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Island Queen: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Vanessa Riley (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 898 ratings
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“Vanessa Riley’s version of the real-life Dorothy Kirwan Thomas legend will make readers fall in love with this overlooked ‘hidden’ queen.” —Kaia Alderson, author of Sisters in Arms

A remarkable, sweeping historical novel based on the incredible true-life story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, a free Black woman who rose from slavery to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful landowners in the colonial West Indies. 

Born into slavery on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat, 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.
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  1. Print length
    586 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    William Morrow
  5. Publication date
    July 6, 2021
  6. File size
    5189 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

Chanel Cleeton, Island Queen
Kristan Higgins, Island Queen
Island Queen

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Passionate, headstrong, and loyal, Riley's version of the real-life Dorothy Kirwan Thomas legend will make readers fall in love with this overlooked 'hidden' queen."

-- "Kaia Alderson, author of Sisters in Arms "

"Richly detailed, vividly depicted, and sweeping in scope, Island Queen is historical fiction at its absolute finest. A stunning must-read!"

-- "Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author"

About the Author

VANESSA RILEY writes Regency and Historical Romances of dazzling multi-culture communities with powerful persons of color. Vanessa writes for historical romance readers who admire and acquire books that showcase women who find joy in sweeping kisses and strong sisterhoods. Even in the darkness, she promises to give you laughs and to show you how light always prevails and how love always, always wins. Vanessa juggles mothering a teen, cooking for her military-man husband, and speaking at women's and STEM events. She's known for her sweeping romances and humorous delivery of poignant truths. You can catch her writing from the comfort of her southern porch with a cup of Earl Grey tea. You can find her at: www.vanessariley.com

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08KQD5J9T
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow (July 6, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 6, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5189 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 586 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 898 ratings

About the author

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Vanessa Riley

Vanessa Riley

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Vanessa Riley writes Regency Romances and Historical Fiction of dazzling multi-culture communities with powerful persons of color. Vanessa writes for historical romance readers who admire and acquire books that showcase women who find joy in sweeping kisses and strong sisterhoods. Even in the darkness, she promises to give you laughs and to show you how light always prevails and how love always, always wins.

Vanessa juggles mothering a teen, cooking for her military-man husband, and speaking at women's and STEM events. She loves baking her Trinidadian grandma's cake recipes and collecting Irish crochet lace. She’s known for her sweeping romances and humorous delivery of poignant truths. You can catch her writing from the comfort of her southern porch with a cup of Earl Grey tea.

You can find her at:

www.vanessariley.com

https://www.facebook.com/VanessaRileyAuthor

http://www.twitter.com/VanessaRiley

https://www.youtube.com/regencymaid

https://www.instagram.com/vanessarileyauthor

Sign up for her newsletter to get access to free stories, giveaways, and more at:

www.VanessaRiley.com

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
898 global ratings
You will cheer for Mrs. Dorothy Kirwan Thomas
5 Stars
You will cheer for Mrs. Dorothy Kirwan Thomas
I just finished this book and my heart is so full. What a woman Mrs. Dorothy Kirwan Thomas was. What a magnificent, flawed force of nature with an indomitable spirit. Vanessa Riley made me cheer so hard for this woman. This was the kind of book where on one page I was pumping my fist going, "YES girl, you TELL him!" And ten pages later I was reaching for the Kleenex, and my husband was going, "Um, Courtney? Are you ok???" But my point is, you will feel ALL of the feelings with this one. I congratulate Ms. Riley because this is a triumph. I am so glad Mrs. Dorothy Kirwan Thomas's story has been told, has been finally been brought to the forefront where it belongs. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
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Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Historical Story
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2024
Verified Purchase
This story of Dorothy Kirwan's journey was a well written 1 that Get kept me intrigued. Knowing that it was based on a real woman and her family made it powerful for me. Dorothy loved her family with all her heart and she talked them to run her businesses and to know they were worthy of the best no matter what the color of your skin was. I enjoy reading about Dorothy strength her passion and determination to be a wealthy woman.

Vanessa Riley thank you for All your hard work did you put into this book, it was very good book.
2 people found this helpful
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D'Angelo Reid
4.0 out of 5 stars compelling story
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2023
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This is an ambitious take on the life of one of the greatest matriarchs in history. Dorothy Kirwan's journey from an abused enslaved girl to one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in the Caribbean is a story we all should be aware of.

The story spans 63 years and the time jumps between chapters can be disorienting to the reader. I think writing it this was is a natural consequence of such an massive project. The author tries to mention details to keep the reader centered on WHEN they are in the story but I still found myself flipping back to the title of the previous chapter to remind myself how many years had passed.

My favourite thing form this read is the rich history is pay tribute to and how immersed in the time period the writing makes you feel. Prepare to historical figures imagined to life ranging from leaders of rebellions to future Kings of England.

My biggest criticism is that I wished this read focused a little more on the work Dorothy, or "Dolly", did to achieve her success and a little less on the loves she had in her lifetime. Her love and devotion to her family and how far she'd go for them is the true love story in this novel. Be prepared for genuine tear jerking moments.
2 people found this helpful
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By His Mercy
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2024
Verified Purchase
The telling of this story will take you through a rollercoaster of emotions. This novel is so well written it will grab your attention and make it difficult to put down. The characters are well developed to the point where you will actually find yourself sympathizing and rooting for the main character as you travel with her through her many struggles.
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Jane
5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting, Interesting, Couldn't Put The Book Down!
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2024
Verified Purchase
This book surprised me. The storytelling and characters keep you intrigued and I love a good historical fiction novel! This one adds romance in a way that's not cheesy, and the writing is engaging. It's based on a real woman (and family) so that adds to the intrigue. Great book and I'll be looking out for more books by this author.
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Kim Deister
3.0 out of 5 stars An important story...
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2022
Verified Purchase
trigger warnings: incest, child death, rape
My relationship with this book is quite complicated. I was extremely excited to read this book, but it left me feeling somewhat flat. The story itself was fascinating, one that I feel needed to be told. But although I love a long book done well, this felt somehow both too much and too little at the same time. The “too much” comes from the fact that there were many parts that felt more like filler than moments that really added to the story. The “too little” came from the rather vignette-style chapters. They were often rather short, a snapshot of a moment, over before I could really get to know the characters within. This wasn’t helped by the lack of many time markers, beyond a general year. I felt as if I never truly got to know Dolly (aka Dorothy), nor the large cast of characters in her life that were important.

And that is a shame as Dorothy Kirwan Thomas was a powerful and influential woman of color who was driven to succeed in a world and time that didn’t want that to happen. She was extraordinary, both as a woman in a world dominated by men, but more importantly as a person of color. She was driven, ambitious, and incredibly inspiring.

It also felt as if there was often too much attention paid to the intricacies of Dolly’s romances. They were important to her story, of course, but it felt as if the focus on them came at the expanse of pushing the story of her way to freedom and success to the side. And that was the part I wanted to know more about. It felt almost disrespectful to reduce her story to that of her relationships with men, as if her interactions were the most important thing about who she was.

All of that being said, there were some incredibly poignant moments, moments that really made me think. Here are a few quotes that really stuck out to me. Some because they were eye-opening, some because they are profoundly true, some that spole to me as a woman.

-The white man wants to blame his sins on colored women. His depravity is our fault. If we take the abuse just to live another day, they say we are the seducers. They write the history.

-A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.

-If not for Charlotte, I’d turn around and pretend I didn’t see this, how free colored fell into the ways of owning folks just like the whites.

-Somewhere on my journey, I started to love me. I won’t ever stop. My girls needed to love themselves, too, and to believe they were worthy of their dreams.
13 people found this helpful
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Chuki
4.0 out of 5 stars Great storytelling
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2023
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Good book and the audiobook just brings it to life. Great characters and storyline
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Marcie
5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightened Historical Story
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2022
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This historical story on Dorothy Kirwan Thomas was very well written. If you love historical novels, I do, on Black peoples lives in the 1700 and 1800's, then this is a must read! Loved the details Vanessa Riley gave us on how Dorothy grew her wealth even among the horrible obstacles of slavery. How and why she had to own slaves because the white man continued putting obstacles in her way trying to keep her from succeeding in building her hotels with man power to do it!! She did not want ownership of slaves, but she taught them how to work toward their freedom by saving their earnings to buy their freedom! Yes, she paid her slaves!! She did what she had to.

Her observations in her travels were amazing because she brought back what she learned and incorporated them in her businesses which helped her prosper even more! Loved her intelligence, her strength, her love of family and how she helped them all. She was a teacher in her own right, training her housekeepers on how she expected them to clean the white folks homes. How she taught her children to run her businesses was so smart because she was determined to make sure they knew how to survive during that time.

I can go on and on, but I will let you find out for yourself what a STRONG BLACK WOMAN can do with sheer determination. I recommend this book highly. Thank you Vanessa for this book. I loved 😍 ♥ it.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 30, 2023
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed reading this book very much and finding out more about people of colour in the Regency era. Well done.
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Jessica Bull
5.0 out of 5 stars I adored this absolute treasure of a book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
I adored this absolute treasure of a book. I’m a fan of Vanessa Riley’s romances, so was daunted when I saw it was over 500 pages – but her writing is so smooth and clear, her storytelling so compelling. I whizzed through it in just a few days. Island Queen is based on the true-life story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, it’s rich with historical detail and deeply atmospheric. This lively account of her fascinating and inspirational life is the narrative of the C18th I’ve been longing for, bravo Vanessa Riley!
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Jessica Bull
5.0 out of 5 stars I adored this absolute treasure of a book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2021
I adored this absolute treasure of a book. I’m a fan of Vanessa Riley’s romances, so was daunted when I saw it was over 500 pages – but her writing is so smooth and clear, her storytelling so compelling. I whizzed through it in just a few days. Island Queen is based on the true-life story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, it’s rich with historical detail and deeply atmospheric. This lively account of her fascinating and inspirational life is the narrative of the C18th I’ve been longing for, bravo Vanessa Riley!
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