An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler

by Vanessa Riley

Overview

OMag.com & Bibliolifestyle Most Anticipated Romances of the Year
PopSugar Best Romances of April
Publishers Weekly Top 10 Romances of Spring
ELLE Canada Summer's Best Romances

A witty and moving story from the acclaimed author of A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby, about the lengths to which a woman will go for the love of her child…and the love of a man who knows her worth. Breaking with traditional Regency rules and customs, Vanessa Riley pens an unforgettable story perfect for fans of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton, Evie Dunmore, and Eloisa James looking for something fresh and stirring!

"Get your fill of scandal, misunderstandings and a secret society to boot." - ELLE Canada

“Elaborate storytelling…a more diverse Regency world than is traditionally found. Well-researched, with a fascinating author's note at the end…A historical romance of impressive heft.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Fans of Shonda Rhimes’ adaptation of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton books will devour this series.” – Booklist STARRED REVIEW

“Move over, Bridgertons. There’s a new set of scandalous aristocrats waiting to take London society by storm.” – Library Journal

Masterminded by the ton's most clever countess, the secret society The Widow’s Grace helps ill-treated widows regain their reputations, their families, and even find true love again—or perhaps for the very first time . . .

Surviving a shipwreck en route to London from Jamaica was just the start of Jemina St. Maur's nightmare. Suffering from amnesia, she was separated from anyone who might know her, and imprisoned in Bedlam. She was freed only because barrister Daniel Thackery, Lord Ashbrook, was convinced to betray the one thing he holds dear: the law. Desperate to unearth her true identity, Jemina’s only chance is to purloin dangerous secrets with help from The Widow’s Grace—which means staying steps ahead of the formidable Daniel, no matter how strongly she is drawn to him . . .

Married only by proxy, now widowed by shipwreck, Daniel is determined to protect his little stepdaughter, Hope, from his family’s scandalous reputation. That’s why he has dedicated himself not just to the law, but to remaining as proper, upstanding—and boring—as can be. But the closer he becomes to the mysterious, alluring Jemina, the more Daniel is tempted to break the very rule of law to which he's deevoted his life. And as ruthless adversaries close in, will the truth require him, and Jemina, to sacrifice their one chance at happiness?


RAVES FOR A DUKE, A LADY, AND A BABY


“One of the best historicals I’ve read in years.” —Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author


“Smart and witty . . . the perfect historical read.” —Julia Quinn, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Expertly crafted romance.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED review


“Riley gifts readers a sparkling love story” —Entertainment Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781420152258
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	04/27/2021
Series:	Rogues and Remarkable Women , #2
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	609,490
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Vanessa Riley is an award-winning author of Regency and Historical Romances featuring dazzling multi-culture communities and powerful persons of color. To fuel her interest in the Regency and early-Victorian eras, she made time for attending renaissance fairs and consuming period novels and films while obtaining her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and the Historical Novel Society, as well as a Christian Book Lovers board member. A frequent speaker at women's events, she lives in Georgia with her military husband and teenage kid. Visit her online at VanessaRiley.com.

Editorial Reviews

03/22/2021

Surviving a shipwreck is the first of many hurdles for a headstrong white West Indian woman in Riley’s Gothic-tinged second Regency romance (after A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby). Jemina St. Maur is one of two survivors of the Minerva, which went down on its voyage from Jamaica to England, and she lost her husband, her memory, and her freedom in the disaster. Unable to tell the authorities who she is, she’s thrown into Bedlam, where she remains until rescued by Daniel Thackery, the reluctant barrister for The Widow’s Grace, a shadowy vigilante justice organization. Entering society as a wealthy widow, Jemina contends with fortune-hunting suitors while struggling to unlock the secrets of her past. She’s also constantly at cross purposes with Daniel, the only man she’s drawn to. Daniel lost his betrothed in the wreck, and, as the mixed-race, recently elevated heir to an earldom, he treads a thin line in society. Where Jemina is reckless and bold, fastidious Daniel must be above reproach to protect himself and his recently adopted daughter. The amnesia trope is a challenging one to do convincingly, but Riley pulls it off with style. Choppy writing slightly undermines the otherwise riveting romance, but readers craving a multicultural Regency will be pleased. Agent: Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler

“Bridgerton fans, if you read just one book on this list, make sure it's Vanessa Riley's terrific An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler.”
—Popsugar

“[An Earl, The Girl and a Toddler] brings the same elaborate storytelling and portrayal of a more diverse Regency world than is traditionally found. Riley’s commitment to writing the complex emotions of motherhood remains a crucial part of the series—also a welcome addition to the genre. Well-researched, with a fascinating author's note at the end, this story proves the first was no fluke. A historical romance of impressive heft.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Riley offers powerful depictions of love, including the love of a father for a daughter, the love between friends, and most of all the love between two individuals who are meant for each together. 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
 
“Daniel and Jemina’s interactions are filled with witty banter and innuendo, and the hero’s tender interactions with his daughter will make readers swoon. Move over, Bridgertons. There’s a new set of scandalous aristocrats waiting to take London society by storm.”
—Library Journal
 
“The amnesia trope is a challenging one to do convincingly, but Riley pulls it off with style…Readers craving a multicultural Regency will be pleased.”
—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

04/01/2021

Jemina St. Maur owes a great deal to Daniel Thackeray, Earl of Ashbrook. Two years ago, the handsome barrister helped free her from Bedlam after she lost all memory. As far as Jemina knows, she is the only survivor of the shipwrecked Minerva. But Daniel is a man of many secrets, including the fact that his two-year-old adopted daughter is also a survivor of the Minerva. As a newly minted Black aristocrat, Daniel can't afford to make any mistakes, and he'd do anything to protect his daughter. Helping Jemina, a white woman who wants answers about her past, risks exposing painful truths. But Daniel feels a strong sense of protectiveness, as well as attraction, toward the widow. Daniel and Jemina's interactions are filled with witty banter and innuendo, and the hero's tender interactions with his daughter will make readers swoon. VERDICT Move over, Bridgertons. There's a new set of scandalous aristocrats waiting to take London society by storm.—Kathryn Howe, Saint John Free P.L., NB

Library Journal

2021-01-27
An accidental father and a woman without a past combine to create an unusual family.

In 1812, families across England are devastated to hear of the wreck of the Minerva, a passenger ship en route from Jamaica. None is more upset than Daniel Thackery, Earl of Ashbrook, who was expecting Phoebe Dunn to arrive after they fell in love by correspondence and married by proxy. When he arrives at the docks, he’s instead presented with a toddler, one of the only survivors. Though Phoebe hadn't said anything about having a child, the girl is a "Blackamoor," like Phoebe and Daniel, and he decides to pretend he's her father and raise her in London. He names her Hope. Unbeknownst to Daniel, however, the girl's actual mother has also survived the wreck. Jemina St. Maur arrived in England suffering from amnesia and was put straight into Bedlam Hospital; she's lucky to be liberated with help from the Widow's Grace, a secret group led by Daniel's aunt that's devoted to helping women in trouble. Daniel and Jemina are charmed by each other, but it isn't until Jemina learns that Daniel knows more about her unremembered past than he's let on that their lives truly collide. The more they interact—particularly after Hope meets Jemina and grows attached—the more it seems clear they should be together. But their relationship is built on a series of lies and possibly even a complex conspiracy against Jemina, so it’s not clear they will be able to do so. In the second volume of the Rogues and Remarkable Women series, Riley builds on the world she first unfolded in A Duke, the Lady, and the Baby (2020), and readers should start there before moving to this volume. But it’s worth the investment, and fans of the first book will be delighted by this story, which brings the same elaborate storytelling and portrayal of a more diverse Regency world than is traditionally found. Riley’s commitment to writing the complex emotions of motherhood remains a crucial part of the series—also a welcome addition to the genre. Well-researched, with a fascinating author's note at the end, this story proves the first was no fluke.

A historical romance of impressive heft.

Kirkus Reviews