If you are a fan of Regency time novels you may enjoy this but honestly it kind of dragged for me. I was excited about reading it from the summary (When headstrong West Indian heiress Patience Jordan questioned her English husband's mysterious suicide, she lost everything: her newborn son, Lionel, her fortune—and her freedom.; from @goodreads) but the first half dragged for me. The second half did improve but I don’t think I will be continuing the series. I think right now I’m more into contemporary romance rather than historical, but if that’s your thing I’m sure you will enjoy it.

I love how Vanessa takes on so much in this book without it becoming preachy. Patience is a widow, navigating the ton as a woman of color, and a breastfeeding mother. Busick is a veteran who is coming to terms with his amputated leg and finding purpose in his new life away from war. This is about everything that you sometimes have to overcome on your way to finding true love.

My second historical fiction novel EVER! I usually stay in my contemporary romance lane and in this case it is no different. I think by looking at other reviews it was a really great read for the genre, for me it was a DNF.

Patience is sneaking into her house to feed her son when a duke appears to kick out her late husbands uncle from the house. ARC from NetGalley.

Sprung from the insane asylum where she had been locked up by her son’s unscrupulous new guardian, all widow Patience Jordan wants is to reclaim her baby and go home to Demerara. Before she can carry out her plan, though, she’s thwarted by the arrival of a senior claimant to the role of guardian, Busick, the Duke of Repington. Throwing her tormentor out of the house, Busick makes it clear the child’s welfare is his highest priority, and Patience is persuaded to wait and see how things turn out. Afraid to reveal her identity for fear he’ll send her back to Bedlam, she takes a position as her own child’s wet nurse.

The diverse representation in this book is as good as you’ll find in any historical romance. Not only is Patience a woman of colour (she self describes as ‘mulatto’ and it’s apparent from context that her father is white and her mother Black) but Busick is both disabled (an amputee) and suffering from PTSD due to his service in the Napoleonic Wars. The author does an excellent job of portraying what it would have been like for a young, albeit wealthy and beautiful, Black woman marrying into English high society; it’s obvious Patience is treated as an outsider and something of a curiosity.

That aside… I wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did. The story is told in alternating first person (Patience) and third person (Busick) points of view, which is probably my least favourite method of storytelling and can be intensely confusing. You don’t find a lot of first-person in historical romance so at first I thought it was going to be an interesting change; alternating first-person between the two main characters could have worked, but going to third-person for Busick really didn’t. There’s an intimacy to first-person, the character taking us into the story, sharing their innermost thoughts, but then when you change to third-person, it feels so much more like ‘telling’ rather than showing. I had a constant feeling of emotional whiplash changing between the two.

I’m not sure I really bought into the romance here either. Busick didn’t really know Patience when he decided she must love him and therefore he was going to be in love with her, which made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. I could see good reasons for her falling for him - he listened to her, believed her and had her son’s best interests at heart - but despite being in her head a lot of the time, I don’t think the progress of her increasing feelings for him was conveyed at all.

I very much liked the premise of the story, and the research behind it was obviously good, but the execution just didn’t work for me. I’m giving it three stars.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

I saw this book first when various authors started mentioning it on twitter, so when it became available to review on NetGalley, I knew I needed to read it. A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby follows Patience Jordan as she tries to reclaim her son from his wicked guardian, and return home to her beloved Demerara. After her husband killed himself, she was imprisoned by his uncle, Markham, and later put into Bedlam Hospital and committed. Saved only by a Countess with a soft spot for widow's, she sneaks back into Hamlin Hall, now under the ownership of one of Colin's cousins, Busick, the Duke of Repington. Repington was injured in the Peninsula War, and is recuperating with his young charge, Lionel, and the new nanny, Mrs LaCrox, intrigues him. As the two get closer, can Patience keep up the charade of being merely a nanny, or will she admit all to Busick, including her growing feelings?

This book was slow at first, but once I was into it, I couldn't stop myself. Patience and Busick were fantastic main characters, and the banter between the two was so funny and engaging. They both had their dark sides, and their vulnerabilities, but together they could face all manner of evils, Markham being only one of them. Their love for Lionel, too, was heartwarming, and I hope for more from them in future books, especially after the epilogue.

I loved the idea of this book but I found the going back and forth between POV to be confusing and it took me out of the story. I will read the next book by this author.

*** 3.5 Stars rounded up ***
I went in expecting Regency Three Men and a Baby meets First Wives Club and excited to read a historical about a West Indian heiress, but was surprised to find Gothic notes joining the anticipated lilting banter and levity. Presumptive ghosts, the creeping villainy of a greedy uncle, and a convoluted mystery are juxtaposed with the silliness of well-meaning but clueless caretaking from a military man turned guardian & the poignancy of a desperate mother's battle to reclaim her son.⁠
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As a conflicted Brontë fan, I found it fascinating to note that the story also builds on many of the same elements in Jane Eyre (and in Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea), but transmutes them to not only center its West Indian heiress, but celebrate her agency, unambiguously highlight that any madness is in the misogynistic, racist culture not in her, and deliver to her a well deserved HEA.⁠

Unlike Brontë's Bertha, by the time we meet our heroine Patience, she’s already escaped an Englishman's attempts to lock her up and label her mad. She's realized that following rules only serves to enforce a status quo that’s robbed her of her freedom, her money and her son, and she's taking risks to secure the life she wants. Her strength, competence, and sharp wit shine, while the intimacy of her 1st person POV feels both effective and purposeful given the long history of othering mixed race characters in literature.⁠
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But despite having more or less imprinted on Captain Von Trapp, I found the hero Busick's authoritarian tendencies hard to warm up to and the switches to a 3rd person POV disorienting. My sense of him was muddled. For a strategist, he seemed obtuse and for a rake, rigid--reliant more on bluster than charm. ⁠He accepts the ability and value of disabled soldiers, even creating a regiment of them, but goes to extraordinary lengths to hide his own. He's devoted to protecting Lionel and Patience, but puts them in danger to "win" a point. When the story screams for a good grovel, he sulks.⁠ Ultimately, I was left with the sense that not only didn’t he deserve Patience (forgivable), but that he didn’t know it (not).⁠

On balance, there's far to more to like than not, and I'm eager for the next story of the remarkable members of the Widow's Grace.

This book was nothing like I expected...in the best ways possible. It has so many of what I like to call my "catnip tropes" melded in a way that created a read that felt entirely new.

When Patience Jordan, a West Indian heiress, questioned her husband's alleged suicide, she lost everything : her home, her freedom, and most critically, custody of her newborn son, Lionel. Escaping from dire imprisonment in an asylum with the aid of The Widow's Grace, a society dedicated to remedying wrongs against widows, Patience disguises herself as a footman, and later as a nanny and wet nurse, to remain close to her son, but his gruff new guardian, Busick Strathmore, Duke of Repington, presents a threat to her plans...and to her heart.

Busick is a wounded war hero used to commanding everything and everyone around him, yet this slip of a nanny constantly breaks his rules and decimates his defenses. He's supposed to be investigating the questionable finances of the estate to protect his young ward, but he can't keep his mind - or his eyes - off the nanny. They band together to secure the interests of young Lionel and establish a fragile trust to pursue their goals. But will it be enough to face the dangers lying just beyond the horizon?

I think I found this book at the exact right time to fall in love with the characters and plot. I'm unused to reading historical romances featuring protagonists of color not directly dealing with slavery and I have to say that I am quite enamored of this. I found Patience to be relatable, albeit reckless to the point of frustration. I almost gave this book four stars because she was so hard-headed and impatient (ha!) in her pursuit of clearing her name and regaining custody, but then I thought about what I would do for my daughter in similar circumstances, and realized that of the two of us, she's far more...patient.

I loved her spirit and her refusal to back down in the face of the duke. I love a gruff and commanding veteran warming up to discover life after war and Busick certainly delivered. The portrayal of a war hero contending with PTSD, acclimating to civilian life, as well as learning to live with a disability? Wondrously woven into the tale.

5 stars to this and I can't wait to read more of The Widow's Grace series.

This Regency romance keeps us in the familiar world of aristocratic England while giving us a whole new perspective. Through the eyes of a heroine who comes from a completely different culture than we are used to, we get a clear view of the difficulties of being on the outside of this exclusive society.

A widow bent on protecting her infant son, Patience is taking matters into her own hands when a hero arrives to save the day. But, how can Patience trust him to stay when her husband did not? Busick, Duke of Repington is not afraid of a challenge. He will prove to himself and his infuriating nanny that his strategies will work for a baby, a ragtag group of soldiers, and his own injured body.

It’s an unconventional story, unconventionally told. For those who stick with it, there is a satisfying ending that is both hopeful and sweet.

After her husbands suicide, Patience losses her home and child to a greedy relation. She finds help from the Widow's Grace who conceives a plan for Patience to infiltrate her former home and regain custody of her child. As is typical of the cozy romance, there is plenty of wit, mystery, and intrigue, but what is not typical is Patience is a POC, which dramatically changes the perspective. Overall, I enjoyed the book and will likely pick up additional books in the series.

I loved this idea of a story with a different twist of the leading lady- From the West Indies. I wanted to love this more but it took me a bit to get into the story. The first part was just okay but loved the end. The POV was one 1st and one 3rd which just threw me a bit and didn't really enjoy it that way. The chemistry was super late and not until the last 10% of the book so the romance was a little flat in this one. With that always worried and wondering what is going to happen next - made me worried to even read it with the babe.

Loved the WOC leading lady and that side of England's racism, sexism was a nice change for this time period read. The Duke and his challenging wounds from war and that impact on the family. I will read more of this series and look forward to see where it all goes.

Overall, 3.5 stars and 3 steam

Thanks to Netgalley, Publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve only read one other book by Vanessa Riley, so I was really excited to read A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby.

It was a fun, easy to read historical romance. There is so much historical detail woven in and really reflects the time period like you are living in it as you read. There is first and third person POV in this novel which took a minute to get used, but it added so much urgency and passion to the story.

The main characters are great. I loved Patience and all the complexity she is living with. I love her baby Lionel and the family relationships that pop up all over the story. The Duke, Busick is a fun character and I was really rooting for him! I also LOVED that we finally get to read about a regency heroine who isn’t white! More please!!!

What really excited me about this book is the secondary characters and the Widow’s Grace. A group of Widows that help each other through connections, the law, spying, disguises and you name it! So I’m very excited to find out what happens to Jemina’s story in the next book!!! I also loved Gantry.

Historical fiction readers will love this book, romance readers will also enjoy! Closed door sexy times in this book.

#ADuketheLadyandaBaby #DukeLadyBaby #VanessaRiley #HistoricalRomance #historicalfiction #RegencyRomance #Kensington #NetGalley

I received the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read that an author I follow recommended this book and I was able to receive an ARC on Netgalley. I was somewhat disappointed in the book. When the story starts, I felt like I was missing something. The Widows of Grace has been organized to help widows in need but there wasn’t information to really understand it.

The writing was a little disjointed, BUT, I was intrigued by the information on Mulatto’s in 1814 England. It’s always been irritating to read about how women were treated as property and just less than, but this added an interesting aspect of race. I was unaware that there were Mullato’s that held a certain place in society during that time. I was also unaware that there Mulatto’s in other places in the world. After reading historical romance many years ago and centered around the South, I didn’t really think about similar situations elsewhere.

I liked the Duke and his tendency toward order and strict schedules and facing off with Patience. She struggled in her role to take care of her baby and her secrets. The baby Lionel, while too young to be too involved in the story, brought a sweetness especially when the Duke was talking to or taking care of him. The Duke and Patience began to share secrets and trust each other, which was difficult for both.

It also interesting to read about war wounds, loss of limbs and the types of prosthetics.

I was a little confused on who was white and who was Mullato as towards the end it was noted one or more were people of color. Race isn’t an issue for me, but I think if I had known that about the various characters earlier it would have helped to understand their thoughts and actions.

I was a little confused with Patience wanting to go back to her Island and to feel safe with her family and yet it was noted in the later portion of the book that her sisters had probably been enslaved.

Knowing this book is the beginning of a series, I’m interested to see if the next book will clarify some of the questions I had from reading this book.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this new work.

Positives:
- The heroine is a person of color.
- The hero is coping with the loss of a leg in battle.
- A heroine who is a lactating mother!
- Author’s notes that indicate that a fair amount of research went into the book.

Not so positives:
- I hated how the narration switched from first person (the heroine) to third person. Either switch back and forth between the hero and heroine in first person, or stick to third. I found it very jarring – it pulled me out of the story over and over.
- I did not buy the overly intimate banter and handsy-ness of the couple’s relationship. Not for one minute. It felt inappropriate to the times and to a relationship between a widow and the ward of her baby who she just met. Long passages between them struck a wrong note over and over.
- I enjoy a good damaged hero, but this guy is often a terrible jerk: Her: “You brought my son to a gaming hell. How is that not wrong?” Him: “It was to teach you a lesson. To teach that lovely stubborn head a lesson.” (p. 190 of the advance reader copy) *hate hate hate* “he schooled and scolded her with lips on her neck mapping the way she moved against him when he stroked here, teased there” (p. 191 of the ARC). This manner of their relationship did not work for me at all and grated on my nerves.

I loved the description of this book and am sorry I didn’t love it. I struggled to finish it. Readers who enjoyed Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore may enjoy this historical romance that doesn’t feel at all historical so far as the hero/heroine relationship goes. I won’t be reading book 2.

I read an advance reader copy of A Duke, The Lady, and a Baby.

Clean Regency Romance and Adventure
This is not a bodice ripper. This is a clean Regency period adventure with a romance tossed in. The story has a really bad guy, a decent good guy, and a mother who will do anything to protect her infant son. It is a very good story that I could not put down. I wish that there had been more detail in some parts, but it did a good job of covering a lot of activity in a short period of time. I will be watching for more of this author's books and more of this series. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

This is my first time reading any of Vanessa Riley’s books and I must say that I will be reading more of her work. This was an awesome read about a Duke, A Lady And A Baby.

Widowed West Indian heiress Patience Jordan’s husband commits suicide and his cousin is all to happen to lock up Patience and take away her son Lionel.

Patience is embarking on a way to get her son back putting herself in danger while she poses as a nanny using disguises in order to get to her son back and locate documents about herself being mentally able to care for her son.

With the help of “The Widow’s Grace an organization that helps widows Patience is able get things accomplished.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I was really looking forward to reading this book. However, I found the plot to be lacking and it was at times hard to follow who was reading. It might have been better if the author had stuck to one type of narrative instead of jumping back and forth from first person narrative to third person narrative. I received a ARC copy of this book in return for an honest review of the book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5

When Patience Jordan begins to question her husband's death by suicide, she loses everything: her home and her son, Lionel, and she's falsely imprisoned. Then the Widow's Grace comes to her aide. As their name suggests, it is a group of widows looking out for one another and making sure that, just because their husbands' are deceased, they're not left out in the dust with no means of support. They help Patience get a position in her former home as the nanny for her own son, unbeknownst to the new guardian of Lionel's estate - Busick Strathmore, the Duke of Repington. Now Patience must not only care for her boy, but she must also contend with Busick's strict schedule for her baby, as well as figure out what has happened with her inheritance.

Busick - a wounded military hero - is set about unraveling his late cousin's disastrous financial dealings, lest Lionel be left with nothing. But Patience proves to be more than he bargained for. As the begin to work together, a tentative trust forms between them, but can is be broken by secrets closely kept?

There was so much about this book that was refreshing. Patience is a great heroine. I loved her steadfastness, her strength. She has been put through a lot and she never gave up. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Patience and Busick. I felt like they were enough foil to each other that their differences eventually made them click and it worked really well. I thought that their chemistry was perfect. It added a light-hearted element to the story which I think was my overall favorite aspect. Just how silly - not in a bad way - Patience and Busick were towards each other. Him with his strict schedule and her trying to thwart that schedule at every turn.

Of course, one of the reasons for Busick strict schedule is to prove to everyone - namely himself - that he's still able to lead, that he's still able to command his troops despite his debilitating injuries. I honestly did not notice the reference to his lost leg when I first saw the cover of the book, only after I had begun reading. Busick was such a wonderful character. Not wanting to show his vulnerability for fear that he would lose the respect of his men, but also having to come to terms with his new capabilities. I think he lost more than an appendage, he lost himself quite a bit, which is understandable but Patience, and Lionel, start bringing him back to himself.

For me, the mystery aspect kept me engaged. It's clear from the beginning that there's more going on than meets the eye. I liked how everything was pieced together by the end.

So, there's definitely a lot of good parts about the book, but it was not without it's faults. It took me a bit to get into the story. There's kind of an abruptness to the beginning. The story starts with Patience sneaking into her son's nursery the only way she could - dressed as a man. Her husband is dead at this point, she's been imprisoned, and released, but readers have no idea of these facts. I felt like I came in late to the start of a movie and I missed some important opening information, but that's not the case, we weren't yet given any information. It's a familiar thing that runs throughout, kind of jumping from instance to instance and the parsing out of information at seemingly odd times. It took some getting used to, and I think, by the end, I finally got it, but it made for a not-so-easy read.

Similarly, while I ultimately love Busick and Patience together, I wanted a little more build up. I felt like there were so many things going on in the story for them both individually and together, coupled with the fact that Patience's husband's death is at the forefront of the story, and added to that is the idea that our hero and heroine must end up together in the end, and I felt like it became too rushed.

Overall, I like what Vanessa Riley has started here. I loved the representation and the strong female characters. Along with some interesting turns by some secondary characters, and I'm all set to be excited to see where the series goes next.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of "A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby" by Vanessa Riley. I will admit that I was very intrigued by the premise of this book and was even pretty impressed by the first chapter. But, after that, almost all of the tension died out and the I had to slog through most of the book. A few moments of romantic tension kept me going, but for the most part this book was pretty boring for me. I liked that it had a different culture perspective since the MC was from Demerara and her life as a mulatto in England was interesting. I like her perspective on motherhood too, especially since that isn't common. As I said, the premise was great, but for whatever reason did not hold out for an entire book.