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cardigan c/o // leggings // large collar blouse
Are you one of the millions of people obsessing over Bridgerton? Or perhaps you always submerge yourself in the beloved classic Pride and Prejudice? If so, then today’s book review is for you! Lately I have been into period pieces and stories of romance through both books and television. It takes you back to a time where you feel nostalgic for what was, but you also didn’t experience it. This time period is in the Victorian Era where men wore top hats and women wore corsets and large skirts. When people spoke of honor and duty. Had manners and protocols. When men would properly court women so there wouldn’t be a scandal. Evie Dunmore’s “A League of Extraordinary Women” series has all of that. But what Dunmore adds to her romance novels are women who are brilliant, determined, and fighting for equal rights. Much like Elizabeth Bennett, these women are educated, have opinions and ideas of their own and are not afraid to express it. I highly recommend this book series!
The first of the Evie Dunmore’s book series, Bringing Down The Duke has both romance and the women’s rights movement in London 1879. Annabelle Archer is one of the first women to ever attend Oxford University. In return for her scholarship she must support the women’s suffrage movement –something Annabelle, herself, is already passionate about. As a suffragist her duty is to get men of influence to help with their cause, the Marriage Property Act. Her first victim: the Duke of Montgomery Sebastian Devereux, a conservative in Parliament. Sebastian is a well respected man, especially by the Queen. He has many duties and responsibilities he must attend to, and one of them is to find a wife of equal standing to secure his legacy. We follow along as two brilliant, strong headed, opposites fight against their growing attraction to one another.
Review
I absolutely loved Bringing Down The Duke! I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed getting to know Annabelle and her best friends as they try to get their voices heard. I loved the blooming romance and steamy passion between Annabelle and the Duke. And I mean steamy. I liked how the book has a good balance between Annabelle being a strong, independent woman, and the Duke being the heroic man who saves the damsel in distress. This book has more Pride and Prejudice feel to it than the other. Both Annabelle and Sebastian are from different social status, making their love a scandal. Both are too proud to admit their feelings and they let their pride get in the way. It’s enjoyable to watch the Duke soften as the story goes on, taking down the walls he has built up to protect himself. It also has a great message about accepting others difference of opinion and how we must listen to each other to understand and grow.
In A Rouge’s of One’s Own we follow Lady Lucie, the head of the Oxford chapter of the women’s suffrage and one of Annabelle’s best friends. Lucie and the women of the suffrage movement now have control over a major publishing house in London. They are planning a coup on Parliament by using the paper to reach more women around London. The only problem: Lord Ballantine, Lucie’s nemesis, has equal control over the publishing house. Tristan and Lucie have known each other their whole lives. Lucie views Tristan as a rake, someone who has made her life difficult. Tristan thinks Lucie is like no other woman he has ever met, someone who he has put on a pedestal his whole life. They try to find ways to take full control over the publishing house, even offering a night in bed in exchange for full reign. What they find is much more than control over the paper, it’s attraction, passion and love that brews between them.
Review
After reading the first installment of Evie Dunmore’s book series, I was not sure if I would like A Rouge of One’s Own as much as I loved Bringing Down The Duke. Turns out I loved it even more! What I liked about the second book is that it’s much more of a romantic story than anything else. All of the things Tristan has subtle done for Lucie throughout the years is very sweet. How they both experience the same pain from their families and how this draws them together. How they help each other heal from those wounds, it’s all very touching and sweet. While the first book is purely based on undeniable passion, this is about a life long love letter done through service. Yes it is still very steamy and has all of the romantic tropes, but the romantic side of it stands out more. Besides the love story, it’s about second chances; getting to know someone for who they are and not the label you placed upon them. It’s about letting people in, being vulnerable and letting your guard down.
There will be more to come in the “A League of Extraordinary Women” series. It will follow Annabelle and Lucie’s two other best friends, Hattie and Catriona. Both books have not been published yet. In the meantime, check out part 1 of what books I read this past Fall.