Adult Review: Mogul by Joanna Shupe

Mogul by Joanna Shupe
Publication Date: January 31, 2017
Publisher: Zebra
Amazon Link: HERE
Received From: Author/Netgalley (in exchange for an honest review)


Summary (from Amazon):
The privileged members of the Knickerbocker Club can never climb too high up the social ladder. But for one charming New York bachelor, does the ascent take precedence over love in the Gilded Age?

As owner of a well-respected national newspaper, Calvin Cabot has the means to indulge his capricious taste for excess—and the power to bring the upper crust of society to its knees. So when a desperate heiress from his past begs for his help, Calvin agrees...as long as she promises to stay out of his way. Except, like the newsman, this willful beauty always gets what she wants...

Lillian Davies lives a life brimming with boundless parties, impressive yachts, and exotic getaways. But when her brother disappears, Lily knows that blood runs thicker than champagne and she'll spare nothing to bring him back alive. Unfortunately, the only man who can help her is the one she never wanted to see again. Can Lily keep Calvin at arm's length long enough to save her brother and protect her name...even when the tenacious powerbroker turns out to be absolutely irresistible?

Review:
Calvin and Lily fell in love quickly and completely when they were young and eloped. But when Lily's father threatens Calvin with cutting Lily off and revealing Calvin's secret (which isn't his secret to reveal), Calvin knows he has to let Lily go. Lily's not so forgiving, though, especially when her father tells her that Calvin took his offer for money. Her love quickly turns to hate and she never wants to see him again. But years later when Lily's brother goes missing and she receives a threatening note with her brother's and Calvin's names in it, she must ask Calvin for help before it's too late. Calvin always thought he did the right thing with Lily, and even though he still thinks about her every day and yearns to go back in time to change his decision, he knows he wouldn't because he has to protect his best friend. Calvin's reluctant to help Lily but when he finds out the Chinese man he's been investigating for the newspaper is behind the letter, he knows he's their best bet at getting the information they need. Will Calvin and Lily be able to find her brother without risking their own lives and hearts?

Mogul is both a second chance and an enemies to lovers romance since Calvin and Lily were once young lovers (and married) yet because of misunderstandings they grew to hate each other. But as all of us know, there's a very fine line between hate and love, and the chemistry between Calvin and Lily from the first page is evidence of this. Lily isn't too unique of a heroine—she's rich and lives her life lavishly (but she never comes across as snobbish) and puts her family above everything else. She doesn't really stand out from other historical romance heroines, especially because she's also seeing a man she doesn't have feelings for yet everyone expects her to marry him, a man that's in her social class unlike Calvin. At times it bothered me that Lily didn't have a backbone when it came to her father or her beau, but I also thought Lily had redeeming qualities as well including her love for her brother. Calvin, on the other hand, is more ruthless. He has a typical rags to riches story—he wasn't wealthy when Calvin and Lily got married, but he now owns several newspaper presses. Calvin and Lily together were perfect. I loved that it was love at first sight but because they were young when they fell in love, it didn't end up working out, but they still manage to find each other again. And while I typically like second chance romance stories, one thing I disliked about Mogul was that there were too many minor misunderstandings between Calvin and Lily and at times it felt like the author just continued to throw in more misunderstandings to strengthen the conflict, which became frustrating.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Mogul by Joanna Shupe to readers looking for a historical romance with a second chance and enemies to lovers romance.

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