly

“A young lady’s outrageous plan to marry the man of her dreams backfires most effectively in this steamy romance that takes excellent advantage of a seldom-used New York Gilded Age setting.” — Library Journal

From the Publisher

Shupe’s unique talents shine in her start to The Four Hundred series as her sparkling light humor mixes with poignancy, danger, heated chemistry and delightful dialogue. This enchanting series starter hooks readers who will be craving more.

RT Book Reviews (top pick)

An intelligent, sexy romp!

Entertainment Weekly

Nothing makes me happier than a new book from Joanna Shupe.

Sarah MacLean

10/15/2017
Lady Honora Parker is furious when her noble father scotches her plans to marry a struggling artist and sends her to her aunt and uncle in America to find a worthy husband. Undeterred, she hatches a foolproof plan to ensure that she is sent back to England—and into the arms of her beloved Robert. All she has to do is become engaged (temporarily, of course) to the most totally unsuitable, obnoxious Yank she can find. Brash financier Julius Hatcher is the perfect choice, though he has a long-standing hidden agenda of his own. While Nora's proposition is a good one, the results are not at all what either intended. VERDICT A young lady's outrageous plan to marry the man of her dreams backfires most effectively in this steamy romance that takes excellent advantage of a seldom-used New York Gilded Age setting. Shupe (Mogul) lives in South Orange, NJ.

Library Journal