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roget's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
kirstenlaurencs's review against another edition
if you like regency era romance or romance period, do not pass go, do not collect $200, go get this book now! I loved this book even more than the 1st. the writing is great, the world the characters live in is vivid and so well written you can picture yourself in it. If you need a palate cleanser book this is the one to read, you will feel so happy after reading it!
writer595's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
antaratsmn's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
mc7196's review against another edition
2.0
An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler is a quirky historical romance. Although it's the second book of Vanessa Riley's Rogues and Remarkable woman series, it can definitely be read as a standalone. Unlike other regency romances, this universe has a fun band of women called the Widow's Grace who fight against the patriarchy to attempt to regain their rights, wealth, and children after being widowed. In this book, Jemima (who was Patience's sidekick in book 1) is the MC, and she has no memories beyond the last two years, and she struggles with finding out the truth of her past while navigating the sharks in the marriage market as men try to go after her sizeable dowry. Daniel Thackery is a barrister trying to overcome racial barriers and avoid being pulled into the (sometimes illegal) plots of his aunt, who runs the Widow's Grace. He lost the love of his life on a shipwreck and is left only with a child he didn't know of, but now his whole life centers around raising her and protecting her from being shipped back to Jamaica.
If I were to describe this book in one sentence, I would call it a knock-off, smut-less Bridgerton. Many of the concepts really parallel with the series, from the BIPOC LI abandoned by the male authoritative figure and adopted by a i-don't-care-about-the-rules aunt to a relationship deriving from the rumors of the ton. Additionally. there are soooo many "i burn for..." references I'm like, did this author just copy-paste a Daphne in here? The best part of this book was probably the Widow's Grace, although I wish the author could've leaned more into the whole espionage / action side of things because without it the book was a bit slow. ALSO: THIS BOOK HAS NO SMUT!!! If you are expecting the typical HR steaminess, you will not be getting that all from this book. But if you want a wholesome PG read, this book might be perfect.
I do however, need to give props to the diversity of characters in this series, which is something you rarely see in HRs. It's really clear that the author did A LOT of research to make the book really believable and realistic, and it makes the reading experience a lot better. However, the characters didn't seem that likeable :(. While Jemina for the most part was pretty spunky, sometimes, she acted very irrationally, or had constant flips between hating Thackery and pining after him that left me super confused. And don't get me started on Thackery. He makes no sense to me as a character. Every time I think I get a read on him, he acts in a way that surprises me (in a bad way). I don't understand how he also suddenly shifts from "oh i need a mistress to break up this dull monotony of life" to "ohmigod I need to marry her I love her so much."
Between the two characters, I didn't really feel any chemistry beyond the whole setup of "she/he is forbidden to me because of Widow's Grace." I think part of this stems from the unique form of head-hopping used. While Jemina is told from first person, Daniel's side is told in 3rd person, which often left me questioning his motives and train of thought even tho we were supposed to be in his POV?? I really could not understand Thackery as a character and in so many points of the books I just wanted to shake him and yell "WHAT ARE YOU THINKINGGG" at him.
Additionally, I think amnesia fics are either reallyyy well done or really really bad. Unfortunately, I thought this book was on the latter side of the spectrum. I feel like this book could have been resolved 2/3 of the way through, and the end was unnecessarily long as it dragged through all their trust issue and 'face-your-fears' angst. The final resolution left me pretty unsatisfied and partly surprised me while also partly could be seen from the first page of the book. (also in terms of things you could spot a mile away, Patience's 'predicament' is sooo obvious I really hate the flabbergasted-ness of the characters when they drop the reason and also that part was really skimmed over and not giving my girl her proper due).
Overall, this was not my favorite HR (especially because of the lack of smut) but if you can deal with that, it may be an interesting book to read, if only for the diverse characters.
--
Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
If I were to describe this book in one sentence, I would call it a knock-off, smut-less Bridgerton. Many of the concepts really parallel with the series, from the BIPOC LI abandoned by the male authoritative figure and adopted by a i-don't-care-about-the-rules aunt to a relationship deriving from the rumors of the ton. Additionally. there are soooo many "i burn for..." references I'm like, did this author just copy-paste a Daphne in here? The best part of this book was probably the Widow's Grace, although I wish the author could've leaned more into the whole espionage / action side of things because without it the book was a bit slow. ALSO: THIS BOOK HAS NO SMUT!!! If you are expecting the typical HR steaminess, you will not be getting that all from this book. But if you want a wholesome PG read, this book might be perfect.
I do however, need to give props to the diversity of characters in this series, which is something you rarely see in HRs. It's really clear that the author did A LOT of research to make the book really believable and realistic, and it makes the reading experience a lot better. However, the characters didn't seem that likeable :(. While Jemina for the most part was pretty spunky, sometimes, she acted very irrationally, or had constant flips between hating Thackery and pining after him that left me super confused. And don't get me started on Thackery. He makes no sense to me as a character. Every time I think I get a read on him, he acts in a way that surprises me (in a bad way). I don't understand how he also suddenly shifts from "oh i need a mistress to break up this dull monotony of life" to "ohmigod I need to marry her I love her so much."
Between the two characters, I didn't really feel any chemistry beyond the whole setup of "she/he is forbidden to me because of Widow's Grace." I think part of this stems from the unique form of head-hopping used. While Jemina is told from first person, Daniel's side is told in 3rd person, which often left me questioning his motives and train of thought even tho we were supposed to be in his POV?? I really could not understand Thackery as a character and in so many points of the books I just wanted to shake him and yell "WHAT ARE YOU THINKINGGG" at him.
Additionally, I think amnesia fics are either reallyyy well done or really really bad. Unfortunately, I thought this book was on the latter side of the spectrum. I feel like this book could have been resolved 2/3 of the way through, and the end was unnecessarily long as it dragged through all their trust issue and 'face-your-fears' angst. The final resolution left me pretty unsatisfied and partly surprised me while also partly could be seen from the first page of the book. (also in terms of things you could spot a mile away, Patience's 'predicament' is sooo obvious I really hate the flabbergasted-ness of the characters when they drop the reason and also that part was really skimmed over and not giving my girl her proper due).
Overall, this was not my favorite HR (especially because of the lack of smut) but if you can deal with that, it may be an interesting book to read, if only for the diverse characters.
--
Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
teesbookjourney's review against another edition
5.0
Vanessa had me invested in the story line as per usual. Ive felt for and loved Jemima since the first book. I've had idea in my head of what her story could possibly be. How she ended up where she was.
Daniel is a sensible and logical man and these characteristics make him pefect for Jamina These two together just works. I appreciate the history imbedded in the story. But not just the history, the story that are not normally not told in romance novels. I appreciated and loved the whole thing.
Daniel is a sensible and logical man and these characteristics make him pefect for Jamina These two together just works. I appreciate the history imbedded in the story. But not just the history, the story that are not normally not told in romance novels. I appreciated and loved the whole thing.
anatl's review against another edition
4.0
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!
.
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!
.
turophile's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but struggled getting through this one. 3/5
julsmarshall's review against another edition
3.0
This one felt a little disjointed to me, the characters were strong and the story interesting but the HEA felt a little forced. I loved all of the historical bits about race and how diverse the regency era really was; this book was smart and well researched but was just a bit flat for me. Will definitely read the 3rd book in the series to see where the Widow’s Grace team takes us next.