American novelist of Caribbean Descent of historical fiction, romance fiction, and mystery fiction
Vanessa Riley is an American novelist of Caribbean Descent of historical fiction, romance fiction, and mystery fiction.
Early life and education.
Riley's mother encouraged her to read 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.
Riley writes multicultural romance. Some of her works are of the Regency romance genre. Her early works were published digitally. Her print debut novel, "A Duke, The Lady, and a Baby" (2020), was inspired by the film "The First Wives Club" (1996). "Island Queen" (2021), a novel of historical fiction about enslaved-turned-landowner Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, was optioned for film by Julie Ann Robinson. 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". It criticized "An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler" for its "choppy writing" that "slightly undermines the otherwise riveting romance". "Publishers Weekly" wrote of the final book in the "Rogues and Remarkable Women" series, "Riley masterfully plays up the will-they-won’t-they between husband and wife as the emotionally charged romance twists to its conclusion. This sends out the series on a high note."
"Library Journal" called "Sister Mother Warrior" a "sweeping, powerful historical novel based on two remarkable real women". Her mystery debut, "Murder in Westminster" (2022), was reviewed positively by "Publishers Weekly", which wrote, "Riley offers a vibrant picture of the roles Black and mixed-race people played in Regency life," though "Publishers" also noted, "the backstory introducing series characters sometimes feels clumsy and the modern language can be distracting". Carole V. Bell of "The New York Times" wrote positively of "Island Queen": "Though Dorothy’s life is extraordinary, the reason her triumphs and stumbles hit so hard is that Riley does a brilliant job of connecting those events to something bigger... Evocative and immersive, Riley’s narrative bears that weight with grace."
References.
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