Warm-hearted, sweet, and filled with passion, Isabel and the Rogue does a beautiful job continuing Lina De La Rosa’s tale of the three Luna sisters. There’s adventure, derring do, growth, and a tender but sensual romance all within its pages.

Isabel Luna Valdés feels completely invisible in her own family. The middle child, her parents ignore her in favor of her other siblings. When she’s offered the opportunity to work as a spy hunter by the British ambassador to Mexico, she says yes, hoping to aid her country as it prepares to rebel against the French Occupation and finally be of use to the world at large.
Captain Sirius Dawson is Isabel’s quarry. The handsome Sirius plays the louche man-about-town, but in reality he works for the British Home Office as a spy who charms and (sometimes) seduces society ladies for secrets.

Isabel is like no one Sirius has ever met before, and they soon find themselves matching wits in the ballroom and beyond. Isabel’s mission soon grows more intense, and Sirius must decide between his love for Isabel and his loyalty to his country.

Isabel and the Rogue is romantic, spirited, and thoughtful about the impact of colonialism in Mexico. Isbael is a terrific heroine, the romance is great, and the research solid.

But I’ll also admit the hero’s name absolutely distracted me, as I kept getting Harry Potter flashbacks every time I saw the name “Sirius”. As a character, he’s roguish yet gentle, knows exactly what he’s doing  – and when to hold back and let Isabel lead. And in terms of the prose, the use of italics in this one is sometimes annoying, but that is a minor quibble.

Isabel and the Rogue showcases a sweeping, tender romance and it isn’t afraid to make you stop and think about what it has to say. It more than earns its DIK status.