Mogul: The Knickerbocker Club, Book 3

Shupe follows her stellar first two Knickerbocker Club novels (Magnate and Baron) with a weaker third entry. Calvin Cabot, the publisher of three New York newspapers, is one of the reigning titans of the Gilded Age. Information is his business, but even he is caught by surprise when his ex-wife, Lillian Davies, stalks and kidnaps him, demanding he find her brother. Intensely loyal and proud Lily is mismatched with aloof Calvin, who doesn’t trust easily, but they were passionately in love when they eloped. Faced with Lily’s father’s ire at the elopement, Calvin buckled and gave her up, and four years later, Lily is still bitter about his abandonment. The dialogue is engaging and sexy, their chemistry is still red-hot, and their torrid affair is inevitable. The passionate interludes feel worlds apart from the very serious threats posed by a local mob boss, but each intimate moment is powerful and engaging. Lily is determined to have an equal partnership with Calvin and is willing to walk away if he can’t give it to her. Calvin’s love for Lily is never in doubt, but his actions don’t inspire confidence that he understands what she needs. Readers who’ve seen the previous series heroes give up their empires for love will find the theme has grown a bit stale. The inclusion of a tie-in novella is a nice perk, but Calvin and Lily’s story could have made better use of those pages to bolster a thin plot. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary. (Feb.)