Bringing Down the Duke: swoony, feminist and romantic, perfect for fans of Bridgerton (A League of Extraordinary Women)

Product Information

The brief exchange has come to naught, of course, the icy façade he’s presented her has been answer enough, tough an instant sort of awareness has sparkled between them, "bright and disturbing like an electric current. She refused to be the duke's mistress because she had a sense of self worth and knew that even though Sebastian would treat her well, society wouldn't.

There are a few times when her passion about women’s rights and the classics shine through, but for the most part, she’s a bystander in her own story. Marriage to Annabelle, a country girl of no consequence would cause a scandal of earth shattering proportions that Montgomery cannot afford. There are some throwaway lines where the Duke mentions he likes that Annabelle is smart, but it's constantly overridden by his - frankly - disturbing hyperfixation on how beautiful and sexy she is.

I don't really read historical fiction, especially not historical romance, and I'm not really sure why? Sebastian Devereux was only nineteen when he assumed the responsibilities of becoming the Duke of Montgomery. They just wanted to fuck and then complain about how they couldn’t do that because it’s not properrrrr 🙄. Despite not liking the heroine and absolutely hating the hero, I liked that the romance was a slow burn, mostly because they had really good chemistry together.

Dunmore has penned a winner, written with flair and suavity, presenting a smooth and evocative prose. Their attraction was so palpable, so passionate and there were times I wanted to smoosh their faces together and tell them to get it over with. I was heartily entertained by how the two love interests meet and was looking forward to see how they would interact. Her intelligence shines through when she cleverly manoeuvres her ignorant, pompous cousin, Gilbert, to her way of thinking. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain's politics at the Queen's command.There was no spark in their banter and their entire romance felt so surface-level, pantomimed, and inauthentic. Well, a duke no less, but he’s never going to be one of their political allies, so no use in keep glancing back in the direction his carriage has gone off. There was a finely calibrated intensity that never lapsed into self-indulgent drama and an underlying opposites attract scenario able to go beyond the well-worn trope while renewing it through an intelligent and rounded leading couple. This novel plays during the time of suffragettes, when women were allowed to attend college and during the time of winning voting rights for females. She stomps into his room to suck his dick in one scene, but then literally struggles under him when he goes to “mount” her because of her “feminine resistance.

There's a point where he's thinking about kidnapping the heroine, dragging her back to his bedroom, and fucking her (whether she's willing or not, it's implied), and then he pats himself on the back for not doing that, like it's some kind of heroic feat not to be a kidnapping potential rapist.

It’s the kind of chemistry that is only possible with good writing, and Evie Dunmore’s writing is solid for the most part. This is a time where the upper classes in England used marriage as a tool to secure alliances that enriched them further in the acquisition of more land, money and power.