Ana María and The Fox by Liana De la Rosa Series: Luna Sisters #1
Published by Penguin on April 4, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Hispanic & Latino, Fiction / Romance / Historical / Victorian, Fiction / Romance / Multicultural & Interracial
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780593440896A 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 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?
Before we get to the review I want to bring attention to a GoFundMe to save a family from Gaza and start again. Haya Murtaja and her two daughters, Sham and Maryam, have lost everything since the war. Her daughters have suffered a lot in the war, especially since they now live in a camp, in a small tent, and an unhealthy and unsuitable environment. Her eldest daughter, Sham, would wake up screaming in fear. She sleeps with her hands over her ears so that she wouldn’t hear the sounds of rockets and shells. Both of her children are always sick due to immunodeficiency and the unhealthy environment. They are in desperate need of support to escape the grip of war on Gaza. Haya and her husband need $5,000 (USD) each and $2,500 (USD) for each of their daughters. This amount covers the expensive journey from Gaza to Egypt during these perilous times. The remaining funds will be necessary to cover their immediate living expenses and to manage their affairs in Egypt to secure work, home, and education. They hope to not just to survive, but to find stability and rebuild their lives in a place free from the horrors of war. Again, helping doesn’t just mean donations sharing a campaign on social media raises up to 5x more.
Does anyone else think it’s even hotter that Gideon Fox fights against his feelings for Ana María because his political ambitions are to end slavery and the slave trade? Cause it is!
I found this novel to be so stickin’ adorable! Ana María represents the over-pressured first daughter who feels like she has to do everything her overbearing father asks her to do. While on the other hand, Gideon Fox is a Black man who has placed so much pressure on himself to rid the world of slavery and the slave trade due to being the grandson of an enslaved woman. Seeing them come together and have this instant connection was great to read, as two controlled people finally lose control. I usually don’t like the love at first sight or insta-love, as it’s been referred to recently, but Liana De la Rosa wrote the story in such a way that it didn’t feel cheesy or cringe. The story of them having their own future plans or family expectations made their insta-love story have a deeper connection.
The summary of the book was a bit misleading. It says “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,” so it makes it seem this will happen in, at least, the first half of the novel. However, the marriage doesn’t happen until 3/4 of the way through the novel, and right before that is the scene with the “nefarious nobleman.” I kept expecting the marriage of convenience to happen way sooner.
There was one scene in the novel that felt a little jarring, which was the chapter from Isabel. I understand it was to introduce the audience to the Luna sister who’s the focus of the next novel. Yet, it took a bit out of the actual story between Ana María and Gideon, plus it just felt like an awkward placement. I don’t know if there was a better place for it. Maybe just have that chapter be a prologue at the beginning of Isabel and the Rogue.
One huge take away for me from this novel is that it definitely makes me want to learn more about Mexican history and culture, in particular from their point-of-view. As I went to school in Texas, all of our history was taught with a skewed pro-United States, and even more skewed pro-Texas point-of-view. I also want to find more books that are set in Mexico or focus on Mexican culture or people, so if anyone has any recommendations, I’d happily take them.
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