Island Queen by Vanessa Riley

 

My most anticipated read of 2021!

Vanessa Riley penned an insightful opinion piece for the Washington Post about the casting of Netflix’s hit period drama, Bridgerton, and the role that race plays in this series—and is set to release a new opinion piece regarding race and historical fiction soon!  ISLAND QUEEN has already been named one of the most anticipated publications of 2021 by Essence Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Parade Magazine and Oprah Daily.

Born into slavery on the tiny Caribbean island of Monserrat, Doll bought her freedom—and that of her sister and her mother—from her Irish planter father and built a legacy of wealth and power as an entrepreneur, merchant, hotelier, and planter that extended from the marketplaces and sugar plantations of Dominica and Barbados to a glittering luxury hotel in Demerara on the South American continent.

Vanessa Riley’s novel brings Doll to vivid life as she rises above the harsh realities of slavery and colonialism by working the system and leveraging the competing attentions of the men in her life: a restless shipping merchant, Joseph Thomas; a wealthy planter hiding a secret, John Coseveldt Cells; and a roguish naval captain who will later become King William IV of England.

From the bustling port cities of the West Indies to the forbidding drawing rooms of London’s elite, ISLAND QUEEN is a sweeping epic of an adventurer and a survivor who answered to no one but herself as she rose to power and autonomy against all odds, defying rigid eighteenth-century morality and the oppression of women as well as people of color. It is an unforgettable portrait of a true larger-than-life woman who made her mark on history.

Author Bio

Riley holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and a master’s in industrial engineering and engineering management from Stanford University. She also earned BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Penn State University.  Riley lives in Atlanta.

A link to online retailers at the author's website. www.VanessaRiley.com 

Publisher: HarperCollins

Imprint: William Morrow

Hardcover

Release: July 6, 2021

Art Giveaway!! Click Picture for Details.