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beckys_books 's review for:
Isabel and The Rogue
by Liana De la Rosa
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.