This series is my favorite historical romance series, and I am heartbroken that it’s over. I fear I will forever be chasing the high The League of Extraordinary Women gave me. This book, especially, since it’s my favorite of the quartet.
Catriona is by far my favorite of Dunmore’s FMCs, mainly because I relate so heavily to her. She was clearly neurodivergent-coded in the earlier books, and I’m so glad this book really doubled down on that, making it undeniable, and outright confirming it in the authors note. There’s a real depth to the portrayal. It goes beyond quirky or eccentric, really exploring everything from social troubles to sensory overload and burn out. We see it in social situations, in internal monologue, in the sex scenes. It colors every part of Catriona’s experience—it’s a true part of who she is, and I really appreciate that.
Similarly, I utterly adored Elias. Being in his head, watching him scheme and then screw up all his schemes by falling in love.
And the chemistry between the two of them? I was swooning so hard.
The plot in this one also felt especially strong. It was layered, with the artifact plotlines, the suffrage plotlines, and the romance. All of these aspects were braided together seamlessly, and each of them held my interest and kept me engaged. I stayed up far too late reading this book because I simply could not put it down, and then I picked it up first thing the next minute and read for another two hours straight in order to finish it before getting out of bed.
As soon as I finished this book, I wanted to immediately pick up Bringing Down the Duke and do a reread of the series. Dunmore is a supremely talented writer, and as sad as I am to see this series end, I’m even more excited to see what she does next.