Reviews

I had a nice time with this one. I have been meaning to read it for a few months and finally caught up on my other TBR books so I could jump into this series. I like that this brings a different element to Regency/Victorian romances than I have read in the manor of the Luna sisters coming to England and having to traverse this new country and culture while keeping their homeland at the front of their minds as they are representations of Mexico during the war with France. Ana Maria as the eldest and lead in this first book is a great way to be introduced to this world and these characters. She is the strong, poised and overloaded eldest child who feels she is the most responsible for her and her sisters. We also have Gideon Fox, a rising star in parliament who is working to put into law the end of the slave trade from which his grandmother escaped. He and Ana Maria have a strong instant connection, that while palpable it is dragged on for a little too long in my opinion. I think a good 50 or so pages could have been cut, a ball/party scene or two where they are just seeing each other across the way and waxing poetic about their impossible feelings, and we could have gotten to the bulk of the action and major plot points. Once we got to the thick of it and the major upheavals of plotlines I was hooked and couldn't put the book down till I saw how it all was resolved. I will be picking up the second one ASAP and can easily say I can recommend this to anyone that likes a Regency/Victorian romances with an added element of deeper topics and real historic moments woven in.

rileyreadsalatte's review against another edition

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2.0

The cover of this book is absolutely stunning and eye-catching; however, I felt like the story was a bit lackluster. It seemed as though it couldn't decide between being a historical romance, or a historical fiction more centered around period politics. I do think that this can be a complicated genre to master, and for the first book in a series, it isn't too surprising that it wasn't absolutely perfect. That being said, I will probably pick up the next books in the series to give them a chance.

ccbowman4284's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

mvilleda's review against another edition

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3.0

I’m afraid historical romance might just not be it for me…

This story also got slightly repetitive. It felt like every conversation between the two love interests were exactly the same. It was so tiring…and boring. I also didn’t fully enjoy the writing style. Even their first kiss fell flat and awkward. I didn’t feel the chemistry between them. It felt like I was just being told they were strongly attracted to the other, and it didn’t end up holding up to that standard.

Genuinely really disappointed because I loved the Mexican take on this. I’m giving it a 2.5 rounded up to 3. I might read the books on the other two sisters since I did find them to be interesting. Although, hinting at their love interests wasn’t very subtle lol.

dancingfiddler's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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