I have absolutely loved this historical fiction/romance series and this most recent book is no exception! This one felt a little heavy on the historical fiction side when I first started, but once I got into the story and learned more about the historical significance, I was super intrigued and couldn’t put it down!

This is the fourth and final book in the A League of Extraordinary Women series. Although I haven't read the entire series, I have read and loved the first book. This book follows Catriona as she tries to work on her writing away from distractions like Suffrage and socializing with friends. However, when Elias arrives as a guest, everything changes. It was fun getting to know Catriona. The romance between her and Elias was sweet. I loved the stolen art premise and how important it was to bring back those artifacts.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Berkley Publishing for giving me a copy of the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy of this title.

I really loved this story.

Evie Dunmore's writing is so captivating and always pulls me in right away. Her characters are always SO loveable and fun. This series is one of my faves!

I loved the novel’s protagonist, Catriona Campbell! There are a lot of indicators throughout the book that point to neurodiversity and bisexuality, which I haven’t seen represented often in historical romance. As such, I thought Catriona was a very interesting character. Her actions often surprised me, and I found myself relating to her in many ways. With that being said, I think Catriona was robbed! There were so many elements that took time away from her story, which frustrated me. The story has patches that are heavy on history, which I know is Catriona’s vibe. However, there was an over-enthusiasm of the historical aspects that left the story feeling unbalanced.

Additionally, I know this was the last book in the, A League of Extraordinary Women series, and while it was nice to see the lovely ladies of the series make their appearance, I felt there were times when their presence overshadowed Catriona. It was even apparent in the epilogue, which barely mentions Catriona and Elias. This was very disappointing since I wasn’t satisfied with the ending. Although I thought the epilogue was a sweet ending to the series, I think it would have made a great short novella.

Overall, I loved Catriona and Elias, but I wish there hadn’t been so much going on that kept taking the reader away from their development.

I had to go back and read the first three books to get this timeline right and I realized that I liked the books less and less after the first one. This book felt the weakest of all to me. The characters were not greatly developed, the story line feels a bit forced, and too many pages. I finished, but didn't enjoy.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review, but opinions are my own.

This final book in the League of Extraordinary Women series is my second-favorite (after Bringing Down the Duke), probably because I identified strongly with Catriona and her witty banter with Elias in a relationship based on both trust and shared interest and intelligence. Because this is the last book, it features vignettes of the other women in the League; I was glad to see that the 1918 epilogue provides a solid sense of closure for these friends (though I can't say the same about Catriona and Elias' relationship--I was profoundly disappointed to not get more details about them in the intervening years).

Always like Evie Dunmore and this series has been great, this latest book is no exception, I would recommend it and can't wait for more

I'm so sad to see this series end!! The only thing to cheer me up is that now Evie Dunmore can start a *new* series. The impeccable research, amazing characters, and sizzling chemistry were just perfect. I recommend this series to everyone without question and I think honestly it gets better with each book. I love seeing the relationships from previous books in the background.

This was a beautiful ending to one of my favorite series! Attached is a link to the review I wrote, and the interview I had with Dunmore for the Feminist Book Club.

I love very much the storytelling of this series that continues with this fourth installment. In this story, we finally get to see the bookish and quiet Lady Catriona Campbell. After an unfortunately embarrassing meet cute with her father’s new colleague, Lady Catriona must then escort said colleague to Oxford and work with him in her father’s stead while he conducts business elsewhere. All this, while she works to support her friends and the suffragist movement, hiding from her ex, and writing a book on powerful women in history. Absolutely Delicious.

Evie Dunmore has a beautiful way of setting the scene, from the landscape, to the thoughts and etiquettes of the time. And this descriptive beauty extends to the everything, like the aging Applecross castle in Scotland, balanced between the modern age of the 1880s and centuries old design of building and furnishings. Or the burst of zest from a bite of lemon cake. I loved every minute of it.

Tucked in and woven throughout are the characters that I’d fallen in love with in the previous books, and a few new ones to torture (challenge?) poor Lady Catriona. And I love the insight into Lucie, Annabelle and Hattie’s lives after their stories. This was very much like a reunion of old friends, and I was, perhaps more that Catriona, happy to settle into the Oxford fray.

This is the fourth book in "A League of Extraordinary Women" series. Catriona Campbell is a suffragist who is content working at Oxford and is determined to write a book (The subject of which alludes her). When Elias Khoury arrives at Oxford to help classify old artifacts, Cat quickly realizes that he is not honest with his reasons for being at Oxford. He is determined to take the stolen artifacts back to his homeland where they belong.

Now, these two must travel together in this forced proximity romance that quickly becomes something resembling a game of chess.

This romance is a funny and light-hearted historical romance that will leave you smiling.

A spicy, slow-burn historical romance infused with humor and woman's rights.

If you enjoy spicy historical romances and you haven't read the League of Extraordinary Women series by Evie Dunmore - what are you waiting for?
The Gentleman's Gambit is the fourth and final book of the series and I'm sad to see the series end. I've loved these books, these heroines and their dashing heroes.

Catriona is an introvert after my own heart. She was intelligent, neurodivergent and felt she wasn't wife material. From, the hilarious moment of their meeting, I wanted to swoon over Catriona and Elias. Alas, I never fully did. It might be because as the final book in this series, there was a lot going on here aside from Catriona and Elias' romance, to tie up the series overall. While, I enjoyed seeing the couples from previous books and their work on women's rights, I felt like it detracted a little from the current romance. I wasn't as invested as I was with Annabelle & Sebastian from Bringing Down the Duke and Lucie and Tristan from A Rogue of One's Own who were my series faves.

I loved, loved, loved the epilogue though, showing me where everyone ended up!
Overall, this was a fun read but if I'm rating all the books - this was definitely my least favorite. Still, I'm excited to see what Evie Dunmore writes next!

The final installment of League of Extraordinary Women series brings us Catriona Campbell's story. Catriona is already spread thin between her women's suffrage efforts with her friends and attempting to write her own book....so she is really output when her father instructs her to accompany newcomer Elias Khoury in classifying ancient artifacts.

The whole series balanced history and romance but this one was a bit too heavy on the history for me. Sadly, I was not entirely captivated by Elias and Catriona's romance. I liked the heist aspect of the story. I did appreciate the epilogue revisiting each of the women's stories....that note felt like a nice way to end the series.

Rating: 3 stars

Special thanks to @netgalley for the ARC for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Catriona is a woman who prefers her own company over struggling to socialize with others. Most people really don’t understand her, her intellect, or her disdain for small talk. Elias is also somewhat of a loner because he doesn’t really fit in anywhere.

The two will meet accidentally in a titillating manner and then on purpose at Catriona’s father’s house. They will be working together to catalog some artifacts at Oxford. Artifacts Elias believes have been stolen from his homeland.

The relationship between Catriona and Elias is symbolized by an ongoing chess game that the two begin at Oxford. Games are being played while both are plotting their next move. And all the while they are agonizingly falling for each other. They are from two different worlds and can never be together.

I was eager to read this book based on the description. And then found it is book 4 in a series I had not read. The overall theme of the series is the slow gaining of women’s rights in England and focuses on a small group of friends directly involved in campaigning for those rights. I felt I was missing something by starting with book 4. There is enough to enjoy it as a standalone, but it would certainly be better as the finale to the series.

The final verdict: The Gentleman’s Gambit is an enjoyable historical romance that is best read as part of the series A League of Extraordinary Women.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book. My review is my honest opinion.

The League of Extraordinary Women series has been my tried and true favorite romance these last few years. Readers have come to rely on a strong heroine, a steamy romance, and a healthy dose of historical education and women's rights. I love that seamless blending of historical romance with learning more about the suffragette movement (and that Evie includes more information in the back.) The Gentleman's Gambit takes it further and includes reparations and Elias' storyline about returning artifacts to their original communities (why are the Egyptian Pyramids in Eygpt? Because they can't fit in the British Museum).

While I loved the commentary on both social issues, I did find that to include so much, even for a 400-page book, the romance felt a bit lost. It felt a bit of an afterthought. The moments we got were golden, though. I loved the sweet, quiet moments of happiness and love for Catriona. Elias was charming but I'm not sure I we get him deeper than his attraction for Catriona and reclaiming artifacts for his countrymen.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book but it was not a series favorite for me,

this one felt plottier than the ones previous, and it was a slower burn between the two main characters. most likely because it's harder to write a shyer character fall in love than a bolder character. I did love Elias; his point of view was very enjoyable.

I wonder what she'll write next! I'd be interested in seeing her write a contemporary romance one day. very happy I got an arc of this :)

Some favorite quotes:

"[He looked at her] With an age-old expression of awe. As though he had unexpectedly stumbled through the doors of a cathedral and felt ambushed by the dizzying heights and the dusty taste of the eternal."

"She was a mountain river in winter: an icy burn, a mighty current under a quiet surface."

"We will not do this again," he said. They took measure of each other's damp faces and turbulent eyes, and without more words being exchanged they both knew they would absolutely do this again. (lol, love this)

"Ta'brinee," he said. "It means, bury me."
"Isn't that a bit morbid?"
He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "We say it to someone we don't want to live without. Hence, we must go first." (so good)

and then, finally, the ever-classic Evie Dunmore when even the slightest touch is powerful: "On the door, he spread his fingers, just a fraction. Enough for the tip of his little finger touching the side of hers. Her breathing hitched. All her attention pooled in the spot of sensitive skin heating against his. 'I'm listening,' he murmured."

THE GENTLEMAN’S GAMBIT by Evie Dunmore

The final novel in the A League of Extraordinary Women series is here! I started this series in 2019 when Bringing Down the Duke came out. I immediately loved it and found a new genre: steamy historical romance that centers forward-thinking, independent women.

Each book in the series focuses on a different woman in a group of four friends. The final book tells the story of Catriona, a neurodivergent woman who has, for the time, found academic success. But social interactions stress her and she doesn’t enjoy the custom of parading women around, insisting their sole purposes are marriage and procreation.

Enter Elias Khoury, a Lebanese scholar who is very attractive, physically and mentally. Exploring eastern-western relations in the 1880s, artifact theft, and love, this novel was thoroughly enjoyable. This love story is steamy! I found this book a bit steamier than the preceding two.

Overall, I thought it was a strong end to a great series.

Evie what happened?? This series is one of my favorites and every book I look forward to. I couldn’t wait to start this one and it was downhill from there. This book is my least favorite book in the series. Way too much background information, historical info, and more. At times I forgot I was even reading a romance novel. 3 out of 5⭐️.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you enjoy historical fiction this may be for you. If you're looking for historical romance, not so much. It's full of dry historical facts and goes off on tangents having nothing to do with the relationship between the two main characters. Elias is at Oxford under false pretenses. He plans to take back ancient artifacts to the middle east. Catriona is the daughter of a professor and at the urging of his cousin, Elias plans a seduction to get her help. Sounds like a fun set-up, right? If only the book stuck to this plot. It drifts away quickly into being more of a history lesson than a romance. Even Catriona's work with the women of the suffrage movement is only touched on here and there. I enjoyed the other books in the series much more.