An Earl, The Girl, and A toddler is the second installment of the Rogues and Remarkable Women series.
Jemina St. Maur is loyal, feisty, and funny to say the least. She is one of the Widow’s Grace finest agents, yet troubled to her core with the unknown of her past. Nightmares and small remnants of what could be and newfound discoveries, mixed with places where her mind is blank, leads her on a quest for who she is to the point of no return. Unwilling to give up the fight to remember, she learns that Daniel Thackery aka Lord Ashbrook, her barrister and nephew to Lady Shrewsbury, knows more about her past than he is sharing. For Daniel, it is better for her not to remember. But who is he to be the keeper of secrets and her fate? However, the loss of memory and hidden secrets is a bit much for Jemina. She is determined to know the truth about her past. Not even Daniel, as attractive as he may be, will stand in her way.

The quest to finding the truth and uncovering secrets is an intriguingly intense journey with a hint of vulnerability when it comes to matters of the heart for this likable pair. The entanglement pleasured by humor has Lord Ashbrook and Jemina dancing a dance of cat and mouse as they find ways to dance only to a tune they understand. Both in denial of what could be and their awareness of each other is met with a growing intensifying need of one to discover the past and who she is while the other, Lord Ashbrook, is there to protect her from herself and hidden secrets. They soon discover that this battle may be best tackled together verses apart but then there is the matter of TRUST! Can one trust the other?

Trust presents itself as being deeper than matters of the heart for Jemina. Both Daniel and Jermina feel love for each other, but is it enough, if they don’t trust one another other with their inner most secrets, especially when it can change their fate and life forever. Daniel is a fighter and will protect his most prize possession, his daughter Hope, at all costs. The secrets that need protecting proves to be a dangerous road for them both. If discovered, is the truth strong enough to bring them together or rip their newfound love to shreds?

Vanessa Riley does an amazing job with An Earl, The Girl, and A Toddler. Capturing your attention from the beginning with the shipwreck of the Minerva; Daniel at the docks in hopes of meeting his wife, only to be handed a beautiful young baby girl, and Jemina being held captive at Bedlam with no memories of who she is. Making every word count, Vanessa Riley brings the story of Daniel and Jemina to life with wow factor discoveries, suspense, and unforgettable laughs. The Widow’s Grace missions along with Jemina’s self-indulged missions and subtle comedic action has an amazing balance as the serious matters of race and mental health are so cleverly addressed.

An Earl, The Girl, and A Toddle is a must read for regency fans old and new to enjoy while keeping you on your toes as you wait and anticipate the next installment of the Rogues and Remarkable Women series.

This story was interesting and different from what I normally read. It did promote my interest more. I will look into the author's other book in this series Duke, The Lady, and a Baby. This story has a little of everything, mystery, love, etc. I like the fact is multicultural in regency society. I enjoyed that love story and how it builds with the characters. I like that the book was not so light and fluffy similar to other regency romances. What I found interesting the aspect of bedlam, widows, the point of view aristocracy of people of color including issues like mental health, lack of women's rights, It touches on mental health and difficulties face by race and prejudice, and motherhood. I would recommend this author and this book. I enjoyed that love story and how it builds.

For some reason it took me a while to read this. So this is more 3.5 than 4. Jemina was a very angsty character and rightly so, she has been confined to Bedlam and gaslighted into thinking she never had a baby by her late husband's family. She suffers from amnesia and tries to piece together her lost background and history. However she was also overly suspicious of the kind hero who was extremely patient and forbearing with her.

I loved the diversity and the racial issues that arise in the book. Daniel, Earl of Ashbrook, is black and his late wife by proxy came from the Caribbean. So when he searched for her he was given a child to raise which everyone assumed was his because of her skin colour. The racial issues make the story stand out among other regencies. And I must give the author credit for highlighting how easy it was to discredit a woman on mental health grounds, like "The Mad Woman in the Attic".

All in all the book could have been improved in my opinion if the conflict between the two main characters didn't rely so heavily on a lack of communication. But they do make it up a little by having a sizzling hot chemistry between them.

I received a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

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I wasn't sure how this would turn out. It was a little hard to follow. I guess I don't care for the jumping around from each character. To me it made it hard to follow. Hope us the one that kept me going to the end. She was so sweet. I enjoyed the first book in series more.

An Earl, the Girl. and a Toddler is the second book of the Rogues and Remarkable Women series.

It is preferred to read the first book prior in order to fall in love with the main characters of this book.

I read the first book of the series and the storyline was so intriguing, I was super excited about reading this one because I was already rooting for the main character! I think the lack of conversational chemistry in the first book was righted with this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! I definitely recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books - Zebra for the E-Arc!!

I have enjoyed several books by this author. All have been from the perspective of a black person in regency England. This story was a little hard to follow in places, I assumed at the beginning that Jemina was a blackamoore only to figure out about a third into the story that she was not. Confusing, but not really a game changer in the story. I loved Daniel and enjoyed his story as a part of the overall romance. 4=stars.

Vanessa Riley's story is stunning. Gripping, intense, and dramatic, this highly intriguig read had me glued to its pages, and unable to put it down. The historical elements of racism, women’s rights and mental health in the Regency period are brilliant and breathtaking... sweeping, hopeful and devastating. Bravo! #AnEarltheGirlandaToddler #NetGalley

Jemina St. Maur was on her way from Jamaica to London in 1812 when she became the sole survivor of the shipwreck. Suffering from amnesia, Jemina is deterimined to find out her true identity. She had joined The Widow's Grace, a society of women. Daniel Thackery lost his wife in the same shipwreck but gains a daughter. He is a man of the law but isn't above breaking some when it comes to Jemina.

This is my first read by Vanessa Riley. She has a unique, lyrical writing style. I haven't read the first book as yet, so the beginning and some components were a bit confusing for me at first. However, I am glad I persisted because I really enjoyed this tale. Jemina's journey to finding out who she was kept me swiping in my kindle to find out what will happen next.

I have got to say that the extensive research that went into this book was evident. The details and descriptions made me feel like I was in this era.

I look forward to reading the first book as well as reading her next release, Island Girl.

While I liked the first book in this series for the gothic-tinged craziness it was, I thought this one was so much better and much more reminiscent of the author’s earlier series. And that’s with the fact that I’m not a big fan of amnesia plots! But in this case, it adds a lot of angst and conflict to the relationship.

Jemina doesn’t remember anything about her life from before the time she spent in Bedlam. Rescued by the Widow’s Grace organization, she now helps out her best friend, Patience (the heroine of the first book), on clandestine missions to help other widows legally, including breaking into barristers’ offices in the middle of the night. Daniel is one of the few Black barristers in England and he’s constantly butting heads with people who look down on him for his race, including the Lord Mayor. The last thing he needs is to keep involving himself with his aunt and her highly illegal Widow’s Grace missions. He’s drawn to Jemina, who he helped rescue from Bedlam, but knows he can’t get too close to her due to secrets he’s keeping – secrets that may lead to her past and endanger his daughter, Hope. Jemina knows Daniel is hiding something, but can they both resist the attraction sparking between them long enough to find the answers?

“What is it you want from life?”
If I said my dearest wish, he’d laugh or he’d whisper he wished I had my dreams too. The man was good and annoying.
“What is your new dream?” he asked. “I hope you figure out what you want and seize the opportunity. A woman who knows what she wants is fierce, don’t you think?”


Jemina was haunted by her loss of memory. The fact that she couldn’t remember anything about her husband was particularly daunting, and it was made even worse by the fact that as a widow with a large dowry, she’s constantly being courted. Jemina sought out Daniel in hopes of finding out more about why he rescued her, and the revelation that she was in a shipwreck cause even more bits and pieces to come back. It’s obvious that Daniel knows more about the Minerva and her past than she does, but why is he hiding it?

“You’re very talkative. I can see how silence is a torment.”
“Did you deem me unworthy of knowing about the Minerva? I think your reticence is a type of empowerment.”
“You strung together all those thoughts by glancing at me, ma’am?”
I flung my palm, spreading out my fingers. The pinched skin still stung. “Yes. I must be a pawn to you, to be set aside or squished like a bug.”


I loved how much Daniel loved Hope. As a widower with a young child, Hope is his whole world (outside of work). It definitely humanized him a bit for me, as otherwise his refusal to help Jemina seemed callous at best. His early life was rough, but thanks to his own strength and his aunt’s help, he’s done quite well for himself. He’s very logical and even-keeled, though that doesn’t mean he won’t fight – or get revenge – for those he loves. It made it even funnier that the flirtation that first started as a way to distract Jemina from asking too many questions about the Minerva‘s shipwreck only served to reveal how strong the attraction between the two of them was. I thought the romance between the two of them was very sweet, with a good deal of angst, and lots of going back and forth on whether they could trust the other with their secrets. This was a closed door romance, so there’s not much heat to balance the angst, just a few on-page kisses.

“He stepped in front of her and headed down the hall. “Follow me.”
“Always, if I’m not leading.”


Besides the romance, I also loved the relationships both Daniel and Jemina had with Hope. I’m not a fan of plot moppets but Hope felt very realistic for a child of her age, especially her continued insistence that Jemina help her dolly ride on her horse! Jemina and Patience’s friendship was also truly heartwarming. I’m a sucker for found family and they truly are one. The worldbuilding was also fascinating. Despite being an Earl, Daniel is more solidly middle-class, and as a Black man, he faces a lot of challenges. There’s a lot of explanation of terms like “blackamoor” and “mulatto,” and, on the more positive side, small bits about prominent Black people in London. And, of course, there’s the usual lack of rights for women, from being committed to asylums by their families to losing control of their children during a divorce.

As for cons, the POV choices in these books continue to confuse me. Jemina’s is told from the first person POV while Daniel’s is in third person. The switch was jarring to me each time. For the most part, while I didn’t always agree with how Daniel handled Jemina’s amnesia and trauma aftereffects, I thought he was trying to be mindful of not hurting her further. There was only one instance ((view spoiler)) that really bothered me.

Overall, I enjoyed the book quite a bit and will definitely be picking up the next book in the series.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I was really frustrated with this book. I enjoy a slow build romance, but this one was almost glacial.

Kudos to Daniel for not hiding his emotions once he knew how he felt about Jemina. He clearly announced his love for her, never holding back.

Jemina added to the frustration. She denied his love, intent on learning about her history. Then when she decided she wanted to focus on their family, she stated that Daniel couldn't know how she felt because she hadn't told him her feelings, but SHE NEVER TOLD HIM. Was he just supposed to read her mind to discover how she felt? Bemoaning the fact that he isn't treating her differently because she hasn't told him how she feels, and then still not telling him means she had no one to blame for her situation but herself.

It took me multiple days to work through this book, when normally I can finish a novel in a day or two. The writing itself is well done, and I ploughed through because I do want to know what happens to the characters. I just have a hard time with stories that drag out because people refuse to have a simple conversation.

The Widow's Grace mission continues in this second book in the Rogues and Remarkable Women series. The mission is to help widowed women fight for whatever rights have been taken from them upon the death of their husband. The main focus of this story was on barrister Daniel Thackeray and Jemina St. Maur; however, I liked that Patience and the Duke's story continued.

While I read this book fairly quickly, I did not enjoy it quite as much as the first one. I felt like parts of it were unrealistic, especially the speech and thoughts of Hope, and I figured out the twist long before it was revealed. With that being said, if the series continues, I will definitely read the future works.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another intriguing Vanessa Riley title that I had high expectations for. The racial diversity perspective in these times is brilliantly depicted, an area I've noticed that’s continuing to develop in Regency romances. The work by the members of the Widow’s Grace continues as they seek to rescue women in trouble like Jemima St Maur from Jamaica. Despite these positives I found the relationship between Daniel Thackeray, Earl of Ashbrook, and Jemima somewhat flat. Disappointingly this read didn’t work for me.

A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley

I enjoyed reading this book even though the first half was a bit slow. However, the next half was absolutely intriguing and had my attention throughout. The characters were diverse and I liked that the leading male character was a successful lawyer but had a rough life because he was bi-racial. The lead female character was interesting. She was Caucasian and had a bi-racial baby girl from a marriage to a freed slave. The story touched on the prejudice of the era, how awful it was that women had few rights and touched on the slave trade. It is a good read even though it has a slow start.

This book was read thanks to NetGalley.

I read this and first I was like is this like Bridgenton... but this have something that to me makes it better,


they do actually talked and addresses racism, which in my eyes is a plus considering how important is to write historical fiction tackling social issues that not so ironically started in this time.


Fan of bridgenton this is for you.

This was another awesome book by Vanessa Riley. I found myself constantly rooting for Jamina hoping she would receive the love I felt she deserved. The author has a way of pulling you into the story so seamless that you feel like you are in the 1800’s. I was very pleased with the ending of this story. I will read more from this author.
I just reviewed An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler by Vanessa Riley. #AnEarltheGirlandaToddler #NetGalley

This was an interesting read for me. While I enjoyed the premise of the story - especially the way it broached the subject of racism - but the writing style and time jumps kept throwing me out of the storytelling. I also had issues with the way the tense switched often. It was a little jarring.

I liked the angst and secrets of the book but sadly this one didn’t really work for me.

Interesting take on Regency romance stories. I liked the different, more diverse take, but thought that some issues could have been resolved with a little less angsty repetition.

Overall I liked this book, although at times I Iost track of the plot. This book is the second after A Duke, the Lady and a Baby. Daniel and Jemina are engaging characters. Jemina has just recently gotten out of Bedlam where she was imprisoned, suffering with amnesia, after the ship she was on sank on its journey to England from Jamaica. Daniel is the barrister that managed to get her out. However after 2 years she is still unable to remember who she is and a large portion of the book centers around Jemina trying to learn about her past. Witty, smart dialog kept the story moving. Racism and race during the Regency era is something I wasn't familiar with so I appreciated Vanessa Riley writing about this issue. It was very interesting and eye opening.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another winner from Vanessa Riley. This story is very different from your typical romance as the main characters include persons of color. It's a refreshingly new take on historical romance that was thoroughly enjoyable.

The characters are strong, intriguing, and more than the usual cookie-cutter hero/heroine trope. The story was engaging, especially with the central mystery surrounding Jemima's amnesia. The story progressed well, and kept your attention to the very end.

Even though it's second in the series, you can certainly read it as a stand-alone.

I would definitely recommend this book to any lover of historical romance.

Jemima St. Maur was put into Bedlam after a shipwreck.  She has amnesia and couldn’t remember who she was, she still can’t remember and seeks the truth of her past.  She’s saved (in book one of this series) by Daniel Thackery, a barrister who helps his aunt get widows out of trouble.

Daniel was married by proxy to Phoebe, who was also on the ship that went down, but his wife didn’t survive.  He was presented with a baby who he believed was Phoebe’s child, even though she had never mentioned a child in her letters.  He decides to raise the child as his own.

Two years later Jemima and Daniel have a bit of a love/hate relationship.  They don’t necessarily get a long, but when they’re together there’s a very strong attraction.  Daniel finally decides that he has mourned for Phoebe long enough and wants to make Jemima his mistress.   Jemima’s not opposed to the idea, but she is wary of Daniel as she’s positive he’s keeping information from her about her past and the shipwreck.

This was my first read by Vanessa Riley.  I’ll admit, I wasn’t a fan of the writing style as it seemed a bit all over the place.  I also didn’t feel that the hero and heroine actually had a lot of chemistry.

I liked Jemima…to a point.  She was pretty headstrong, and I liked that about her.  That said, I felt the author took that too far and went into I’m-so-headstrong-I’m-going-to-make-stupid-decisions territory. There was also the constant on/off with Daniel as Jemima couldn’t decide if she was going to trust him or not.  Granted, she had every reason not to trust him as he’d kept a lot of stuff (about her) to himself. She wasn’t even aware she’d been in a shipwreck until he told her – two years later! Still, the on-again off-again love was annoying at times.

Daniel was a smart man – a barrister who worked for the crown.  Even so, he was looked down upon because he was mulatto.  Even when he inherited an Earldom, people still turned their noses up at him.  He was a good man for taking in the baby (Hope) and raising her, and he was a good father.  He helped his aunt with her business of saving widows and their families.  I admired his dedication to his aunt and her cause, as well as his dedication to Hope and fatherhood in general.  Unfortunately, I just didn’t like him all that much as a man.  He kept so much a secret, even when his marriage was failing, he still couldn’t come completely clean.  I found it so frustrating.

Overall I didn’t find the story very satisfying.  Not liking the couple as a couple put a damper on the whole experience.  While I really loved the blurb for this book, the story itself just didn’t do it for me in the end.

Rating: 3 out of 5