A DEAL AT DAWN - Vanessa Riley
Betting Against The Duke (Book #3)
Zebra Books
BUY
Jennifer Brown (A)
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
REVIEW: Katherine Wilcox Palmers, the Viscountess of Hampton, has lost custody of the daughter she secretly bore to Jahleel Charles, now the Duke of Torrance — and the bitter court ruling was engineered by the duke himself. When Jahleel falls gravely ill, Katherine makes a bold and desperate bargain: she will nurse him back to health and keep up appearances in exchange for one thing — his help securing her a respectable husband to silence Regency society's merciless gossip. What neither of them bargains for is what happens to their hearts in the process.
A DEAL AT DAWN is a richly layered second-chance romance with a secret child at its center, and it is a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to the Betting Against the Duke Series.
Katherine is a heroine worth admiring. She is resilient, resourceful, and willing to swallow her pride for the sake of her child — a mother's love rendered in the most compelling terms. Jahleel is equally complex — a man whose worst actions are rooted in wounds and fears that Vanessa Riley unpacks with care and nuance. Watching these two find their way back to each other, through pride and pain and the weight of what has passed between them, is deeply rewarding.
What I particularly appreciate about Vanessa Riley's work is how seamlessly history lives inside her stories. The Regency world she builds is diverse, specific, and richly detailed — and A DEAL AT DAWN educates as much as it entertains. The series closes on exactly the right note, bringing Katherine and Jahleel together in a way that feels wholly earned. A solid A, and a wonderful finale to a wonderful series.
30th June 2026 | romcol@caribsurf.com | romcol1962@gmail.com
A DEAL AT DAWN is a richly layered second-chance romance with a secret child at its center, and it is a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to the Betting Against the Duke Series.
Katherine is a heroine worth admiring. She is resilient, resourceful, and willing to swallow her pride for the sake of her child — a mother's love rendered in the most compelling terms. Jahleel is equally complex — a man whose worst actions are rooted in wounds and fears that Vanessa Riley unpacks with care and nuance. Watching these two find their way back to each other, through pride and pain and the weight of what has passed between them, is deeply rewarding.
What I particularly appreciate about Vanessa Riley's work is how seamlessly history lives inside her stories. The Regency world she builds is diverse, specific, and richly detailed — and A DEAL AT DAWN educates as much as it entertains. The series closes on exactly the right note, bringing Katherine and Jahleel together in a way that feels wholly earned. A solid A, and a wonderful finale to a wonderful series.
30th June 2026 | romcol@caribsurf.com | romcol1962@gmail.com
