Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
medium-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
"I don't want to be the wallflower Luna sister anymore. I want to be more."
After reading Ana Maria and the Fox last year, I needed to read the next in the series! I will say, this one felt a little light on the romance for a good chunk of the book because Isabel and Sirius were at odds with one another for part of the book. However, I love what De la Rosa did to bring about the romance by having them work together to find out information to pass along aid to Mexico. Once they begin to work together, Isabel's tough exterior begins to come down and the tension between her and Sirius begins to build. The espionage plotline seemed like it almost took priority over the romance but I did enjoy that aspect of the book. The sneaking around that we see between Isabel and Sirius leads to some spicy scene and the under the desk scene was *swoon* Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read Gabby's book next!
Thank you Berkley Romance for my gifted finish copy and NetGalley for my early digital copy to review.
After reading Ana Maria and the Fox last year, I needed to read the next in the series! I will say, this one felt a little light on the romance for a good chunk of the book because Isabel and Sirius were at odds with one another for part of the book. However, I love what De la Rosa did to bring about the romance by having them work together to find out information to pass along aid to Mexico. Once they begin to work together, Isabel's tough exterior begins to come down and the tension between her and Sirius begins to build. The espionage plotline seemed like it almost took priority over the romance but I did enjoy that aspect of the book. The sneaking around that we see between Isabel and Sirius leads to some spicy scene and the under the desk scene was *swoon* Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read Gabby's book next!
Thank you Berkley Romance for my gifted finish copy and NetGalley for my early digital copy to review.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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:
Complicated
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to love this book more than I did. I was excited for a "Mexican Bridgerton" type of series, but something about these characters just felt a bit slow and stunted. While I enjoyed Isabel's journey of self-discovery, she was a little more reserved than I hoped even though she was a spy. I think I preferred the first book, where Ana María had the boldness to be more assertive. I get that Isabel is meant to be less confident than her older sister, but as the main character, her story still felt a bit too slow-paced. That said, there was some great spice here—and you know I love a little heat, especially when it's written by women! Will I read the third sister's story when it comes out? Absolutely I will.
Not finding myself very interested in this.
Isabel and the Rogue was such a great follow up to Ana Marie and the Fox. I loved the plot, the relationship between Isabel and Sirius, and the relationship between the sisters. This one did do everything I love about romance, with an added historical twist! I am really looking forward to seeing how the series plays out in the next book.
slow-paced
It's not that I didn't like it, I very much enjoyed the setting and of course, I love it when Mexican history and culture are portrayed in media like this (even if I rolled my eyes sooo hard when they mentioned Presidente Juarez because screw him, his presidency is the biggest lie that was manufactured in the 20th century in Mexico).
It's just that they didn't mooove. I did like Sirius's character a lot, but neither he nor Isabel moved from the narratives they created about themselves, like never. Not even by the end, they just pretended they did.
It's just that they didn't mooove. I did like Sirius's character a lot, but neither he nor Isabel moved from the narratives they created about themselves, like never. Not even by the end, they just pretended they did.
After enjoying Ana María and the Fox, I was quick to request to review Isabel and the Rogue, especially with how much Isabel intrigued me in the first book. She’s the quieter of the Luna sisters, not as charming as Ana María, nor as beautiful as Gabby, worse than the spare in her fathers eyes, the one he could do nothing with. Isabel has learnt the power in being the wallflower, using her seeming invisibility to steal in and out of rooms, trying to learn what she can about the French invasion of Mexico. But simmering beneath all of that is a woman with a mind desperate to learn new things, someone passionate and full of opinions if only someone would take the time to listen. She is definitely my favourite of the Luna sisters so far, someone so resigned to a life without love, she can’t seem to notice it when it’s right in front of her.
Enter Captain Sirius Dawson. Sirius works for the Home Office, using his charm and wiles to spy on members of the nobility. Known as a rake, something his first meeting with Isabel certainly cemented in her mind, he is someone who believes he doesn’t deserve love, happiness, not when so many of his men from the war never made it home to find it for themselves. Despite all that, he can’t help but feel drawn to Isabel, more than any woman before. For her beauty, certainly, but also for her sharp wit and mind. In fact the main reason I fell in love with him was that he seemed more interested in discussing books with Isabel than anything else… Swoon.
My one irk with these book is that I don’t feel we get as much romance as we deserve. Don’t get me wrong, what we get is excellent, it’s swoony and steamy and romantic as hell, but I do feel that De La Rosa spends more time on the political elements of her story than the romances… which is absolutely fine, I love romances that have something you can sink your teeth into, but I just wanted more. I felt their relationship progressed so quickly because of the lack of scenes, but it could just be me being picky and absolutely don’t let this put you off because the political elements were really interesting, and I enjoyed learning about this period in history from a different viewpoint, that of Mexico who had been fought over more times than it could count. I especially enjoyed seeing it all through Isabel’s viewpoint, someone so desperate to help her people, her parents, that she would risk herself looking for information.
The romance was slow burn, up until about 50% and then it shot off like a hot rocket… quite literally. I was a little surprised at how quickly they became intimate, but not at all disappointed because boy was it hot as hell. These two idiots in love had me laughing at their antics, as well as getting a little hot under the collar in parts, but despite the steamy parts being truly excellent, the parts of their relationship I really loved was seeing them slowly come to realise that they deserve something special. Both of these characters are resigned to loveless lives, but through each other they start to question whether they might not have the chance at something more. It’s certainly not an easy relationship, there’s plenty of tension and heartbreak, but the swoonworthy ending makes it all worthwhile.
Despite me not getting quite as much romance as I would have liked, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Perfect for romance lovers who like a sub-plot well built enough to sink your teeth into. Despite knowing who Isabel would end up with we never loose any tension and the slow burn to absolute romantic take off was sublime. I can’t wait to get my hands on Gabby’s book now.
Enter Captain Sirius Dawson. Sirius works for the Home Office, using his charm and wiles to spy on members of the nobility. Known as a rake, something his first meeting with Isabel certainly cemented in her mind, he is someone who believes he doesn’t deserve love, happiness, not when so many of his men from the war never made it home to find it for themselves. Despite all that, he can’t help but feel drawn to Isabel, more than any woman before. For her beauty, certainly, but also for her sharp wit and mind. In fact the main reason I fell in love with him was that he seemed more interested in discussing books with Isabel than anything else… Swoon.
My one irk with these book is that I don’t feel we get as much romance as we deserve. Don’t get me wrong, what we get is excellent, it’s swoony and steamy and romantic as hell, but I do feel that De La Rosa spends more time on the political elements of her story than the romances… which is absolutely fine, I love romances that have something you can sink your teeth into, but I just wanted more. I felt their relationship progressed so quickly because of the lack of scenes, but it could just be me being picky and absolutely don’t let this put you off because the political elements were really interesting, and I enjoyed learning about this period in history from a different viewpoint, that of Mexico who had been fought over more times than it could count. I especially enjoyed seeing it all through Isabel’s viewpoint, someone so desperate to help her people, her parents, that she would risk herself looking for information.
The romance was slow burn, up until about 50% and then it shot off like a hot rocket… quite literally. I was a little surprised at how quickly they became intimate, but not at all disappointed because boy was it hot as hell. These two idiots in love had me laughing at their antics, as well as getting a little hot under the collar in parts, but despite the steamy parts being truly excellent, the parts of their relationship I really loved was seeing them slowly come to realise that they deserve something special. Both of these characters are resigned to loveless lives, but through each other they start to question whether they might not have the chance at something more. It’s certainly not an easy relationship, there’s plenty of tension and heartbreak, but the swoonworthy ending makes it all worthwhile.
Despite me not getting quite as much romance as I would have liked, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Perfect for romance lovers who like a sub-plot well built enough to sink your teeth into. Despite knowing who Isabel would end up with we never loose any tension and the slow burn to absolute romantic take off was sublime. I can’t wait to get my hands on Gabby’s book now.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Isabel just wanted to go home. Sirius was a man drowning in guilty. They found each other over and over again. Their relationship went from not quite enemies to friends to lovers. It felt like Isa was more concerned with saying she didn't fit in and just wanted to go back to Mexico that was in the middle of a war. Isa sounded like a petulant child stomping her foot whining she wanted to go home. She would rather go back to a warzone than admit she likes a boy in a country that she was forced to retreat to. That agitated me the whole book. Sirius met with his friends, after a booze soaked night of mourning his relationship, to be convinced to just cave into her whims and move to Mexico. So that is where it ended... Sirius giving in and moving away from everything he knows to move to a country he doesn't know the language. Congratulations Isabel, you won.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A