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.

i can’t pinpoint exactly what it is with regency romances, but they have a hold on my heart like no other. something about this era is so incredibly fascinating to me—despite, of course, its less than favourable treatment of women in that era.
 
that said, however, if that aspect hinders you from partaking in this particular genre, any of the books in a league of extraordinary women series will tickle your fancy. the concept of the series revolves around learned women—all part of the suffragist women in that era. it’s the perfect series to pick up for when you need a little debauchery with no disrespect (at least where it matters, if you know what i mean).
 
the gentleman’s gambit focuses primarily on catriona, who, i’d say, is probably the character i relate to the most. though i haven’t read the two other books in this series, glimpses of the two female leads from those books did provide sufficient context—enough for me to say that.
 
certain themes stand out for me, specifically in the context of catriona’s character. she’s the most “bookish” out of the four; belonging to the academe and extremely knowledgeable across multiple fronts. at first glance, it seems she only values things that enrich her mind—and so, she comes off as cold, slightly callous—calculating. i suppose it’s typical, even for modern day “power women”; that to be successful and learned involves some kind of emotional strangulation. a woman in power simply cannot have emotions—this, society dictates to us. it’s what made this book so relevant in theme, despite the obvious period disparity. all too often, we see it in the media we consume on the daily.
 
this is where evie dunmore stands out.
 
she crafts a female lead as relatable as she gets—someone so deeply guarded and adamant to prove herself that she gatekeeps her most sensitive inner soul. catriona craves to be seen for her mind, but she also wonders whether this has become an aspect that contributes to her detriment.

 she describes being “used” for her brain—a critique, if anything, of the plight of (even) the modern woman. we’ve seen it critiqued in emily henry’s book lovers, and we see it here, too. the moment a woman becomes known for her work ethic or her mind, she becomes cold, calculating, and incapable of feeling. such is catriona’s plight—because in a world (even ours) where women have to fight to be regarded equally, any mention of feeling becomes a weakness. we are perceived to be “emotional”; our moods supposedly dictated by our human anatomy. the fact remains, however, that even the most successful and intelligent women have emotions and are every bit as capable of falling in love and getting swept up in romance. the two are not mutually exclusive—and the fact that many can still relate to that is only proof of the relevance of catriona’s persona—and the kind of complexity evie dunmore weaves into her characters.
 
this aside, there’s truly something magical about the way evie pens her love stories. it’s so difficult not to swoon over them—not when male characters say the most impossibly romantic things. (i.e. “ta’abrinee, […], it means, bury me, [….] we say it to someone we don’t want to live without. hence, we must go first.”—who needs i love you???)
 
so many of the book’s best moments are in its dialogue—romantic, sharp, and incredibly witty. evie’s banter is something special—this kind of sweet prose that speaks to both mind and heart. there’s an air of elegance around it, but without the typical stuffiness and awkwardness that comes with some modern regency romances. it’s effortlessly fluid, romantic, and mr. darcy-hand-clench-inducing.
 
another one of the book’s winning qualities is its historical relevance—and here, evie demonstrates the breadth and depth of her knowledge. this particular book focuses on the sticky fingers of the british when it comes to artifacts—and how much of history has been ruthlessly captured for the sake of the entertainment of the privileged few. there’s plenty of reference to history on elias’ (the male lead) end, and it really is quite the enriching read.

 it's an aspect that i’ve come to appreciate with this series—that despite being marketed as a romance book, it’s every bit women’s fiction in its core. the love story in the gentleman’s gambit is a perfect balance—laced with so much nuance, complexity, and historical background. it isn’t heavy-handed either; historical references only add to the layers in their love story.

there is lgbtqia+ representation in the book, though i’ll leave out pertinent details as to not spoil the fun for anyone looking to read it. 😉

grateful to @eviedunmore, @berkleyromance, and @berkleypub for sending me the e-arc of this book! all thoughts and opinions are my own. 🩵

This review kills me a little bit, because Evie Dunmore's writing was what got me into reading romance so many moons ago. Bringing Down the Duke hit me with a bang, and I've fallen headlong into this whacky genre full of history and not-so-much history, as well as what can only be described as Regency fanfiction. However, The Gentleman's Gambit did not do it for me the same way the others in the series did. Don't get me wrong, my least favorite of Evie Dunmore's books is still leagues better than some of the other historical romances I've read over the past three years, but this couple was missing something for me. There was a lot of introspection, and a fair amount of telling, not showing. I want to see the characters fall in love with each other on the page, I don't want to be told from inside their heads that it's happening. I also wanted more heist. It was set up to be a heist, but I felt that it ended up slightly anticlimactic. HOWEVER, that epilogue alone was worth a whole star, and I will sorely miss all these wonderful ladies. Definitely looking forward to anything Evie Dunmore releases in the future.

What a beautiful ending to a series I have learned to love and adore. Whatever Evie writes next, I’ll always be there! I thought this was a very ambitious story! Where it sometimes felt more historical fiction with romance, I still adored Elias and Catriona’s relationship and both of them individually so much. I loved how Elias was a foreigner, his culture, the Arabic 🥹

“Ta’abrinee,” he said. “Yes.” “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.”

The growth they both had, especially Catriona. I learned a lot in this book about occupation of land, heists, artifacts, and loved the Middle Eastern representation. Pacing felt nor here nor there, especially with the structure of how this book was done in the series. But I felt going back to the audiobook and eyeballing it, I enjoyed myself! And for the plot points I cared about, they carried over.

The epilogue! The conclusion of all The League of Extraordinary Women and the little moments we got to share with their happy endings!

"The Gentleman's Gambit" has a strong sense of character right from the start. There is a wealth of social, political, and economic commentary that is stunningly smooth and natural to the story. The history is lush, and the love story is fantastic. I loved the dual point-of-view writing and all the cultural aspects included throughout.

This is the final title in a series. I read it as a standalone, which was okay, but I recommend reading it as part of the series. There are plenty of references to past events, and it heavily includes the protagonists of the earlier titles in the series. A couple of scenes also exclusively feature past characters and their storylines. I'm looking forward to returning to read the earlier titles in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Pretty good. I'm liking the progression of the story throughout the three books in the series. I didn't love FMC's personality, but not everything is going to be perfectly up my alley.

A major pro to this book is how intellectual Dunmore's writing and characters are. Catriona and Elias were both incredibly smart, open-minded and dedicated. Neither character to me particularly had a strong personality (which is fine!), but just made it harder to get invested in their relationship.

I loved this premise very much (heist to retrieve artifacts that have been wrongfully taken sign me up). This plotline was fantastic, but I felt there were a few other competing plotlines.

Lastly, I love how Dunmore writes unapologetic brilliant, strong, capable women speaking truth to power and pushing back against the misogyny surrounding them.

The Gentleman's Gambit is a look inside a neurodivergent woman's head when being neurodivergent, even as a man, was not beneficial to someone's well being. While this was a romance at times, I found it more captivating as a woman finding herself and giving herself the courage to hand parts of her life over to someone else. I also struggle with this control and found myself to be most in line with Catriona, more than any of the other suffragettes we followed in previous books. Her internal monologue was captivating, and her final break down of understanding her emotions is something that I have gone through time to time, having revelations on different things in my life and why I have treated them the way I have.

This book did fall flat in terms of the romance aspect. Whilst Elias was swoon worthy at times, his perspective was definitely overshadowed by Catriona's. I would've loved to know more about Elias' home and time in Mt. Lebanon, especially under Ottoman Rule at such a precarious time, but this novel was already exceedingly too long so... God, why was this book so long.

It felt like the author was trying to wrap up the series in a way that was all encompassing of each of the four books, but considering each could be read as a stand-alone, I believe that turned the book into something that the other three weren't. I appreciated the epilogue for all four of the girls, but had wished that there had been a separate one to celebrate Catriona and Elias when some of us (me) had been waiting so desperately to hear her story since her character had always range on the awkward, introverted, neurodiverse spectrum.

Regardless, I enjoyed the read and am looking forward to see how Evie Dunmore moves on from this series now that we have reached the conclusion.

I love this series so much, it hits the balance between historical romance and empowering women. This one deals with museums, repatriation, and culture, - all topics near to my heart as I finish my degree in Museum Studies. All coming full circle.

This series has been very dependable. Romantic, funny in all the right places and historically informative. I will say this final installment wasn’t quite as string as the previous ones but it was immensely enjoyable. I can’t wait to see what Evie Dunmore does next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series by Evie Dunmore. Her writing blends swoonworthy romance, detailed history, and engaging plot.. Lady Catriona and Elia's love story is part enemies to lovers, part forced proximity, part grumpy sunshine and all the swoon! I loved the instant chemistry between these characters and their smart banter. Thank you so much to Berkley and Netgalley for my copy.

In typical Evie Dunmore fashion, we have a brilliant fmc! I’ve been waiting for Catriona’s story for quite a while, and it did not disappoint in the least! The love interest is PERFECT and has been added to my cinnamon roll list lol. I felt like this book did such a good job of balancing the history and romance elements.

I love all of Evie Dunmore’s novels. They are smart, endearing, addicting, and swoon worthy. Love that all her characters are complex and the banter is so well done.

Gentleman's Gambit by Evie Dunmore is a delightful historical romance that transports readers to the Victorian era, where a spirited suffragist and a charming aristocrat engage in a witty and passionate battle of wills. The author skillfully blends historical accuracy, social commentary, and emotional depth in this captivating story of love, politics, and feminism. The characters are well-developed, the dialogue is sharp and witty, and the romance is swoon-worthy. Gentleman's Gambit is a must-read for historical romance fans and strong heroines.

Interesting take on a historical romance, and it's nice to see representation of Middle Eastern men that is less steriotypically possessive and "bothered."

I was so close to not finishing this book. It didn't hold my interest until about 50% of the way through. The main couple, Catriona and Elias's romance didn't begin to really cook until then. Am I crazy? Did anyone else picture Catriona ending up with Peregrin? Were all her mental issues teased in previous books? If so, I forgot. Since I am in these books for the romances, the women's rights subplots, flashbacks to their pasts and all the explanation of Serbian history didn't interest me. I was also disappointed more of the book didn't take place at her Scottish castle! They moved locations so much I wasn't sure where they were a lot of the time.

While it is definitely my least favorite book of the series, you get great epilogues for all four of the feminist heroines and a satisfying time jump at the very end. I'm giving this book three stars because (even though the plot was not my favorite), the connection between Elias and Catriona eventually got to boiling levels and the week in her London townhouse was BLAZING. I also love that the heroine makes the big romantic gesture at the end, like a good feminist should.

This is such a great book. The heroine's hidden past was something I had not seen before. It's a page turner with a great romance and one of the best family dynamics in a romance novel. A must read.