I couldn't finish this, I was so turned off by the writing style, it just felt unnatural and clunky. Disappointed because I was so looking forward to it based on the blurb, but maybe this author and I are just not a match.

Ultimately not for me.

Recently widowed Patience has had her home, fortune and child stolen from her, and she will do anything to rescue her child from the evil man that has her baby in his custody. Then in comes Busick, her sons new guardian who hires her to be the baby's nanny.

I love that the novel has a mixed-race heroine, I feel historical romance is a genre that severely lacks representation in a substantial way, so I like it when I see it! The harrowing descriptions of Regency racism, prejudice and sexism are well done and move the story forward.

However, I found some of the wording hard to get around. While it may be a historical romance novel, it is being published in 2020 and the purple prose makes it a little difficult to initially get into. I was also a little confused by the Pov perspectives changing.

Honestly, I found the opening line which was an homage to Pride and Prejudice to be out of place-- especially considering there are other novels of Austens that might fit in with this novels plot better, Like Sanditon, which has a black heiress, or Persuasion, which is about a more mature couple finding love. I kept waiting for Pride and Prejudice to come up, and it didn't, so I felt left down with the homage.

This is clearly the first book in a series, and I tend to give these books a little more slack because they are clearly setting up the world and characters for future books. That being said, there is a lot of exposition in the beginning of the novel.

While this book was ultimately not for me, it is a solid regency romance novel that others might enjoy.

DNF @ 20%

I tried so hard with this book, but the writing was so all over the place, I had to put it down. Patience's POV is in 1st person and Buswick's in 3rd that it was a total whiplash to switch. The writing was just so unnecessarily complicated, I do barely grasp what was happening. I love that the lead was a WOC and the book wanted to focus on widows discounted by society, but this wasn't it - at least not for me.

I truly loved reading this book! It was totally exhiliarating historical fiction. I loved the romance that blossomed between the two! When I had first read the title name, I thought it was going to be another story of a lady impregnated by a duke...lol but this one was not it. The plot was simply superb. I loved everything about this book!

The cover and description of this book really drew me in, but I didn't love this book. I found the dialogue to be clunky and stilted. I know it's a historical romance and there was a more formal conversational tone than we have now, but it just didn't flow.

I love a duel POV story, but I found that having Patience's narration in first person and Busick's in third person was confusing, especially when they started sharing chapters. It was too much to jump back and forth between the two. At some points, as well, it was difficult to tell which characters were speaking.

I did, however, love that this was a historical romance that focused on issues such as women's rights, mental health, and racism. I also loved that Patience wasn't waiting around for someone to save her, she was ready and willing to go down fighting for herself and for her son.

This was exactly what I expected - a great fun read with an original plot and a strong, kick ass heroine.

I am not at all into a first person narrative. Also, the writing quality was far lower than I was expecting.

This book was not as lighthearted as I was expecting from the cover and description (I’m used to more silliness in my Regencies), however it was still very enjoyable. It was great to read a Regency romance/adventure with more diverse characters than most I have read. The plot itself was compelling and kept my interest throughout, though it was slightly more stressful than I prefer! I thought the secret society (the Widow’s Grace) was an excellent invention, something that was definitely needed in that era, where most women had very little power.

As other readers have mentioned, I found the switching of tenses/points of view disconcerting. It seems odd to me to have one POV written as “I” whilst the other is written as “Busick”. However, other than that and using the word eminent instead of imminent (I’ve assumed that was the intended word from the context), this book is well written.

If you’re looking for a gripping Regency romance/adventure, with diverse characters, then this could be the book for you. There’s also a recipe for the much-mentioned coconut bread at the end, along with some very interesting factual notes.

I was given a free copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Unreadable. One star rating provided below because it can not be submitted without stars. No reviews published, because I really couldn't get past the first couple of chapters.

This is my first Vanessa Riley book and this book focuses on Patience (a brave woman) with a cute baby who has a Duke fall for her . It was a story about loss (patience lost her husband and her baby) and happy endings. Such a lovely book to enjoy on a cold winter day

"A Duke, the Lady, and the Baby" by Vanessa Riley was a welcomed mix of love, passion, mystery, and a strong lead female character. I found the novel intriguing and enjoyable. Historical Romance is a tough genre to write about without graphic relations, so I was pleasantly surprised that this novel kept the interludes simple. Patience Jordan, a Demerara heiress married Colin Jordan. The two shared a strained marriage with regular months of separation and a son, Lionel.
Patience lost her husband, her son, and her home within months. Mr. Markham had a cantankerous business relationship with Colin and took over Patience's home and son when Colin died. Locked away in the women's asylum Patience finds friendship and comfort in Jemina, another woman locked away in the Bedlam Asylum. But, Widow's Grace comes and offers support and connections to women in need.
One late evening, Patience masquerades as a man in order to sneak into Hamlin Hall to nurse her infant son. Upon sneaking out she bumps into the Duke of Repington, he lost his leg in the war and is uses Patience to help him up the stairs. The Duke is taking control of the Hamlin Hall in order to care for his nephew, Lionel his cousin's son. With the Widow's Grace support Patience is employed at Hamlin Hall as her son's nursemaid/nanny along with her friend, Jemina. The two ladies work alongside each other and search for Patience's documents that prove who she is and her trust fund.
The Duke and Patience find the banter and the attraction difficult to avoid in the day to day living together. With the tension growing and the desperate need to locate the proof that Patience needs to clear her name and claim her son will she find it in time? Mr. Markham is out causing rifts and negative claims about the Duke's ability to care for the young Lionel. If Mr. Markham has his way he will claim the young heir and Hamlin Hall, but at what cost? Will Patience find her proof and allow herself to experience the love she so desperately longs for?
I enjoyed this book, it was filled with historical events and nods to actual historical locations. The writing did have a few terms that referenced the historical time and the sarcastic banter between Patience and the Duke was amusing. As headstrong and stubborn at times they both found themselves urging the other to conform to their wishes. This is the first book in this series and I will continue to look forward to the next addition.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for the chance to read it first.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read A Duke, A Lady, and A Baby early in exchange for an honest review! I hate to say this about any book because the reality is that authors do what I never can, but I wanted to like this more than I actually did. The book felt heavier in tone than is usual for historical romances, with little humor to lighten the storyline. I enjoyed the scenes with Lionel and the Duke the most, but found the style of storytelling to be sometimes hard to follow, which made the overall story feel disconnected and rushed. This may be due to the number of different issues and themes the author tried to tackle in one book - there were so many different things going on all at once, it created too many conflicts and points of focus for each one to be well-developed. I found myself more interested in the backgrounds and storylines of secondary characters than the primary ones, and now I want to know where things go with Gantry and Mrs. St Maur (separate storylines)! I appreciated the author taking on a subject that is generally ignored is historical romances, that of race and related social stigmas, and wanted to know more of the actual history after finishing the book. I’d be curious to read more of the author’s work, but this one didn’t quite do it for me.

Funny and something totally unexpected. A easy and fun read for any reader.I wanted more depth and more sparks between the two love interests. But I did enjoy that one of the most important love stories is between the duke and the baby.

This book has about the fiercest first chapter I've ever read in a romance. Although this book is looking like it's getting the romcom marketing treatment (and those silhouetted characters on the cover not showing that this romance has an Afro-Caribbean woman as the main character!), this is a book for fans of historicals like Alyssa Cole and Beverly Jenkins. Ones very informed by history, ones invested in un-erasing Black and mixed race people from historical narratives.

I'm very glad this book used external tension (e.g. a baddie!) to drive the story; I think it works well. I think the people who will give this book five stars are the ones who respond to protective motherly instincts and men being cute and dopey around babies. Neither of those features do anything for me personally, but I can appreciate them well enough.

As a side note, I often find recipes very corny in books, but I'm super glad for the recipe in this one! I 100% plan on making it.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.***

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a historical fiction novel that was very interesting in terms of the dialogue and concept. I felt that the dialogue at times was out of historical context. The concept of a wounded soldier, a grieving widow, and a baby stirred into a plot worked overall. The author brought in social injustice based on gender and race for the widow and soldier. I kept feeling like I had missed part of the story with the windows Grace and how it started, operated and was led. Romance did not have sexual scenes and I appreciate that. Overall an ok read for me.

A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby
Series: Book 1 in the Rogues and Remarkable Women series
Rating: 3
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

This was an okay read for me. As I was reading it I really didn't get that much into the story. I really didn't care for the MCs love story, which I feel that it really wasn't the main focus of the story. It was mostly about Patience trying to find out about her husband's illegal dealings and avoiding the villain of the story. Also, she had to deal with the guilt of her husband's passing. Though she does get peace of mind when she finds out the truth of how he died. She was a strong character that didn't let herself get bullied by the duke and that was one of the things that he liked about her.
Busick was dealing with the after effects of going to war. He was physically very damaged, but I liked how he didn't let his disabilities hold him back. His obsession with structure and schedules were a little too much, especially when it dealt with Patience's baby. What made up for it was how devoted he was to the baby. He immediately developed care for him. That was very sweet.
I was a little confused with the point of views of the story. Her's was told in the first POV, while his was in third person. There were times when I had to back and reread a certain part to figure out who had said it.

If you're looking for a lot of moments of laughter, a wonderful romance and a sweet baby, then look no further! When Patience is falsely imprisoned and separated from her infant son by her husband's wicked uncle she is determined to do everything in her power to win him back. When the Duke of Repington comes to claim guardianship over his cousin's son they must work together in order to care for the boy and prevent his uncle from exacting revenge.

I really enjoyed seeing the relationship develop btw Repington and Patience, there were several moments when I was laughing out loud--particularly the times when Repington attempts to put military preciseness on baby Lionel's habits XD While there were times when Patience was a little too hysterical for me in her overall tone, the determination she had to care for her son despite the odds was very admirable.

A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby by Vanessa Riley is about Patience Jordan, mistress of Hamlin Hall during Regency England, and Busick Strathmore, Duke of Repington. We meet Patience at her lowest: her husband, Colin, has committed suicide, Patience was taken advantage of and thrown in Bedlam Asylum by Colin's wicked uncle, Markham. After escaping with the help of The Widow's Grace (a home run by Lady Shrewsbury who protects and strengths widows who've been disadvantaged), Patience travels back to Hamlin Hall to find her son, Lionel, who she was taken away from. Patience entire gambit is to get her son, find a ship and head back to Demerara, her home island in the West Indies. But Patience hits a roadblock when Repington shows up, takes over Hamlin Hall, kicks our Markham and makes plans to support and raise his ward, Lionel (Repington is Colin's cousin). The Widow's Grace gets Patience a job as a wet nurse and nanny to Lionel, and Patience brings her machinations into Hamlin Hall, becoming friends with Repington and growing to love him. But, there is a giant mystery surrounding Colin's death, his finances, and his seedy doings with Markham.

I struggled rating this book because some parts I really loved! Patience especially - her love of Lionel, her strength and how she learns to think and do for herself. She was wonderful to read. I also loved that this is a woman of color, black woman, biracial woman leading a Regency HR novel. This is rare y'all and not rare in history. Riley really dove into the experiences of mulattos and Blackamoor's during this time - the amount of racism, the subtle and not so subtle microaggressions and racial violence that Patience experienced it real. And rarely something read about in romance novels. Lastly, I loved the West Indian cultural aspects, the Caribbean history/religion highlighted, and the food (read until the end for a special surprise!).

I wanted more from the passion between Patience and Repington - it definitely felt like a slow burn which I liked, but I didn't always feel their passion. Plus I like a little more sex in my romance. I wanted Repington to be SWOONIER - I wanted to just melt. And I got some melty parts in the early slow burn, and when we was holding and talking to Lionel, but I wanted more.

With that being said, I will definitely be reading future books in the series: I need to know about Gantry's WIFE (where she at?!), I need to know about Jemima and her life (what is she not remembering?!). So many exciting things on the horizon.

*Posted on Goodreads. Will share on IG closer to pub date*

The story was fun, but I really did't like the writing style. I restarted it three times before getting past the second chapter because it was off-putting.

Touching story about two hurting people coming together to make a family. Full of rich historical details, believable characters with struggles and growth, and a satisfying romance. I was a little thrown by the alternative 1st and 3rd person narratives, but not so much that it harmed the story. I'm hoping we will get to see side characters Jemina, Thackery, and Gantry in future books.