I think this is my best ARC this year. Best historical romance. Best new author. And I didn’t expect any of it.

First off, the cover is silly and the book is not. What the book is, however, is that rarest of jewels - emotional and passionate whilst remaining sweet and delicious.

You’ve read this story a thousand times - uptight dude meets unconventional chick. Strong personalities clash. Aggravation turns to want turns to love. But Dunmore does it with panache. She breathes new life into a beloved trope - giving it a fresh spark yet not destroying something sacred.

There is something magnificent in finding that rare book that gives you the feels without being smothering or cloying or depressing. It’s a deft hand that crafts something this delicate yet substantial.

I adored their chemistry. I fell headlong into their believable struggles. I couldn’t get enough of their respect for themselves and each other. And I swooned a few times because he DID see her. And he said it. My heart soared and plummeted with his. Delightful.

I’m atingle with anticipation for more from this delightful new author.

Very enjoyable story. Annabelle was a wonderfully strong character. Sebastian was a bit slow to understand Annabelle's predicament. This is the first in a new series and I can't wait for the next one. Annabelle earns a scholarship to be part of the first class of women scholars accepted to Oxford. Between her studies and tutoring she joins the local suffrage group. She keeps crossing paths with Duke of Montgomery. They both accept their attraction to the other, but Sebastian is very aware of the difference in their social status and can't think of a way for both of them to have their dreams of happily ever after.

Since taking over his dukedoom at the age of 19, Sebastian Devereux had been determined to clean up the mess his father left and reclaim all of his ducal property. He married but his wife ran off with another man. He divorced which should have meant social ruing but Queen Victoria was on his side because she wanted his strength and talents for her Tory cause. Now, he has been tasked by the Queen to work for the election of a Tory government and keep Disraeli in power. His reward will be the opportunity to buy back the ducal seat now in the hands of one of Victoria's cousins.

Annabelle Archer is a rather reluctant sufragist. She is brilliant but poor and under the control of a cousin who is using her as an unpaid servant in his household. When she is offered a scholarship to a college in Oxford that is newly admitting women, she persuades him to let her attend. To repay the sufragist leader who is paying her fees, Annabelle has to try to persuade influential men to support the Married Women's Property Act.

Circumstances bring the two together and they fall in love. However, their social classes are so far apart that the Duke feels he cannot propose marriage. He does offer to take her as his mistress and care for her. She refuses because she has already had experience with a man who was above her station. At seventeen, she fell for a gentleman who seduced her and abandoned her leaving her pregnant.

This was an engaging and entertaining historical romance. I liked both Sebastian and Annabelle and could particularly understand her point of view.

Interesting story of women suffrage in England in 1880 as well as women's college. Annabelle had been taught by her father so she is well versed in Greek, Latin, philosophy., but he died and she has nothing. Finally, she has received a stipend from a women's group for college, but her cousin doesn't want her to go as she has been his 'maid'. He demands monthly payment of 2 pounds before he allows her to go to Oxford.
Annabelle becomes very involved in women suffrage while there and in doing so she meets the Duke Montgomery. Various incidents have the two of them meeting again and again with decisions to be made about the difference in beliefs and status. The setting is historically correct with regards to women suffrage, women college and married women's property act. Read and learn.

Bringing Down the Duke was a sassy, smart, page-turning delight of a romance. It's a blend of history with swoons that will be a delight for readers!

Bringing Down the Duke is an excellent foray into historical fiction and romance. I adored the characters, setting, and story. The motivations of the characters were refreshing and modern.

The cover and series title and description had me expecting this to be the most Christina book ever, which probably was not the best way to go into this. <i>Bringing Down the Duke</i> wasn't quite as perfect as I'd dreamed (I wanted to ship it more and I wanted a bit more humor), but it was a solid debut for Dunmore, and I have high, high hopes for the series as it continues.

I love Annabelle and Sebastian’s slow burn romance. The chemistry and angst was so good. I love a good angsty romance. And like most historical romance, the differing social standings create the perfect environment for forbidden romance and angst as the two main characters struggle to be with each other. While I loveee a dark brooding male aristocrat in my historical romances, Annabelle was my favorite character. She’s a bluestocking, country girl who knows she’s smarter than most of the men telling her how to act or think.

The pacing dragged just a little in the middle as our two lovebirds kept circling around the same issue over and over. Also, I felt like the side characters could have been stronger. There is a sweet moment where the suffragettes are all talking about their friendship, being open and vulnerable with each other and it made me want more of those moments. But I cannot wait for future books about Lucie and Hattie.

If you’re a fan of Lisa Kleypas’ Wallflower series or Courtney Milan’s books, you may enjoy this one. It has a similar vibe. This is much more of a slow burn romance and it doesn’t have as explicit sex scenes but the scenes were steamy and romantic.

I enjoyed this historical romance with its interesting heroine and hero who I almost felt sorry for! I loved seeing the forthright suffragette Annabelle face off with the stern, forbidding Duke Sebastian and watch his downfall! Loved the historical background and also the emotional development as Sebastian faced his past and moved forward thanks to Annabelle.

Overall - interesting, appealing, sexy, characters in a wonderful debut romance!

Enjoyable for its backdrop of the issue of the women's rights movement in England and for the seemingly insurmountable obstacle of class difference between the romantic interests, the sex was too graphic and the ending left too many loose ends.

I usually don’t like historical romance novels, but the cover intrigued me and I honestly really enjoyed this book. I love the passion and courage that the main character has. I like the fresh outlook on the book. I also enjoyed the character development and how they grow and play off each other. The romance is beautiful and I really enjoyed the authors writing style.

Hollis’ 4.5 star review

And another debut author smashes it out of the park in 2019!

“<I>It is becoming clear to be me why a fair girl like you has been left on the shelf. You are not only bookish but a radical political activist. All highly impractical in a wife.</I>”

BRINGING DOWN THE DUKE was just.. pure fun? Deliciously swoony? Just the right amount of angst?

<I>There came a time in a duke’s life when he rarely encountered an honest opinion, where he could be on his way to hell in a handcart and everyone would politely step aside and wish him godspeed.</I>

You might find yourself looking at this plot summary and thinking, sure sure, read that HR a thousand times. Bluestocking attracts a Duke? Nothing new. And yeah okay maybe. But that doesn’t mean this isn’t worth your time.

“<I>Have you by any chance missed that class at finishing school where they teach you to feign delightful ignorance in the presence of a man?</I>“
“<b>I’m afraid so.</b>”

These characters all but leap off the page. The attraction, the chemistry, the sizzle is.. damn. Their backstory has elements of drama but are never overblown, or overwrought, and come out in the open naturally without being held onto until the last minute. Every up and down, back and forth, push and pull, was so.. organic? And also, strangely, refreshing. Additionally the side characters, the bluestocking suffragettes, were just fabulous. All of them. Hattie might have been my favourite.

“<I>Did you really give a man a nosebleed?</I>“
“<b>Yes</b>.”
“<I>Why?</I>“
“<b>I suppose because the village lads I ran with as a girl didn’t teach me how to slap like a lady</b>.”

The specifics of the setting, that this takes place during the opening of the first women’s college, and focuses mostly on women’s rights, feminism, and the injustice of the sexes, I mean.. there’s never a wrong time to tackle those issues but right now it feels so so timely. And how sad is that; this book is set in 1879 and here we are.. still fighting.

<I>She had never really known her place. Where others were appropriately intimidated, she seemed oddly intrigued by the challenge.</I>

This debut is so strong and so clever. The cover might make it seem that this is all lighthearted joy and hijinks but don’t be fooled. This is a love story between people who have their eyes wide open. Who are sensible, and logical, and intelligent. Who know the implausibilities of a union between them and fight it because they know better. Which makes that tension even more delicious. And yes, sure, there is still fun to be had.

“<I>Would you have me change my place in history to prove how much I want you?</I>“

BRINGING DOWN THE DUKE is compulsively readable and a delight to devour; I finished this in a shockingly small handful of hours which, considering my slumpy month, is a miracle. And I’m ecstatic to see that not only are we guaranteed more from this debut author, but we’re getting more from this series and set of characters. I’m going to be clamouring for more <I>A League of Extraordinary Women</I> books and likely seriously regretting my decision to read this early because now the wait will feel even longer than just a year.

** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

Absolutely loved this Historical Romance! This was the second HR I have ever read and it was amazing! I loved the character development and the pace of the read. I also felt like it was the type of book that you could read without any historical knowledge which was nice!

Annabelle is the poor, over-educated cousin of an even poorer vicar in turn-of-the-century England. To escape Cousin Gilbert’s dreary, mind-numbing household, she accepts a place at Oxford— but to afford tuition, she must join a suffragette movement in exchange for scholarship money. The head of the local suffragettes tasks Annabelle with convincing the Duke of Montgomery to join the cause. Montgomery is a tough Brit to crack as he runs his life and dukedom via logic, efficiency, rationality, and cold-heartedness. But is he really that cold-hearted? The effect he has on Annabelle’s heart rate when in his presence would indicate not...

This romance is a feminist Victorian romance that is actually girl-powered unlike many of the bodice rippers like to pretend. The Oxford suffragettes are a lovely bunch, and I look forward to their love stories in future books in the series.

The only reason for four stars instead of five is <<<SPOILERS>>> because of Annabelle’s decision to reject the proposal because she thinks she knows what is best for Montgomery. One of her pro-feminist arguments is that Sebastian doesn’t know better than an individual what the individual wants/needs just because of Sebastian’s station. Not only is that too common of a final rising action plot device, it is hypocritical of Annabelle. (Yes, people can be hypocritical IRL so, therefore, art is imitating life, but I really expected better from such a feminist book.) overall, though, it doesn’t detract from the book as a whole. It’s just one semi-more-than-minor annoyance.

It was probably the cutesy cover that made me think I was in for a lighthearted romance instead of...an extremely thorough education on the structure of Victorian underpinnings. Still, I didn't dislike it, but I admit to having a difficult time recommending this sort of thing to strangers.

I actually really loved this book. I requested it on a whim based on the description and was delighted with what I read. Annabelle was feisty and determined and I loved that she let her smarts show.

Romance & women's suffrage combine in this occasionally anachronistic novel. Yes, it's satisfactorily steamy in places but overall, the book needs another round of editing.

I loved this historical romance! The premise was fresh for a historical romance as the main character is one of the first women to be admitted to Oxford. Her scholarship comes from a women’s rights organization and at first she is a reluctant suffragette but she soon becomes passionate about the cause which leads her to meet the duke. He was wonderfully grumpy and staid but he has reasons for his behavior and I enjoyed watching the characters play off one another causing him to thaw and her to grow. The romance is lovely and the historical details are fascinating. Such a wonderful debut!

...Is this an attempt to make period romance cool again? At least to millennials? Because it's kind of working. And I'm admitting this as someone who doesn't even like this genre. First of all, that cover. And that font. Plus a plot about suffragists and women studying at Oxford in 1879? Well, this all seems very bold and modern. And I'll give anything a chance if it spares us from yet another eye-wateringly terrible cover featuring a woman in evening dress being embraced by a man in a cravat.

Okay, so this isn't Georgette Heyer. The writing and dialogue isn't anywhere close, the repartee isn't that witty, and maybe the suffragist angle isn't as cutting as I hoped. But it does mention actual legislation and takes some historical women, like Queen Victoria and Elizabeth Wordsworth, to task for their double standards re women's right to vote. Which, infuriatingly, didn't happen until 30 years after the events of this book.

It's ultimately an entertaining and bright escapist read that I looked forward to reading after exhausting days at work. And maybe I also whined a bit less about that work because, hey, at least my right to get a university education and work for a living doesn't enrage half of society anymore. Needless to say, I did find these characters sympathetic and likable. I admired the upright main characters, who stuck to their principles and gave societal convention the figurative middle finger. The pacing was spot on, not quite a slow burn but believably drawn out. It avoids the worst tropes and foibles of its genre, the things that usually put me off this kind of book in the first place. You know, like consent (which this book depicts really naturally). It's shallow but earnest at the same time, which results in something pleasant, romantic, and perfectly in step with the sensibilities of a contemporary woman like the one described in the author's afterward.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was a fun historical romance! I liked learning about the Regency period. I liked the romance in this too, it wasn't too over the top.
A good debut from author Evie Dunmore and I look forward to reading more from these characters in the future.