2023 New Release challenge
Blog Tour & ARC Review: The Gentleman's Gambit (A League of Extraordinary Women #4) by Evie Dunmore
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Author: Evie Dunmore
Published December 5th 2023 by Berkley
Goodreads Synopsis
Bookish suffragist Catriona Campbell is busy: An ailing estate, academic writer's block, a tense time for England's women's rights campaign--the last thing she needs is to be stuck playing host to her father's distractingly attractive young colleague.
Deeply introverted Catriona lives for her work at Oxford and her fight for women's suffrage. She dreams of romance, too, but since all her attempts at love have ended badly, she now keeps her desires firmly locked inside her head--until she climbs out of a Scottish loch after a good swim and finds herself rather exposed to her new colleague.
Elias Khoury has wheedled his way into Professor Campbell's circle under false pretenses: he did not come to Oxford to classify ancient artefacts, he is determined to take them back to his homeland in the Middle East. Winning Catriona's favor could be the key to his success. Unfortunately, seducing the coolly intense lady scholar quickly becomes a mission in itself and his well-laid plans are in danger of derailing...
Forced into close proximity in Oxford's hallowed halls, two very different people have to face the fact that they might just be a perfect match. Soon, a risky new game begins that asks Catriona one more time to put her heart and wildest dreams at stake.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Introverted scholar Catriona Cambell has enough on her plate, what with her studies, the women's suffrage movement, and protecting her father's estate. So when her father's protégé Elias Khoury turns up and she needs to host him, she doesn't want to find herself attracted to the mysterious gentlemen, especially when it seems he's in Oxford on false pretences. Everyone may think that Elias is working with Professor Campbell to help organise and classify the artefacts in his collection, but he's actually there to find what ultimately belongs in his homeland, and reclaim them. Believing his best way to do this would be to seduce the professor's daughter, Elias soon finds his match in Catriona.
I loved this book, and also hated the fact that it signalled the end to the fantastic A League of Extraordinary Women series. The heroines of the series, Annabelle, Lucie, Hattie, and Catriona, had taken Oxford and England by storm, pushing the suffrage movement and finding love at the same time. Catriona was always the quieter one, who'd rather spend time with her books than in big crowds, but she was truly invested in the cause and wouldn't let a man get in her way. She and Elias' had a great chemistry, and their banter was captivating. I liked how principled Catriona was, and rather than hindering Elias' cause, she joined forces with him - but made it clear she wasn't someone he could walk all over. The only negative I have for the book is that it was perhaps a little too long and slow in places, but it honestly was the best ending to the series I could ask for!
Dates Read:
November 5-9, 2023
Rating
5 Stars
