Joined in 2023 
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Why am I supposed to be rooting for a man who, in the throes of his "passion," ruminates on how he could get away with kidnapping and raping the woman he wants to have sex with? Moreover when it boils down to her fears, they were pretty much the same as any other woman in historical times, scandal, getting pregnant out of wedlock, being shunned, having to marry without love, and ending up as a mistress. The fiery Miss Archer, is awarded a scholarship on the condition that she supports the Suffragette movement, and helps to recruit powerful men to the cause. It was a thing of beauty to watch him turn from this seemingly cold-hearted bastard into a man, who felt deeper than anyone would have ever expected he was capable of. Evie Dunmore's debut novel Bringing Down the Duke is about personal growth, leaving preconceived notions behind and the long hard fight for women's rights.
It's not just one instance, either - there's a constant underlying thread of how the Duke is so good and so honorable because unlike the other men of his station, he doesn't take advantage of his privilege (except when he does it, it's For Good), and I'm like. The hero is also the type who thinks that “If I can’t have her, then no one else can,” displaying ugly bouts of jealousy. The romance between main characters is developed in a way that feels natural and in accordance with how both of them are described. He comes across as an asshole, which kind of comes with the territory because he is really stuffy and cold.I've said nothing about the plot, but I don't need to: you've read it all before, and as might be discerned from the hopelessly backwards language above, it all boils down to a Manly Male who knows better than the silly Feminine Female. Inspiring in them even just a kernel of that same passion for evolving, improving, changing that has led and sustained her during these difficult first months in Oxford. Sebastian Devereux was only nineteen when he assumed the responsibilities of becoming the Duke of Montgomery. The narrative then pats him on the back for moving past this impulse, as though we're supposed to think he's God's gift to women because he's not taking advantage of his immense power and privilege.
He clearly gets off on this, and spends time when he's not with her fantasising about forcing her into marriage and clapping himself on the back for having the self-control not to rape her. And the time they did spend together they spent thinking about how much they wanted to jump each others' bones? He clearly states that he sees Annabelle as a lady, but he doesn’t think she’s good enough to be his lover or his wife. 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.
However, I was a little turned off by how often the love interest would get angry and arrogant towards the protagonist if he didn’t get his way - this was his reaction to everything, even in the last 1/3, and it felt selfish. When Annabelle and her friends infiltrate his luxurious estate, she’s appalled to find herself attracted to the infuriatingly intelligent aristocrat – but perhaps she’s not the only one struggling with desire.
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