Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa

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Title: Ana María and the Fox
Author: Liana De la Rosa
Series: The Luna Sisters #1
Published by: Berkley
Release Date: April 4, 2023
Format: eARC
Pages: 352
Genres: Historical Romance
Potential Triggers: View Spoiler »racism « Hide Spoiler
Source: NetGalley
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2023 COYER Chapter 1, Lenoreo's 2023 Diversity Reading Challenge, Lenoreo's 2023 Netgalley and Edelweiss Challenge
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My rating:

Blurb:

A marriage of convenience between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd London politician makes for a scandalous Victorian bargain.

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 Review:

I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

3.5 stars — I loved that this book opened me up to different parts of history that I totally forgot about (or was never taught).  I ended up looking up all sorts of things because of this book.  But I think in the end while I appreciated the novelty of who our characters were and where they were from, they themselves were just okay for me.

Ana María had moments of fieriness, and I appreciated her intelligence and passion about the issues that were affecting her country and everyone she knew.  Despite that, I still felt a bit detached from her for some reason.  On the surface I understood the aspects of her that had been trained by her father since childhood, to always obey and be perfect and whatnot, but for some reason I didn’t really deeply connect.  However, I did enjoy the moments where she and her sisters started to break out of their conditioning and form a true bond.

Gideon was equally admirable and kind of bland.  I loved what he was passionate about, and on the surface I did understand the game he was playing in society to try to help pass the bill he was championing.  He was passionate and intelligent as well, and I loved learning a bit more about someone who rises up in the ranks without “blood” behind him…especially at that time.

The beginning was a bit slow for me, especially in the romance department.  I don’t mind slow burn, but I didn’t really get enough of a connection to get me invested.  It wasn’t bad, just didn’t capture me.  The second half pace picks up a lot more and we actually get to see them connect more.  But by that time I was mostly just reading because it was a NetGalley.

So yeah.  Not a bad book, I appreciated all the unique elements and different perspectives, but it was just missing something to capture this particular reader.