The Prince of Broadway by Joanna Shupe

In the second novel in Joanna Shupe's the Uptown Girl series, a ruthless casino owner bent on revenge finds his plans upended by a beautiful woman who proves to be more determined than he is—and too irresistible to deny.

Powerful casino owner.
Ruthless mastermind.
Destroyer of men.

He lives in the shadows...

As the owner of the city's most exclusive casino, Clayton Madden holds the fortunes of prominent families in the palms of his hands every night. There is one particular family he burns to ruin, however, one that has escaped his grasp... until now.

She is society's darling...

Florence Greene is no one's fool. She knows Clayton Madden is using her to ruin her prestigious family... and she's using him right back. She plans to learn all she can from the mysterious casino owner—then open a casino of her own just for women.

With revenge on his mind, Clay agrees to mentor Florence. However, she soon proves more adept—and more alluring—than Clay bargained for. When his plans are threatened, Clay must decide if he is willing to gamble his empire on love.

Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Avon – HarperCollins

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆
The Prince of Broadway is the second installment of the Uptown Girls series. While a continuation, the novel can be read with little to no confusion as a standalone.

Florence is an unconventional woman of the era, in that she doesn't wish to wed. An independent thinker. I believe this has been more popular amongst historical romance as of late, as it resonates deeply with readers of today's mindset.

Florence is lively, seeking unladylike pursuits, like gambling in a men's only casino, as her greatest dream is to open an establishment for ladies. The only issue with this idea is the fact that is nothing but a pipe dream of a child, not anything with any formulated plans of success.

While Florence is independent, willful, and adventurous, there were times she came off as childish, reckless, and obstinate, like a spoiled child, not the grown woman she was written to be. Florence's actions didn't always match up with her personality traits. This did come off as hard to swallow at times, because I was left wanting to shake sense into her, as she acted like a young teenager. While sometimes humorous, many other times it felt forced or frustrating to read. Florence is an 'either love her or loathe her' type of character.

Our hero, Clayton is an unapologetic criminal. Written to be dark and dangerous as he runs an illegal casino. The major issue I took up with this characterization is that the reader is told Clayton is dark and dangerous and mysterious, but his only claim to this infamy is the fact that he runs a casino. Similar to how Florence is written to be one way and acts another, Clayton is written to be dark and dangerous but his actions are more introverted and reclusive.

The Prince of Broadway's conflict rests solely on Clayton's revenge-seeking schemes, miscommunication, the balance between whether or not evasion is tantamount to lying, pitting Clayton and Florence against one another for the angst of it all.

Some of it is the reader's block I've fallen deeply into for the past few months. On the surface, I do believe fans of the author and lovers of historical romance will be highly entertained by the second installment in the Uptown Girls series. Those who look too deep or try to rationalize why the characters behave in specific ways, may be left slightly disappointed.

Also Available in the Uptown Girls Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Avon – HarperCollins

For reviews & more info, check out our The Rogue of Fifth Avenue post.

Joanna Shupe has always loved history, ever since she saw her first Schoolhouse Rock cartoon. While in college, Joanna read every romance she could get her hands on and soon started crafting her own racy historical novels. In 2013, she won Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart® Award for Best Historical. She now lives in New Jersey with her two spirited daughters and dashing husband.

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Joanna Shupe's Gilded Lilies Facebook Group

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Prince of Broadway (Uptown Girls #2) by Joanna Shupe to read and review.