The Devil of Downtown by Joanna Shupe is the third and final novel of the Uptown Girls series that follows the lives and loves of the Greene sisters. This novel focuses on Justine Greene and her contemptuous and confusing relationship with Jack Mulligan. As with the previous two novels in this series, Shupe shows readers the brilliance of a historical romance novel with her entertaining characters, engaging story, and super sexy scenes. The Devil of Downtown by Joanna Shupe (and the entire Uptown Girls series) is perfectly written and an essential purchase for any romance reader.

No one does the Gilded Age in New York City like Joanna Shupe! She creates a vivid picture of the era that shows the glittering wealth of Fifth Avenue compared with the poverty of the working class.

Ms. Justine Greene was born on Fifth Avenue but she's never really fit in there. She spends her time among the city's poor, helping women and children. There she meets Jack Mulligan, king of the underworld. Justine needs Jack's help and she won't back down. Her perseverance, stubbornness, and lack of fear intrigue Jack.

This novel was a great read! I enjoyed it from start to finish. Ms. Shupe kept me enthralled with her writing and characters. Justine Greene fights for those who cannot get the help they need. She fights for women and children, especially those who need support from a father that has "mysteriously" disappeared. She is kind, witty, determined, and stubborn. Those traits appeal to Jack Mulligan, crime lord extraordinaire and gentleman, who has never met anyone that stands up to him like Justine does. Jack provides protection to those under his employ and in his territory, providing jobs as well. Jack can get anything we wants, having so many owe him favors or bribery, but he cannot get Justine and wants more from her. He is a selfish individual, but Justine believes people can change, even Jack. Justine begins to like and trust Jack, but realizes the what his world truly entails even though she loves him dearly. Jack built his empire from nothing and will not surrender it to anyone, not even for Justine. Can two people from opposite backgrounds find common ground or will the past catch up with them?
I received this novel from net galley and the publisher. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Joanna Shupe never disappoints. The Devil of Downtown is clever and filled with characters with personality and wit and depth. It is also, like all Joanna’s books, extremely sexy. Justine and Jack are absolute fire together, and the progression of their relationship feels real and vital and progressive, allowing Justine space to claim her own identity separate from Jack. The big emotional beats in the last third did feel a little like a repeat of The Prince of Broadway, which was a bit disappointing in that it lost that feeling of newness or surprise, but it was ultimately a fun, heartfelt, romantic, sexy, satisfying story by a master romance writer.

I received a digital advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After disliking the second book in this series I am so happy to say I LOVED The Devil of Downtown. Great opposites attract story and I enjoy a good bad boy who’s really not so bad. Justine’s fight for social causes was excellent and her scenes with Jack were so electric. I didn’t want it to end, but alas.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC!

I am obsessed with this book. What a way to end the stories of these sisters! I didn’t know what to expect from Justine, as she was more quiet and reserved and wasn’t in the other books as much. Same with Jack- I loved him in the second book, but I just wasn’t sure how they would go together. Justine is always crusading for justice and Jack is a boss of a criminal empire. However, there is a reason opposites attract is one of my favorite tropes. These two just go together, despite their different worlds and backgrounds. Justine is brave, fierce, and never backs down, which draws Jack to her even more. Jack, despite his occupation, is super-sensitive and sees Justine in a way nobody else does. The attraction between the two is off the charts. Jack is one of the few people who treats Justine without kid gloves and listens to what she wants and believes in her (I love her sisters, but they were soooo overprotective in this book). And of course, we see Gilded Age New York in this book, which is one of the reasons I love Joanna Shupe’s books so much. She writes in this setting so well. I will definitely be reading this one again!

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Forever a Joanne Shupe fan! Our romance readers will love this latest installment, highly recommend!

I think the best out of the three and a good end to the series. Justine might be as headstrong and unconventional as older sisters Florence and Mamie, but it feels like she tries a little harder to blend in (granted, not always successfully) while carrying out her mission to help the poor. She dresses down during her tours of the lower East Side, looking for deadbeat husbands as part of helping out the legal aid society. Jack Mulligan definitely sounded like one whose story we wanted to see when we met him in the first two books. He's definitely one who, if he had been born above 42nd Street, would've become the shrewd respected businessman who paid someone else to get their hands dirty, instead of his own. I think it's a classic but believable trope: the criminal who built a fortune though illegal means, but wants to go legit. Justine is naive in thinking Jack's strong-arming wasn't finally going to affect the goings-on in her life, but it's understandable. The scene that triggers the contrivances holds up. Based on Gilded Age New York mobster Paul Kelly, it's nice that Jack gets to have a happier ending, obviously.

An absolute stunner of a romance novel. Criminal overlord falls for generous and kind activist with a heart of gold. For fans of Sarah MacLean's Bareknuckle Bastards series.

This is my new favorite in the Uptown Girls series! I love Joanna Shupe's writing and how she is clearly so well-versed in Gilded Age history. I feel like we didn't see much of Justine in the previous books, so I wasn't sure what to expect from her going into this story, but I loved her at least as much as her sisters in Rogue of 5th Ave and Prince of Broadway. She isn't just a flat, boring "do-gooder"; she knows herself and her mind and is a strong advocate for herself and others. Jack was also my favorite of the three male love interests in this series and I loved watching his evolution from cold-hearted villain into a man totally bowled over by love. This was a smart, feminist, and sexy historical romance and I look forward to whatever Shupe writes next!

I could not put this down. This book is phenomenal. Justine volunteers with the Legal Aid Society helping the underrepresented in lower Manhattan. She is selfless and tireless in her quest to help those in need. A "do-gooder". Her work brings her to the office of Jack Mulligan...the man who owns and runs most of lower Manhattan from the wrong side of the law. One ask for help leads to one favor owed and from there the two are intertwined.

I love so much about this book. Shupe's writing puts you right into the story. You can feel what the characters are feeling. You can hear the punches being thrown in the boxing rings. You can picture the scenes in your head as if you were standing right there with the characters. Justine is a super strong and smart woman. I was cheering her on the whole time. While you think that there is nothing to like about Jack on the surface, you cannot help but see the good in him and fall in love with him right along with Justine. I love that this book takes place in New York City and doesn't just remain in the society ballrooms.

This book is the third in a series by Shupe. It reads well on its own but the story makes me want to go back and read the first two as it was just so good that I want more. A definite 5 stars and a recommendation for anyone but especially fans of Sarah MacLean.

What a great story! Justine is the do-gooder from society who encounters Jack Milligan, the king of crime in the city. What begins as an assist to helping one of her clients leads to a remarkable and enjoyable romance between the two. However, when Justine realizes that she is becoming comfortable with Jack’ way of doing things, she breaks it off. How it gets resolved and to a HEA is a great read!

Be still my heart! I have been waiting for this book!!! I was so looking forward to read all about Jack “Mulligan” and how Justine would win his heart and I was not disappointed. I loved this book and Jack is definitely swoon worthy material!

I enjoyed Justines strong character. How much she wanted to be able to help those that were so much in need. How quietly she went about helping these women, searching for the husbands that have deserted them. I think there was only one time when she disappointed me, when she started to realize the power that she had over Jack and just how much he would do for her. Because he would, without hesitation.

I think this is one of the books when I am more enthralled by the hero than the heroine. I enjoyed reading about Jacks story. His rise to power and how struggled to stay on top and also with wanting to break free from it, To finally do something that was above the law, that he would not have to worry about looking over his shoulder.

I was up all night reading this book and could not put it down! A great ending to the series! I can’t wait to see what else Ms Shupe has in store for future stories.

The Devil of Downtown is set during the Gilded Age of New York City, and focuses on crime boss Jack Mulligan and uptown do-gooder heiress Justine Greene. The novel begins with Justine chasing down deadbeat husbands at a time when women had few rights and recourse for support when abandoned. Appealing to Mulligan for assistance when said deadbeat husband is on his payroll, it begins an unlikely friendship between them after he coerces a favor from her for his assistance. Mulligan finds himself drawn to Justine, who isn't as angelic as she seems, but in a way that still seems consistent with her character and the time (though her belief in her safety and ability to handle herself seems a little over the top, as well as her ability to easily escape being handled at knifepoint). Justine begins to see that things are not so black and white, and let's face it, Mulligan is created as an almost perfect hero-type character--sensitive (for a crime boss!), quickly crazy about the heroine and not really ever as dangerous as he's made out to be, so how can she resist? Overall, it was an enjoyable read, and though it's part of Ms. Shupe's Uptown Girls series, it can standalone.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Stunning, seductive, and sweet addition to a lovely series featuring three brash girls from the Gilded Age!

THE DEVIL OF DOWNTOWN was everything that I wanted and more. Shupe delivers with her usual humor and sensual romances. I was particularly excited about this book because it features Justine, the youngest sister who loves to help people, and Jack, a hardened criminal lord who also likes to help people... at a cost. Opposites attract are one of my favorite tropes, and this book really brought two people with different backgrounds and personalities to a wonderful, steamy romance where each person appreciates the differences in the other.

“Her life had been about others for so long that she forgot what it felt like to live just for herself. To take instead of giving, giving, giving all the time. The idea of being wicked and selfish was a thrill just waiting there, beckoning in the sizzle of his gaze as he stared down at her.
Danger. You’re in danger, Justine.
He wouldn’t hurt her, not in the physical sense. However, no one would ever believe that Mulligan could be good for her. He was worldly and charming. Cunning. A man who dressed like a duke but traded in violence and crime. An elegant sword dipped in poison.
So why had she come here tonight?”

Justine is my favorite kind of character in romance books. She’s sensible but sheltered, so she thinks she knows what’s right all the time when in fact she’s a little naive. All her life, she’s been pitted against her older sisters who are brash and reckless and fearless. She covered up for their escapades and went along with their dares, but at the end of the day, she was the dutiful one. We start the book with her tracking down wayward, runaway husbands so that they can be persuaded to come back to their families to support them. She ends up asking Jack to help track down one of those men, since the man she’s looking for works for him. He does so... for a favor in the future. She reluctantly agrees, and the fun begins.

From the beginning, the dynamic between Justine and Jack is exploding with chemistry. They both say they’re not interested in each other, but the more Justine stands up for herself against Jack, without being afraid of him, the more he’s attracted to her. Thus begins his seduction... which Justine accepts. They’re both having fun, right? Neither of them go into the relationship with thoughts of being long-term, but there’s also no manipulation either. They just enjoy the other’s company a lot and are attracted to one another. I thought throughout it all, their communication channels were open and honest, which kept the romantic progression pure and sweet. However, other people don’t think the same, as he’s a criminal from downtown and she’s a do-gooder from uptown. We love some forbidden romance energy.

Justine is a do-gooder, but she definitely deserves an adventure. She has a higher goal of becoming a detective in the police force and in general, helping the community around her. Being with Jack allowed her to explore her own character more as she stepped out of her comfort zone to become someone as daring and reckless as her older sisters. I love that even as she’s becoming more confident and her voice is being heard, she doesn’t compromise her integrity, even if it’s so easy to with someone as powerful as Jack beside her. Jack himself has a lot of power as the lord of downtown, and his motto of “You can never have enough” drives him to build his criminal empire and dive into business ventures. He’s rich and controls the neighborhood. What more can he want? Once he meets Justine, he realizes that there’s MUCH more to life than making the next bargain... and he has to decide if that’s worth the change in his life.

I love how progressive this series has been, and book 3 is no different. Justine is excited at Jack’s interest in her, but she’s just looking for a little fun, and she certainly does not need him to save the day. I’ve been blessed by so many romance books with women who save the day, and Justine definitely uses her intelligence and kindness to do so in THE DEVIL OF DOWNTOWN.

There’s also a small murder subplot going on, keeping the story fun, and not just romance-centric. With small pieces of action and making deals, THE DEVIL OF DOWNTOWN really doesn’t have a boring moment. The plot moves along quickly, and the relationship does too, but on the characters’ terms and not as insta-love.

I really recommend this series to Historical Romance lovers who appreciate modern women with fierce views, and men who are worthy of them! I especially loved this book because of the opposites attract theme, the growth the characters go through, and their seductive romantic progression.

This is the first book I have been able to finish in a month. I haven't been able to read at all but Joanna Shupe's newest book The Devil of Downtown is a historical romance gem. In this third book of the Uptown Girls we follow the youngest Greene sister, Justine. You will not be disappointed with Jack Mulligan's book. We have seen the exclusive Jack in other books, specifically in Florence's book. He is just as dark and devastating a hero as we are lead to believe and I loved every second of him being just completely devastated by realizing he loves Justine.
This is a must read for anyone that loved the other books in the series or just needs a historical romance to ground their mind for a few hours.

Youngest Greene sister Justine isn’t quite as sheltered and naive as her older siblings think she is. Instead, she spends her days in 1890s New York City tracking down deadbeat fathers and lost relatives on behalf of a legal aid society. When a case leads her to crime lord Jack Mulligan’s door, the meeting is unexpected for both of them. Jack is drawn to the unexpectedly tough and enchanting society lady. Justine can’t stop thinking about the powerful man who may have a secretly soft heart. But they’re from different worlds, and there’s no way they could ever be together.

This was an engrossing story about accepting your past and daring to imagine a different future. I enjoyed the relationship between Jack and Justine, although she sometimes seemed to willfully throw herself into danger, which was annoying.