3.5 Stars

Heavy plot, beautiful storytelling.

The final book in Dunmore’s series was one I wanted to like, and while there are elements I enjoyed, the heavy story and historical parts weighed the plot down in a way that made it easy to put this book down and walk away.

The romance itself is beautiful. Both Catriona and Elias are people from different backgrounds, but they come to have such a deep respect for each other. Honoring one another’s beliefs, feelings, and even their goals. I absolutely feel for both Catriona and Elias. Dunmore does an amazing job of setting up the conflicts in such a way that I really didn’t see how these two could have a future together and the need to know kept me reading.

Outside of this, the book is very plot-heavy with a weaving tale of stolen artifacts and historical suffragist movement work. Now, I went into this story completely aware it’s heavy on historical fiction. But those details pulled me out of the story time and again and allowed me to walk away. For those who’ve enjoyed the previous books in the series, some parts wrap up other characters’ tales quite nicely. For those who enjoy historical fiction with romance, this book and the entire series is one I recommend.

Overall, I’ll be giving this author another shot for whatever she comes up next. Though will move forward with my eyes wide open. Those who truly love historical fiction and romance more balanced will enjoy this book.

~ Landra

i give this a tenuous 3.5 stars. there’s much to love here, i think dunmore’s writing is quality, i believe the characters are IMMENSELY loveable and moving and altogether adorable. i love the underlying plot here, the critique of colonialism and politics.

the main failing in this story is that the pacing and structure is downright terrible LOL. the plot was at times incredibly slow and incredibly fast. the first 25 percent of this was a painful slog with no clear direction, the middle was delightful, and the last 30% was painful once again. though this story maybe clearly appeals to readers of the whole series, i found much of the plot wholly dependent on an emotional connection to the other 6 main characters. at times the focus on elias and catriona and elias’ work was muddled and lost. i mean i understand the book is supposed to be closure for the whole series but really? 3 full chapters about the other couples being happy and in love?

i have so much pain in writing this because this is a novel i thought i would champion and scream about from the rooftops. i loved the exploration of catrionas neurodivergence and i think that elias was goddamn charming i was swooning. dunmore crafts moments that are so profound and moving but in the end i found myself struggling to get through it, despite how much i loved the characters and the writing.

also at times the sex scenes were slightly weird. can’t explain it, just a feeling.

I was so excited to see this book on NetGalley as I am in love with the series! I love all of the different tropes between the books, and this slow burn romance didn't let me down. Though it started off a bit slow, I have come to expect that from all slow burn relationships, so I wasn't too upset.

While I love the historical background provided throughout these books, this addition seemed to have more unnecessary historical information than the others. That took me out of the book a bit, which was disappointing as I really enjoyed the characters.

This series has been so much fun to read, and I'm excited to see what Dunmore comes up with next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Ohhh I was so happy to see that Evie Dunmore had a new book, she is one of my favourite historical romance novelists. This series has been so well done and I’m sad to see it end, but The Gentleman’s Gambit was a strong finish to the story of these fabulous ladies fighting for women’s rights while finding themselves along the way. The side story of returning artifacts to their county of origin was really interesting and I loved that Dunmore took us to both Scotland and the Middle East. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

<i>ARC Provided by NetGalley<i>

I enjoyed this 4th and final book in the League of Extraordinary Women series and the last chapter of the book wrapped the series up very nicely. I love all the historical research the author puts into her books and I enjoyed the main characters and their romance. The only criticism is that she might have tried to tackle a few too many topics in this book but it was still a great regency romance and great addition to the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own. 3.5 rounded up

I have loved The League of Extraordinary Women’s series by Evie Dunmore and I was excited to start Catriona’s story. Thank you @berkleyromance for the review copy!

I thought the chemistry between Catriona and Elias was the best part of the book. Their scenes were filled with the best kind of tension.

I loved how the story wrapped up and gave us further insight into all of their fights for a woman’s right to vote. This was so inspiring and has been throughout the books, these women represent real life ones who fought against a rising tide of hate to secure our right to vote and be seen as equal, it’s incredible.

The biggest criticism I had was I felt like I was falling out of the story because there was a lot of description and it just felt long. The scenes of Catriona and Elias were so great and I loved them but it felt like a lot of filler in between that didn’t add a lot to the story.

This is a great series and would highly recommend to any historical fiction and romance fan!

I really am attached to this series. I do love the romance in these books but even more so I love the independence of the women in these books in a time when independence was not a thing. It’s a unique take on regency romance and one I have really enjoyed!
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have been enjoying the characters and romances of the League of Extraordinary Women series. The Gentleman’s Gambit is the fourth and final in the series.

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the other books in the series. It felt too long and dense with both suffragette and artifact details plus flashbacks to previous relationships. I think a "less is more" approach à la Coco Channel might have improved my enjoyment of the book.

I did like the epilogue and how the series wrapped up.

I am a big fan of this historical romance series, featuring Hattie, Annabelle, Lucie and Catriona. All four women exist in the Victorian era, where women were supposed to be mothers and subservient to their husbands. These four were educated, intelligent women, fighting for women’s rights. This is Catriona’s story, as she is a quiet woman living with her father, a linguist writing a book. When Elias Khoury comes on the scene, initially to repatriate artifacts stolen from Lebanon, and in a private collection, Catriona’s life is turned upside down. There are many very hot scenes between the two as they negotiate towards a relationship that seems highly unlikely. The book was a great distraction to today’s woes, and I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Book four in A League of Extraordinary Women series, The Gentleman’s Gambit follows Catriona Campbell and Elias Khoury. Catriona works with her father at Oxford in ancient artifacts and linguistics, and works with her friends in the fight for women’s rights. Elias is a visiting scholar to Oxford under false pretenses from his home in the Middle East - to return priceless artifacts to their rightful home. Over a game of chess, their trust for each other starts to grow as they learn they have similar worldviews. Can they be successful in their missions without losing each other?

I adored this final installment to Evie Dunmore’s aeries. It has heart, politics, friendship, supportive family, spice, all while weaving in historical significance. I highly recommend it to fans of historical romance and those who strongly support women’s rights and the fight needed to get where we are today. I received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

Castle Applecross, Scotland - 1882

Lady Catriona, 25, is the daughter of Alastair Campbell, Earl of Wester Ross. After taking a swim in the nude in the loch and exiting the water, she is shocked to find herself being observed by a strange man. Scolding him for peeking at her, he leaves. Back at the castle, her maid, MacKenzie, informs her that her father’s academic guest has arrived early and she worries that he may be the same man caught watching her.

Father and daughter are both academics with her focus on women’s rights. They tend to ignore the need for money for upkeep of the castle. It turns out that their guest is Mr. Elias Khoury, and her observer. When her father has to take care of some local problems, he tasks Catriona to accompany Elias to Cambridge to observe some artifacts.

As I carried on with the boring reading of this book, I realized it is not something for me. It’s way too long and the characters as well as the storyline are unappealing. Sorry.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🔥

Quick Breakdown

Historical Romance
Forced Proximity
Great Meet Cute
Slow Burn
Dual POV
Open Door - Mild Details

Fun fact: this series was my first taste at historical romances. I was new to booksta & found a buddy reads for the first three books celebrating the release of Portrait of a Scotsman. I loved the opportunity to read this one early.

Like in the previous books, The Gentleman’s Gambit is heavy with history & feminism, but as the occasional history nerd, I didn’t mind. It was a nice companion to the romance, which was more soft & swoony than I was anticipating. A lot of this has to do with my love for the MCs.

I really enjoyed Catriona - she written with traits that leads the reader to believe she would be diagnosed on spectrum in today’s world. She’s introverted & intelligent & can struggle in social situations. After an intimate meet cute, the slow burn build (saddled with all the hot tension) felt tailor made for her. Elias felt like the perfect patient match for her & I loved the art heist-like drama he added to the storyline.

One of the best parts of the book was getting to interact with characters of the past. With this being the final book in the series, the epilogue was so fitting. I found myself getting more emotional 🥹 than I expected at the beautifully written ending.

3.5 stars

I have enjoyed all the books in A League of Extraordinary Women series, with the first book, Bringing Down the Duke, being my favorite. I was excited to pick up The Gentleman's Gambit. And I enjoyed it but not as much as other books. I thought The Gentleman's Gambit was too long (over 400 pages), with too many competing elements that took away from the romance. As this book is a historical romance, I wanted more romance and less discussion on various political issues. The Gentleman's Gambit read more like historical fiction to me. I love historical fiction, but I expected something else from this book. The Gentleman's Gambit is best enjoyed after reading prior books in the series.

vie Dunmore is my favorite writer of historical romances. This is the fourth (and sadly, the final) book in her League of Extraordinary Women series, which i about four friends at Oxford in the 1880s working on women’s suffrage.


Dunmore writes in great detail about the political and legislative road to women’s suffrage in Britain. It’s not just about the vote; key to attaining some equality is the proposed Married Women’s Property Act. Under the existing laws, women lose all rights to their money and property the minute they marry. And of course they aren’t expected to do anything but get married.

Catriona Campbell has watched three of her friends fall in love, despite everything they know about the gender inequality of the system. Catriona is fortunate to have a father who supports her love of research and writing, and who puts no pressure on her to marry. When her father asks her to help a colleague, Elias Khoury, with some ancient artifacts, she’s surprised to meet someone who seems to understand her. Still, she doesn’t trust her growing feelings for him, having been burned in the past.

One thing I really appreciate in a romance is when the characters don’t keep secrets from each other. Dunmore creates significant reasons for these characters to mistrust and mislead each other; but that never lasts for long. The honesty between her characters is refreshing and it’s nice to see the miscommunication trope done away with. Instead, Dunmore creates challenges for each of her couples that transcend simple misunderstandings and get at complicated economic, racial and societal issues. This book relies a bit more on tropes than the previous three (like Elias’ just happening to see Catriona naked), but the tropes are small parts of the larger plot.

I struggled with the third book (Portrait of a Scotsman) a little bit, because Hattie was the least relatable of the four protagonists. I liked this book better because I really liked Elias and I identified quite a bit with Catriona. She’s awkward, smart, direct, introverted, and anxious – all things I could relate to. I also really liked that this book had a Middle Eastern hero, though I felt we didn’t get to know him as well as the other heroes because he’s not in his home country. I also really appreciated the storyline about the theft of ancient artifacts by colonizing countries and wealthy travelers, and how they should be returned to their countries of origin.

There’s a side storyline where Catriona is trying to overturn a law that prevents women from leaving their husbands – this felt like an unnecessary add-on, maybe because the author needed to keep Catriona engaged in the suffrage effort, and it didn’t make a lot of sense. Otherwise, I love all the historical detail, but would have preferred just to focus on the Property Act.

In addition to Dunmore’s historical detail about politics, advocacy and the legislative process (which I love but some readers find a bit much), her writing is very steamy. I think she excels at building up sexual tension, and I also love how her heroines, because they are feminists, see sexual pleasure as something they have a right to, whether married or not.

Because it’s the fourth book, we see a bit more of the friends and their partners than in the previous books, and it’s a nice way to wrap up the series (but sad as well to have it end). The ending of Catriona’s story felt a bit rushed in order to do this wrap up. But when I really enjoy a book, I always leave wanting more, and that was certainly the case here.

Note: I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and Berkley/Penguin Random House. This book was published December 5, 2023.

I just adore this series! I love the suffragette struggle and the romance. The brilliance of these women in a time when being educated was dangerous. They found partners that supported them and didn't stifle them or diminish their shine. I love historical romance and especially when there is a little steam.

I love this series and these characters! I also have gifted these books to my mom and she still talks about them and that was 3 years ago. I need to get this one for her for Christmas so she can continue.

Catriona and Elias are great slow burn with mutual attraction! There is also some steam and interestingly enough a piercing.

Loved the research and artifacts that they discussed and studied. Her unconventional roles at Oxford at a time when females could'nt get degrees.

I always love how progressive and active in legislation these women are.

Thank you berkleyromance for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

I adored Elias and Catriona's story!! I just loved watching these two fall in love!! This was the perfect ending for this series!!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Let's Talk Books for the advanced reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

I can't believe this is the final book of the League of Extraordinary Women series. I have loved this series so much, and it's my number one recommendation for folks who want to give historical romances a try.

This final book focuses on Catriona and begins in her home of Scotland. Her meet-cute with Elias is a shocking and memorable one for both of them. At her father's behest, she agrees to help introduce Elias around at Oxford and consult on his museum project.

There was a lot that I loved about this book including the unceasing fight for women's rights and suffrage, the discussion of artifact theft, the acknowledgement of other cultures, the gifted neurodivergent representation, and a queer main character.

But I felt this book was trying to do too much. It was overly long and dragged a bit in the middle. I love reading series because I enjoy getting to see the ongoing development of previous characters. But this book actually showed whole sections from the earlier couples' perspective. In doing so, I felt it strayed too far from the primary storyline. I would have been pleased with just an overall epilogue for the whole group.

Additionally, I didn't find the audiobook as engaging as the ebook version. Elizabeth Jasicki narrated, and her voice for Elias seemed particularly passionless. While I appreciated Catriona's voice and the many accents, I was still left wishing for a more interesting male main character.

I still love and adore this series but was sad that this book didn't quite live up to my expectations after the previous three.

Words cannot describe how much I loved this book!!! A perfect finale to this quartet. The chemistry, the angst, and all of it well done with intention, particularly the subject matter. Truly another win from Evie!

I adore Evie Dunmore’s A League of Extraordinary Women series, so I was ecstatic to receive an early copy of The Gentleman’s Gambit. For those new to the series, it follows a group of friends brought together by their work for women’s rights in 1800s England. I recommend reading the other books in the series before reading this one, as Dunmore gifts us with vignettes of the other couples in this series finale.

I have a soft spot for introverted Catriona. She’s exceedingly intelligent. She has hopes and desires of her own, but even within the liberties afforded her by her father’s position (and his indulgence), she is still confined by the societal rules of her time, other’s expectations, and her inability to say, “No.” She can’t say, “No,” to her friends’ requests for assistance with their efforts for women’s rights; she can’t say, “No,” to what her father chooses to do to support their family estate; and she can’t say, “No,” when he sends her off to Oxford as the host of his visiting, young colleague, Elias Khoury.

Elias has come to Oxford under the guise of cataloging artifacts, but his true goal is to return them to his homeland. And he pictures using Catriona as part of his plan.

Both Catriona and Elias have been burned by feelings in the past and intend to move through life letting rational thought be their guide. As these things go, though, both learn that when it comes to love, they can’t really use their heads to control their hearts.

I adored the portrayal of Catriona as a neurodivergent heroine. She has to work through and consider things, and Elias is there for her. We love a supportive love interest. I adored how strong of a heroine Catriona is. Dunmore shows that strength comes in many forms. And I appreciated the bisexual representation in the book.

I adored Elias’s passion. He’s passionate about his cause. He’s passionate about his homeland. He’s passionate about Catriona.

I loved their initial meeting. It was unexpected, and I loved how in awe of her he was.

I enjoyed how chess is used in the book.

I liked getting to see their past experiences with love but felt like some of the portrayals ran a bit long.

I was glad to see glimpses into the other series couple’s lives but felt like some of those moments took me out of the main storyline of this book.

And finally, I wish more of the artifact repatriation process—a heist in this case—had played out on page.

Overall, I really enjoyed it; it just took me a bit longer to read than expected.

I received an advance copy from Berkley and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

SOMEONE INJECT THIS INTO MY VEINS EVIE I BOW DOWN TO YOUR POWER AHHHHH!!!!!!!

So yeah I loved this book if you couldn't tell. And I'm OBSESSED with Catriona and Elias - they are the standard from now on and if I can't have this kind of love then I. DON'T. WANT. IT. I am Catriona and she is me and I've never connected with a character as I did with her so this is obviously now one of my favorite books of the year and maybe ever. This entire series is amazing not only because of the romances but the research Evie puts into these books is absolutley amazing and this one takes the cake. It is perfectly balanced between being a romance book and a historical fiction book so I was never bored or felt that the pace was off.

My only qualm is that while I LOVED the epilogue, it didn't feel like it meshed with this book specifically. Catriona finally gets her own book and is seen and not on the sidelines anymore but the epilogue didn't really feel like hers and she was put on the side again. I get what this epilogue signified and what Evie was doing with it but I wish we got one specifically dedicated to Catriona and Elias. I felt kinda the same way about the cameo chapters throughout this book - I wanted this to be Catriona's time and it was but sometimes I felt like even in her own book, the focus wasn't on her.

BUT EVEN WITH THAT I LOVE THIS BOOK AND EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ IT NOW!!!!


Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!