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agw622's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Police brutality, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism, Colonisation, Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Infidelity
kelseyreadshr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Annabelle had accepted her lot in life as an unpaid drudge to her cousin until she receives a stipend from the National Society for Women’s Suffrage to attend Oxford. Handing out pamphlets for reforming the The Married Women’s Property Act one day Annabelle is bumped into and kept from falling by Sebastian, Duke of Montgomery. The one person of influence that could sway those in the House of Lords their way. However, having the Queen’s ear as the Tory’s party chief strategic advisor for the upcoming election, and his family’s seat being returned to him on the line, winning Sebastian over to the suffragists side is near impossible. A chance encounter at a house party leads to an extended stay and an additional invitation to another house party for Annabelle at Sebastian’s country estate. Even with a strong growing attraction between the two, despite their political goals, is it enough for a Duke who could lose all politically and a daughter of a vicar who stands to lose everything else.
This is a new to me author that I hadn’t had a chance to read yet. The beginning was a bit of a slow start but a few chapters in and I couldn’t put it down. I loved how strong Annabelle was holding to her principles but also the hard decisions she had to make. Her concerns were very valid and brings to light how far women’s rights have come in the last 145 years and how much further there’s still to go. I enjoyed the transformation of Sebastian with Annabelle and his brother and also the political banter throughout.
There are four encounters that are delightfully steamy, though the fourth is brief.
Minor: Miscarriage
booksandteatime's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Sexual harassment
author2223's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexism and Misogyny
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Police brutality and Infidelity
unsuccessfulbookclub's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Misogyny, Alcohol, Sexual content, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Alcoholism
onegalonelife27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexism, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, and Police brutality
Minor: Death of parent
deluna's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault, Alcoholism, and Miscarriage
wilybooklover's review against another edition
1.0
Annabelle was not insufferable like the duke was, but everything we are told about her is contradicted in how she acts. We're constantly told how much smarter she is than everyone else, but she repeatedly acts like an idiot, makes stupid decisions, and gets herself into situations where she needs to be rescued by someone else. We're never actually shown her being intelligent beyond a few witty remarks. We're just supposed to believe it because she reads books and goes to Oxford. We're told that she can manipulate men for her own ends but this goes out of the window by chapter two. She tells us that she has learnt from her past mistakes of falling for a man but then immediately loses her head and falls under the lustful spell of virtually the first man she meets. Her views and morals are inconsistent and seem to be dictated purely by whatever the plot needs her to be.
And it’s not that I think that all romance novels should be explicitly feminist or even feminist at all, but given the marketing (and claims from both the publisher and author) I was expecting that this particular one would be — the title on Amazon even lists it as ‘Bringing Down the Duke: swoony, feminist and romantic.’ ...WHERE?! The heroine doesn’t even seem to care overmuch for women's suffrage — she is actually horrified when the duke makes a speech in their favour at the end because she's more concerned for his reputation than the cause — and only seems to be in it for her scholarship and her friends, so why is the feminist (a word that is used in the book but was not actually coined until around 15 years later) angle a selling point for the book? The political activism seems to have just been used merely as a plot device to keep delivering the heroine back into the arms of the duke — which is fine in a romance, just don't sell it to me as a feminist book featuring the plight of suffragists. It all felt very lacklustre and surface-level. Another reviewer has mentioned the racial implications in better detail, but I do also think it's weird that the single Jewish character (Disraeli) is derided as 'an upstart' and 'weaselling his way in' while the duke is described using the pseudoscientific/scientific racism term 'Nordic' and glorified for said 'Nordic' looks. I'm not even going to get into how the cartoon cover suggests a lighthearted, fluffy read and this is anything but because that is a whole other rant.
Graphic: Sexism, Classism, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Violence, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Police brutality
Minor: Miscarriage, Alcoholism, War, Infidelity, Antisemitism, Colonisation, and Death of parent
allisonmspiers's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
Graphic: Police brutality, Classism, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Addiction, and Bullying
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Medical content
jpitts's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There's a lot to potentially like here but I found myself so completely unengaged. I think there was a lot of interesting background stuff going on, but the romance itself just didn't work for me. Particularly, I couldn't bring myself to like the Duke of Montgomery. I guess I just can't get on board with most of these stoic, no-nonsense romantic heroes who eventually start expressing a smidge of emotion. And I get the duke's reasons for being that way, and the complexity of the situation, and I just...couldn't be bothered to care.
I really think this is all personal taste stuff. This is very well written and a lot of people who aren't me are sure to love it. I just personally found myself struggling to get through.
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, and Misogyny
Moderate: Miscarriage