Mogul is the third book in The Knickerbocker Club series by Joanna Shupe. It can be enjoyed as a standalone though characters from the previous books do appear briefly.

Lily Davies is mostly a strong independent woman. She even runs the family mining company after her father dies, much to the anger of the all-male board members. She is doing a good job and it is only until her brother Tom takes over the reins that she intends to do the job. The problem is that her brother has gone missing.

After hiring detectives to look for him and with them having no success Lily has to swallow her pride and ask the only person she is sure will be able to find him. That person is Calvin Cabot, newspaper Mogul and her ex-husband! The reason the marriage ended is complicated and Lily hoped never to have to see him again despite him being the only man she's ever loved. But she's desperate and she asks for his help.

He knows that if he refuses that Lily will go to places she shouldn't in order to look for him herself. He also knows how dangerous that would be. He agrees to help her but he also has his own reasons for getting involved. There are twists and turns in this story. It's extremely moving in parts, suspenseful, and the passionate relationship between Lily and Calvin will have you reaching for your fan! Steamy hot is no exaggeration!

There was never a dull moment to this story, it wasn't predictable, the characters were believable and I couldn't read quickly enough to find out how it would end. I wasn't disappointed.

I enjoyed this story and am more than happy to recommend it and the whole series.

I really enjoyed Calvin and Lillian story! It was a reunion story which is always one of my favorites.

It was interesting to watch Calvin and Lillian grow close again. You could tell that they never lost their feelings for the other and just needed that nudge to find their way back to each other. I loved the bantering between the two of them, so much of which stemmed from neither of them wanting to admit that they were falling in love again.

This was a great conclusion to the Knickerbocker Club series! I'm excited to see what Shupe comes up with next!

This was a refreshing historical romance. Most American historical romances are either in the south or out west. The characters bothered me a little bit though. I didn't get the feeling that they loved each other. The plot with the Chinese gang was interesting however there were too many secondary problems, the board and the wannabe fiance.

I enjoyed this intriguing series a lot, the first two books were a lot of fun to read. I had great expectations of this one too and till the very end it was a solid 4 star read till the very end but the very abrupt and rushed ending spoiled it all for me.

I like the Gilded Age NY setting, the abundant historical details built a powerful sense of time and place and brought me deep into the story and really bring into to the story. This story focused a lot of the social/political issues of the period - the situation with the Chinese immigrants and the women entering business.

I found the way the Chinese characters were presented convincing and respectful. There were the main part of the subplot but also central to the conflict in the main plot. I dare say the author created complex diverse characters and focused on their issues even though the main couple were white American.

What I enjoyed the most in this book was the romance itself. It was a second chance, lovers-to enemies-to lovers story that I found absolutely fascinating. The chemistry between Calvin and Lilly was explosive and I appreciate the sex positive attitude the author created by giving us a heroine who acted free and wild and uninhibited with her lover.

The mystery element of the plot worked well for me as well. It kept me invested till the end but never overshadowing the romance.

My greatest disappointment was the ending. I literally tapped my Kindle repeatedly hoping to open the next page. I just couldn't believe the author ended a well plotted, complex love story in such a rushed unsatisfactory way.

Shupe' books are interesting, entertaining, and sexy. She's a go to read for me when I need an escape. Love the story of the newspaper owner and his missus. Def worth reading again.

Not my favorite book from the series, but still such a fun read and I will be recommending it!

Another excellent Joanna Shupe novel. Her books always captivate and this reunion story was no exception!

Joanna Shupe continues her wonderful Knickerbocker Club series with this new one - and she continues to tell wonderful, sexy historical stories with such remarkable characters and a voice that is so strong. These stories really bring those times alive again and I could not put this one down once I started reading! BRAVA!!

4 Wine Glass #Review for Mogul by Joanna Shupe

Crystal's Thoughts:
The The Knickerbocker Club is a fascinating series from author Joanna Shupe about four business tycoons set in the late 19th Century New York - the Gilded Age. In a time of great industrial growth and invention, there is a thick line between "new" money and old money, and women are still confined to the background. With rigid social strictures and very little influence. Lillian Davies is not one to let gender or status hinder her from doing what needs to be done though...

I feel that the cover and synopsis doesn't quite capture what this story is truly about. Mogul is a second chance romance between a couple whose relationship was torn apart too soon by misconceptions, insecurities, and a lack of honest communication. Lily is a strong woman in a mans world. Taking up the reigns of her fathers mining company after his death, she looks forward to the day her brother takes over and she can return to the predictable socialite parties and stodgy gentleman. At least, that is what she tells herself. However, when Lily's brother disappears and the only clue is a message sent to her in Cantonese, she has to track down the one man that might be able to help her. Calvin Cabot, a man that Lily hoped never to speak to again after his abandonment four years ago. Lily refuses to let the past get in the way of saving her brother though and won't take no for answer.

Calvin may have wealth and power now, but as the orphaned son of missionaries, he had humble beginnings. Ones that he cannot forget and refuses to return to. The last thing Calvin Cabot wants is to get entangled with Lily Davies, again. As the owner of three popular newspapers, Calvin knows the power of secrets and he has too many of his own that Lily threatens to expose. Despite his qualms though, Calvin can't let Lily face the danger of the Chinese mafia alone, and he might be able to get something out of this deal himself, fulfilling a long-standing promise. But when truths are exposed, Lily and Calvin are left reeling. Can they believe anything they were told or thought over the last four years? Are they ready to put their trust in one another once again? Or is one of them still hiding dangerous secrets?

Mogul had everything that I could possibly want in a story; riveting mystery, enticing romance, gripping action, exciting scandal, and of course - beguiling characters. Neatly written, Joanna Shupe does a superb job of researching this time period. The streets of 1887 New York came to life on the pages as the author delved into the murky alleys where Chinese immigrants thrived in this time, and the circumstances surrounding the Chinese Exclusion Act.

Lily and Calvin have an interesting start, one that isn't expanded on much in the book, but it's understood that it was a whirlwind romance of impulse and lust...that could have turned into to love and devotion if given the chance but instead led to hurt and resentment. Despite their years apart and their many differences though, their chemistry is still potent. It was entertaining to watch them test the waters again, though their inability to communicate was frustrating at times. Both of these characters could be thick headed, but it added to the drama of the story. All in all, Mogul kept me turning the pages, anxious to see where Calvin and Lily's adventures would lead them next!

While Mogul certainly stands alone, secondary characters from the previous books in the series are abundant in the story line. I definitely recommend you reading the first Knickerbocker Club novels, if you can. I've enjoyed this series immensely and hope to see more stories from this author set in this time period.

C+ / 3.5 stars

I’ve read and enjoyed all the books in Joanna Shupe’s Knickerbocker Club series, so I was eagerly looking forward to Mogul, the last book in the set. I like second-chance romances and the pairing of the self-made media mogul and the society beauty who were married but quickly separated intrigued me, so I settled in to read with reasonably high expectations.

Unfortunately however, they were not met. While there’s certainly an intriguing storyline that is linked with hero Calvin Cabot’s past and an inviolable promise he made some years earlier, and there’s no question that he and our heroine, Lillian Davies, are still deeply in lust with one another, plot holes, uneven pacing and unclear motivations lead to a less than cohesive whole.

Four years ago, and following a whirlwind romance, hard-working, dedicated reporter Calvin Cabot eloped with and married Lillian Davies, the daughter of a wealthy industrialist. They’re confident they’ll be able to talk Warren Davies around, but he threatens to cut Lily off without a penny and also to expose Calvin as a bigamist, because he’s already married to a woman he met while he lived in China. Believing that staying married to Lily will do her a massive disservice – she’s been brought up in the lap of luxury and Calvin certainly won’t be able to keep her in expensive dresses and jewellery – and because of a promise given to his closest friend, Calvin gives into her father’s blackmail, leaves and the marriage is annulled.

Lily has picked up the pieces and got on with her life, now believing that Calvin was nothing but a fortune hunter. Her father has since died, and she has taken over as president of Davies Mining, something she hopes is an interim measure until her younger brother, Tom, can take over. But Tom is missing, and the only clue she has to his whereabouts is a note written in Chinese, which has both Tom’s and Calvin’s names written in it. Lily has no alternative but to approach Calvin, who by now, owns three newspapers and is one of the most influential men in the country. He spent several years living and working in China and knows the language; and while it galls her to have to ask him for help, Lily puts aside her personal feelings and concentrates on trying to help her brother.

At first, Calvin wants nothing to do with Lily or Tom, but he translates the note for her, which says that Tom has taken something of value belonging to Wah Lee, the man who pretty much controls the whole of New York’s Chinatown. Calvin reluctantly agrees to do a bit of digging to see what he can find out, but in reality he knows more or less exactly what is going on.

Calvin’s Chinese wife isn’t his wife at all, but is actually married to his friend Hugo, a freed slave who saved Calvin’s life more than once when they were both working in China. The plan had been for Shin-yee to join Hugo in the US, but the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed before she could do so and with no legal way of getting her into the country, Calvin asked Lee for help, telling him that Shin-yee was his wife. After almost five years and no sign of her being able to come to the US, Calvin has begun to get impatient and has started to do a bit of sabre-rattling in his newspapers, running a series of articles about the extent of the corruption in Chinatown. And to make a bad situation worse, it seems that the “something of value” that Lily’s brother has taken is Lee’s daughter, Ming Zhu.

The stage is set for a gripping story of move and countermove as Calvin tries to protect Lily and Tom from the danger presented by Lee while also fulfilling his promise to reunite Hugo with his wife. This plotline is fast-paced and well-executed, with plenty of twists and turns and moments of danger and peril; but Calvin’s almost pathological need to keep secrets from Lily is frustrating, and the many misunderstandings between them seem to be thrown in simply to add complications to a story that already has quite a lot going on.

The sexual chemistry between Calvin and Lily is undeniably strong, but I never felt these were two people who have changed very much or grown over their four years apart; their relationship seems still to be built on the all-consuming lust that drove them together in the first place. Calvin agreed to walk away from Lily in part because he felt she wouldn’t be happy without her high-society lifestyle; yet I had to ask myself why on earth he didn’t think of that before? The other reason was because of his promise to Hugo; if it got out that Shin-yee was married to a former slave, it would make it even harder to bring her to the US, so Calvin allowed Lily’s father to believe him a bigamist rather than tell the truth or ask for help.

The thing is that I can’t quite buy either of those things, and given they’re the reasons behind the break-up that provides the impetus for the story, it leaves the whole thing on shaky ground. While the thriller plotline is very well executed – it’s the best thing in the book – and Ms. Shupe has clearly researched the situation regarding the Chinese immigrant community and the restrictive immigration laws very extensively, the other elements to the story aren’t as strong. The explanations for Mr. Davies’ interference, and how Calvin acquired his first newspaper are overly convenient, and towards the end, Ms. Shupe lobs in a last-minute threat to Lily’s position as president of Davies Mining and a sordid, kinky secret kept by her boring would-be fiancé which Calvin, naturally, digs up in order to run him outta town; both of which make the ending feel rushed and the reader feel that the bow tying everything up is just a bit too neat. And I am not a fan of romances where it’s left to other people to point out to one or both of the protagonists just how much in love they are, or how much in love the other person is with them. It’s not uncommon in a romance for one character to need a little push, but this is no little push – it’s several very forceful and completely unsubtle shoves.

It’s common practice these days for ebooks to contain taster chapters and teasers for other books by the author, but in the case of Mogul, the final quarter is actually given over to Tycoon, the prequel novella to the series. This meant that the story actually ended at around the 76% mark on my Kindle, so this is not the 352 page novel it’s billed as. I was not aware of this when I picked up the book, although there’s a flash on the front cover claiming “free bonus novella!” If you’ve already bought Tycoon, you may feel it’s a bit of a cheek to use it to pad out the pagination of another book and ask you to pay for it again; potential readers, be aware that Mogul is considerably shorter than advertised.

It pains me to say that Mogul – which I’d anticipated being the best of the series – is actually the weakest. I’d give a strong B/B+ to the thriller, but a C to everything else, so I’m compromising with a B- as a final grade. It’s a bit of a whimper to the end of what’s been a thoroughly enjoyable and well-written series set in a time and place that doesn’t often feature in historical romances. For that, if nothing else, Ms. Shupe deserves praise, and even though Mogul didn’t live up to my expectations, I will definitely be picking up whatever she comes up with next.

Mogul is the third full-length book in Joanna Shupe’s Knickerbocker Club series set in Gilded Age, about a group of business tycoons. Although I thoroughly enjoyed Joanna Shupe’s storytelling, I have to admit that this book was not my favorite in the series. There was something about Calvin and Lily’s relationship that didn’t really catch my attention. I guess I didn’t buy their reasons for being apart for such a long period and never trying to solve their communication issues.

Calvin Cabot is the powerful publisher of 3 nationally acclaimed newspapers. He is wealthy but doesn’t come from money. He owes his success to his charisma, ambition and shrewd business sense. He is a man who has clout. He is confident and arrogant but he hides deep regrets over what his life could have been. Four years earlier, Calvin had an intense but short love affair with a wealthy heiress, Lily Davies, and they didn’t part ways on good terms. Lily was heartbroken and felt betrayed by Calvin. She still sees him as an opportunistic gold digger, but she desperately needs him to locate her missing brother. They have avoided each other for years and their interactions are tense. They have a lot of unresolved issues and both fight their explosive chemistry. Lily tries to convince herself that she has moved on, that she needs predictability more than passion.
Calvin and Lily are caught in the middle of a Chinese mafia war, and Calvin is ready to go to any lengths to protect Lily. He really has his work cut out for him, because Lily is no damsel in distress and tends to be fearless.

This story focused less on the romance compared to “Magnate” and “Baron” but was edge-of-your-seat suspenseful and riveting. I thoroughly enjoy Joanna Shupe's vivid storytelling and characterization. I will continue to follow this author in the future, and I hope that this was not the last book in a wonderful series. “Mogul” can be read as a standalone, but I definitely recommend every book in the Knickerbocker Club series.

Chinatown, New York City - 1889

Lillian (Lily) Davies has just discovered her ex-husband, Calvin Cabot, in an opium den. Lily and Calvin had never truly gotten along. He dislikes her family’s wealth and what they represent. After paying his bill for having stayed in the opium den for several days, she has him removed.

Four years earlier

When Lily and Calvin first met, they were drawn to one another and quickly eloped. He had worked as a reporter for the New York Bugle, rooting for poor people and exposing corruption and hypocrisy in the politics of New York. Now that they are married, Calvin must face Warren Davies, Lily’s wealthy father who demands that he sign annulment papers because he knows about the wife Calvin left behind in China!

Four year later

Lily is trying to wake up Calvin. Along with the help of his friend, Hugo. Truthfully, Calvin was not ill from having smoked opium. He only hides out there when he is battling the Hong Kong fever which returns on him now and then.

Lily had been disgusted when she learned that Calvin signed the annulment papers and also took a large check from her father. It literally broke her heart. But now she is engaged to Montgomery Fields, a man from a wealthy New York family.

Lily knows Calvin’s background with the Chinese so she needs his help to find her brother, Tom, who has gone missing. She has a note in Chinese and needs Calvin to read it. But he is still weak and only wants to go back home and back to his successful businesses which have made him a very rich man.

But Calvin and Lily team up to find Tom which leads them into the dark side of opium trade and some very dangerous Chinese characters.

I have read all of these books in The Knickerbocker Club Series. This one is very tense as it exposes some of the very seedy parts of New York in late 19th century. I hope others will read these books. While some of the characters are in each of the books, it is not at all necessary to read them in order as each book is written to stand alone.

Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When upcoming news paper reporter Calvin Cabot and society darling Lillian Davies fall in love and elope all their hopes are dashed when her father manipulates the newly weds and has them agree to an annulment. Years later Lillian must go to the one man she knows can help her in the desperate circumstances she finds herself in. Now a powerful Newspaper owner not much gets past the networks of Calvin Cabot. With a past love simmering but not dead can these two estranged lovers work together without destroying what is left of their hearts?

Mogul, book three in the Knickerbocker Club series, demonstrates once again the talent of Joanna Shupe's story telling skills. Set in the Gilded Age of New York her work evokes the feel of the time and illustrates beautifully the incredible chemistry of her characters. Calvin Cabot was charming and risky, a hero that readers will not be able to resist just like the woman he loved Lillian Davies. As to be expected with this writer her heroine was a strong and competent woman far ahead of her times. Ms. Shupe empowered not only her depictions but her audience by saying yes you can and doing it. Extensive research fast paced plotting and a multidimensional cast distinguish this work offering a sensational romantic adventure.

FINAL DECISION: The weakest of the series, this book is about two people getting a second chance at love. I liked the story overall, but I didn't enjoy the romance as much because the characters seemed to have too many convoluted reasons to be apart.

THE STORY: Calvin Cabot has risen from a reporter to owning a number of large newspapers. His only regret is the woman he had to leave behind. Lillian Davies is the daughter of a self-made man but her father has greater aspirations for her. Calvin and Lillian had married in a whirlwind courtship until Lillian's father stepped in. After an annulment, the two have been apart. Now Lily needs Calvin's help when her brother disappears and the two find that their attraction to one another has not diminished with time.

OPINION: I liked so much of this book, but the romance was a weak point. So while I loved the time period, loved the motivating story about Lily's brother's disappearance. There was a little too much drama with Lily and Calvin and too many things working to keep them apart that the drama exhausted me and my patience in the book. So while I liked the book, it's not one I would return to again.

Lily is a woman who has taken the reins of her family's business, Lily is strong and independent but still hurts from what she believes was Calvin's betrayal years ago. I liked her and liked her journey, but I couldn't help but think that she was annoyingly naive for believing the explanation for the annulment in the beginning.

Calvin was a character that I had expected to like a great deal, but once again, I got too annoyed and caught up in his continued lies and half-truths to Lily. I understand his loyalty and his feeling that he could not reveal the truth, but it got tiring that he kept being placed in the position to self-destruct his relationship with Lily. I was inclined to like him, but I got tired of his drama by the end.

It might sound that I didn't like this book. Actually, I liked it well enough, but it didn't live up to the promise of the other books in the series. I suppose I was more disappointed because while I loved the premise of the book and I found the history explored in it fascinating, I just got too annoyed by the misunderstandings between the characters to want a re-read.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book explores the history of discrimination against the Chinese in the United States and the consequences of the exclusionary policies of the government.

CONNECTED BOOKS: Mogul is the third book in the Knickerbocker Club series. It is not necessary to have read any of the previous book in the series although there are overlapping characters.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

As owner of three well-respected national newspapers, Calvin Cabot has the means to indulge his capricious taste for excess — and enough power of secrets and lies to bring the upper crust of society to its knees. Lillian Davis, a woman from his past desperately needs him and sets Pinkerton men out to find him so that she could beg for his help. After finally chasing Calvin down Lillian beards him in his den and he finally agrees – on condition he will help IF she stay out of his way. Except, Lillian Davis is more stubborn and maddening now than she ever was in the past and this willful beauty always gets what she wants… one way or another.

Lillian Davies lives the high life - she can easily afford it as the heiress to her fathers silver mining interests. But when her brother disappears, Lily will spare nothing to bring him back alive. Unfortunately, for Lillian the only man who can help her is the one she vowed never to see again the one man who ignites her soul and fires her passionate nature. The one man she cannot resist no matter how he broke her heart five years ago.

Oh my, this third book in Shape’s Knickerbocker Series gives truth to amazing writing abilities of Ms. Shupe. Filled with fast action and numerous lively scenarios it was difficult to set down, which meant for me losing sleep because I couldn’t sleep without getting back up to see what happened next! Calvin and Lillian had amazing chemistry and passion between them and Ms. Shupe’s writing reflected all of that and more. Weaving in the Chinese connection and historical significance of how the Chinese were treated during that period added that wonderful bit of danger and suspense that increased the thrill level of the story. Bottom Line: An amazing story and sensual romance that was just what the doctor ordered to relieve boredom of being snowed-in!!!

Marilyn Rondeau

I have decided not to finish this title. I really enjoyed the first 2 books in this series, but for some reason, I was not able to get into this book.

I appreciate the opportunity with this book and look forward to the next title.

Following the adventures of the four members of the Knickerbocker Club has not only been entertaining, but also addictive. These four men who are at the peak of their respective businesses and their journeys to win the women they love is a treat to any fan of romance. Needless to say, I am absolutely devastated to see this amazing series come to end, but I guess, all good things must come to an end.

Calvin Cabot is the owner of three major newspapers. And in a world where knowledge is power, it is safe to assume that he is one of the most powerful men in New York. And even though he is also extremely rich, he doesn't like to flaunt his wealth or spend extravagantly. You can say that his humble upbringing as the son of a missionary couple plays an important role in the way he lives and views the world. He may know more secrets than any one man has a right to know, but he is also keeping a secret. A secret that comes back in to his life when he least expects it.

Lillian Davies is the daughter of a silver mining tycoon. After loosing her father she has taken leadership of the company in hopes of handing it over to her younger brother. But when her brother goes missing with no clues as to his whereabouts, she turns to the one man that she hoped never to see again. The one man who knows everyone and everything that happens in New York City. And with a past as tumultouous and chemistry as hot as theirs, it is difficult to keep their distance professional.

Another sparkling romance by Joanna Shupe. These books would be perfect movie adaptations. With their larger than life characters and glamourous settings and magnatizing story lines, they are definitely a delight for the senses! I truly hope that Shupe will write Cora's story. She would make a perfect heroine.

Thanks Kensington Books and netgalley for this ARC.

I've been reading this series from the beginning, and loved every new book more than the last. This one I've really been looking forward to, and it was awesome. Passion that won't be denied, love that lasts because it's forged thru pain and fire,

n this book, publishing mogul Calvin Cabot's help is requested by the woman he was previously married to, Lily Davies. She needs his help to track down her brother, who has disappeared and taken with him something that is very precious to a leading Chinese gangster. But will the two be able to put aside their past to work together?

The thing I enjoyed most about this series of books, and most specifically about this book in particular, is the way historical facts figure into the story. This romance used the period in which it was set as almost a character on its own. I'll admit that I hadn't even heard of the Chinese Exclusion Act before reading this book, and I always enjoy learning about something new. I also enjoyed the Lily character, who was very independent and lively. I didn't enjoy Calvin's character as much as he seemed to prefer to hold onto secrets, which if he had been willing to reveal, might have caused him less trouble in the long run.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.