Bringing Down the Duke: swoony, feminist and romantic, perfect for fans of Bridgerton (A League of Extraordinary Women)

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He finds her fascinating not just for her pretty face, but also for her sharp mind. Even though she's resilient and can take care of herself, he's still protective of her and comes to her aid. There is so much witty banter and meaningful dialogue everywhere. And the Victorian era reticence and propriety just adds to the whole charming atmosphere. This story has everything I love in a romance. Annabelle is smart and competent, and she's not afraid to work hard to make the best of her meager situation. Montgomery is dashing and attentive. Though he comes across a bit cold in the beginning, Annabelle slowly thaws him out. Bringing Down the Duke is the best historical romance I've read all year.. . . Evie Dunmore is a marvellous, fresh new voice in romance who is sure to go far. Don't miss her brilliant debut!' ANNA CAMPBELL, bestselling author of the Dashing Widows series

I never once felt that Annabelle and the Duke were in love. It just seemed like they were really, really horny for one another. It always really annoys me when the attraction between two people is wholly centered on lust and sex, because it seems like a really fraught foundation for a relationship, and because I just get really annoyed when characters think with their genitals all the time. Did Annabelle and the Duke have one single moment together where they did something other than slaver over one another? There are some throwaway lines where the Duke mentions he likes that Annabelle is smart, but it's constantly overridden by his - frankly - disturbing hyperfixation on how beautiful and sexy she is. I get that the romance genre must have Lust and Sex - but does it have to take over the entire plot?

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England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women's suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain's politics at the Queen's command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can't deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for. Bringing Down the Duke is the best historical romance I’ve read all year.. . . Evie Dunmore is a marvellous, fresh new voice in romance who is sure to go far. Don’t miss her brilliant debut!’ ANNA CAMPBELL, bestselling author of the Dashing Widows series I love how Ms. Dunmore really takes the time to develop the relationship between these two. Annabelle’s recuperation at Claremont affords an opportunity for them to talk and get to know each other. When Sebastian sends her a certain book to read, Annabelle realises that a sense of humour lurks beneath his cool exterior. Sebastian finds her stubborn, witty and unpredictable. Each time they meet, I could feel all the sexual tension simmering beneath the surface...

That puts Annabelle and Sebastian on a political collision course but there is an undeniable attraction which must not be given in to. Only, of course, if Annabelle would agree to be his mistress. Well, we all know how HR heroines feel about being the hero's mistress. But wife is out of the question. A poor vicar's daughter, without a hint of nobility in her bloodline? Debuting Ms. Dunmore has penned a winner, written with flair and suavity, presenting a smooth and evocative prose. A deliciously romantic story firmly grounded in the late Victorian setting, but posing some timeless questions about love against duty and honour or about reputation and safety against freedom and passion, questions that transcend the historical declinations and contingencies while making the tangible inner struggles of the characters deeply resonate. So how did this book leave a mark on me? Well, I couldn't put it down, not even for a second. So I was walking and reading at the same time (danger alert!) when I stumbled over an errant sign on the sidewalk and took a fall. I was mostly ok (other than my pride), but I did skin my knee pretty badly. When it healed, it left this long purple scar behind. Now every time I look at it, I think of the book I thoroughly loved.Simply superb! Evie Dunmore will wow you ' GAELEN FOLEY, New York Times bestselling author of Duke of Storm England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women’s suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain’s politics at the Queen’s command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can’t deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for.

She’s been told she must recruit men to support the cause, and in her sights is the Duke of Montgomery, Sebastian Devereux. This scholarship requires that Annabelle volunteer for the suffrage society's causes, in particular the struggle to get Parliament to abolish the Married Women's Property Act, which gives a husband control and ownership of his wife's property upon marriage, hence rendering her powerless. To work toward this, volunteers such as Annabelle must try to convince members of Parliament of the rightness and justice of their cause, handing out political pamphlets to them and trying to engage them in conversation about it.Evie Dunmore’s Bringing Down the Dukedelivers the best of two worlds—a steamy romance coupled with the heft of a meticulously researched historical novel….Readers will be entranced watching Annabelle, a woman ahead of her time, bring the sexy Duke to his knees.” —Renée Rosen, USA Today bestselling author And because of the above, Bringing Down the Duke delivers an emotional insight into the nature of oppressed women in 1879. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a thorough insight, instead it is subtle. I must praise this, because the insight is only one component of the story - yet it was all consuming when it was centre point. Annabelle is strong and capable, but destitute. When an opportunity to study at Oxford presents itself, she grabs it with both hands. It comes with a scholarship that stipulates her involvement with the women's suffrage movement. She needs to lobby men of influence to their cause, which is how her path crosses with the Duke of Montgomery's. With her sterling debut, Evie Dunmore dives into a fresh new space in historical romance that hits all the right notes.”— Entertainment Weekly Evie Dunmore is a marvelous, fresh new voice in romance who is sure to go far.” —Anna Campbell, bestselling author of the Dashing Widows series