I honestly think this might be favourite historical romance of the year! I'm giving this five-stars for a fantastic group of characters and overall great story! While I've seen this theme done before Evie Dunmore adds her own take and makes it feel fresh again! I've been avoiding Historical Romances for awhile and this brought me right out of that slump!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC for an honest review! :)
Can't wait to read the next ones in the series and more from Evie Dunmore.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable historical romance. It incorporates many of the usual romance tropes, but the author still managed to make it feel original. The characters were well-drawn, complex individuals, and I really cared about them. I also appreciated the inclusion of realistic discussions of women's rights that are appropriate to the age in which this book was set. All in all, I liked it.

This was a charming romance and a delightful change to the often formulaic historical romances dominating the genre right now. It was refreshing that both main characters had interests and purpose outside of each other which seems like a no brained but feels increasingly rare in the historical romance genre currently.

I don't normally read historical romances, so Bringing Down the Duke wasn't really on my radar initially. After reading the blurb and seeing the beautiful cover around though, I decided to give it a chance and I'm so glad I did!

I enjoyed the hate-love/enemies vibe immensely between Annabelle and Sebastian. Their verbal sparring ramped up the anticipation so well and their chemistry was amazing. I would have loved even more scenes between them. The story started a little slow for me, as the world and characters were being established, but once things got going, I was hooked. My heart was fluttering and there were plenty of chest squeezes/turns thanks to the lingering, longing glances and brushes of physical contact. I love a good forced proximity and this trope played out perfectly between Sebastian and Annabelle. The secondary characters were just as wonderful and I enjoyed the strong friendships between all of the women as much as the romantic aspect of the story.

I really enjoyed the author's writing style and wit, but I did have to stop from time to time because I wasn't familiar with all the terminology/britishisms. A quick google search had me back in the story though. ;) This was a fantastic debut and I'm very excited to see that Lucie's story is next!

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

I really enjoyed the story line and character developments. Not only is there the development of the main characters but even the development of the secondary characters, particularly Annabelle's friends, is well done which I have not seen in a lot of romance novels. I really enjoyed that it takes place during the suffrage movement in England, which has not been widely covered in the genre. I have read a lot of historical fiction mysteries but not a lot of historical fiction romances, so this one is a great way to get your feet wet if you are just starting out.

*ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I don't know where to begin with how wonderful this book is. I had a hunch from the back cover description that I would enjoy the story, but nothing could have prepared me for how incredible Dunmore's writing is, or how deeply I would come to love these characters, or how invested in their lives I would find myself.

The story centers around Annabelle, who has been given a chance to study at Oxford. The catch? The scholarship she's been given is from the the National Society for Women's Suffrage, which means she'll be helping promote their cause. Annabelle, being from the country approaches the Duke of Montgomery, without realizing that she is speaking to a duke. They continue to run into one another, despite their mutual dislike of one another...until it's not so much of a dislike....hilarity ensues.

I don't want to give anything else away. You'll have to read it for yourself because it's amazing.

This was such a wonderful historical romance! I am a huge fan of historical romances and Bringing Down the Duke was unlike others I've read. The first in the League of Extraordinary Women series, Bringing Down the Duke was full of smart women who know what they want, romance, and a little bit of mystery. I can't wait to read more from Evie Dunmore and the suffragettes.

SWOON! Wow this was my first historical romance and I can't believe I've waited so long to give this genre a try. I absolutely adored this book and couldn't put it down. Evie Dunmore had be literally swooning during multiple scenes. I mean with quotes like "These wild depths in you, they call to me" how could a girl not?! I would say there is plenty of steam in the book but it's done extremely well. It's crazy this is her debut novel. I can't wait to read the next book in the "A League of Extraordinary Women" series. Fans of the romance genre this needs to be on your TBR!

I loved this book! Thoroughly entertaining with a great group of female characters at the centre: Oxford students and suffragists. Great weaving together of the political storyline with the love story. The romance was believably drawn and the conflict felt real, not belaboured or thin.

I’m so glad I took a chance on this book because I absolutely adored it! I’m so impressed that this is a debut novel for Evie Dunmore as the writing was excellent. I was immediately drawn into the story. My heart bled for Annabelle and her struggles. I was rooting for her from the very start. I loved how stubborn she was. The way she started out as enemies with Sebastian, our Duke, and then became friends with him was so much fun to read. It made for a delicious slow burn and build up of sexual tension. How Annabelle slowly cracked Sebastian’s tough facade was perfect. The way they really got to know each other made their chemistry and relationship so believable. They were the perfect couple and this was the perfect book. So much angst and feeling!! I can’t wait to see how Dunmore grows as a writer and I eagerly anticipate Lucie and Tristan’s story.

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


All Annabelle Archer, newly enrolled Oxford student wants is a good education and a place of her own where she doesn’t have to work herself to the bone for her gross sexist cousin and is that really too much to ask? Unfortunately for Annabelle she also has the added pressure of making enough money to send back to cousin Gilbert so he won’t pull her out of school, spending the rest of her free time working for the Women’s Suffrage Movement (they gave her her scholarship to go to Oxford) and the unfortunate circumstance of being hopelessly in love with the most stubborn and immovable Duke in all of Victorian England.

It hurt to see main character Annabelle struggle with hunger, poverty and being seemingly alone in the world with no one to care for her. She quickly makes a group of friends who are high above her in station but they don’t give a fig. Best friend Hattie, highborn daughter of some kind of financier was so sweet, funny and likable with a determination to rival Annabelle’s own. I loved her so much I wanted to squeeze her.

This book starts out as a slow-burn, enemies to lovers romance but soon turns into an all or nothing relationship because the Duke of Montgomery does absolutely nothing halfway. He wasn’t my type- possessive and aggressive isn’t really my jam but I still enjoyed the will-they, won’t-they, how-can-they push and pull as these two people who are so attracted to each other try to navigate their vastly different political views and social standing.

Annabelle is a complex character who struggles with her own yearning for total personal and financial freedom with her internalized societal ideals of women. She wants to be in love, but doesn’t want to be held back and controlled. She wants women to be in charge of their own fates yet accepts that in this time period a woman needs a man for safety and security. I struggled sometimes to like Annabelle because she complained every single time about going to any event or being seen publicly as supporting women’s rights, and yet:

A. The movement paid for her education

B. The women stood by her through every scandal

C. Women should definitely have rights?!?!

Despite this I found myself really drawn to Annabelle. She is intelligent and outspoken, and fiercely protective of the ones she loves. She has been burned by scandal in the past and is hesitant when it comes to sharing her heart but knows she can’t live life detached from the people in it. Overall I really did enjoy this book! It reminded me of both Beauty and the Beast and Pride & Prejudice, two people who just don’t get each other and make wild assumptions taking the time to learn and grow to see each other as they really are.

This is the first in a series which will focus on several of the women introduced in the first book, so there were some threads left loose at the end. I’ll definitely pick up the next installment to see what happens with the characters and where they go from here.

Oh, I knew I would like this book when I read the synopsis and boy, oh boy, did I love it! As soon as I finished this, I pre-ordered it!

A huge thank you to Berkley for providing a free digital copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a delight. I loved the entire concept of a well-educated “commoner” going head-to-head with a well-bred and equally well-education nobleman. The Victorian era is one of my favorite British time periods, so that was a bonus! Then add the early suffragette movement (which I don’t know too much about) and how it pitted Annabelle and the Duke of Montgomery against each other. *swoon* However, the middle of the book dragged a bit, after Sebastian and Annabelle realized their feelings for one another and had a *moment.* Sebastian’s internal struggle about his feelings for Annabelle while also trying to do right by his legacy frustrated me a little. I wanted him to be better than that but they’re both under the constraints of the time period. It felt a bit Pride and Prejudice-esque but with even more thrown into it because Sebastian is titled. (But I’m really a sucker for these types of “rags to riches” love stories, to be honest.)

I like how these two characters don’t seem to lose who they are in the process. Eventually they almost become a “grab life as it comes” type of person because of who they fall in love with. As I said before, I loved how Annabelle could go one-on-one with Sebastian because she is an unusually well-educated woman considering her social standing. I like that she made Sebastian think, especially since he had outside forces wanting him to do the opposite. The author doesn’t let us forget that Sebastian has a lot at stake if he chooses to love Annabelle openly.

Yes, Annabelle does have a lot to gain if she ties herself with Sebastian, but the author allows Annabelle to have other options, too. It’s always frustrating to be reminded how limited women had it. And yet Annabelle has found this niche, a group of girlfriends, a job she doesn’t mind (as it’s better than life with her cousin), and is given the opportunity to use her education. But I like how it all comes to a head and these characters are forced to face their feelings and their pasts. I do, however, wish a little more was spent on these aspects of their lives because I felt like it was just talked about and perhaps not properly worked out. But maybe this was because they had individually worked through it on their own.

I’m in love, and I am already anticipating book 2 in this series and anything else Dunmore writes, especially if it’s like this. Also, the sex scenes weren’t at all cringeworthy which, for me, can really make or break a romance book for me. I absolutely loved those scenes between Annabelle and Sebastian, and actually wanted a bit more. I found them really sweet and didn’t find their coming together awkward.

As I said earlier, I’m completely in love and can’t wait for more!

This felt like a fresh romance to me- high on feminism and realism re: class differences. Annabelle, the daughter of a vicar and suffragette, and Sebastian, Duke and political star, shouldn't work but their attraction is instant. The devastating reality is that they can't be together without scandal. I liked it, especially the fight for women's rights in England, and will definitely keep an eye out for the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing a digital ARC for review!
This debut Historical Romance hit it out of the park! I had a hard time believing this was a debut when I was reading it. The writing was elegant, and not clunky at all. I love that this took place during the late 1800's as opposed to the standard Early 1800's that we see in most historical fiction novels.
Though the story isn't wholly original, I found the characters to truly be a delight, and Dunmore did a great job of making something we have read before feel completely fresh. With the focus on the Women's Suffrage Movement of the time, it just "hit different" as some would say.
Both of the main characters were intriguing in their own way, and they are characters that I will continue to think about for the next while. Annabelle especially. Her spunk and desire for knowledge were something that struck a cord with me as a working woman. Sebastian is great as well. Their chemistry was great on top of the rest of the story working.
Definitely worth checking out!

I was excited to read this book when I learned it was set in the Victorian period. I read a lot of historical romance and this is a time period that isn't often covered. I really liked our two leads, Annabelle and Sebastian, but overall I wasn't wowed by their story. I feel like I was promised a delightful feminist romp and what I got was just another run-of-the-mill romance story. The book also seemed well researched to me, especially with what was going on politically at the time, but I did have an issue with how she addressed the noble characters sometimes. Sebastian has a brother, Peregrin Devereux, who is frequently addressed as Lord Devereux when he should be addressed as Lord Peregrin. This is just a small nitpick but it stood out to me in a book that was otherwise so well researched about the time period. I did enjoy the author's writing style, however, and I'm definitely looking forward to what she writes next.

CW for pregnancy/miscarriage and...attempted assault which is glossed over

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although there is one area which I thought deserved more exploration and attention which I'll get to. This is a debut and I always love when a debut is particularly strong. Annabelle receives a scholarship and in exchange has to campaign for the vote - which I found incredibly interesting and I loved that historical context, as well as the philosophical debates she and her friends got into. When she meets Sebastian, the duke, things get interesting. He is icy and of course they don't get along. I loved their banter and how they flirted via debate because I find that ridiculously sexy.

What I wanted to mention was the impending sense of doom from the other males on the periphery of the book. Many of them are awful, because, well, they're men. And honestly, I spent much of the book waiting for an actual assault to happen. Or to find out Annabelle had something horrid in her past. When we *do* find out her past we find out (view spoiler) so that's terrible but not what I expected. And that was kind of mentioned briefly but not a lot for all that it hangs over the entirety of the book. Regardless, the alarm she has at spending time with men and seeing her friends spending time with men was ALL CAPS to the point that I felt it could have been explored more fully to resolve those feelings. And readers should be aware of that alarmed feeling going in. Also there is a brief assault from a police officer where he gropes a side character's breast. And multiple male characters try to get the female characters alone - and it's apparent from the females that it's with 'intent'.

Overall, I enjoyed this world, and particularly Annabelle and her friends.

3.5 stars

After reading all the hype for this book, I was prepared to be blown away. I wasn't. I enjoyed it anyway.

Annabelle Archer is the brilliant, beautiful orphaned daughter of a country vicar. Tired of her life living as a virtual slave to her cousin and his large family, she applies - and receives - a scholarship to attend the newly formed women's college at Oxford. The scholarship is not without its own set of problems - in order to claim it, she agrees to volunteer on behalf of the burgeoning women's suffragist movement (which she supports). After a bit of clever subterfuge, her cousin is convinced into letting Annabelle go - but not without his own set of demands. Annabelle doesn't care what she has to do to attend Oxford - for her, any price is worth her freedom from the drudgery of living with her cousin. (All of this drudgery takes place off page - so we have to take her word for it.)

Unfortunately, Annabelle's freedom IS extremely costly, and her work for the suffragist movement directly contravenes her cousins demands. So what's a girl to do? Well, intelligent, beautiful Annabelle gets to work - literally. She studies, she tutors, she volunteers, she sends money back to her cousins, she makes a few random friends...And then she meets Sebastian Devereux, Duke of Montgomery, and her life takes a drastic turn.

Sebastian, your stereotypical stone cold capable Duke - also a Tory political phenom, runs into Annabelle while she's out pamphleting on behalf of the suffragists. He doesn't like the way some of the men in his party treat her after they nearly run her over, and he makes his feelings clear afterwards. HE'S A GOOD GUY, and he can't stop thinking of the beautiful women with the startling green eyes days after that brief encounter, regardless of the ridiculous cause she's decided to champion.

Well lucky Sebastian - days later, she's at his house, cozying up to his brother so that he will influence Sebastian to throw his support the Married Women's act. (Just go with it.) Much to her dismay, he initially assumes she's simply trying to take advantage of his spoiled, lost - but still a GOOD GUY - younger brother. Reader, she is - but not in the way he assumes. The meeting ends with him ordering her out of the house...and then reconsidering his assumptions after she actually leaves. His quick reassessment of her intentions is a bit too easy breezy oops - but Sebastian is VERY WISE AND SMART AND INTELLIGENT, and the subsequent 'show down in the snow' is ridiculous (the author loves to segue into odd adjective laden descriptions of the soul deep revelations her characters see just by looking at each other), but Annabelle gets her apology and Sebastian gets his way. He returns Annabelle to the house party (where her friends are? somewhere?), and the lust train is in motion.

When Annabelle catches a cold after her snowy adventure, she's forced to remain at the house longer than she intended, while her friends (sometimes there and mostly somewhere else whenever its convenient), return to Oxford. Sebastian is secretly thrilled - he likes her, and wants to take care of her; Annabelle less so. She senses his attraction, but a poor decision in her past - and her pesky politics (pesky to him, Reader! I liked them.), make her doubt their long term compatibility.

Look, they're into each other, but the attraction is problematic and by the end of the visit, neither one is willing to go beyond the one passionate kiss they shared. Annabelle is a commoner, Sebastian is a Duke (with a great big capital D); she wants freedom, he wants to protect her; he represses his passions, she's been burned by hers; he's thrilled by her intelligence and spirit, she's unwillingly drawn to his brilliance and ferocity; they're opposites who can't resist each other...but they're both saddled with an inconvenient sense of duty and pride - Annabelle won't let Sebastian ruin himself for her or allow him to make her his mistress and solve all her financial problems; Sebastian wants to protect, nurture and love her (because he's kind of awesome) but knows that a relationship with her could destroy his family's good name.

This first book in the League of Extraordinary Women is a promising start to the series. I liked the premise of the story and the opposites attract romance...but the author struggles to find the right balance between the romance and politics. Annabelle is a sympathetic character - she's fallen on hard times after her father dies, but she doesn't give up and keeps fighting for a better life for herself. Sebastian sees this - and admires it. But he also has a duty to his title and estate - and a scandalous relationship with a commoner suffragist could destroy his reputation and all his hard work. Ms. Dunmore cleverly ties the romance to the politics in the story, unfortunately, her execution is clunky.

Sebastian is underdeveloped, his relationship with his brother clearly a plot device to bring the principals into each other's orbit - and to teach a lesson, and the secondary characters are....well, they're odd. The author seems to be aiming for quirky, eccentric and fierce and instead they're just weird. And they conveniently pop up whenever Annabelle needs a save. I'm guessing future stories feature each one in turn, but I wasn't intrigued by any of their stories, and frankly, I wished she simply focused on her principal couple instead.

I liked this story, the principal characters, and the clever conceit that links the romance with the suffragist movement. I didn't like the overly dramatic thought bubbles or the secondary characters, and the novel drags on a bit too long with two ridiculous plot twists at the end that had me rolling my eyes in frustration. And, much like another brazen novel released earlier this year, our heroine starts out one way - EARNING HER OWN MONEY, USING HER MIND, SHOWING US HER BRILLIANCE - and spends nearly the entirety of the rest of the book fussing over a man and ignoring all the things that make her special and awesome and unique. So frustrating. Authors: if you want us to believe in these characters, they have to walk the walk, AND talk the talk FROM START TO FINISH.

A promising debut.

This was such an entertaining debut novel set in Victorian England. The heroine, Annabelle, is an intellectual and a reluctant suffragist. She sets out to convince a powerful Duke and the sparks fly between them. Funny with a good sense of the times, in particular, the British social order.

DNF at 20%

I loved that this book had a strong heroine who was involved in the suffragist movement! Unfortunately, the story wasn't for me. Annabelle and Sebastian's relationship starts off very much like insta-love, and I didn't feel a connection to their characters. I definitely feel that other readers will enjoy the banter between the two MC's and the late 1800's setting, but it fell a little flat for me. Fans of historical romance looking for a light, fun read may like this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Social: @_shelf.awareness on Instagram

4.5/5

It's no secret that I love historical romances, but frankly, I can be quite picky about them. I've been eager to read Bringing Down the Duke ever since I heard that the book was centered around the British suffrage movement. I was undeniably hyped diving into this book and I'm pleased to conclude that Evie Dunmore delivered on a clever and swoon-worthy romantic debut that is sure to charm all readers of this genre.

The beating heart of Bringing Down the Duke was its heroine, Annabelle. She was a young and intelligent woman who was among the very first women to be accepted to study at Oxford. Her life-changing scholarship, however, came at a price - she must aid the suffragette movement with their aims. Her first task is to convince influential men to alter a sexist law. Annabelle was not a difficult heroine to grow fond of. She was smart, wily, and very down-to-earth. Evie Dunmore makes it seamless to get invested in Annabelle's story, her goals, and the determination she had to reach them. She has got her vulnerabilities as well, especially regarding her class in society, but she doesn't let that tear her down. I found her to be very admirable and it was a joy to read this story in her voice. The first man that she approaches in her task is Sebastian, a certified broody hero. Their first meeting was full of sparks and chemistry, and that only grows throughout Bringing Down the Duke. Sebastian was a powerful man with a very assertive presence throughout this book. In exchange for a castle that his father gambled away, Queen Victoria asks him to lead the Tory party to victory. As with Annabelle, Sebastian was also a man who was goal-driven and would leave no stone unturned to achieve what he wanted. It was a very attractive quality of him, in addition to his quiet intensity.

Sebastian and Annabelle may have come from very different backgrounds, but they were more than compatible. Their connection was more than just about the chemistry. They both had similar emotional maturities and shared many common interests, which made for some excellent mentally-stimulating conversations between them. I have to say, somehow, their conversations were even sexier than their physical scenes. The romance was one that built torturously slowly, but it was incredibly gratifying. Evie Dunmore was brilliant at making me wait with a bated breath for them to finally get together as they danced around each other, and when it finally happened? Explosions everywhere! I was wholeheartedly invested in their relationship even through the downs. Besides the red-hot romance, I enjoyed how much page space the author devoted to the historical events. It took Bringing Down the Duke to another level for me, making the book even more enjoyable. A lot of times, I tend to only care for the romance, but Dunmore has a way with her words of delivering on the setting and the plot that had me engaged in all aspects of the story.

Bringing Down the Duke is not only one of my favorite debut novels of 2019, but it is also one of my favorite books period. It encompasses everything I love about historical genre and I can't wait to see what amazing books the author has up her sleeves. Read this one, folks!