Book Tea with a Side of History: Ana Maria and the Fox; French Occupation of Mexico
Please judge this book by its cover. The cover art of Liana de la Rosa’s Ana Maria and the Fox stopped me mid scroll more than once. It is modern without being overly cartoony, but the eye-catching gown, florals, and London cityscape do justice to this colorful and fresh story in the genre.
Book Tea
The Luna sisters, Ana Maria, Isabel, and Gabby, are the daughters of an influential political advisor to the Liberal Juárez government during the French Occupation of Mexico. For their protection, they are sent away to live with their Tío Arturo, who serves as the Mexican ambassador in London. While they hide their family connections, their uncle encourages them to make the most of the London season to serve as representatives to their country. His aim is to humanize the struggle of the people in Mexico in order to foster England’s support. Ana Maria, as the eldest sister, has always felt the responsibility of living up to her father’s strict expectations meant for political gain. Now with an ocean between them and the privilege of anonymity, Ana Maria is eager to see who she can become on her own.
Mr. Gideon Fox, a member of Parliament, has come to his role from humble roots to serve the people through his political career. His grandmother escaped enslavement in America by fleeing to England, providing him with a personal motivation powering his drive to effect change. He works tirelessly in his mission to expand the Lyons-Seward treaty to stop England from trading with any country in the world that allows ships involved in the slave trade to use their ports.
As an “outsider,” he already knows the challenges in forming alliances with politicians who believe their own backgrounds to be superior. When Gideon is instantly captivated by Ana Maria, he keeps his distance in order to preserve his image. Embarrassed by Gideon’s honesty about society’s iinitial reaction to her, Ana Maria vows to keep her distance as well. However, the most prestigious events of the season keep bringing them together, sometimes in the line of danger.
Creating Space for Diversity
One immediately recognizable highlight of this book is de la Rosa’s introduction of ethnic and cultural diversity in an often heterogeneous genre. Main characters are almost always white, despite the presence of people of color in London for several centuries. Here, we get both a Mexican FMC and a biracial MMC in the same novel!
I was intrigued to see how the author would establish the presence of these characters in Victorian London. Ana Maria and her sisters are brought to London with a firm basis in history. It felt realistic. Wars have always led to immigration and refugees, especially for those with the means to flee. I was interested when Liana de la Rosa wrote that she found immigration records of Mexicans to England post 1850, which she attributed to the occupation.
Mr. Fox’s character is also believable. While his grandmother escaped from the US as a stowaway on a ship, in history, there were people who escaped slavery after being brought to England from the US by their enslavers.
Instead of creating an alternate historical timeline that ignores the ugly truths about racism, slavery, and occupations, the characters’ backgrounds provide the author with the opportunity to educate us about these topics while firmly rooting her characters to the story. It was impactful that the characters’ racial and ethnic backgrounds created challenges for them in the plot. At the same time, the characters’ race and ethnicity did not consume their entire identity and role in the story. They were multi-faceted, just as we expect of a FMC and MMC.
Classic, but Fresh
I feel like most of the historical romance I read fits neatly into two categories. One side follows the more traditional formula of the genre, using the entertainment of the upper-classes as major plot points. The settings consist mostly of balls, house parties, drawing rooms, the theatre, etc. (You get the point.) The main driving plot is courtship.
The other side of the genre is more progressive and diverts away from these settings. They take place in universities, libraries, the countryside, etc. The characters meet outside the “marriage mart,” with the female main character often pursuing some type of passion or career uncommon for a society lady.
Ana Maria and the Fox doesn’t fit neatly into either category. This book followed the more traditional side in terms of setting and events, but it added the substance available in the latter. It allowed me the escapism that initially drew me to the genre, but at the same time I got that brain boost of learning while reading. I learned about Mexican history, Britain’s role in the slave trade, the reception of Darwin’s research, and Catholicism in Victorian England. The book provides more than just entertainment; It expanded my knowledge of history. We deserve more books that do both!
Slow Burn
You absolutely have to be okay with a slow burn to enjoy this book. While the characters come together several times throughout the whole story, which deepens a familiar connection with one another, the steam is saved until the very end. I survived only because I finished the book in two days. (I just ignored cleaning until I was done!) If you are a reader that picks up a book for smaller amounts of time over a longer period, then this book may be too slow for you.
We learn pretty early that Ana Maria has a fiancé waiting for her in Mexico, which contributes to Mr. Fox’s hesitation in socializing with her. I almost stopped reading, because I hate a love triangle. They make me feel nauseous in the pit of my stomach. If you are like me, don’t worry. Keep reading. It is resolved rather quickly without angst. Phew!
I’m actually still confused about the marriage of convenience plot that occurs towards the end of the novel. Perhaps I need to reread the chapter, but I am not sure why Mr. Fox could not have helped the Luna sisters without a marriage proposal. In my head, they were just too in love with each other and were making an excuse to get married- and I’m okay with that.
The spicy scenes in this book are quite good. However, I felt that Mr. Fox was a bit of a different character in the sheets than on the streets. He was a tad more wicked than I expected from his more stoic public side. Don’t get me wrong. It was hot, but I had grown to love the version of Gideon that I had become acquainted with from the first parts of the book. I wish he were a bit more consistent.
Cast of Characters
My favorite aspect of this book is the cast of characters created in this universe. De la Rosa gives ample time to the other characters who are the four remaining protagonists in the trilogy. Although there are tensions between the FMC and MMCs, it already feels like one big happy family- even bigger if you count the mysterious sparks between Tío Arturo and Viscountess Yardley. Can we get an extra novella?
I absolutely will be reading Isabel and Gabby’s stories. I am not ready to say goodbye to these characters until the series is done, and then honestly, I probably still won’t be ready to say goodbye.
The more I read historical romance, the more I realize what little I know about world history. I wanted to find out more about the presence of France in Mexico to better understand the series. Here is a summary of the events that brought the Luna sisters to London.
French Occupation of Mexico
In 1857, Mexico faced instability due to the civil war between the Liberal government of Benito Juárez and the Conservative faction led by Félix María Zuloaga. Mexico had owed debt to several foreign countries, but due to the constraints of the war, they were unable to pay these debts. Juárez paused repayment for two years, which instigated France, Spain, and Britain to send forces to Mexico to demand repayment.
However, to the surprise of Spain and Britain, Napoleon III used this as a chance to expand his country’s empire across the globe, particularly in the Americas. These two nations withdrew, as this was not the original plan, while the French pushed forward to capture Mexico City. The Archduke of Austria, Maximilian of Hamsburg was invited to serve as the emperor of Mexico in 1864.
As you can imagine, things did not become stable under the sudden Mexican monarchy. Maximilian was unable to maintain power due to his ignorance of Mexican politics, failing to appease neither the liberals nor the conservatives. His policies were too progressive for the conservatives who originally viewed them as a welcomed opposition to the Liberal government. With the end of the US Civil War, Mexico’s northern neighbor was able to provide more support to Juárez. Furthermore, the French people became frustrated with the financial strain the occupation placed on the country. Napolean III withdrew his support in 1866. Finally, the occupation ended in 1867 with the capture and execution of Maximillian by Juárez’s forces.
Reference
French Intervention in Mexico and the American Civil War, Office of the Historian
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