Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

Miss Mason's Secret Baron by Addy Du Lac is a third person multi-POV POC love Victorian romance. Regina’s father has been planning on her marrying a baron her entire life in an effort to help her find a place in white London society. When the second baron Regina is engaged to passes away, her engagement moves to Harrison, a man more interested in his title than in respecting Regina. But Leo, a military man and investigator, is actually next in line for the barony and he’s willing to fight for Regina.

Race in the Victorian era is explored through Regina, birth name Rejana, who is a biracial Indian woman and Leo, a Black man with a white great grandfather. Multiple members of society take great issue with either of them moving into the peerage and Regina has spent a great deal of her life being looked down on by members of London society who are aware of her father’s ambitions for her but attribute all of them to her Indian mother. There are a lot of microaggressions and very overt racism on the page with the usage of a slur. Like the previous book in the series, the plot does recognize that fetishization of Asian women exists and the expectations for immigrants to conform to the majority. Harrison only has three chapters but they are reflections of the violent racism that existed at the time. How he talks about Regina is dehumanizing and the way he talks about Leo is just as bad though different. I know for some people that reading a romance is all about escapism and living the fantasy, but, for me, I do appreciate it when an author is willing to explore the realities of how the time period worked including the social issues even if they are uncomfortable.

Between Regina and Leo’s POV, I enjoyed Regina’s the most. Her chapters explore a lot of the complications that biracial individuals who grow up cut off from half of their heritage deal with. Her parents were married in India but moved to England and raised her and her sister there, slowly cutting them off more and more from Indian culture with their mother purposefully trying to make them more English. Regina can speak Hindi but her sister can’t and there are some things Regina has retained, like several traditional Indian dances, but she goes by a more Western name in society. Regina has done everything she can to hold on to as much of her culture as she can but she is reliant on her mother to help her, which creates friction between them even if Regina understands the whys and this helps shows the complex and often difficult choices any parent in this position has to make.

This is the first POC love Victorian/Regency romance I think I have ever read. I’ve read ones between two people of color of the same race and I’ve read ones where one of the leads is white, but not a book in the romance genre in this time period where both characters are navigating racism in very different but parallel ways. I’m kind of shocked there aren’t more of these because there were people of color living in England at this time and there is definitely an audience for them if the Bridgerton fandom is anything to go by. I’m really hoping that the next book is between Ada’s brother from the last book and Elodia so we can have a Chinese man and a Black woman having a romance in this era. I really want more of these across the gambit of joyful escapism to honest depictions of society and I will be reading anything Addy Du Lac puts out in the historical romance space.

Content warning for mentions of sexual assault and depictions of racism

I would recommend this to fans of Regency/Victorian romance looking for characters of color as the leads and readers of historical romance who like more realism in their stories

This book is an absolute delight, blending romance, danger, and a dash of intrigue with such effortless charm. I was completely hooked from the moment I met Regina. Her wit and resilience make her an unforgettable heroine, and I couldn’t help but root for her happiness. Then there’s Leo; charismatic, complex, and ruggedly captivating. His inner conflict over embracing his newfound legacy or staying hidden adds a rich layer to his character. The chemistry between Regina and Leo is undeniable, full of tension and longing, and their banter is as sharp as it is entertaining. The way they challenge each other while slowly letting down their guards is just perfection. I love how the story balances light-hearted moments with deeper themes of identity and loyalty. The author masterfully captures that sense of being trapped by societal expectations while desperately wanting freedom. It’s enchanting, heartfelt, and just the right amount of daring.