Both characters are loveable and I found myself rooting for both of them. There are some scenes that depict PTSD and could be triggering for burn victims. Overall my favorite book in the series so far.

With all the elements of a traditional historical romance, PORTRAIT OF A SCOTSMAN reads like a historical fiction novel, replete with fascinating facts and a captivating story. Hattie is deeply involved in the British Women’s Suffrage movement, which provides a deeply complex backdrop for the romance which follows., with Hattie kicking and screaming all the way to happiness, which is where a proper romance novel should end. Dunsmore’s characters in this delightful,romance are multi dimensional, well developed. Her descriptions of life during the Victorian era -men, women and children i- much more realistic than what is depicted in many historical,romances. It adds a depth to this novel that I was not anticipating, but which I appreciated immensely., A romance in the traditional sense, yes, but one which was strikingly believable and which kept me turning the pages furiously into the night.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this new addition to the League of Extraordinary Women series!!! It had a different feel from the other two, as this one was about working women and children in the 1800s and the disparity between classes and communities.

Let's talk main characters. Hattie is so sweet and determined. I loved her growth as she experiences the mining community and interacts with the women who work in the mines and in the homes. I appreciated that she learned a new side of what the suffragist movement could be. She no longer agrees with the "natural order of things" and is working to reconcile those differences within the movement. I also really loved seeing her struggles and achievements with dyslexia. I loved seeing her rise above expectations and come into her own as an artist.

On the surface, Lucian is your typical bad boy. He's risen to power and status by raking in money - a true self-made man. He is cold, gruff, and determined. He also has a lot of elite men under his thumb by buying their debts. As he and Hattie spend time in Scotland, we see a different side of him. He cares for the mining community and genuinely wants to improve their lives. Lucien is my favorite man in this series so far. I love his adoration of Hattie and how they both grew as character together and apart.

This book had a lot of my favorite tropes: forced proximity, marriage of convenience, bad boy redemption - and it delivered on all of them!! Definitely recommend.

In the third installment of the series, one of the big historical themes is the class war between new money, old money, and everyone else left behind. The discourse about how to correct systemic class injustices, among other social issues, raises thoughtful ideas as it's still a relevant topic today. Nicely interwoven with this theme is a clear Hades/Persephone vibe (their surnames, for one example).

Hattie is the friend we've all loved. She's sweetly dorky and kind but indignant and fierce when pushed. The way her family reduces her because of her dyslexia, looks, and whimsical personality is both sad and inspiring; it serves as the catalyst for her coming of age journey. It's deeply satisfying to see Hattie rise above expectation, not for the sake of others, but for herself.

Lucian is the quiet anti-hero. There is cruel honesty in his rough-around-the-edges social bearing, but his secret adoration of Hattie runs deep from the minute he sees her. Of the three current Dunmore leading men, I would say Lucian is now my Number One--as anyone who consults the Victorian flower language dictionary would be.

What I admire overall about this series is that the romantic tropes never quite follow cliche. There are common tropes, certainly. But it's the pragmatic presentation of them that make all the difference. When backed by careful historical detail as these novels are, emotionally, the story hits more accurately.

In other words, the smarter the writing, the hotter the romance.

This is the third book of the League of Extraordinary Women series and it is completely different from the others. Still, I love it!


It is much more about work, working women, children, condition of work and hard life outside London than it was shown in the previous books. Of course, the suffragist movement is still present, but from the perspective that would surprise many.

And this love story... I adore it from the very beginning. I loved the bad boy vibes, the wicked character, and the love full of untamed emotions. Lucian is not a gentleman and he behaves in a way that some would find controversial but for me, he's perfect. Definitely a guy worth noticing.

Hattie is sweet. So innocent, naive sometimes. Her family treats her badly, so she focused on her studies and art. She does not expect to get married soon. For sure, not to Lucien.

From hate to love, from the lack of respect to understanding and relations based on deepest friendship and mutual interest. The description of how they get to know each other, how they cope with hard situations is so inspiring and heartwarming. Especially, when we take into account that they still stayed themselves.

The details about the work and how life looked like in the 19th century are so full of information and gives a glimpse to feel the atmosphere of Scotland. I truly appreciate it.

I would recommend this series. Each of these books is special and I enjoyed spending days with these heroines. Perfect to spend some time with ;)some time with ;)

I didn't think it was possible for Evie Dunmore to top Bringing Down the Duke and A Rogue of One's Own but she may have done just that with Portrait of a Scotsman. This novel brings the heat of a slow burn romance while also continuing to explore gender and power dynamics, social structures, and classism during the regency era. Dunmore has the magical ability of bringing together a steamy romance with thought provoking learning opportunities about women's history that are all too familiar with current times.

4.5 Stars

Evie Dunmore has become a must-read for me. Her League series has remained smart and sexy all the way through. And Portrait of a Scotsman has slotted nicely into her oeuvre while bringing a new perspective to her collection of blue-stocking characters. Hattie is more of a burgeoning feminist, one who still wants the romantic storybook romance, but is discovering how to balance that with the suffragette agenda and other human and labor rights (which also get great moments in the plot).

As always, it’s thoughtful and entertaining along with brilliant social commentary mixed in but in Scotsman I feel that the romance took a more central role. Hattie and Lucian fall together in one of the classic tropes of Historical Romance and thus the romance takes center stage, in all the right ways. And even though Lucian has a complex backstory, I think it’s Hattie’s experience and discovery that really drives the plot and anchors everything.

Again, Dummore gives us strong characters with well-developed backstories and perfect visuals surrounding their lives. They feel individual from her previous characters, continuing to give us unique and new adventures while maintaining all the charm and heat that we hope to get.

I had a few minor quibbles, which knocked it down to 4.5 Stars, but really, it’s just splitting hairs. It’s brilliant and I definitely recommend Portrait of a Scotsman, as well as the entire series if you haven’t already read it.

I found Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore to be very enjoyable, very readable, although I think there are some pacing problems brought on by trying to do too much and it ends up detracting from the central love story--women's rights, mine safety, oligarchy, PTSD, dyslexia--there's just a LOT going on. That said, the sexual tension between Lucian and Harriet is very well-done, if a bit on the slow burn side for me (see: pacing).

SPOILER ALERT:
I have a couple of plot problems with the story, however, that really make things break down for me. I haven't read A Rogue of One's Own, the Lucie and Ballentine story preceding this one, but Lucie gives Harriet directions and passage to a safe house (this is early in the book, it's really not too much of a spoiler). Harriet is thwarted when Ballentine gives Lucian a heads' up. Is this not a HUGE betrayal of the relationship in the previous book? Are we to believe that in a series that is pinned on female empowerment that one of the heroes is so dismissive of his wife's work and beliefs that he would go behind her back like this, take the man's side over the woman he (presumably) spent the PREVIOUS 300+ pages becoming worthy for? The ending has a similar problem (fyi: a safe house isn't safe if the guy can find it, even if it takes a few months).

It can be the best book in the world, but if your world- and character-building isn't solid, then you're going to have problems.

ARC generously provided by #NetGalley; opinions my own.

This is a steamy Beauty and the Beast retelling, and for fans of historical romances, this is worth adding to your TBR lists! I didn't find this quite as engaging and fun as Dunmore's Bringing Down the Duke, but it's a good, swoony read all the same, perfect for the summer. Not purchasing for our HS collection but happy to recommend to staff and adults alike!

I told myself to wait to read this. "You have other ARCs," I said. "There is plenty of time to read this later."

I couldn't wait. Evie Dunmore's Bringing Down the Duke was my introduction to historical romances and I have been chasing the high of that book ever since. Portrait of a Scotsman was what I was waiting for. Our delightful Hattie has been forced to pair off with a brooding, dark, pirate-y, wealthy, bastard-born Scotsman. So, obviously, they butt heads in ways that had me cackling. And their chemistry is just absolutely off the charts.

But I think, more than the spiciness, and more than the will they/won't they of it all, is the fact that Dunmore clearly loves history. It's woven so smoothly into the plot, and the contextual notes at the back of the book really show how much she cares. Anyone can write about a generic castle in a generic moor with a fake Lord and call it a day, but the author of this book has taken the next step, and it allows you to connect on a deeper level with the characters because of it. Hattie goes on a real journey in this book--her struggles with her perception of society, both as a woman, and as a wealthy member of the ton were the added bit of detail that made this more than just a clever romance.

I was slightly confused by the route Hattie took at the end of the book-- I felt as blind-sided as our man Lucian did. However, not enough that this title needs to be anything less than 5 stars. Definitely a recommended read for any romance fans (especially if you enjoyed Dunmore's first two titles in this series).

Dragged a lot, and in the end I skimmed the last five chapters. Too much time spent on politics. While som of it was important and necessary, the story became bogged down. The side characters as usual in this series are superfluous. I also had trouble fully grasping these characters. Blackstone was ruthless but it never really turned up on the page. And Hattie was never all that interesting.

I made the mistake of starting this series with the third book, but I'm glad I picked it up! I love how real the characters feel, especially when they're in Scotland. I love the discussion of workers rights, capitalism, philosophy, etc. that really makes it feel like these two characters like to spend time together.

I'm torn between wishing I got to see Hattie interact with her family more and being glad she didn't run into them often. Her friends were very supportive of her, even when she was going against what would be socially appropriate, but they are a group filled with suffragettes.

Would definitely recommend for people who like a more modern approach to historical romance, or people who like contemporary romance, but want to step into the historical subgenre.

PS I too would like to scream at the top of my lungs way from society.

If you were on the East Coast of the US earlier this afternoon, you might have heard me screeching in delight as I tore through this. A social justice oriented romance book with a dark, anti-hero and a heroine who finds herself so beautifully by the end of this. I love that Dunmore puts so much thought, context and historical research into her books that just makes them come alive. Her books also don't take the easy way out, or pander to the easy happily ever after. Her protagonists go through these arcs of self growth and I was thrilled to see that this one was in no way different.

This particular one covers workers rights, sustainability, ethical business models, and the juxtaposition between Victorian feminine ideals and the need for working class women to work and support their families. I am so in love with this series that

Shout out to my romance enabler best friend (she knows who she is) who texted immediately when this was on Netgalley. I have them to thank for an ARC of this.

I'm really not sure how I feel about this one, and will probably end up revisiting it down the line to see if my initial reactions stay the same. I really wanted to love this one, I did, and I didn't *dislike* it. But something about it didn't land quite right for me, and I'm having trouble putting my finger on it.

Maybe it's the "Beauty and the Beast" plot, which, try as it might, has difficulty shaking off the negative connotations of that trope, even when Hattie, the heroine, literally calls it out. The plot twist that is used to do so, in the end, feels like just that: a deliberate plot twist designed to remove some of the unpleasantness from before, and only partially succeeds. Don't get me wrong - I love me a broody, damaged romance hero with a dark past and a good soul, but despite the insane chemistry between Hattie and Lucian, it was tough to get past at some points.

I did appreciate that this book brought more class consciousness into the series, which has, up til now, focused more on upper-class suffragettes and the men around them. Was it the best choice to use Hattie, arguably the most sheltered and pampered of the characters, to do this? I'm of two minds. On the one hand, the "rich lady discovers the plight of the poor" trope is overdone; on the other hand, it's compelling to watch Hattie gain a more complex understanding of the ways class intersects with the issues she cares about, and to see her actually move for change that tries to put those people's voices first. The discussions of wealth, power, and inequality may not be frothy, but they're important, and they feel significant in a good way.

This is definitely a "to reconsider" book for me. It has all the intense yearning and passion that I've learned to expect from this series, and I appreciate the element of class being introduced, but on the other hand, there's quite a bit less wit and humor (Hattie and Lucian both are more serious personalities) and the whole Beauty-and-the-Beast, tricked-into-marriage trope can't always be explained away.

Evie Dunmore is one of my favorite historical romance writers. I loved the first two books in the League of Extraordinary Women series, and so I went into Portrait of a Scotsman with high expectations. Hattie's love story is more muted than Lucie and Annabelle's, and much of it takes place in a small Scotland mining town. The plot is less memorable than the prior books, and I am not likely to reread it the way I have returned to the rest of the series. But there is still much to admire here, and it's a strong book on its own merits: Hattie's loss of innocence as she learns firsthand about the political constraints women face in 1800s England is realistic and heartbreaking, and her rage as she awakens to the world's injustice is relatable and beautifully written. Dunmore grapples with intersectional issues as Hattie explores how classism and sexism overlap in the lives of the female miners who work for her husband. Dunmore continues to push the romance genre forward into overtly political conversations, and I remain a dedicated reader and fan.

Overall enjoyable, but a bit overstuffed and suffers on account of it. Hattie is the third heroine in the League of Extraordinary Women series and each of the previous entries handled a multitude of women's rights issues, aka human rights issues, in a Victorian setting. This was done with satisfyingly modern sensibilities, yet somehow without that modern-ness taking the reader out of the story. That's one of the reasons Dunmore has become an automatic request for me! However, something about this third installment didn't click in the same way. Perhaps it's not the number of issues (workers' rights, marriage as legal erasure for women, suffragism, immoral wealth, etc. and an attempted Beauty and the Beast tie-in to boot), but rather the less than seamless interweaving of those issues into the story of the main characters' relationship. The attempt to broaden the scope of concern into something circling intersectionality is laudable, if not entirely successful.

I do adore this series! This was another fantastic installment. Hattie has been a favorite since the beginning and I was so glad to see her get a story. Such a fun read with great characters. It's a favorite amongst my older lady patrons. Can't wait for them to read it.

“The truth is loving you took me by surprise. The way love feels ambushed me. It feels brutal.”
Steamy, Bewitching and feminist, Portrait of a Scotsman marries all of the wonderful traits and tropes of the previous two books in the series and sets them all on perfect fire!

With a marriage of convenience twist and an enemies-to-lovers’ flavour, the heart of the story is in Lucian and Harriet’s off-the-charts chemistry.
Dunmore already asserted herself as the thinking woman’s swoon read with the first two instalments and yet the trilogy’s ongoing theses are made perfectly manifest in this offering. It’s almost as if the previous heroines were a warm up for the lesson we learn with Hattie who is VERY determined to find fulfilment in love, yes, but also assert her own agency.

Don’t get me wrong, Dunmore is not anachronistic, nor does she implant her romance stories with high levels of “issue fiction” tendencies that pull you out of the pages. Rather, she balances a woman who is talented and smart but also vulnerable and a hero who has to learn that to love her completely means to love a woman who is progressive and strong. They’re a flawed and perfect balance and their surprising love story unfurls against a canvas of gorgeous research and gorgeous locales.

And I applaud Dunmore for recognizing that there is more than one path to Happily Ever After. And that when it is fulfilled in terms of romantic attachment, it doesn’t usurp or shove off deep-seated romantic dreams. There is a part in the book that rekindled a flame I have for a moment in Villette when Lucy realizes she has felt love and felt freedom and often they are wonderful bedfellows.

But so is there a human need to keep finding ways to prove and seek love: in Hattie’s case for it to be wooed and earned and in Lucian’s in the proof that she is irrevocably is. Their journey will frustrate you in the best way — for what is this genre if not made for moments of missed communication?— but you’ll keep falling for them in small gestures and large as they skip across the continent and Dunmore’s fast-flipping pages and find friendship and art and adventure and tragedy.

This series is a world and it makes me believe that there is love out there for we stubbornly independent folks.

Oh! and if you like a hero who has read some Austen… well have I got a book for you.


(also shared on insta and twitter)

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for this eARC!

This was an engaging Beauty and the Beast takeoff, and OF COURSE, I always appreciate a fictional trip to Scotland. I liked how this entry into the series widened the focus from the suffrage movement to take a small look at the labor movement in a coal mine. The romance here is also grounded in the characters' wish for change, which was good to see. Overall, I really enjoyed this! I hope Evie Dunmore keeps them coming!

3.5 stars

I’m just going to start off by saying that this was absolutely a 4.5 star until the very, very end and I’m really trying to not let the hatred i have for the end of this book ruin the rest of the book that I so much loved.... but I’m failing.
I obviously won’t go into detail but just know that this book takes you on a roller coaster of emotions.

Hattie and Mr Blackstone are forced into a marriage together. There were many different intentions from all parties, including her brother and father and her and Mr Blackstone, but needless to say, the marriage does not start off great.
But something I loved so much was the intricate and slow development of love and trust and care between our unwilling spouses. They eventually take the time to learn of each other and why they are the way they are—it’s a beautiful thing to watch. Some of the moments they shared were <
so incredibly special, I was constantly smiling or on the verge of happy tears.

In the beginning, I had an extremely hard time with Hattie. Her character was immensely unrelatable, even to the women of her times but especially to the modern day reader. But I was very impressed by the development of her character and her willingness to grow and learn. She grew up extremely privileged in the posh etiquette-obsessed high society in London. Not only are the values that the people from that society share way outdated, but it’s also immeasurably hard to even try to put yourself in their shoes to understand. But Hattie eventually outgrew those values and watching her learn and grow and become a woman in her own right was a beautiful sight.

I adored blackstone’s character. He was an unconventional hero with occasional dodgy intentions but he was someone i was insanely intriguing by and also saw myself relating to.

The love between her and blackstone was so palpable, their chemistry was off the charts.
Which is why I was SO MAD by the ending. I feel it’s important to note that there is a happy ending to this story. This is a romance book after all, the hero and heroine do end up together. I cannot go into detail as to what happened, but I feel many readers will either love Hattie’s decision in the end or HATE it immensely.
I, obviously, feel the latter emotion.

All in all, I do think this was a very good book. My disappointments aside, I enjoyed almost every other part of it.