e-Audio, 11:52:36
Narrated by: Ruby Hunt
Release Date: June 4, 2024
Published by: Books on Tape (Berkley)
Read from: June 21-24, 2024
Stand-alone
Source: PRH Audio App (I received a copy of this e-audio from the publisher’s audio app in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Sexual content, Colonisation, War, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Death of parent
For Readers Interested In: Historical Fiction, Romance, Adult, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Books about Books, SeriesWhen a Mexican heiress defies Victorian society to protect her country a British war hero makes it his new mission to protect her…
Isabel Luna Valdés has long since resigned herself to being the “forgotten” Luna sister. But thanks to familial connections to the Mexican ambassador in London, wallflower Isabel is poised to unearth any British intelligence hidden by the ton that might aid Mexico during the French Occupation. Though she slips easily from crowded ballrooms into libraries and private studies, Isabel’s search is hampered by trysting couples and prowling rogues—including the rakish Captain Sirius Dawson.
As a covert agent for the British Home Office, Sirius makes a game of earning the aristocracy’s confidence. He spends his days befriending foolish politicians and seducing well-born ladies in order to learn their secrets. But after he spies a certain sharp-tongued Luna sister lurking in the shadows where no proper debutante should venture, it’s clear Sirius is outmatched, outwitted, and soon to be outmaneuvered by the one woman he can’t resist.
Their mutual attraction is undeniable, but when Isabel discovers private correspondence that could turn the tide of political turmoil in Mexico, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect her country—even if this means ignoring her heart and courting danger…
*MY THOUGHTS*
I think the main thing I took away from this was the amount of time I spent thinking I was looking at an episode of Bridgerton lol If you know, you know. But no, I think this was the perfect thing to read while I waited to watch the second part of the series. I swear it was like seeing Pen see herself in a book. And I was so excited that I didn’t have to “wait” anymore.
But really, the only thing about this that frustrated me was the fact that it was very repetitive. She kept saying no one would like her for every reason under the sun. And let me tell you, it was getting to me in the show too. At one point it seemed like a plot point because that was all she was worried about. But other than that I thought the plot was ok. Nothing really stood out to me. I wanted more times she might have gotten caught or a time when she did. But it was like nothing really happened. I think I was expecting another Ana Maria that was like kidnapped and stuff, but that just wasn’t in this one.
Now was I really pissed about that? Not really. It fit with the main character. We know that she is a bookworm and that she is someone that keeps to herself and just wants to help her country. She basically sounds a lot like me. But at the same time, just like she didn’t think anyone would want to be with her, I didn’t think it did great as the plot. But the main character was amazing and I definitely thought she felt so very real. This was a self-insert if I ever saw one lol She was strong and quiet and I was glad she got what she wanted in the end.
I learned some great things from this book tho. Like Sor Juana Inés De la Cruz, Latin America’s first published feminist. I also learned something I don’t think I ever even thought of before, the invention of a condom lol That may seem funny, but it was actually informative. That’s what I love the most about historical fiction. I’m not a huge fan of the genre because of how people of color and Black people were treated in the past, but I love to look up the real people/events to look up on my own time. It helps me stay in control. And I love that.
And the romance was of course so good. I’m not gonna lie, I was a little scared of this because they acted like they didn’t like each other at all lol Both of them were either mad or just outright ignored the other and said acted like they didn’t care for the other lol It was so much fun to see the two of them find each other. I think it was even more fun to see the two of them learn what the other needed from them.
This one was less exciting than Ana’s but I think it was more realistic. As a fellow bookworm, I can assure you these are things I would also do. But I do think she should have made some things more exciting like almost getting caught or something other than another prospect. But that’s just me.
Overall, I give this
