★ 03/23/2020
Romance burns slow and hot between a rakish war hero and a determined widow in this bewitching Regency series opener from Riley (The Bashful Bride). Patience Jordan, a West Indian heiress, is separated from her infant son, Lionel, following the suicide of her British husband, Colin. Colin’s villainous, money-grubbing cousin, Markham, sees an opportunity to enrich himself by raising Colin’s heir and has Patience institutionalized, claiming she’s a danger to herself and her child. But Colin’s other cousin, Busick Strathmore, the dashing Duke of Repington, thwarts his plan by taking guardianship of Lionel. Driven by love for her son, Patience escapes the confines of Bedlam in disguise. Knowing that Busick, whom she has never met, won’t trust her with Lionel thanks to her tarnished reputation, she accepts a job as Lionel’s nanny, hatching a foolhardy plan to claim her trust documents and whisk her son to the South American Guianas as soon as possible. The alluring, strong-willed Patience soon captures Busick’s attention and throws off his focus from recovering from his war injuries and sorting through Colin’s tangled finances. Riley loads her expertly crafted romance with intrigue, droll banter, and steadily building passion. Readers will be hard-pressed to find a flaw in this big-hearted Regency romance. Agent: Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost Literary. (July)
06/01/2020
DEBUT West Indian heiress Patience Jordan never expected to be welcomed into her husband's English family with open arms. But being widowed, taken from her baby, and thrown into Bedlam by her husband's dastardly uncle was beyond her worst imaginings. Luckily, the Widow's Grace, an organization that helps women in distress, breaks her out of the madhouse and sets her up as her own baby's nanny. The boy's new guardian, the wounded military hero Busick Strathmore, has never met Patience and doesn't suspect she's really his ward's mother. Like Patience, he also mistrusts the villainous uncle and goes to great lengths to guard the house in order to protect the baby. Working together to ensure the child's safety, the two begin to fall in love. Though the plot touches on serious subjects, the characters' quirky behavior keeps the overall tone light: Patience dresses up as a male servant, Strathmore sets a military-like schedule for the baby, etc. VERDICT There's enough camp in this story to house an army, but debuter Riley delivers a fine first outing in what looks to be a promising new series, welcoming a determined West Indian heroine to the Regency subgenre.—Kathryn Howe, Saint John Free P.L., NB
2020-03-29
A woman must infiltrate her own home in order to care for her infant son after the death of her husband.
Patience is a West Indian heiress who married Colin Jordan, a proper English gentleman. Patience loved her husband, but he became remote and distant over the course of their brief marriage and died before meeting their now 3-month-old son, Lionel. Colin’s evil uncle, Markham, forcibly removes Patience from her home and sends her to Bedlam, the mental asylum, hoping to gain control of her large trust by claiming he is Lionel’s sole remaining relative. After escaping Bedlam with a friend, Patience is determined to find a way to regain control of her trust and take Lionel back to her home island, where he will be safe. Her plan is thrown into chaos with the arrival of Colin’s cousin and heir, Busick Strathmore, Duke of Repington, who inherited their home and is Lionel’s true legal guardian. Busick fires all the servants and bans Markham from the house, paving the way for Patience to disguise herself as a wet nurse for Lionel. Although Busick cares for Lionel and wants to be a good guardian, Patience can’t trust him with her secrets. Busick already believes she abandoned Lionel, and he’ll never understand the toxic mix of racism and sexism that allowed Markham to get rid of her so easily. Riley’s use of first-person narration for Patience highlights both her desperation to save her son and her ability to see how English society has failed them. Slowly, Patience learns to trust Busick, and they decide to work together to bring down Markham. The Duke’s affection for Lionel and the way the three bond as a family is the primary love story; Busick and Patience's romantic relationship as partners and lovers is underdeveloped and emotionally flat.
A slow, almost stolid, story of how a family develops against great odds.
Praise for Vanessa Riley’s Rogues and Remarkable Women Novels
"A sparkling love story with deep wells of faith and feeling...It's refreshing to read historical romance that reflects the true diversity of the era...A Duke, The Lady, and A Baby is about overcoming trauma, a testament to love forged in adversity—a love that both leaves space for and hastens healing. Riley knows how to spin a yarn built on faith and trust, that lilts along with the gentility and reserve of her characters." —Entertainment Weekly
"Readers on the lookout for Black or disabled characters in historical romance will not want to miss this." —The New York Times on A Duke, The Lady, and a Baby
"Smart and witty...Vanessa Riley delivers the perfect historical read." —Julia Quinn, #1 New York Times bestselling author on A Duke, The Lady, and a Baby
"Riley loads her expertly crafted romance with intrigue, droll banter, and steadily building passion." —Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW on A Duke, The Lady, and a Baby
"With strong heroines, swoon-worthy heroes, and deeply emotional stories, Vanessa Riley is a magnificent voice in historical romance—one not to be missed!" —Sarah MacLean, New York Times bestselling author on A Duke, The Lady, and a Baby
"Riveting from the first sentence to the last. Vanessa Riley's lyrical voice shimmers in this emotional, uplifting tour de force." —Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author on A Duke, The Lady, and a Baby
"Get your fill of scandal, misunderstandings and a secret society to boot." - ELLE Canada on An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler
"Move over, Bridgertons. There’s a new set of scandalous aristocrats waiting to take London society by storm.” —Library Journal on An Earl, The Girl, and a Toddler
"With brilliant pacing, memorable characters, and witty dialogue, the premise elevated beyond our expectations...portrays Black people in a beautiful way that makes us relatable and takes us out of the stereotypical maid and slave roles." —AAMBC on A Duke, The Lady, and a Baby
“Riley's extensive research into people of color during the Regency era adds greatly to the appeal of this page-turning romance. Fans of Shonda Rhimes’ adaptation of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton books will devour this series.” —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW on An Earl, The Girl, and a Toddler
“Riley dispels the myth of the all-white Regency—people of color rose to the titled elite in this and in many other historical periods—while also refusing to diminish or gloss over an iota of the bigotry and judgment a blackamoor earl would face.”—Bookpage on An Earl, The Girl, and a Toddler
