bringing down the duke |

GoodReads Review:
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. 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…
Review:
I haven’t read a historical romance in literal years. So, I was hesitant to pick this one up, but as I’ve mentioned in a few of my reviews lately that I’ve been on a romance binge. Bringing Down the Duke is a book I’ve seen recommended a fair amount lately, which is the whole reason I picked it up. I ended up really enjoying it. It was such a fun story and very different from the historical romances that I’ve read in the past.
We follow Annabelle as she attends Oxford, as a part of the first class of females that have been allowed to attend the school. I thought this was a really interesting take. I liked Annabelle. She was determined to succeed at school so that she could better her life. She’s coming from a less than favorable situation at home. She’s made mistakes in the past and is determined to move forward and make the best of her situation. Enter the complication. As a part of her scholarship, she’s joined the woman’s suffrage movement and that puts her in the path of Sebastian, the Duke of Montgomery.
Sebastian is the typical prickly Duke. He has enormous responsibilities that come with the title of Duke. He’s had to bring the Dukedom back from the brink of ruin (thanks to his alcoholic father) and that weighs on him. Sebastian has been burned, by family and by past relationships. So, he’s not looking for a new wife. He’s not looking to get involved with Annabelle.
But as we all know, they get involved. I loved this romance because he’s a Duke and she’s the daughter of a vicar. It’s not a suitable marriage in this time period, so Sebastian offers for Annabelle to become his mistress. This does not go over well and it was mildly hilarious. I really enjoyed the romance. They have their differences, but deep down they’re both good people and they work well together.
Overall, this was a really fun book. It wasn’t the typical historical romance. It focused on women’s rights in this time period and the fight for women to keep their property after marriage. I loved the topics covered. I loved the romance. I just really enjoyed this one.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.