A stunning debut for author Evie Dunmore and her Oxford Rebels in which a fiercely independent vicar’s daughter takes on a powerful duke in a love story that threatens to upend the British social order. England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. … renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women’s suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain’s politics at the Queen’s command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can’t deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for.
Sebastian is appalled to find a suffragist squad has infiltrated his ducal home, but the real threat is his impossible feelings for green-eyed beauty Annabelle. He is looking for a wife of equal standing to secure the legacy he has worked so hard to rebuild, not an outspoken commoner who could never be his duchess. But he wouldn’t be the greatest strategist of the Kingdom if he couldn’t claim this alluring bluestocking without the promise of a ring…or could he?
Locked in a battle with rising passion and a will matching her own, Annabelle will learn just what it takes to topple a duke….
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As a rule, I do not read historical romances. The whole bodice-ripping, weird aged gender/power dynamic just rubs me the wrong way. However, I ultimately read this book because it has an adorable, modern cover and I read the ebook for free via my local public library. There’s something about a cute illustrated cover that makes a novel more palatable than a Fabio-esque scene on the cover, even if the content is the same, dontcha think? Despite my prejudice against historical romances going in, I quite enjoyed this book. Once I set aside my modern thoughts and truly learned to understand the character’s historical perspectives, I grew to like them, and the plot felt relatively fresh for a somewhat tried and true romance trope (royal male falls for commoner he cannot marry). The protagonist is especially likable and someone I imagine most women could view themselves as in her time period. I can’t say I’ll turn back to this book again (see: I hate historical romances), but I am glad I read it, and I would DEFINITELY recommend it to people who like that category of romance novels.
This was an entertaining read about a strong and intelligent girl that goes to study in Oxford and falls for a Duke.
This was a refreshing story with a hot romance in times where women were fighting for their rights.
I adored this book! It was amazing and I cannot wait until the second book. If you are a lover of historical romance you need this book!
What a well-written bodice-ripper! It struggles a little to keep the balance between being a feminist novel and having a dominant, alpha lead, but I thoroughly enjoyed the characters as well as the steam. The build-up was great. It wasn’t sex on every page, and the encounters between the two main characters, Annabelle and Montgomery were well worth the wait. Fun, cute, easy-to-read!
If you’re in the romance community or book review community, you’ll know that this debut historical romance has been the subject of a lot of talk. Mainly because of that cover that is nothing like any other mainstream historical romance cover (at least, at the time of its release). When I finally got a copy of this at the library I was very curious about the insides and I can tell you I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Dunmore’s debut and I’m eagerly looking forward to her next release!
Fun read.
Satisfying Historical Romance Read
I really enjoyed Bringing Down the Duke. Annabelle is a feisty intellectual willing to sacrifice to succeed. Sebastian is a very ducal Duke with a hidden heart. The emerging Suffragist Movement in England offers a setting that’s a departure from the Regency Era, which has dominated historical romance for decades.
The story has a nice blend of fierce independence, girl power friendships between unlikely friends, banter, and steamy chemistry. It also sets up the rest of the series nicely, crossed for Catriona and Peregrin!
I really really liked the era the author have chosen. Queen Victoria, the Woman Suffrage Movement. London, Oxford…
I was curious and fascinated by this era so i googled it and watched a really good movie (Suffragette with Carey Mulligan). The heroine, Annabelle, helps the suffragists in exchange of a scholarship. That’s how she meets the Duke… But sadly i never felt her really passionnate about the movement and i don’t think she’s really a good example of a feminist. Yes she doesn’t want to be a mistress, and she loves to study but that is all. And even she’s already been burnt by this kind of situation she accepts too easily being intimate with the Duke. Sebastian is known to be cold but when we learn more about him we understand. I didn’t like him though when he insisted Annabelle should be his mistress, even more knowing he planed to marry someone else. Yes maybe it’s something common at that time but i just didn’t like it. Of course he changes his mind but… the way it happens… too easy, i rolled my eyes.
The writing is not bad, Annabelle finds good friends, and i needed to know the end.
An addictive and interesting historical romance. Not a 5 stars, more a 3,5 stars, but i think i’ll read the next book of the series though. Evie Dunmore is a debut author and i want to see if she can do better.
“- How can you still love me… after all the cruel things I said to you?
– Darling… I have only just begun to love you.”
Bringing Down the Duke is set in England in 1879, as the women’s suffrage movement is on the rise. Annabelle Archer is one of the first female students at Oxford University, and her scholarship necessitates her involvement in the suffrage movement. The Duke of Montgomery is a prominent member of the Tory party, and is tasked by the Queen to uphold the status quo. After a chance meeting, Annabelle and the Duke find themselves drawn to each other. But as the pressure of station and politics comes to the fore, their attraction and affection for each other is put to the test.
One of the things I found so compelling about this novel is how stuck the characters are in their respective roles, be it gender, socioeconomic, political, etc. Instead of glossing over the inequities of the time period Evie Dunmore addresses them head-on, and intricately creates a plot that feels timely and modern in spite of its historicity. One of the reasons I have stayed away from the historical romance genre in general is because I don’t love reading about unequal power dynamics. I’m pleased to report that both the hero and the heroine felt like equals, in spite of the societal labels they were forced to ascribe to. I guess that love can be the greatest equalizer, and felt that conveyed in this novel. I was also delighted to discover that this will be part of a series, and cannot wait to read more about this time period and these characters.
This is a must-read for anyone who loves a good period romance (I’m looking at you, Austen fans) and who also appreciates a healthy dose of feminism.
Rating: 6/5
I’ve had this book on my tbr list for months and I am so glad I finally read it. I absolutely loved this story. Annabelle and Sebastian were perfect. I cannot wait for Lucie’s book next year!
I am very out of the loop when it comes to Historical Romance books since this is something new that I am picking up. So when I saw this book absolutely everywhere I caved and bought a copy. I have to say it was worth every penny.
This book was so good I couldn’t put it down. No, really I stayed up until 4am finishing it (I am normally in bed by 10pm). This book took so many things that I like: hate to love romance, 1800s time frame, strong female character, brooding male character and so on. So naturally it has Pride and Prejudice vibes and I am here for that 100%.
There was one thing that I couldn’t quite figure out and it’s just me over analyzing things I know. However, Annabelle gets a scholarship to go to Oxford in exchange for joining the suffragette movement, but if not for the scholarship is this something she would have ever done. When she is around the other women she doesn’t seem to have the same passion for the cause. Well…the passion really only surfaces when she is speaking to the Duke. I know in the grand scheme this does not matter but that is the only reason it did not get 5 stars.
I ate this book up with a spoon. I cannot recommend it enough.
Anabelle Archer lives in her cousin Gilbert’s ramshackle house. She works as his maid amidst his ever-growing brood of children. Anabelle wonders how long her situation will continue and worries about her future. However, the news that Oxford University had opened a women’s college excites her immediately and she begins to long for a different life.
Annabelle is accepted and provided a scholarship by the National Society for Women’s Suffrage with the condition that she support their efforts, a detail she omits when trying to convince Gilbert to let her go. Gilbert is swayed by the potential income increase Annabelle could earn as a governess with an Oxford degree and he agrees to let her go. Annabella just needs to send him 2 pounds a month and she will be free!
One of the very first things the women do is hand out leaflets to gentlemen in Parliament Square. Annabelle unknowingly approaches the Duke of Montgomery and asks, “Amend the Married Women’s Property Act, sir?” After he gives her a warning of sorts, he is on his way. However, he has left his mark on Annabelle and the Duke quickly becomes one of their targets as he yields substantial power and influence and could help their cause immensely.
As Sebastian, the Duke, and Annabelle continuously find themselves in each other’s paths, they learn about each other and develop an unlikely friendship. Each finds the other’s honest dialogue refreshing and neither can deny the growing attraction between them. Unfortunately, a lowly commoner such as Annabelle could never marry someone as illustrious as the Duke. Sebastian cannot stop thinking of Annabelle and he offers her a more realistic and acceptable option. How can these two find a path that will end with them happily together?
I really loved this book. This book was exactly the type of romance book I love – 1800s Duke who is attractive, rich, powerful and protective, a female love interest who is strong, confident and atypical and some issue keeping them apart. I loved both of their characters. I felt they were so well-written and detailed that they felt like real people to me. You find yourself wanting Annabelle and Sebastian together but only in the best possible way. There’s enough tension to keep the reader interested but not so much that it’s constant back and forth between the love interests. While I enjoyed the ending, I REALLY hope they will be characters in the next book in this series so I can follow along with what they are up to. Great, romantic read!
I was {this close} to DNF’ing this book, but I’m truly glad I hung in there through to the end. I found the 10 to 15 chapters to be rather slow, but once I got past the hump the story was really so good. Evie Dunmore created a very rich and layered world with characters that felt very real and flawed and relatable. Not only did I wind up engrossed in the story, I can’t wait for the rest of the series. I loved the ties to actual history and found the author’s note at the end to be very helpful. I’m very much looking forward to Lucie, Catriona, and Hattie finding their HEA’s as well! 4 out of 5 wine glasses.