Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
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Web ID: 16836921A debut that makes me want to read more
When I needed a book that had over 10K reviews to meet a reading challenge, I did a quick search. I discovered that this book had well over 10K Goodreads reviews and it was already sitting on my kindle. Apparently I bought it over a year ago but it has been moldering waiting for me to get to it. I like a witty historical romance, so in I went. Written in third person, this first book in series can be read as a standalone and ends in a HEA. Annabelle's character was interesting. Poverty stricken, servant of her cousin after her father's demise; at 25 she is considered overly-educated and a spinster by her peers. I loved her work ethic and her willingness make sacrifices for a better future. I admired her intelligence and her achievement of getting into the forst Oxford women's college. I also appreciated her commitment to the suffragist cause. I enjoyed her take on managing the men around her and her assessment of the Duke as "a completely unmanageable man." Sebastian Devereaux, (35) the divorced Duke of Montgomery, is a powerful and wealthy figure. He is reserved, a little cold, brisk at times, and very confident in his place in the world. I appreciated that he had a lot of responsibility at a young age. I also understood how his failed marriage left him a bit jaded. I loved how hard he falls for Annabelle and the conversations they have. I appreciated that they connected on an intellectual level as well as having physical chemistry. The writing in this book was witty and fun. Set in 1879 at the beginning of the suffragist movement in England, historical figures are woven into the story as the characters meet, face attraction, and decide what sacrifices they would be willing to make for love. The Duke and Annabelle fall very quickly for each other but their different societal stations make a happy ending unlikely. I appreciated that the author allowed the characters to struggle with finding a solution, and that it was hard won. I liked the spice level of the book. I admired the secondary characters especially the other women who become Annabelle's friends. I also liked how Sebastian's relationship with his brother developed. I felt like this was an excellent debut and it has justifiable earned its best seller status. I am very excited to read the rest of the series (also already on my kindle) and more by this new author.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Made my feminist heart happy!!
*2/5 Steam Rating *Alternating 3rd Person; Victorian Romance between Commoner & Duke This story (but Annabelle in particular) made my feminist heart so happy. I loved how passionate she was about women’s rights, in a period when we were second class citizens. I didn’t know very much about the English Suffragette Movement in the 1800s but I loved gaining some insight throughout the book. While this story was a bit of a slow burn, it still kept my attention from beginning until the end. I felt like so much was condensed into this story, it actually felt longer (in a good way) than it was. This story had a great balance of slow burn, spice, chemistry, politics, and family/society expectations. I can’t wait to dive into the next book in the series and I hope that we’ll be able to get some glimpses of Annabelle & Montgomery in there as well.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A New Favorite!
Well hello, new favorite historical romance!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Best Romance Novel I Have Read
I have read around 30 romance novels in the past 6 months and this is by far my favorite. I cannot recommend this book enough! Great plot lines, continuous moving action, intriguing character development and a unique space championing the women's suffrage movement. This was a lengthy well-thought out novel with accurate female portrayals for the time. You will find yourself falling in love with Annabelle and the Duke and obsessing over their cute meet-ups. I immediately read this book again after I finished. Dunmore excels in time period depictions and I enjoyed the addition of a fairly accurate Queen Victoria.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Amazing
I’ve been looking for a book for a long time and I also this book to someone who loves historical fiction and it’s a slow burn and I got to point where I couldn’t put it down it’s an amazing read!! Great characters, and great plot this is one of my all-time favorites now!! One one of my new favorite authors!! Can’t wait to read the second book in the series!!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Wonderful Historical Romance
I really enjoyed this historical romance! I loved Annabelle and Sebastian’s story. I can’t wait to read the next book. I would recommend this one!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Loved it
Annabelle Archer is excited to be moving to Oxford to study and support the women’s suffrage movement. She had to convince her cousin to let her go, but with some persuading, he allowed it. Annabelle’s work with the suffrage group leads her to Sebastian, the Duke of Montgomery. Annabelle is in charge of securing his support for the cause, but he opposes it. When Annabelle and Sebastian spend time together, they start to fall for each other, but it wouldn’t be proper for a Duke to be with a commoner, right? This was a great enemies to lovers romance! There were some quite steamy scenes, especially considering it takes place in the nineteenth century. These characters didn’t let social conventions stand in their way of getting what they wanted. Even though it was a romance, there were some serious issues in this story. Annabelle and her friends fought for women’s rights, which got them into trouble. The question of a woman’s place in marriage was also a prominent issue. Annabelle was offered an opportunity to be a mistress, because she wasn’t at the right social standing to be a wife to that man. They had to marry for business and social rules, not for love. These serious topics made the story seem more realistic, because there wasn’t always an idealistic outlook for the characters. This is such a great Victorian romance! Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Bit of a Mess
The book started off fine...meaning the transitions were great and the characters were easy to follow. However, at some point, I felt like the characters were so focused on s*x that everything kind else faded into the background. The author spent too much time s*xualizing Annabelle that I forgot it was supposed to be a novel about women's rights. Simiarly, the duke's advances seemed a bit predatory at some point. If Dunmore had spent the same amount of time developing Annabelle's and Sebastain's relationship outside of s*x, the novel would have been given 4 stars. Lastly, too many characters were brought up, but never mentioned again.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com