Ana María and the Fox

De La Rosa (On a Midsummer Night) turns the world of Victorian London’s high society upside down with this impressive series launch. In 1863, seeking refuge from the French occupation of Mexico, heiresses Ana María Luna Valdés and her two younger sisters head to London as “goodwill ambassadors.” There, Ana María meets Gideon Fox, the son of a Scotsman and a biracial English woman, who has worked hard to gain a position in Parliament and hopes to use his political influence to end the international slave trade. The pair are bonded by mutual attraction and a shared understanding of what it is to be an outsider. When a member of the aristocracy threatens the Luna sisters’ safety, Gideon risks his political future to protect them—and love blossoms between him and Ana María. De La Rosa expands the typical purview of a historical romance to explore the impact of global politics without ever losing sight of the love story at the center of the chaos. Ana María’s struggle to balance her desire for independence with her thirst for familial approval makes her an especially well-rounded heroine. Readers will be eager for the next Luna sisters romance. Agent: Rebecca Strauss, DeFiore & Co. (Apr.)