Tag Archives: Berkley

Book Review: Isabel and the Rogue (The Luna Sisters Book 2) by Liana De la Rosa

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Isabel and the Rogue (The Luna Sisters Book 2)   

Author: Liana De la Rosa

Publisher: Berkley

American release date: June 4, 2024

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Multicultural & Interracial Romance/352 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

A couple of years have passed since the arrival of the Luna sisters in Great Britain. Ana and Gideon are happily married, the civil war in the United States is over, but the French are still harassing the people of Mexico, at the behest of the faux Napoleon who has wangled his way into power.

Isabel Luna is the middle sister – the bookish, quiet overlooked sister. The wallflower.  Few people ever seem to notice her, especially when she’s in the company of her far more beautiful sisters. But that can be an asset, as Isabel discovers. Far from home, and the turmoil that is taking place there, she has received a request from her sister Ana’s former fiancé prior to leaving Mexico. He wants her to look for any information she can find regarding the French and their movements inside of Mexico. She readily agrees, knowing her parents’ fate is linked to that of the nation through its president, Juarez. Having entrée to the best homes in society, she is often invited to their gatherings. Being virtually invisible makes it easy for her to steal away unnoticed and peek into certain gentlemen’s studies, searching for whatever she can find.

Captain Sirius Dawson is a veteran of the Crimea and has a great deal of PTSD to show for it. Guilty for having survived what many of his men did not, he does what he can to aid their families as well as those who came back with him. He also has his work with the Home Office, which is looking into what the French are up to, particularly in Mexico. He too knows everyone and is invited everywhere. He met Isabel when she and her sisters took refuge in his home, fleeing from a traitorous nobleman. He gave her little thought then but suddenly she is on his mind a lot. And he is watching her. So it is with some surprise that he sees her steal away to what should be rooms without interest to her, and he follows her.

The second book in the Luna Sister series is every bit as good as the first. Despite her thinking otherwise, Isabel is a wonderful protagonist – she is intelligent, witty, beautiful, brave and very strong. All attributes she comes to realize she possesses in the course of this book. Her attraction to Sirius Dawson baffles her. Sure, he’s very good looking, very charming, and very well-spoken. Not to mention they have similar taste in books. But he is also a rogue, and he goes through women without a second thought. On the other hand, Lord Westhope is also nice looking, kind and sweet, and he has a title. So why can’t she feel the same way about him as she does about Sirius? It would certainly make life easier. Plus, she feels a little guilty about spying on him, taking advantage of his kind nature.

Sirius survived the war, but his wounds are not readily visible, and he carries a great deal of guilt. He is attracted to Isabel, even as he wonders what she is up to and why he keeps finding her in the unlikeliest of places. But he also realizes that he doesn’t see her the same way as the other women in his life and there is the problem – he can’t treat her the same way. Love’em and leave’em will not do for Isabel.  Furthermore, he doesn’t think he is nearly good enough for her, as he considers himself to be damaged.

Watching these two characters grow and develop was wonderful. Their blossoming romance is heart-fluttering, and the sex scenes are hot, hot, hot! I loved every minute of it. And now that the second sister’s story is done, that just leaves Gabby for a third book. I have my suspicions as to  who her love interest will be, but I’m not saying. If you want to know, read this book for yourself. I highly recommend it.

Book Review: The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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The Personal Librarian

Author: Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Publisher: Berkley

American release date: June 29, 2021

Format/Genre/Length: Hardback/Historical Fiction/352 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Sometimes who you know can make all the difference, as Belle da Costa Greene discovers when her friendship with Junius Morgan at  Princeton University leads to her applying for and winning the post of personal librarian to Junius’ father, the famous JP Morgan himself! Morgan is building his personal library and requires the skill and knowledge of a good librarian to assist him in his endeavors. Belle more than fills that bill, and is excited to take an opportunity few women in the early 1900s were ever afforded.

However, unknown to her new employer, or anyone else outside of her family, Belle has a secret, one she must keep in order to maintain her increasingly important position with the millionaire, who has become not only dependent on her talents but fond of her as well. Belle does not appear to be so, but she is black, her real name being Belle Marion Greener. She and her entire family are light-skinned. The family had originally lived in Washington DC near her mother’s family, the Fleets. But Belle’s mother wanted more for her children, a better life than they would have as black people, knowing that they would be able to pass as white. When she wrote their race as white on the census, that was the last straw for Belle’s father, who had been the first black man to graduate from his university and who was a major advocate of civil rights. The family, minus the father, moved to New York, and Belle and her siblings worked hard in order to keep them afloat. This opportunity which had presented itself was a godsend, but there was a price to be paid.

The Personal Librarian was co-written by two women, and it is a treasure trove of a book about the first African American woman to hold a position of such great power and authority at a time when women had few freedoms. But she had to suppress who she was and keep the secret. The research that must have been undertaken for the writing of this book is mindboggling. The authors weave a beautiful tale about a strong woman who lived life on her own terms, loved where she wanted, and was a great influence in shaping JP Morgan’s library but sacrificed her identity to do so.  The writing simply flows, elegant and graceful, much like Belle.

History lovers will enjoy this story, but I think others will too, and Belle’s story deserves to be read by everyone.