Isabel and the Rogue

Starred review from March 1, 2024

As the middle Luna sister, quiet and bookish lsabel is used to being ignored and underestimated. Exiled with her sisters in London due to the French invasion of Mexico in the 1860s, she decides to use her low profile to her advantage--as a spy to assist the cause of Mexico's first Indigenous president. But she's not as invisible as she thinks, at least not to Captain Sirius Dawson, whose rakish reputation precedes him. As undeniably handsome and charming as he may be, Isabel rejects his attentions to focus on her mission. However, when she finds that Sirius is also an undercover agent whose cause intersects with hers, she reluctantly agrees to work with him. As their alliance deepens, she finds it difficult to resist him and must figure out whether the love growing between them is real or if it's merely another game for the roguish captain. VERDICT In this exquisitely written second installment of the "Luna Sisters" series, after Ana Mar�a and the Fox, De la Rosa again skillfully blends elements of historical fiction and romance, transporting readers to Victorian London with a complex and compelling Latina protagonist.--Migdalia Jimenez

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2024
Two spies find each other while skulking around the same dark corners. Isabel has gotten used to being the invisible Luna sister. In 1865, all three women are stuck in England, trying to influence the ton into supporting their beloved Mexico in its fight against the French invasion, and Isabel has secretly promised to sneak away at balls and look for any information that could help her family and country. After years of being ignored in favor of her stunning sisters, she's happy to go unseen in order to help her country, but unfortunately, one man sees her all too well: Captain Sirius Dawson, whom she knows as a handsome rogue. They first meet when he's trying to have an assignation in the same office she's scoping out, and when she unexpectedly finds herself staying at his country house, he discovers that she has "fascinating depths to her." After finding her hiding in yet another dark room, he realizes that she snoops as much as he does as part of his secret work for the Home Office. For their own reasons, they're each haunted by feelings of inadequacy and are thus well practiced at sneaking around in the shadows of the aristocracy--and surprised to meet another person who sees them for who they really are. As a result, their mutual attraction doesn't surprise anyone, even as both try to stay focused on their respective missions and what seem destined to be separate futures. De la Rosa's sequel to Ana Mar�a and the Fox (2023) will delight fans of that book; Isabel is temperamentally quite different from Ana Mar�a but just as compelling. The well-written story has a rich combination of suspense and complex character development, not to mention a red-hot scene when the two are trapped underneath a desk together, but what will stick with readers is the dramatic and moving ending. An excellent author's note adds welcome context to a book that brings to life an underreported story of the Victorian era so well. A satisfying sequel in a great historical romance series.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 29, 2024
De la Rosa’s satisfying second Luna Sisters Victorian romance (after Ana María and The Fox) allows middle sister Isabel her chance in the spotlight. Isabel and her sisters were forced to leave their native Mexico for England. Now, Isabel is determined to help her homeland fight against the French occupation. Undercover of the London Season’s various social events, Isabel searches studies and bedrooms of the powerful for any British intelligence that might prove useful. Her amateur sleuthing is hindered by Capt. Sirius Dawson, a decorated war hero and Home Office agent who’s after the same intel as Isabel—and also hopes to keep her safe during her mission. Attraction ignites as the pair are forced into tight quarters to avoid being detected, but Isabel hopes to return to Mexico as soon as she can, which means their passion can only be temporary. De la Rosa expertly captures the Luna sisters’ dynamic, exploring how, as the middle sibling, Isabel is often overlooked and highlighting her pluck and determination to find a purpose within a society rife with both gender and racial discrimination. Readers will have no trouble rooting for this worthy heroine to get her happy ending.

May 1, 2024
Being a wallflower has one advantage, nobody notices when you are gone. So Isabel Luna Valdes is fully prepared to help her beloved Mexico by slipping away from whatever London soir�e she's attending and searching the host's home for any information that might aid Mexico in its fight against the French. However, as careful as Isabel might think she is, one person has noted her absence from the dance floor, Captain Sirius Dawson. As an agent for the British Home Office, Sirius knows a thing or two about sifting out secrets, and he is concerned that Isabel's amateurish efforts could land her in trouble. De la Rosa (Ana Maria and the Fox, 2023) brilliantly continues on an upward literary trajectory in her second Luna Sisters title, following Ana Maria and the Fox (2023), delivering another flawlessly crafted romance. This tale features a delightfully bookish heroine, an intriguing plot built on less well-known but no less fascinating aspects of transatlantic nineteenth-century history, and an entrancing love story expertly seasoned with sensual spice.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.