A review by saurahsaurus
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I really liked this book! I was seeking out a light-hearted read with a love interest for a bit of escapism. I ended up liking it more than I’d thought I would. I learned a bit about history, and found that it wasn’t as light as its tags would indicate. In fact, I thought the book was rather emotional, angst-y, and at times even heart-wrenching.

The main characters and their love story were very compelling, to the point that I could actually see this occurring in the past. They’re a bit star-crossed, and that’s what made things so emotional: in real history, their socio-economic circumstances would have precluded their love from blossoming, much less their initial meeting. Thankfully, this is fiction so we’re allowed to dream :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Sexism, and Classism

Moderate: Colonisation, Alcohol, Abandonment, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Bullying, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Infidelity

A note about what the “sexual assault” tag, with minor spoilers (that are not major plot spoilers).

The assault referenced is brief, and is groping by an authority figure. I tagged it as “assault” because it goes beyond verbal harassment. Although it is brief, it is described as it happens (rather than an event in the past that is mentioned in passing), so I listed it under “moderate”.