Ana Maria and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa

Welcome Back, Booklovers! We're starting to see more and more diverse historical romance popping up. And in a sub genre so dominated by images of European aristocracy it's a refreshing change. The cover alone sucked me in and I decided to borrow the audiobook from my local library.

Ana Maria is one of the daughters of a powerful political family. She and her sisters are secretly sent to London  during the French occupation of Mexico where she meets Gideon Fox, a mixed race member of Parliament determined to outlaw all that allows Britain to continue to profit off the slave trade.

This is a very slow burn romance which can be hit and miss for me and in this case it was a miss because we didn't always have enough one on one interaction between Gideon and Ana Maria for me to find their chemistry believable. There was so much talk of tension and pining but I didn't actually feel any sparks between them until their wedding night which was much later in the book that the synopsis implied. For a book marketed off the marriage of convivence it didn't happen until well after the halfway mark.

While I appreciated that Ana Maria was very outspoken about racism, slavery and women's rights I didn't like her approach. It was very in your face. Shortly after we meet her she's at a ball lecturing someone about it in a way that felt a little unrealistic and took me out of the scene. Every time this book handled issues it was just so over the top. A scene that comes to mind is how shocked and appalled Ana Maria and her sisters were when some woman suggested she whiten her skin. It was almost comical how that scene was played out.

To be quite honest I was bored until the conflict start picking up after the 70% mark. I spent most of the book wading through the repetitive dialogue and fact dropping while trying to connect with these characters. It had all the elements to make a good story but that got lost and it ended up feeling like yet another beautiful gowns regency romance.

Alliance with His Stolen Heiress

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I wouldn't say I'm in my historical romance era by any means but I've been enjoying some of the more diverse ones that have been released recently. I like Compromised into a Scandalous Marriage last summer so when I saw Lydia San Andres had another Harlequin historical releasing I was intrigued.  I received a copy from Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.

Amalia is desperate to break away from her uncle and head off with her sister to live the life they've always dreamed up in Europe. She concocts a scheme to get part of her inheritance by teaming up with a bandit to stage her kidnapping. The plan is to have her uncle pay the hefty ransom and give her kidnapper for hire a cut. Unfortunately the plan backfires when Amalia's uncle decides he's happier to have her out of the way.

Lydia San Andres delivers another highly determined heroine. Just like in her previous book we have a young woman from a wealthy family who is living in a lavish estate with a controlling family member. And we get a glimpse into the lavish Caribbean upper crust of yesteryear which we don't always see in the historical romance space especially not with two brown leads. But our lead here is a fighter who isn't afraid to stand up to her uncle and though somewhat inexperienced still comes across a secure in her identity. She's not written as the shy virgin trope. She wants what she wants whether it's considered proper or not and she's not afraid to go head to head with the men in this book.

People who can't tolerate liars in romance are going to have mixed feelings about Julian. He hides some very important facts about his family and also makes some jerk moves. But I still liked his charm and wit. He's a good man who makes some questionable at times decisions.

Readers who like non stop action and drama will like this one. Especially if you like an action hero love interest swooping in to save the day. The romance may be slow-burn but there were enough moving pieces that I never got bored. And I enjoyed the banter and sexy moments sprinkled throughout. 

Never Cross a Highlander by Lisa Rayne

Welcome Back, Booklovers! While I'm not normally a historical romance reader when I saw a Black man on the cover I just couldn't resist. I've had this one on my tbr for over a year and I received an arc from Entangled Publishing.

Ailsa Connery is a freeborn biracial woman who was captured and enslaved at Sterling Castle. She's hoping to make her escape to reconnect with her clan during a tournament but her plans get thwarted when she's captured. Her capture is handsome highlander Kallum MacNeill who runs an Underground Railroad of sorts freeing enslaved people. While freeing servants in the palace he grabs her too so she doesn't ruin their plans for freedom. She decides to convince him to help her make her way back to her clan.

This is a slow burn romance and it did take a little time in the beginning for me to really get into the story. It felt like there was a lot of set up at first. It was also very wordy at some parts and lengthy for a romance. It did get better when I stuck with it. Kallum and Ailsa do have great chemistry that kept me engaged.

Ailsa did grate my nerves at times though. While I admired her independent spirit, her need to be a contrarian all the time also got them into trouble. Sometimes I needed her to just shut up and follow Kallum especially when it resulted in her life being in danger. I liked Kallum but I did want to know a little more about him. We did get some insight towards the end from his adopted family of sorts.

This isn't based off any real figures so Lisa Rayne images what life could've been like during that time for a Black highlander in an all white community. Fans of historical romance will appreciate all the familiar tropes sprinkled throughout. 

Compromised into a Scandalous Marriage by Lydia San Andres

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Though I do like reading Historical Fiction I usually stay away from Historical Romance. Mainly because publishing has very strict ideas about the types of stories they'll consider for historical fiction and if it doesn't fit the imagery of European colonial with pretty ballgowns it's not considered valid. With race-bent Bridgerton being so popular right now it's nice to see some genuine diversity appear more in mainstream historical romance. The Spanish Caribbean is the backdrop for this romance stemmed from a forced marriage. I recieved a finished copy from Harlequin in exchange for review.

Paulina may live in a once lavish house but she's far from the wealthy society girl she appears to be. Her abusive brother Antonio controls every aspect of her life right down to how she dresses. And while he's a penny pincher when it comes to spending on her he has no problem blowing money on gambling debts. In an attempt to exort their neighbor Sebastation in to giving him money. Using the power he has over the magistrate and local guardsmen he forces Sebastian and Paulina into marriage.

Sebastian and Paulina settle into a routine with Sebastian spending much of his time a the sugar mill he owns and Paulina helping make his house feel like a home. But Antonio's threats are still looming and the couple must keep their guards up as they fight their attraction to each other.

I really did enjoy reading this book. I thought it was very well developed and I had a great sense of how they lived in the country vs the contrast of how life was in town. Sebastian has a good relationship with the mill workers as well as his housekeeper. And you can really tell he cares so much for his community and made sure to not only improve work conditions but raise wages. He also looks out for Dillia who is a widowed family friend.  

Paulina doesn't have those familial relationships has to do a bit of adjusting now that she's finally away from her brother. We really see her growth as a woman who is able to finally speak her mind and make her own decisions.

Paulina and Sebastian had great chemistry that made their slow-burn romance worth the journey. 

And for those looking for pretty gowns we still do get some pretty clothes moments but they're also moments that add value by moving the plot. 

A Blues Singer to Redeem Him by Elle Jackson

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! So this book has a lot of tropes I usually avoid in romance but still I was intrigued. The usual archetypes in historical romance just don't really appeal to me. And with IR historical I'm extra weary of them dancing around slavery and racism while I'm supposed to root for this woman of color fighting for a place in a society that doesn't accept her all for a man who historically wouldn't have accepted her and whose family would've been involved in the oppression of her people. I also steer clear of any type of mafia, gang, and cartel romance. But I decided to give Elle Jackson's Harlequin Historical a chance as the 20th century setting and the synopsis intrigued me. I read the synopsis and wondered how the hell the author planned to make this work without Lorenzo coming off as too much a white savior.  And after reading the early chapters wondered how a happy ending would come about in the midst of such violence. 

Evelyn is living in the hidden town of West Eden after being displaced from her home of Greenwood during the 1921 Tulsa Massacre. It's been a few years and to the general public it's as if the event never happened but she still bears physical and emotional scars from that horrific night. She's living with her grandmother in this thriving all Black town but needs a way to make some money to help with her healthcare expenses.

Lorenzo comes from a major crime family in Kansas City. Though he left the family business his father continues to try and pull him back in. But just because he left the mob doesn't mean he's completely legit. Lorenzo runs a popular 24 hr club called Blues Moon and an illegal distillery. And when Evelyn first walks into his club ready to audition for the role of his lead singer he's so smitten he's ready to give her the gig without even hearing her sing. 

After he rescues her from an assault by local KKK members, he sets her up with a swanky apartment above his club. Evelyn is navigating being on her own without the watchful eye of her grandmother and brother and experiencing her first real relationship. She and Lorenzo are attracted to each other but their families don't want them together. Evelyn knows she should not be feeling these feelings for a man who looks just like the men who took her family away from her. And Lorenzo is still grappling with losing an ex-girlfriend because of his violent family connections. Aside from that there's the looming threat of the KKK who are obsessed with them.

Despite the title this isn't the story of Lorenzo's redemption alone. Lorenzo and Evelyn have chemistry but where the book shines the most is in it's ability to approach a difficult history. This book does not shy away from the violence of the KKK and white rioters. The author specifically set out to tell an untold story of Black history despite how ugly the truth is. The prologue is set during the events of  the massacre when Evelyn and her family are packing to flee Greenwood. And my heart was pounding for them. I thought she did a great job unpacking Evelyn's trauma while still allowing her to have moments of levity, discover her sexuality, and become a confident and fearless woman.

There was just a tad too much, "I love you! But I must push you away because my life is so dangerous!" drama coming from Lorenzo. I understand he was trying to prove himself as the good one who is unlike his father. The mobster's son who refuses to kill and steers clear of violence as much as possible. But his emotions gave me whiplash and were a little exhausting towards the end. And then Evelyn just started acting stupid the further in love she fell. She of all people already knew how relentless the KKK are, yet she figured made some actions towards the end that just irritated me because she felt too smart for that. I hate when writers feel the need to dumb characters down to get them in the mix of conflict.

That being said this was still a solid read. This year marks 100 years since the Tulsa Massacre. There's something to be said about the way fictional stories like this can help people connect to the past in a way non fiction may deter them. Maybe someone will pick up this story and be inspired to discover more about the history behind it.