Vanessa Riley

Vanessa Riley is an American novelist of Caribbean descent who writes historical fiction, romance fiction, and mystery fiction.

Life and education Riley grew up reading the works of Jane Austen, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau. Riley earned a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. She started reading romance fiction when she was at Stanford. She lives in Atlanta.

Career Novels Riley writes mainly historical romances,

Other writing Riley has written for The Washington Post.

Critical reception Riley's books Sister Mother Warrior (2022); The Duke, The Lady, and a Baby (2020); An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler (2021); and A Duke, the Spy, an Artist, and a Lie (2022) have received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Publishers Weekly called A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby a "bewitching Regency series opener."

Selected works Unmasked Heart: A Regency Romance. Gallium Optronics, 2016. Island Queen. William Morrow, 2021. Murder in Drury Lane. Kensington, 2023. Murder in Berkeley Square. Kensington, 2024.

Rogues and Remarkable Women series The Duke, the Lady, and a Baby. Zebra, 2020. A Duke, the Spy, an Artist, and a Lie. Zebra, 2022.

Betting Against the Duke series A Gamble at Sunset. Zebra, 2024. A Wager at Midnight. Zebra, 2025. A Deal at Dawn. Zebra, 2026.