It Just Fell Flat – Krystle reviews Bringing Down the Duke

Buckle up, y’all because I am about to present to you a very unpopular opinion of this book. Let’s just start with the synopsis.

Annabelle Archer, the destitute daughter of a vicar, has a passion for learning and earns herself a scholarship to the University of Oxford. In exchange for her scholarship, she must work for the women’s suffrage movement. She’s assigned to recruit men of influence to join their cause, and she sets her sights on Sebastian Devereux, the Duke of Montgomery. Sebastian is caught between his debt to the Queen, the expectations of society, and his fierce attraction to Annabelle. Annabelle is torn by her desperation to keep her scholarship at any cost, her own feminist ideals, and her fiery attraction to the Duke.

Whew! Y’all, this was tough for me. Whenever I read a book that everyone loves, I always question myself when I’m not getting it. But I truly felt like I was reading a different book than everyone else. I was looking for strong female characters. I was looking for cool, inspiring stories about the women’s suffrage movement. I was expecting to see some stubborn but swoon-worthy gentlemen slowly realize that women are awesome, and it’s ridiculous that they can’t vote. And when I finished the book…I was still looking for all of those things. It just fell flat.

A lot of the female characters were vapid and one dimensional. Sebastian was kind of the worst? Like, I kept thinking, “Annabelle, sis, what are you finding appealing about this man?” Annabelle – the main character of this book that touts “An achingly romantic celebration of the power of love and the passionate fight for women’s rights” on its cover – actually considers marrying her much older professor (who she definitely does not love) just to advance her education and career. Don’t even get me started on the things she learned from “ancient greek pottery.” (If you’ve read it, you know what I’m talking about…) I was ready to be a superfan of this book, but I’m not even sure I’ll continue the series. It just wasn’t for me.

I am, however, in the minority with this opinion. So, if you want to read it, don’t let me stop you! You can find lots of positive reviews on Instagram or goodreads, if you want to see another side to this story.