England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women's suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain's politics at the Queen's command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can't deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for.
Sebastian is appalled to find a suffragist squad has infiltrated his ducal home, but the real threat is his impossible feelings for green-eyed beauty Annabelle. He is looking for a wife of equal standing to secure the legacy he has worked so hard to rebuild, not an outspoken commoner who could never be his duchess. But he wouldn't be the greatest strategist of the Kingdom if he couldn't claim this alluring bluestocking without the promise of a ring...or could he?
Locked in a battle with rising passion and a will matching her own, Annabelle will learn just what it takes to topple a duke....
Terrific book. Rather than being a typical Regency romance set among the aristocracy, this one takes a different road. The story takes place near the end of Victorian times, at the beginning of the suffragist movement, as they try to get the Women's Property Act amended. Most men are adamantly opposed to the idea, and even the Queen opposes it.
The heroine of the story, Annabelle Archer, is the daughter of a vicar. Upon his death, she is left destitute and reduced to being an unpaid servant for her cousin. Thanks to a friend of her father's, the brilliant Annabelle earned a scholarship to the first class of women at Oxford. As part of that scholarship, she must support the suffrage movement by recruiting powerful men to their cause. For her first attempt, she confronts Sebastian, Duke of Montgomery, the most powerful duke in England.
Sebastian became the duke at the age of nineteen when his father drowned in a puddle while drunk. He was left with a dukedom near bankruptcy thanks to his father's gambling and mismanagement. Now thirty-five, Sebastian is well-known for his cold and aloof bearing, and his ability to intimidate with just a look. He's taken aback by Annabelle's actions but tries to put her out of his mind.
The development of the relationship between Annabelle and Sebastian was not an easy one. It gets off to a rough start when Sebastian misunderstands her presence at a house party given by his younger brother. Once that is straightened out, Sebastian and Annabelle have a chance to get to know each other. The spark of attraction that they felt at their first meeting is still there, and their interactions only make them stronger. I loved their banter, as Anabelle's intelligence and wit intrigue Sebastian. Both of them are well aware of the gulf between them. I was disappointed in Sebastian when he proposed an "arrangement" with Annabelle and loved her response to him. It made me happy to see that her self-respect was as important to her as Sebastian's family name was to him.
Though self-preservation made Sebastian and Annabelle try to avoid each other, fate had something else in mind. Each time they encountered each other, the battle between head and heart became more intense. The obstacles between them seem insurmountable, as they yearn for something they can't have. I ached for both of them when Sebastian finally listens to his heart only to have Annabelle deny hers to protect him. I loved how Sebastian went about fighting for her and their future. The ending was fantastic.
The secondary characters were just as wonderful. Annabelle's friends and fellow suffragists were equally intriguing. I liked the picture painted of each and how the movement treats each of them differently. I appreciated the way that they supported each other, both in the movement and in their personal lives. Another interesting character was Sebastian's younger brother, Peregrin. His reaction to the prospect of being Sebastian's heir and having to live up to his brother's expectations and reputation was not too surprising. I ached for him and his belief that Sebastian didn't care about him. I loved how Annabelle set him straight and how Peregrin repaid her. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
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