The Gentleman's Gambit
Ratings7
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings7
Average rating3.7
“Dunmore is my new find in historical romance. Her A League of Extraordinary Women series is extraordinary.”—Julia Quinn, #1 New York Times bestselling author 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.
Featured Series
3 primary books4 released booksA League of Extraordinary Women is a 5-book series with 4 primary works first released in 2019 with contributions by Evie Dunmore.
Reviews with the most likes.
This book is a worthy continuation in this series. I've especially loved the reflective moments about women's lot in life as perceived by a young lady wise beyond her years (and, probably, her time). Despite this being a true romance with a heavy focus on the sexy times, the parts that stood out to me the most were those about women in their quality of human beings as opposed to that of women in their role of wives or mothers.
This book has grown on me. Initially I didn't care for their dynamic and it felt like their romantic interest for one another was lacking.
However, I love the POC and LGBTQ+ representation.
I think we just don't get much of Elias' perspective and what he thinks of Catriona but all is redeemed in the ending. I think I was just impatient because each book is not like the other and therefore unpredictable.
This book was heavy with political history and geography I felt myself falling out of the books world more often but that's a personal issue with retention LOL.
I love this book because we get continuation of other couples stories along with more character development.
This book took me places besides back in time. The story started in the Scottish Highlands, moved to Oxford, then London, and ended somewhere I didn't expect.I love all of [a:Evie Dunmore 18775709 Evie Dunmore https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1548783382p2/18775709.jpg] books in the four-book The League of Extraordinary Women (TLOEW) series, and [b:The Gentleman's Gambit 75293479 The Gentleman's Gambit (A League of Extraordinary Women, #4) Evie Dunmore https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1677050625l/75293479.SX50.jpg 85846264] is no exception. I love that when the author writes historical fiction, she doesn't gloss over the historical part and yet still incorporates the sizzle I love. Catriona is not your basic Victorian-age, Scottish damsel in distress. She's a bright woman, easily speaking multiple languages, who can take care of herself. Her past experience with men has taught her that she's not the marrying kind. When the mysterious and exotic Elias Khoury happens upon her in an awkward way, it only affirms that her feelings about the male gender are correct.I love how a smart woman's dilemma was explained. In some ways, it's still true.“He wasn't the first to use her for her brains or connections; everyone she had fancied before him had done it and patterns were nothing if not consistent. There was a cruel irony in finding herself reduced to the very thing she had worked so hard to cultivate, her academic position. It was as though a woman could have either a brain or a heart, and whichever way, she was allowed only half a life.”I love the suffrage aspect in all the TLOEW books, but this one has an added dimension. The pilfering of Phoenician sculptures and what it might take to return them to their native lands. There were times I thought I couldn't keep up with the twist and turns of this book and the multitude of characters, but the author led me carefully by the hand through the story to its unexpected conclusion. It is interesting how Elias sneaks into Catriona's heart (and she into his) only to have their connection prohibited by social norms and timing. It seems they will have to be content with what little time they have together. And believe me, they make the most of it. This is another great tale and I'm so glad I read it.
