e-Audio, 10:44:00
Narrated by: Ruby Hunt
Release Date: April 4, 2023
Published by: Books on Tape
Read from: April 3-6, 2023
The Luna Sisters, #1
Source: PRH App (I received an e-Audio ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW: Racism, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Colonization, Sexism, Death, Sexual Assault, Slavery/ Slave Trade Mentions
For Readers Interested In: Romance, Adult, Historical Fiction, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Marriage of ConvenienceA forbidden love between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd British politician makes for a tantalizing Victorian season.
Ana María Luna Valdés has strived to be the perfect daughter, the perfect niece, and the perfect representative of the powerful Luna familia. So, when Ana María is secretly sent to London with her sisters to seek refuge during the French occupation of Mexico, she experiences her first taste of freedom far from the judgmental eyes of her domineering father. If only she could ignore the piercing looks she receives across ballroom floors from the austere Mr. Fox.
Gideon Fox elevated himself from the London gutters by chasing his burning desire for more: more opportunities, more choices. For everyone. Now as a member of Parliament, Gideon’s on the cusp of securing the votes he needs to put forth a measure to abolish the Atlantic slave trade once and for all–a cause that is close to his heart as the grandson of a formerly enslaved woman. The charmingly vexing Ana María is a distraction he must ignore.
But when Ana María finds herself in the crosshairs of a nefarious nobleman with his own political agenda, Gideon knows he must offer his hand as protection…but will this Mexican heiress win his heart as well?
*MY THOUGHTS*
I have to admit… I almost didn’t read this. Even though I immediately added it to my TBR when I saw the cover, and even though I read it as soon as I noticed it was on the app, I was still feeling a bit weary about this one. Why? Because Black people and other people of color haven’t had it good in history. (Or even now for that matter) I normally stay away from historical fiction on a whole, but I decided to give this one a chance since it was written by a Latine person. And I was not at all let down.
Ok so first of all, I don’t want you all to think there’s nothing in there that can be triggering. There is a character who is fighting to put a stop to the slave trade. They don’t happen upon them, but the character is half Black and they are talking about how their grandparents had to go through certain things. So yes, there is some talk about slavery, but there is nothing besides a mention of his grandparents in the fields.
For the characters, I really liked Anna María. She was so strong-willed and smart. It was a joy to see a woman of color that was as smart as she was in a historical fiction. Those things definitely played a part on why I don’t read them also, so this was nice to see. And the way her sisters looked up to her (even though they tried acting like they didn’t…) They respected her and it made me respect her even more too. Yes it was probably because she was rich, but oh well. Mr. Fox was SUCH A CATCH. He was fighting for things that his peers didn’t care about, he was going against the people who they were supposed to have been friends with and everything. But he didn’t let that stop him. He knew what he wanted, even if he thought he couldn’t get it.
The romance between Ana María and Mr. Fox was so amazing. They tried so hard to stay away from each other and they tried so hard to “be friends” but as time went on they saw they couldn’t. And the way he interacted with her sisters? Yeah he completed their family and I loved that. He could have pushed them out, but he kept them close for her. And the spice was good, but not overpowering. It didn’t reallly get started until the end, but that’s only after the thing happens. But I won’t tell you what i mean. You’ll have to make assumptions. Oh! And a very nice surprise was finding out that Mr. Fox was a dirty talker………….
The villain of this story was an actual real villain. I weirdly like that because it felt more realistic. There are people like that out there and they are especially like that about people with money. This sounds a bit weird, but I don’t really know how to explain it. I just thought the conflict was realistic. And that made me enjoy it a bit more.
This was by no means perfect, but it was good. I wish they had been together sooner, but I understood why they couldn’t be. But the tension build up to when they were was good too. Whatever, I just enjoyed it ok. And I can’t wait for the next one to come out!
Overall, I give this
