Ana Maria & the Fox

Ana Maria and the Fox (Luna Sisters Book 1)- Liana de la Rosa

Berkley

Release Date: April 4, 2023 

Rating: 📚📚📚

Synopsis: Ana María Luna Valdés has strived to be the perfect daughter, the perfect niece, and the perfect representative of the powerful Luna family. So when Ana María is secretly sent to London with her sisters to seek refuge from 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 is 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?

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Seeking safety from the French occupation of Mexico, Ana Maria and her two sisters are sent to London while her powerful father remains in Mexico to help the government fight for freedom. In London they experience their first taste of freedom from their father's strict rule, and set out to charm London Society in the hopes of making a good impression that might help Mexico. Gideon Fox, grandson of an escapes slave, is determined to use his position as an MP to end the Atlantic slave trade forever. He doesn't have time for anything but work- especially not distractions like a beautiful woman. But Ana Maria and Gideon can't seem to stay away from each other, so will that help or hurt their causes?

There were things about this book that I really enjoyed, and things that didn't work as well for me. I loved the cover and whenever Ana Maria is describing Mexico to Gideon, or missing Mexico and thinking about it, this cover and its beautiful colors hit perfectly. Ana Maria could describe what she was missing and you could feel the warm sun, smell the food, the colors were vibrant- everything was lovely and alive. So very different from how she and her sisters experienced England! I also loved learning a bit about a different part of history than what we normally see in an 1860s romance- between the book and the author's note I really want to go find some nonfiction books to fill in even more about Mexico and the French occupation etc. at this time.

For the most part, I found Ana Maria didn't stand out as much for me as her sisters did. Maybe this was the eldest sister still trying to be what her father wanted, even when she was trying to be her own person, but I never quite figured out who Ana was beyond a devoted daughter, a fierce protector of her sisters, a person who wanted to help others, and someone who was drawn to Gideon. Maybe that would have been enough if she wasn't being contrasted to her fiery little sister Gabby or her bookish and secretive, quiet sister Isabel, both seemed to overpower her personality at times. Gideon also seemed like someone who didn't want to stand out. He was so devoted to his work and his cause he seems to have forgotten he was also supposed to have a life of some sort and always felt guilty thinking about anything but work. Admirable compared to some of the young men you meet in these books who do nothing but drink and gamble- there's never a doubt that Gideon is a good man. But the hot and cold waffling that he and Ana Maria do through most of the book got old pretty fast for me. They clearly enjoy spending time together, they like talking, but Gideon worries any time he spends with her will damage progress on his bill in Parliament. And it loops like this over and over. The end result is a slow burn until we finally get to the marriage of convenience about 70% through the book, in a way that felt more hurried and forced than I had expected. 

The general pacing of the book was slower than I tend to like, dragging in the middle. It picks up any time Ana talks about Mexico and does an excellent job highlighting the lack of focus on the world outside of England usually seen in books like this-from lack of mention of the war in the newspapers to some of the sisters' admirers not knowing that Spain and Mexico aren't the same country- and really celebrates the potential for more multicultural options in historical romance books moving forward. The idea was great, but I have to admit the execution of plot and characters needed a little more work for me. 

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review