Book Review: A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby by Vanessa Riley

A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby (Rogues and Remarkable Women #1) by Vanessa Riley

Pages: 320
Publish date: June 30th 2020
Publisher: Zebra
ISBN: 9781420152234
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

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. Falsely imprisoned, she risks her life to be near her child—until The Widow’s Grace gets her hired as her own son’s nanny. But working for his unsuspecting new guardian, Busick Strathmore, Duke of Repington, has perils of its own. Especially when Patience discovers his military strictness belies an ex-rake of unswerving honour—and unexpected passion…

A wounded military hero, Busick is determined to resolve his dead cousin’s dangerous financial dealings for Lionel’s sake. But his investigation is a minor skirmish compared to dealing with the forthright, courageous, and alluring Patience. Somehow, she’s breaking his rules, and sweeping past his defences. Soon, between formidable enemies and obstacles, they form a fragile trust—but will it be enough to save the future they long to dare together?

A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby:

I received an earc of A Duke, the Lady and a Baby by Vanessa Riley from Kensington Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings of the book.

As soon as I read the synopsis for this one I knew that I needed it. And while I wasn’t disappointed per se, it didn’t live up to what I was hoping it would. It wasn’t bad at all, but I felt that it was missing a few things that would have made it pop.

A Duke, the Lady and a Baby follows our protagonist Patience as she tries to get back with her baby boy. After the death of her husband, Patience is throw out of her home and her baby is taken away. And Patience will do anything to get his baby back. Even act as the baby’s nanny when Busick takes over the house. Meanwhile, Busick is determined to fix his dead cousin’s financial dealings for baby Lionel. Wounded from the war Busick just wants to make thing right. However, he keeps on getting distracted by the new nanny. After a common enemy arises between the two, Patience and Busick must trust each other for both their sakes and Lionel’s.

Photo by Luma Pimentel on Unsplash

Patience was an interesting protagonist. Most of the time I enjoyed her. I liked her determination and will. From the start, the reader can see how much she cares for her baby. But that also gets in her way. She just wants her baby back and she doesn’t care too much about anything else. And this leads to her being in some dangerous situations. I loved the moments between Patience and Lionel. I loved seeing her care so much about him. It was really sweet.

I also really enjoyed seeing Busick throughout A Duke, the Lady and a Baby. He was easier to get along with than Patience and I liked knowing his story. The banter he had with his men and even Patience was a nice touch. I do wish we got to know more about him, but that wasn’t a massive deal for me. I feel that his character arc was more rounded out though.

The romance was quite sweet in A Duke, the Lady and a Baby. I do wish that we were able to see Patience and Busick connect more, but I could see where the author was going with it. I liked their banter and the interactions a lot. It was different from most historical romance. Simply because the female protagonist has already been married and has a child and I enjoyed that a lot.

Photo by 德綱曾 on Unsplash

One of my major issues with the book was the changes in point of views. It was a mix of first-person with Patience and then in third person, limited with Busick. It was confusing at first and as the novel went on it only got more annoying. I wish that the author picked one and then stuck with it. By using both it felt unfinished and took away from the reading experience.

Another thing that I missed from this book was the feeling that I get when I normally read a historical romance. There were parts where I did get that feeling, but overall it wasn’t there enough. I can’t explain the feeling I get when I do read historical romance. I think others that do read it will know what I mean. But it just wasn’t there for me.

One of the things that I did like about A Duke, the Lady and a Baby was the inclusion of diversity. Patience is a West Indian living in England, while Busick injury from the war has left him permanently disabled. I loved the inclusion of both. I can’t talk about how the representation was but I thought that it was nicely included in the book. It didn’t feel out of place or forced and I enjoyed that.

Photo by Twitter: @jankolario on Unsplash

Overall, I enjoyed reading A Duke, the Lady and a Baby by Vanessa Riley. It was a good historical romance that has its faults but I still enjoyed reading it. I love that it includes diversity and sadly it isn’t something seen a lot in historical romance. Patience and Busick had chemistry and it was nice seeing them fall for one another. I will be continuing this series for sure. I enjoyed the secondary characters and would love to know how their lives turn out. If you are looking for a historical romance that is a little different, then this one is for you.