Jenni Clements &
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

Why did this book have me giggling at 11am on a work day?!
This was actually my favorite out of the series.
I find that books with the lower scores weirdly are my fav. It's been like this for the last two years, and honestly, I'm weirded out.
This couple's chemistry was chefs kiss. I like a good grouchy dude that is soft for one person, and this man delivered. I also loved Annabelle more then the others.
I weirdly read this series in this order: 3, 2, 1. Like huh?! Now onto the 4th!
Reading in this order probably made me miss little clues or side plots for the previous couples, but I can't be fixed. I'm just built like this.

Such a well written romance!! I absolutely loved it, I could hardly put it down!! Great characters and a lovely story, Highly Recommend!!!!

Very fun and dramatic. idk man

3.5/5

3.5★ okay, this was CUTE. like so cute that my reading slump is gone, it's all sunshine and rainbows now, i love reading again. Sebastian and Annabelle were everything. i love the way Dunmore had written the characters, i could connect them from the very start. the chemistry was burning up and omg, they reminded me SO much of Kanthony. i might binge read the entire series now, hehe

oh, my, god. i have soooo many emotions that i can’t even begin to process. this entire book has my whole heart—all of it. it has just about everything (and i mean everything) i wanted in a book. the enemies to lovers, the slow burn, THE ANGST??? yeah, FIVE stars

Captivating. Well written. An easy, enjoyable read. It is a bit descriptive of the Duke and Annabelle’s relationship, which I personally am not a huge fan of, but that doesn’t keep it from being five stars either.

felt like the whole suffragette premise was overplayed too much. and what we does get in the book was so minor, in fact same old damsel in distresses. also the language was very modern i had to suspend my disbelief (s) a looot of time. overhyped and overrated.

This is definitely a read that makes you go “Just 10 more pages...oh my god when did it become 4am and how am I 200 pages in?”

A great regency romance that delivers everything you want: tension, angst, a bit of forbidden love, slight enemies to lovers, a FMC that is strong and opinionated, the list goes on. Well-written and face paced, I never wanted to put this book down. I’m also kinda obsessed with Annabelle and Sebastian now. I can’t wait to read the rest in this series!

I think there were many great aspects about this book, including the many important historical references to women's suffrage in the UK during the late 1800s. While the writing in this book felt lacking at times, Annabelle's and Sebastian's story was heartwarming. There were moments where I really liked the pacing of the story and moments where I felt like it could use a little work. Overall, it was a good book and a nice change from typical historical fiction novels where women's rights are often put on the back burner.

4.5 Stars *A heartwarming story that excellently balances romance, friendship, and the real-life struggle of the women’s suffrage movement* Admittedly, I am not a huge romance fan. But sometimes I want something cutesy, and I definitely got on board the hype for Bringing Down the Duke. What can I say, I’m a sucker for intelligent, sassy heroines giving men a run for their money! So with a series title of , it isn’t surprising that I picked this up. Set in 1870 in England, Bringing Down the Duke tells the story of Annabelle Archer, a genteel but impoverished young woman to be one of the first women admitted to Oxford. She becomes involved in the suffrage movement, and her assignment is to lobby the stiff-backed Sebastian Devereux, of Montgomery for support of their cause. Of course, sparks fly between the two of them. But can they overcome their differences in station and views? The story is certainly a Romance. It’s a little steamy but not fully a bodice-ripper. I enjoyed the banter between Annabella and Sebastian as well as the swoon factors. But what I liked even more is that this story doesn’t completely focus on the romance. There are strong female friendships that wonderfully display the bond and support that women can give each other. There is also much exploration of heavier topics. Women’s rights are the main focus, but the story also deals with classism and sexism as well as other societal problems. “Perhaps you can explain it to me, then,” she said, “how is it fair that my utterly inept cousin is in command of me, for no reason other than that he’s a man and I’m a woman? How is it fair that I master Latin and Greek as well as any man at Oxford, yet I am taught over a baker’s shop? How is it fair that a man can tell me my brain was wired wrong, when his main achievement in life seems to be his birth into a life of privilege? And why do I have to beg a man to please make it his interest that I, too, may vote on the laws that govern my life every day?” The historical aspects were well researched, and the story was woven around real events. It is too easy to overlook just how much risk the Suffragettes took. They weren’t simply promoting an unpopular opinion. They risked having their entire lives destroyed. Women had almost no legal rights. They faced very real possibilities of being disowned, left destitute, being jailed, or being committed to insane asylums. Lack of moral fiber was a legally permisable reason for a women to be declared mentally incompetent and forcibly committed to asylums where most patients were neglected, abused, and even experimented on. “Reputation” was more than just how popular you were. Their lives depended upon their reputation. Yet in real life, these brave women risked all of that to try to gain equality. Although sadly sexism is still alive today, this is certainly a piece of history that should be remembered and celebrated. Overall, this was such an enjoyable, well-rounded story and impressive for a debut! I look forward to reading more of Dunmore’s work in the future. RATING FACTORS: Ease of Reading: 5 Stars Writing Style: 4 Stars Characters and Character Development: 5 Stars Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars Level of Captivation: 5 Stars Originality: 4 Stars

Sixth book of my Covid-19 isolation. I don't usually go for the historical romance, but this book was highly mentioned by Regan, aka @peruseproject, a booktuber I adore. So, naturally I went for it. And what a great surprise it was! Annabelle is quite the character, even though sometimes I struggled with her "selfless" acts. All that aside, I really liked this book. The writing navigated perfectly through the language from the time it was set and Evie Dunmore's touch.

4.5 stars mayhaps i do love historical romance

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH I LOVED IT SO MUCH

I joined the Book of the Month club in February of 2021, and absolutely love it. They pick five books each month (I have no idea how they narrow their selections, there are so many good books) and present them as their main selections. Every one of those books is destined to be on bestseller lists, celebrity book lists, and book club lists around the world. Each month BOTM also has a selection of notable books they offer as add-ons. I have made every attempt to read each main selection and each add on every month, and that is not an easy task. In September of 2021, BOTM added a book called Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore. Upon further investigation, I discovered it to be the third in a series, so my task was to read the first two. So here I give you the first in Evie Dunmore’s first in the League of Extraordinary Women series. This is a debut novel for Dunmore, and I was pretty darn excited to dive into this one. I love me a good romance, and I especially love when a new author jumps into the arena with such an enthusiastic response from the reading world. I was disappointed. I wanted a book that focused on the strengths and accomplishments of these women that fought so hard for women’s rights in England, and instead I got a book about how men, again, saved women. It’s not a terrible book, it has all the required components of a good story and a good romance, but it wasn’t what I was led to believe it would be. Dunmore gets a gold star for the research that went into this novel (and the ones that follow), and it’s well-written enough that I was able to finish quickly and not hate it (despite being disappointed). I will read the next two books and I will probably not hate them, but I just don’t see me loving them. This book is about as average as a book can be.

3.5

What a delight! (Really should be three and a half stars.) I sped through this - it was really fun and engaging, and I loved that (aside from being a bluestocking student) the heroine had a whole past affair that had gone badly but wasn't shamed for it, and I'm really looking forward to all the other books in the series. (I do wish there had been more about the actual political machinations, though - it was set up with those as the stakes but then was rarely mentioned.)

It took me a while to finish this book because I couldn't bring it with me, but it was delightful. And, yes, we Annabelle's are stubborn

I really enjoyed this romance. Extremely readable, I rooted for both the hero and the heroine to reach their happiness, and I found the conclusion to be very satisfactory. (view spoiler)[I hope in the next books we find out they had kids because THEY WOULD BE GREAT PARENTS!!!! (hide spoiler)]

General info Annabelle is a poor girl from the countryside who gets into the first female college at Oxford university. She’s actively trying to get government to give women the vote. Then there is Duke of Montgomery. He’s all about duty and when he meets Annabelle, his life turns upside down. They go through ups and downs when they face the expectations of the society and other obstacles. This is a beautiful story about real love and soul mates. Things I liked I have to say I really like the poor country girl and a rich duke set up a lot. It might be a bit cliche but not in a historical romance usually. I also really like the characters and especially Annabelle. She’s strong, inspiring and clever. And I appreciate Montgomery too. He’s brilliant and in the end he does the right thing. Things I didn’t like At least right now, there’s nothing I could say that I didn’t like. Well certain characters but I guess that’s a given with any book and that’s good thing really. Conclusion All in all, this book is great. It has strong characters, a beautiful plot and it truly shows the type of life women had in the past. The happy ending truly was just the cherry on top. * ARC received from the publisher through First to Read scheme

10/10, an UNMITIGATED DELIGHT. the best angst, the best enemies to lovers, the best drama, the most deftly handles ending, I love them and I love this and I want Lucie’s book right now please and thank you.

What I Was Promised: -”A daring Oxford rebel takes on a powerful duke in a love story that threatens to upend the British social order…” -FEMINISM What I Got: -An unlikeable heroine who only fights with the suffrage movement because the organization is paying for her schooling. -An alpha-male duke who constantly thinks he should be granted a pat on the back for not forcing himself onto the heroine. -WhiteFeminism™ In the end, this book was not worse than some of the historical romances currently out there. The relationship between the heroine, Annabelle, and the duke, Montgomery, was fine. Sparks were flying every now and then. The book just touted itself as being more progressive than it actually was. If this series wasn’t called “A League of Extraordinary Women”, I wouldn’t be having issues. But if you are going to publish a book in 2019 about the Suffrage Movement in 19th century England and have no mention of black people, you can keep it. Black people existed during this time (I know–shocking) and it’s very telling that the author chose to not make the conversation around women’s rights include black women. I have a few other issues with the book (hero was very possessive/problematic and would rather make other men think Annabelle was his mistress and risk ruining her reputation than, you know, letting other men admire her from afar) but the white feminism was the main thing that prevented me from becoming invested in the story. PSA: If your brand of feminism isn’t intersectional, I DON’T WANT IT. TAKE IT BACK, RETURN TO SENDER. Do what you gotta do to remove it from my presence. I don’t have the time.

3.5* Sadly it had not met my expectations, but I loved the ending. Will I read next book in the series? Maybe later.