This was a super cute and also steamy romance with some cool historical information thrown in as well. I really felt for Annabelle and wanted her to succeed at everything, even agreeing with her choices that hurt her emotionally but were better for her whole well-being overall, that takes a lot of strength. I liked all of the secondary characters and that there were plots going on other than just the main romance, especially with the suffragist movement. While Sebastian was a bit cold and reserved at first, I liked seeing him get totally swept away by this "inappropriate" woman (in real life it might be a smidge unbelievable but this is a romance so throughout most of their time fighting their feelings I was yelling out, "just kiss already, you idiots!"). I liked seeing his views change and shift and how everything else going on in his life gave him a greater understanding of his younger brother. Overall I loved this book and had trouble putting it down which is always a sign of a good read for me. I can't wait to read the next book about Lady Lucie!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

This historical romance novel was the perfect thing to recommend before the end of 2019. I included it in the The Young Folks book "20 Books to Read Before 2020."

This was incredibly well researched and enjoyable for the historical aspects of the book in addition to the romantic plot. I can't wait to read more from Evie Dunmore.

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore is a beautifully written, enemies-to-lovers novel that offers readers an exceptionally strong and sassy heroine in Annabelle and honorable and arrogant hero in Sebastian. The novel offers readers a interesting historical setting, strong characters, explosive chemistry, and an engaging story. Readers will be coming back for more novels from this debut author in the future.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for a free review copy of Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore. This is the author’s first novel and stars Annabelle Archer a brilliant woman who is born into the wrong time (1879) and is trying to find a way out of her uncle’s house to get herself an education and some independence.

There is love, mayhem, a fight for sufferage and of course a Duke. All things that I thought would make me love this book. But it fell short for me. It wasn’t terrible, but I just found it really difficult to actually like any of the characters or bring myself to care terribly much about what was happening in the book.

I tried reading the physical book, and when I just couldn’t seem to get into it I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Sadly, I did not enjoy Elizabeth Jasicki’s narration. I found her cadence to be really halting one moment, and then too fast the next, and the voice she used for the main character really grated on me.

I loved this book! A great historical romance. I would recommend! I really enjoyed the historical accuracy.

Annabelle, a Victorian spinster, has been accepted to Oxford as one of the first females to enroll in classes at this estimated university. She becomes involved in a women’s group to support freedom of women and the right to vote. In her plans to change to political opinions she meets a duke; a stoic political opponent who defies what she believes in. But there is something about this man that moves her. Does she give up her rights as a women to explore a relationship with him?

Bringing down the Duke is an enjoyable read with well developed characters and lusty romantic scenes. Annabelle and Sebastian's story kept my interest where I couldn’t put the book down. Along with the main characters there are many interesting friends, extraordinary women, who I am looking forward to reading their stories and romances.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance copy.

Okay, this was REALLY good. Why did I wait so long to read it, dammit? I would have totally put this on my fave reads of 2019 list.

Can't WAIT for the next two, and I desperately hope the contract expands for one more story, because there's at least 3 other women I'd like to read about.

This was a super cute and also steamy romance with some cool historical information thrown in as well. I really felt for Annabelle and wanted her to succeed at everything, even agreeing with her choices that hurt her emotionally but were better for her whole well-being overall, that takes a lot of strength. I liked all of the secondary characters and that there were plots going on other than just the main romance, especially with the suffragist movement. While Sebastian was a bit cold and reserved at first, I liked seeing him get totally swept away by this "inappropriate" woman (in real life it might be a smidge unbelievable but this is a romance so throughout most of their time fighting their feelings I was yelling out, "just kiss already, you idiots!"). I liked seeing his views change and shift and how everything else going on in his life gave him a greater understanding of his younger brother. Overall I loved this book and had trouble putting it down which is always a sign of a good read for me. I can't wait to read the next book about Lady Lucie!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

This novel has everything! A feminist heroine. A brooding duke without an heir. People who believe in women's suffrage! I love that Bringing Down the Duke manages to hit many of the tropes that I have come to love and expect within a romance, but has also made sure that they work within that society and in our own.

There were a lot of things that could have been great about this book, but none of them came together in a way that made sense to me. As a fun historical romance full of sexy times and interesting characters it could have been good - or as a more serious look at class distinctions, suffragettes, and some of the struggles that women faced in Victorian England it could have been great ... but trying to put these two themes together is what ultimately detracted from my total enjoyment of it.

The writing was good, and I would definitely try another from Evie Dunmore - but this one missed the mark for me.

This was the most interesting romance novel I have read in a long time. I love the development of the characters. The male lead actually has depth and interesting aspects to him. The female lead doesn't just swoon when she sees him and actually thinks for herself. Their interactions are exciting and witty. I recommend it for fans of romance everywhere.

I LOVED THIS!! I’m a huge historical romance fan and this was a GREAT one!! It has a strong feminist twist which I really really appreciated. Really refreshing while still being a historical. Such a great balance. The writing style was really good as well, really easy to read and fast paced. I thought Annabelle and Sebastian had amazing chemistry and I loved watching them slowly fall for each other!! Each one of their scenes gave my butterflies in my stomach and I couldn’t get enough! Annabelle is super strong, fierce, independent and an overall badass, especially for this time period. She felt like someone who was way ahead of her time and I was rooting for her from page one! Sebastian was also a great character and I just adored watching him with Annabelle. Some of their scenes had my heart racing! That ending was super sweet and left me clutching my kindle with a huge smile on my face! I’m so excited to read more from this series!

I read a lot of historical romance and I have to say Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore is one of my favorite reads so far this year as well as at the top of my favorites for the genre. I devoured this in one day and couldn’t get enough of these characters.

Annabelle Archer is smart and while she has lived in the country and as a daughter of a vicar, she has earned a place as part of the first group of female students at the University of Oxford. The catch is that in exchange for her scholarship, she needs to support the women’s suffrage movement. That means she needs to get men of influence interested in championing their cause.

I loved Annabelle as a character. She is smart and she’s willing to put herself in an uncomfortable situation if it means she can make a difference. Her drive to want and be more than what society tells her she should be as a woman is something I love most about her, and I was so happy that Dunmore gave her a group of women to connect with through it. The friendships Evie develops not only help her in her mission, but also when she needs it most.

Sebastian Deveraux, the Duke of Montgomery, is driven to restore his family’s legacy and as a leader in Britain, he has the opportunity to get his ancestral home back as long as he agrees to be the chief strategic advisor for the election campaign of the Tory party…and keeps the current Prime Minister in power. Unfortunately for Sebastian, he really has no choice. Add to that the fact that the Tory party is against amending the Married Women’s Property Act and things are about to get really interesting for both Sebastian and Annabelle.

I do want to call out that I loved how Annabelle and Sebastian meet. Their immediate attraction and his willingness to dress down the guard who pushed her made me like him despite how he is described and the coolness with which he addressed Annabelle on the street. As Annabelle finds a way to infiltrate Sebastian’s home (along with her friends), their attraction only grows. I loved the banter and the fact that she is willing to challenge him.

Unfortunately for them both, once they do realize how much they are attracted to one another, they face the challenge of status and what that means in regard to a relationship between them. They both recognize that a vicar’s daughter and a Duke could never marry and Annabelle refuses to be his mistress. This leaves them in a place with no resolution and the only thing Annabelle can do is ask Sebastian to leave her alone but when the suffragist march on Parliament gets out of hand and Annabelle finds herself in a situation she can’t get out of, Sebastian is the one to save her but her actions do have consequences.

As everything comes to a head in this book, decisions need to be made both by Annabelle and Sebastian. I’m not going to tell you everything about this one so if you want to know, you will have to go get this book when it is released. Trust me, you will want to know ALL THE THINGS so if you don’t have this on your TBR shelf yet, go add it now. I will definitely be sitting back waiting for more books by Evie Dunmore as this debut has made me a fan. If you are looking for a historical romance with great characters, an interesting story, and slow burn romance you should definitely check this one out.

Annabelle Archer, has earned herself a spot at the renowned University of Oxford in the first cohort of female students. Being the destitute daughter of a vicar, she has received a scholarship through the women's suffrage movement. To keep her scholarship Annabelle must recruit men of influence to their cause. The man to target is the Duke of Montgomery - one Sebastian Devereux.

The biggest challenge is not whether the Duke can be swayed to the cause, but rather can Anabelle stop herself from falling for the man who's attraction she can hardly deny.

Annabelle Archer is one of the first women to be admitted into Oxford University in 1879. She is incredibly intelligent but as the daughter of a country vicar, she is of little means. She is attending Oxford with a scholarship that requires her to help the local suffragette movement. Her work with the movement gets her close to the Duke of Montgomery. She must convince him to back their movement, something that is at personal odds with his own goals, while also trying not to fall for the dashing, yet cold, man. Annabelle is a strong, proud character, who just wants to study and make it on her own, something society is keen on stopping.

Bringing Down the Duke ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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I loved this book! I was drawn into the story and the characters from the very beginning and could hardly put it down until I finished it. ⁣
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This is the story of Annabelle Archer who is one of the first females to attend Oxford University. She is on a scholarship and as such is required to help the advancement of the women’s suffrage movement by recruiting powerful men to their cause. When the man she is assigned to convince is the Duke of Montgomery, the commander of British politics and not a man easily swayed, our story of politics, passion, and position really starts. ⁣
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This historical romance was everything I wanted it to be. I adored Annabelle’s character! She was smart and disciplined, but she was also a passionate women who didn’t allow herself to be completely controlled by what society told her she was allowed to do, think, or feel. The Duke was also a great character with so much depth. And their romance is a steamy one! 🔥 The backdrop of 1879-80 England, in the midst of the suffragist movement was fascinating and not something I had read before. ⁣
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Will I be reading Evie’s second A League of Extraordinary Women Novel when it come out next Fall? You better believe it!

No stranger to historical fiction, I really appreciated that this story has heavy and the history while not skipping over the the heaving parts.

Bringing Down the Duke was an absolute delight! It was smart, sexy, and filled to the brim with feisty, intelligent women that paved the way for many suffragists to follow. I loved the clash between the sexes and the classes! Evie Dunmore has written a true historical-romance novel. Annabelle, a country vicar's daughter, and Sebastian, the Duke of Montgomery, will melt your heart one moment and make you scream "why!?!?" in another. This novel, set in Victorian England, is not to be missed.

Set in 1879 England, Annabelle has a chance to leave her cousin's home, where she works in his household as practically a servant, by accepting a scholarship to be one of the first group of women to attend the University of Oxford. The scholarship requires her to work for the suffrage movement and to help with the passage of the Married Women's Property Act. She's assigned to enlist a man of high political influence Sebastian Deveraux, the Duke of Montgomery to the cause. They develop an unlikely relationship but reputation and status is everything to Sebastian and marriage to a poor suffragette far below his station is unthinkable. He wants her to be his mistress which she refuses. Here begins a too long conflict of I won't marry you, marry me, I won't marry you, marry me......

I truly enjoyed the setting and the difficulty Annabelle faces as a single women of the time trying to be independent. Learning about the Married Women's Property Act and the history of what the suffragists faced Overall it is a very enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to the next book.