Le Jeu du Gentleman

A League of Extraordinary Women #4

by Evie Dunmore

Una joven que sueña con ser escritora; un extraño atractivo que no busca lo que parece. Un amor improbable que tal vez no lo sea tanto. Catriona Campbell, la tímida y obstinada hija de un noble escocés devenido profesor en Oxford, quiere ser escritora. Sin embargo, sufre un bloqueo creativo que no le permite seguir adelante. Atrapada en Applecross, la ruinosa hacienda escocesa de su padre, este le pide que acompañe a su atractivo visitante, Elías Khoury, a Oxford, para la catalogación de una serie de objetos antiguos.

Elías no tiene intención alguna de catalogar lo que de verdad quiere es que esa colección de antigüedades regrese de donde vino, a su Líbano natal. Cuando Catriona descubre su plan, lo apoya ampliamente y se ofrece a ayudarlo… siempre y cuando dicha ayuda no se interponga en sus planes y los de sus amigas sufragistas para lograr que el Parlamento acepte sus postulados. Poco a poco, se irán acercando, pero ¿cómo atraer a una joven que desconfía del amor?

Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical, Fiction, Audiobook, Adult

512 pages, Paperback

First published December 5, 2023

About the author

Evie Dunmore is the USA TODAY Bestselling author of The League of Extraordinary Women series.

Sign up for bonus content & sneak peeks: www.eviedunmore.com/newsletter

Evie wrote The League of Extraordinary Women inspired by the magical scenery of Oxford and her passion for romance, women pioneers, and all things Victorian. In her civilian life, she is a strategy consultant with a M.Sc. in Diplomacy from Oxford. Scotland and the great outdoors have a special place in her heart, so she is frequently found climbing the Highlands and hunting for woolly tartan blankets. She is a member of the British Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA).
Find Evie on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/evietheauthor/ She is not active on Goodreads.

Reviews

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

well, im pleasantly surprised. it seems that the general consensus among readers is this is the least likeable book in the series, so i went into this not really expecting much. but i actually liked it!

and its probably because i thought the plot was quite interesting. the pacing in some places could have been a bit better and i could have done without the chapters focusing on the other three suffragettes - i feel like they had enough page time in their own previous books that they didnt really need such a big focus in this one. but the rest of the story is great. i enjoyed elias’ mission, how it lead him to catriona, the connection they built and ultimately how they worked together.

so a light and all around entertaining read.

↠ 3.5 stars

[EmBibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

This series has been fun. “Too historically informative,” but fun. This is probably my least favorite in the series. I didn’t completely feel their connection. The romance was overshadowed by the historical informative stuff that used to add something in the previous books, but here it seemed like it’s the main focus rather than the development of the romance.

Huge Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this copy.

[Holly B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

The League of Extraordinary Women #4 in the series.

Catriona Campbell is our main focus in this one. She is living in a remote castle trying to work on her book and stay away from distractions at Oxford like socializing with friends, the suffrage cause and an unrequited crush.

There was quite a bit going on this one and it was more of a slow-burn, but I did enjoy the characters and learning more about Catriona. I enjoyed all the banter between the characters, the new love interest and some funny scenes. Around the halfway mark, the historical info. took over and really bogged down the pace. This series has always had a nice balance of history and romance, but this one was def heavy on the historical politics and antiquities info.

I do love these characters and I am a huge fan of this author. This wasn’t my favorite of the series, but I’m looking forward to reading whatever she writes next. This was the last in this series which makes me sad.

Thanks to Berkley/ NG for my ARC. This one will be OUT on December 5, 2023

[Southern Lady Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally read this and it did NOT disappoint!! Anything that showcases cross cultural lovers is my jam - and I absolutely loved the art history heist/suffragist themes throughout!

Read this in 3 days while also listening to an audiobook - every chance I had to physically read a book - it was in my hands!

↑↑ Update - Delivered December 5th, 2023 ↑↑

This is being delivered to my house today, and I couldn't be more excited!! I'm purposefully finishing up a few reads this week to read this one all weekend.

The hubs are playing football on Saturday with his bros and I'm going to enjoy some much-needed me time!!!

↑↑ Update - Delivered December 5th, 2023 ↑↑

***TGG was a BOTM add-on this month, and I almost missed it because it wasn't one of the monthly picks?! So glad I looked around. Right now, my Book of The Month tally is 30 Loves, 8 Likes, and 3 Loathed. Learn more about a Book of The Month Club subscription here. (It's not a referral link, just FYI. 😊 Just my thoughts on why I truly think Book of the Month Club is the best book subscription box!)

Find Me On Instagram 🦋 || More Bookish Thoughts & Reviews Here 🖤

[Bailey Chadwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entire series was incredible. I've read a lot of historical romance, but very few actually follow actual history as close as these. I'm a sucker for any story involving suffragists and I think Evie Dunmore did a wonderful job balancing the history and the romance.

The author did a great job at making all 4 women distinctly different. The quietness of Catriona really spoke to me. I felt like I had so much in common with her about her views on being a woman, leader, thinker, wife, mother, etc.

I highly recommend this series to everyone who wants not only a fun romance, but also a real history lesson. Evie Dunmore is a instant buy author for me.

[Ilhaam · Rating 5 out of 5]

i cried my way through the last two chapters i’m actually sick to my stomach

[Hannah B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fine book, but it didn’t do much for me. It was very long winded at just about every point. There was kind of a heist plot but it was pretty anticlimactic when we got around to it and it wasn’t enough to hold my attention for fifteen hours worth of book. I definitely didn’t not like it, and the story was good, but I just wasn’t interested.

Catriona and Elias were cute and the beginning was fun when he stumbled upon her swimming, but there wasn’t enough of them when compared to the rest of the plot. They were very romantic, but everything major for them happened before sixty percent, including most of the sex—because the book was SO LONG—so the last chunk of the book felt a bit like molasses.

I listened to the audiobook and while it felt long, I really don’t think I could’ve read this physically. My listening app only went to 2x speed and I was seriously considering waiting until pub day to grab it from Scribd and crank up the speed even faster. It took a really long time for me to get in the groove of the book and I was never even fully there.

Now while I didn’t really feel much from the book, the epilogue made me SO EMO. Gah this being the end of the series hit me so hard. I think it was a really lovely ending for all of the characters and I just kinda want to still be crying.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶️🌶️.25/5



Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley and to PRHaudio for an ALC. All opinions are honest and my own.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
A series I still enjoy, but this particular installment isn’t my favorite.

Book pros:
- steamy romance
- lgbtq+ representation
- neurodiversity representation
- interesting historical information

Book cons:
- third act breakup just doesn't make sense
- for a while there I honestly thought the author forgot that one character had a nipple piercing
- I just wasn’t as sold on the romance beyond just physical attraction between the two main characters

I received an ARC of this book for free from Netgalley but this did not impact my rating or review.

[Sylvie {Semi-Hiatus} · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

I was the most excited for this book and high very high expectations for it, even when the premise was first revealed I knew Catriona's story was going to be the best one out of the whole 'A League of Extraordinary Women' series. However, I feel like this fourth and last installation to this series lacked both the charm and the vibes of first three books. Both the fmc and her love interest's chemistry felt a bit ordinary compared to the other couples.

I did enjoy the book as an overall, but there were also some subplot that didn't feel like it was much necessary to the story.
Although, I did enjoy all of the historical information, they were very educational and I kept wanting to read about those parts more.

The epilogue was lovely! I loved how miss Dunmore included all of the previous characters, gave them enough time to shine, however small, but still. And most importantly, we as readers got to find out what happened with all four strong main female leads of this series in the end and how their battles and struggles for decades for women to have and gain their rights turned out looking in the 20th century.


**********************************
I think it's time for me to finish this series, which on one hand sounds sad, but on the other I'm very excited to read Catriona's story.

[Leen Falastin · Rating 5 out of 5]

smart, sexy, anti-imperial. what a fucking joy to get to read an arab mmc without any of the trappings of racist, orientalist tropes.

no one does historical romance quite like evie dunmore. perfect (albeit bittersweet) end to my favorite series!

[Angela Hates Books]

DNFing at 50%. I’ve had it with this book and I’m not taking it anymore! Evie Dunmore has done me wrong before, but never to such a perplexing and mind numbing degree that I can’t finish. This book is so dense with history, long as hell backstories, political conversations, and what it does not have is GOOD ROMANCE. I wanted to give this a chance but I just can’t do it. I can’t skip four, five, six pages at a time to get passed the history lesson because at some point I’m just skipping the entire thing. Which I’m now doing. We done, The Gentleman’s Gambit, and I think, unfortunately, I might be done with Evie Dunmore.

[PlotTrysts · Rating 4 out of 5]

The basics: if you like feminist historical romance with an emphasis on the "historical," then you'll probably like this book. If you're a big fan of Dumore's, you'll probably like it even more. I have slightly more complex feelings because of course I do.

I liked:
The way Dunmore uses chess (honestly SHOCK AND AWE because usually any use of chess really cheeses me off. You'd best believe I went into this book - named after a chess move! - with a chip on my shoulder);
Catriona as a neurodivergent heroine with complicated feelings about love, a woman's place in a relationship, and her own place as an activist;
Catriona's relationship with her father in all its complexities;
Elias's goals and his willingness to put everything on the line for his relationship with Catriona.

What I was frustrated by:
I wish that the book had been just a little shorter with a tighter focus. There were a bunch of subplots that didn't feel like they got adequate resolution (what happened with the woman who agreed to sue her husband??)
I usually love a dry hump, but I was frustrated with the way this one played out. (God, I love being a romance reviewer and just posting this stuff.)
I wanted more about the heist. I get that part of a heist plot is that you don't see all the moving parts until it's done... but I needed to know more about the preparation and execution. (This could have been the tight focus I wanted.)

I hated:
The epilogue. Maybe if you were really invested in Bringing Down the Duke (I am NOT), you'd be into this one. As it is, the viewpoint character isn't even one of this book's MCs, and I wanted to know more about the resolution of their relationship.

Is this a solid HistRom? It sure is! And look, if a book with such a heavy emphasis on chess won me over in the end, it's definitely got some magic to it.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

[Lyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

They lost me when it’s revealed that this late 19th century daughter of a Scottish earl had a nipple piercing. No.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Whatever is beating inside my chest is not my heart, because you have taken it from me.”

Absolutely phenomenal story jam packed with important historical details that show the effects of colonialism and stolen artifacts. The heartfelt and necessary details about Elias’s culture were so well done, wow. I especially loved the in depth discussions about the Arabic language. On top of all of these vital discussions and details, is a swooping romance with banter and tension galore. And the spice?? I was sweating, omfg.

I also want to be in this friend group. Evie writes some of the best female friendships I’ve ever read. I love and relate to every one of these women 🥹

We also get a couple chapters in the POV of the other couples in the series and I got very emotional reading them haha. I love this series and Evie so much, she did such a good job with this entire series. Seriously a perfect historical romance series. I miss them already 😭

I also find all of these reviews saying there was “too much history”, in a HISTORICAL romance funny. Just ignore them and read this series. It’s remarkable.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhhhh, I felt so emo by the end of this one! That epilogue though!!!!

To me, The Gentleman's Gambit, which marks the end of the sensational League of Extraordinary Women series, really solidifies Evie Dunmore as one of the most exciting historical romance authors in the genre right now. Her research is spectacular, her love stories are swoon-worthy, and her world-building is top-notch.

This novel was probably the most ambitious one of the four books on practically every front, and while there were a few issues with pacing and narrative structure, I love that Dunmore experimented and also provided closure for this entire group of women; she found different ways to honor their individual growth, friendships, and romantic partnerships.

No matter what Evie Dunmore writes next, I AM ALREADY THERE!!! GIVE ME THE NEXT ARC EVEN THOUGH IT DOESN'T EXIST YET!!!!

[Ruxandra Grrr · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my extremely niche, highly specific special interests is the political historical romance subgenre (patent pending). I find it hilarious, but also take very seriously the fact that when I write romance reviews I very often critique political aspects. I think Evie Dunmore's series, that's ending with this one (*sobs*) set the bar high for me back then and really showed me what the potential of histrom can be!

Even though Portrait of a Scotsman is still my favorite in the series, I'd say this is my second favorite. It is a book and a time period rendered in loving detail, obviously painstakingly researched. It features two people playing chess while talking politics and getting horny for each other (because of the politics). I understand why all of the historical texture and information might not be for everyone, but for me, for instance, the history of Lebanon Mountain illuminates so much of who Elias is as a character. Having Catriona and Elias react to all kinds of elements from the historical backdrop for this love story tells me what they believe in.

I really loved this couple, but most of all Catriona, whom I found extremely relatable and lovely and I just wanted her to be happy and to understand how awesome she is. And she freaking did! I fully fell for her and Elias's chemistry and loved (and got teary-eyed) at so many moments.

“We will not do this again,” he said.
They took measure of each other’s damp faces and turbulent eyes, and without any more words being exchanged they both knew that they would absolutely do this again.

Re: the horny parts, I really appreciated how Catriona's sensory issues influenced the sex scenes and her focus and being in the moment and how the two navigated that! I continue to really like romances where sexual dynamics evolve and the two people learn from it.

I also quite loved the way Catriona dealing with three previous crushes factored in the actual plot of the book, I found that elegant and fairy tale-like somehow.

I soooo loved the political content & commentary of this. I am aware that some of it is factual and some of it is wishful thinking, but all of it felt relevant to the times we live in. I find it astonishing that things have changed a lot, but we are still having similar discussions about what it means to be a good mother and what women can do and childbearing and everything of the sort. (Just look at the trad wife bullshit! Also, if you want to get angry, check out when marital rape was criminalized in different countries - 1993 for the UK).

The other topic is the restitution of ancient artefacts to their rightful places. There are so many thoughtful discussions in this book that echo sad current state of affairs. Like the Parthenon marbles thing (which, gratingly, are usually called Elgin Marbles, named for the asshole whose employees stole them from Athens. The whole British Museum curator lady who said that Greeks can't take care of them like the Brits can urgh. The marbles and this colonizer attitude are addressed in the book head on and it's pretty amazing.

Of course, it feels sobering that a bunch of the suffragettes in real life ended up joining fascist groups before WWII (that's not mentioned in the book, but I saw this Philosophy Tube text video this week and I had it on my mind), so I don't have any illusions about who most of those women were in history. But I have loved this series a lot, because of what it can say today about feminism and activism and how we can do better. Each of the previous couples in the series have their own POV chapter within the book and there was an epilogue which I had trouble reading because I was so emotional.

So yeah, this was great, hope to re-read it for years to come.

[Jeannine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this book was interesting in that it sets up a heist, but I didn’t get a good sense of chemistry between the main characters. In the second half, they seemed more in tune, but the lack of communication between them was frustrating at times.

We never get to see the heist. The main characters get together at the end and then…that’s it. It’s a bit abrupt.

I love epilogues that jump into the future and this ones goes 50 years ahead. I wish it focused on the main characters and their partners instead of giving so much time to making children and grandchildren we have no need to remember. Two of the men were left out and two of the women barely had dialogue.

[Pepa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2'5 ⭐
Reseña completa: https://masromance.blogspot.com/2025/...
Está bien escrito y ambientado y la documentación es estupenda, pero no he conectado con la pareja de la que sobra mucho sexo. Muchas escenas de las parejas anteriores, como si la autora se centrara más en ponernos al día de cómo están que de desarrollar la pareja de esta novela
Pero, en genera,. se me ha hecho eterno. Muchos temas de los que termina pasando un poco y terminando de forma facilona y un romance que ha sido un no
Tampoco me ha trasmitido lo que ella explica de la protagonsita al final de la novela
Creo que se ha metido en tantos temas (el expolio de las antigüedades es muy interesante) que al final se le ha ido la mano

Desenado leer algo nuevo de ella, a ver si siguen traduciéndola porque es de lo mejorcillo que están trayendo, pese a que este se me haya hecho bola

[Alba Turunen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3'5 Estrellitas, pero se lleva las 4 por el fabuloso trabajo de investigación, ambientación y por ése maravilloso epílogo para una preciosa serie que se ha convertido en una de mis favoritas.

Tenía muchas, muchísimas ganas de leer éste libro y saber cómo concluye la serie, pero también tenía mis reparos porque según las críticas es el peor. Y sí, comparto ésa perspectiva, pero por otros motivos de la novela que explicaré más adelante.

"Gambito de caballero" es el cuarto y último libro de la serie Las rebeldes de Oxford, de Evie Dunmore. En esta conclusión, tenemos a la heroína que faltaba, Catriona Campbell, la excéntrica hija de un estudioso lord escocés.

Catriona ha vivido una extraña vida para una señorita de la alta aristocracia británica. Perdió a su madre muy joven, y quizás esa falta de guía y educación, además del despiste de su padre, le han dado a Catriona más libertades de las que debería en pleno siglo XIX, tanto socialmente como en su educación.

En anteriores libros conocimos a Catriona como esa amiga callada y muy inteligente de Annabelle, Hattie y Lucie. La misma Catriona ha recibido el apoyo de su padre para luchar por la igualdad y mejorar la vida de las mujeres, independientemente de si están casadas o no. De ahí que gracias a ello pudiera integrarse entre las rebeldes de Oxford.

Cuando empieza el libro Catriona está en Applecross, el castillo de su padre en Escocia. Es pleno verano, y mientras esperan la llegada de un erudito invitado por su padre, Catriona decide darse un baño en el lago, hasta que se da cuenta de que no está sola, y sale despavorida de vuelta al castillo.

El mirón es nada más ni menos que Elías Khoury, el protagonista. El erudito que ha llegado a Applecross antes de tiempo. Elías es un estudioso libanés experto en piezas arqueológicas fenicias, y el padre de Catriona, el conde de Wester Ross y profesor de Oxford, lo ha invitado para catalogar la nueva colección adquirida por un coleccionista que se encuentra en un museo de Oxford.

En teoría no debería haber nada entre una señorita escocesa de buena familia y un extranjero, un libanés. Pero indudablemente, saltan chispas entre ellos cuando se conocen, y cuando interactúan.

Catriona no es una persona de trato fácil, es una joven llena de dudas en un mundo que le queda pequeño, gracias a la autora, puede considerarse que Catriona es superdotada, pero quizás es ésa brillantez y atracción lo que hace que Elías beba los vientos por ella, y por lo que al principio piense en seducirla, para cumplir sus objetivos.

Desde el principio prácticamente sabemos que Elías no es lo que dice ser, Elías no es un erudito, si no que se dedica a descubrir y expatriar restos arqueológicos de su país que han sido robados sin permiso o con permisos falsificados. Pero no será fácil sacar las piezas de Inglaterra, y aquí es donde entra en juego Catriona.

Tanto Catriona como su padre estan a favor de que los restos arqueológicos no salgan de sus lugares de origen, y lo cierto es que cuando Catriona se entere de la verdad, refente a Elías, lo apoyará, con todo lo que tiene y todo lo que dispone, hasta entregar su propio corazón.

Realmente el libro está bien, la escritura de Evie Dunmore es maravillosa, así como la ambientación de sus novelas y en ese sentido, este libro no es menos que los otros. Pero también es cierto que este libro ha tenido algún que otro fallo y es que en algunos momentos parecía que la escritora no sabía qué hacer con Catriona. Por otro lado, tambien ha metido una serie de experiencias personales que a mi juicio no eran necesarias porque no son importantes para la trama; al igual que bastantes escenas de sexo que no aportan mucho. De ahí que piense que el libro tiene más relleno del que debería. Quizás sea cierto que la editorial exigía un mínimo de páginas para los libros y todos debían tener las mismas páginas, pero si hubiese tenido cincuenta menos, no habría pasado nada.

Aparte de la historia romántica, ha habido un par de subtramas en la novela que creo que la autora debería haberse centrado más, y son tanto la expatriación de los restos arqueológicos, como la presentación de la enmienda en el Parlamento de la Ley de Propiedad de las Mujeres Casadas. Esto último me ha resultado maravilloso y veo que Evie Dunmore lo ha trabajado estupendamente. Mientras el romance se desarrolla, Catriona sigue reuniéndose con sus amigas, Lucie, Annabelle y Hattie para ultimar los detalles de su lucha por conseguir la igualdad.

También ha sido maravilloso ver de nuevo a las cuatro amigas reunidas y como sus vidas siguen adelante junto con sus maridos y creando sus propias familias. Esto no es algo que a Catriona le llamara especialmente la atención, y aunque fue presentada en sociedad, su padre nunca insistió en que se casara, así que Catriona siempre pensó que no lo haría, pero tampoco añora el estar casada (con las restricciones que supone para la libertad de la que disfruta), ni el tener hijos, tampoco es algo que desee, su madre murió de parto y eso es algo que se quedó clavado en ella.

Y todo concluyó con la llegada de un extranjero para poner su mundo patas arriba. Elías es un hombre sensato y con un gran sentido del honor y de la familia. Pertenece a una familia de minoría católica en el Líbano dedicada a la fabricación y exportación de sedas, pero Elías es un hombre de muchos recursos y sabe lo tensionadas que están las relaciones de su país con el Imperio Otomano, y no todo irá bien siempre. Por eso, gracias a su encanto y educación en Francia e Inglaterra, puede codearse con lo más selecto de la sociedad sin que se lo desprecie por ser extranjero.

Siendo sincera, Elías es un hombre que me ha encantado, es cariñoso, honorable, de buenos principios y muy paciente. Adoro como ha tratado con respeto a Catriona durante todo el libro, sobre todo estando enamorado de ella hasta las trancas, durante esas partidas de ajedrez que echan en Oxford. Con Catriona ha sido distinto. No sabe qué es lo que siente por Elías, solo que quiere estar con él, tocarle, besarle, se siente muy atraída por él. Vuelvo a repetir que el problema en la relación ha sido de ella, pero por otros motivos que podía imaginarme, y que desarrolla Evie Dunmore en la nota de autora.

No quiero contar mucho más porque creo que el libro debería leerse, mas bien toda la serie. Merece muchísimo la pena, y las cuatro estrellas se las doy por ese maravilloso epílogo, donde años despues, por fin se cumple el mayor deseo de nuestras cuatro protagonistas.

Si aún no conoces a Evie Dunmore y sus Rebeldes de Oxford, estás tardando. Ha sido junto a Mimi Matthews mi mayor descubrimiento del último año. La pena es que Evie Dunmore solo ha publicado esta serie y no sé si publicará más libros, pero espero que lo haga, su escritura es maravillosa y el haber llevado a un grupo de sufragistas a ser protagonistas de su primera serie, me ha ganado completamente.

[Melanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 STARS!

"Whatever is beating inside my chest is not my heart, because you have taken it from me."

Catriona's book did not disappoint! And holy cow, that epilogue from 1918 had me crying my eyes out. Such an amazing series.

Before I started this installment, I was a bit worried. Skimming some of the reviews told me reactions were mixed . . . too historical, too slow-moving, a 3rd act breakup (gasp) . . . turns out I didn't mind or notice any of this. I ate up Evie Dunmore's words like I always do. 😍😍

I loved how different Catriona was from all the other heroines of the series. As an introvert myself, I could really get behind her feelings.

Solitude that wasn't freely chosen was no better than loneliness.

And her struggles with personal relationships? So relatable.

"The mind expands the more it errs and tries again. A heart just keeps breaking into smaller and smaller pieces."

Elias was also wonderful, a perfect match for Catriona. I thought the author did such a great job of showing how Elias respected Catriona even when he didn't agree with her decisions. He saw her as a rational human being who was his equal, not someone who needed cajoling or guidance.

"What do you do when your feelings don't match your options?"

The historical subplot of the illegally taken antiquities was also so well done.

"Why are these pieces ours to safekeep when the people who had them taken from their ancestral lands want them back?"

And then how Dunmore equated this 'safekeeping' with the fight for women's rights? Inspired.

But of course, it's the romance that's the heart of this series.

She had been impossibly arrogant, of course, to grab this particular slice of life for herself and to think that she would be its master. For a moment, her soul had found a matching power.

Sigh. So good. I'm so sad to see this series end, but I'm looking forward to whatever this author writes in the future.

[✩ Yaz ✩ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for gifting me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored every book in the series so far, and while I did enjoy this but sad to say it's my least favorite.

We finally got to Catriona's story which featured a slowburn romance and the tension was exciting in the first half of the book, but it fell short in the second half.

The romance did not feel as strong as in the other books, despite the other books also tackling political and historical topics, those aspects did not balance well with the romance in this one which is a shame because I really enjoyed Catriona and Elias's chemistry when they just started to get to know to each other.

What always stood out for me across all the books are the powerful female friendships and the suffragist movement they are so passionate about. Dunmore effortlessly weaves feminism in her books and that what sets it apart from other historical romances.

Overall, enjoyable yet a tad underwhelming regradless I look forward to future releases by Dunmore as her romances are splendid, but need to be balanced with the info planted and the development of the romance because I'll always come for the romance first.

[Precious ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The word you said earlier, what did it mean?” she asked. The way he went quiet said he knew at once what she meant. “Ta’abrinee,” he said. “Yes.” “It means, bury me.” “Isn’t that a bit morbid?” He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “We say it to someone we don’t want to live without. Hence, we must go first.”

🥺😩💕

This was a good way of ending the series. My heart went out to Catriona quite a bit while she was figuring out her feelings and herself. Elias was such a softie for her I loved it.
I do feel as though I was robbed of a proper epilogue for this specific couple though.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm obsessed with this series. Consistantly emotionally rich heroines, absolutely breath-taking romance and suffragist challenges and wins.

Catriona is especially precious to me. Just delightful and swoony!

[Syndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as I expected. I really hve so much hope for The Gentleman's Gambit. I really do. I want to be dazzled by Miss Dunmore writing.

Sadly, I only like the book OK.

3 stars

[Ashton Bell · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 32%
This made me so sad to DNF! I loved the first 3 books in this series but just could not connect with this one. While I loved Catriona as a fmc and related to her I just couldn't get past the political aspect of the book. I felt like I was being given a history lecture which I don't usually mind a little bit in a romance but this overshadowed the romantic plot. I really enjoy the fact that real history is referenced but I just with there was a little less.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gotta be honest, I'm bored to tears. I wasn't terribly interested in Catriona's story anyway (Evie Dunsmore wound up pairing her with someone other than Peregrine, who was the most interesting thing about her).

DNF @ 30%. The rest of my TBR isn't gonna read itself.

[BrandyD · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.00 stars, barely.
Finished! I enjoyed this series overall but this one was definitely my least favorite— and it was a bit too long, as well. Cat just wasn’t v likable, even though I really liked her as side character in the previous books! Elias was extremely swoon-worthy; too bad Cat took so dang long to get her head out of her ass in regard to her feelings.
The epilogue wrapped up the entire series nicely and it helped redeem this particular story.
I do look forward to more work by this author.

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

YEAH FUCK THE BRITISH MUSEUM !!!!! REPATRIATION OR WE RIOT BY STEALING EVERYTHING BACK AWAY FROM YOU IN THE NIGHT !!!!!

(this is a call to arms and also the exactly title of what my thesis was, basically)

[Julie reads romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 5 star read for me.

Without ever compromising the centrality of the romance between the hero and heroine, this book manages to include storylines about women’s suffrage, the role of mothers in Victorian England, and Western theft of Eastern artifacts.

I know some readers felt the story contained too much historical information, but I never found it tedious. The historical details were usually relevant to the storyline and brought depth to the story.

Also- Evie Dunmore just knows how to write. Her writing is elegant without being flowery. She makes it look easy, but it’s a minority of authors who can convey meaningful ideas through such crisp language.

I truly adored this book and thought it was uniquely intelligent, complex, and romantic. Five stars for me.

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@juliereadsromance

[Brenda P · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this book a second chance. But this time listened to it on audiobook as I had an 8 hour travel day yesterday. I honestly don’t think I would have been able to physically read this book and happy I could listen to the audiobook at 3X speed. This story was really dragged out and I didn’t feel like the plot delivered with the potential it could have had. Their romance felt forced and didn’t seem to have any depth. Even the character growth lacked. Which is too bad because it had a strong start. And the epilogue was really good! Such a good epilogue to finish off the series. Just too bad this last book didn’t deliver.

DNF. I just wasn’t feeling this story. I liked the 3 other books in this series. Maybe I will try to pick this up again another time, because I enjoy the author’s writing style. I am a mood reader and am not in the mood for this at the moment.