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.
Release Date: Dec 5, 2023
Series: A League of Extraordinary Women
Book: 4
Heat Level: Sensual
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $10.99
Heavy plot, beautiful storytelling.
The final book in Dunmore’s series was one I wanted to like, and while there are elements I enjoyed, the heavy story and historical parts weighed the plot down in a way that made it easy to put this book down and walk away.
The romance itself is beautiful. Both Catriona and Elias are people from different backgrounds, but they come to have such a deep respect for each other. Honoring one another’s beliefs, feelings, and even their goals. I absolutely feel for both Catriona and Elias. Dunmore does an amazing job of setting up the conflicts in such a way that I really didn’t see how these two could have a future together and the need to know kept me reading.
Outside of this, the book is very plot-heavy with a weaving tale of stolen artifacts and historical suffragist movement work. Now, I went into this story completely aware it’s heavy on historical fiction. But those details pulled me out of the story time and again and allowed me to walk away. For those who’ve enjoyed the previous books in the series, some parts wrap up other characters’ tales quite nicely. For those who enjoy historical fiction with romance, this book and the entire series is one I recommend.
Overall, I’ll be giving this author another shot for whatever she comes up next. Though will move forward with my eyes wide open. Those who truly love historical fiction and romance more balanced will enjoy this book.
~ Landra
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