Finally, in Alexandra Vasti’s NE’ER DUKE WELL (St. Martin’s Griffin, 352 pp., paperback, $17.99), Peter Kent is a radical duke, born in New Orleans and with a tendency toward abolitionism. He also has two young illegitimate siblings in dire need of care; finding an unimpeachably respectable wife is the surest way to ensure he’s granted custody by the courts. His friend Lady Selina Ravenscroft offers a list of eligible brides — but doesn’t include herself, as she secretly runs a ladies’ library filled with sexually explicit volumes. Some of these are erotic, some are educational — and all of them would ruin her if the truth were to get out.

So Peter must marry someone else, no matter how much his heart soars when Selina walks into a room. And Selina has to let him go, no matter how jealous she gets to see him flirting with the diamonds of the ton.

This is a gem of a Regency, with dazzling banter and more than the usual amount of charm. Nearly everyone is hiding something, because when social rules are so rigid nearly everyone has something to hide. Because everyone carries their own secret as a burden — Peter not being able to publicly claim his siblings, Selina not being able to openly discuss her work — scandal becomes an immense source of power.

Which, coincidentally, is the greatest secret of historical romance: that this frothy, sexy, self-referential genre tells us so much about our modern selves.

I love a good historical romance and this one didn’t disappoint. Peter is trying to get custody of his half brother and sister. Selina, a family friend, thinks that he needs to take a wife to help his cause. Only too bad, Peter only has eyes for her. After some back and forth about how Selina thinks she isn’t the suitable wife because she runs a library with some scandalous content, they finally get together. This was a fun read and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

A fun twist on a regency romance! I really enjoyed this. The characters were unexpected, different and made for interesting reading. It's hard to put a new spin on a book like this, but this author did!

As a lover of historical romance, I always approach a new author with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. But I'd read one of Alexandra Vasti's novellas that are part of this Halifax series, and had enjoyed it, so was hopeful for her first full-length novel. I wasn't disappointed. This was fun - I enjoyed the introduction of Peter Kent, a newly minted duke who was from Louisiana, who wasn't all that enthralled with his new title but was reluctantly enthralled with his newly-met half-siblings and is determined to become their new guardian. I liked Selina Page, who's quite the proper debutante on the surface, but has chosen to forego marriage to pursue her somewhat improper vocation as a publisher. Selina's attempts to help Peter find a very proper duchess to shore up his suitability as a guardian, her attempts are thwarted at every turn - most of all by their mutual attraction to each other. I enjoyed the main characters and those surrounding them. Overall I enjoyed this one and look forward to more in the Halifax series.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing copies for an unbiased review.

This was my first book by Alexandra Vasti and I loved it! Historical romance has always been a favorite genre of mine and when an author can write in that genre but make it feminist, I am always impressed. Ne’er Duke Well was humorous and romantic. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

This was a delightful read. The writing style and romance tropes were wonderfully executed and I was rooting for the two main characters (a rarity these days). My one complaint is I don't particularly enjoy kids in books but the ending scene with them storming into a courthouse with a horse made up for me suffering through their presence. I can't wait to read the next one in this series.

Selina and Peter were so cute.

She was determined to find Peter a wife to help him with getting custody of his half siblings. She couldn’t see or chose to ignore that she fit everything she was looking for in a potential match.

The event that lead them to pretending they were getting married made me laugh. It was like the universe wanted to force them together. I laughed so many times throughout the book. I just loved it.

I am a fan of Alexandra's Halifax novellas (which is how I discovered her) so I was excited for her full-length novel. Vasti's writing is immersive and actually makes you feel as if you are a fly on the wall of a regency drawing room. You get a true sense of the language, customs, concerns of the characters and a comprehensive appreciation for the setting. All of these tenets held true for this story.

I enjoyed the unfolding of Selina and Peter's story and particularly Selina's subversive endeavours within the parameters of "good society." I also really enjoyed the exploration of Peter's motivations and self-doubts and his reconciling both through the relationship with Selina.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and look forward to more stories from Vasti.

Absolutely ADORED this one. so extremely obsessed with everything Alexandra Vasti writes, i will be sat for all of it i swear

I really loved the plot of this. Selina was a great character and I loved that she ran a library and the plot of the Venus catalogue. Peter was also good and I really like his motivations and relationship with his siblings. The romance was well done and the spice was good. I liked the resolution to the conflicts and would read more in this world.

This was an absolutely fantastic historical romance, with great characters. I look forward to reading what Alexandra Vasti writes next!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I primarily listened to the audiobook for this, which I think really added something to the story. The narrator was fantastic. As for the story, I liked it, but felt like it got a bit long. I appreciated that the big secret wasn't nearly as big of a deal to the people in her life (which is great anxiety rep), but her constant trying to run away because no one could love her for it was a drag.

I’ve made it my mission this year to go through all available Alexandra Vasti books/novellas and I’m so so so happy that I was sent Ne’er Duke Well by her publisher. This book is everything I would hope to find in a historical romance (charming leads who are well matched in intellect and chemistry, libraries with secret owners, close knit friendships, and a pair of absolutely very amusing children). I’m so glad to have stumbled upon Vasti’s books and I’m very excited to read everything and anything she does in the future! I’ve recommended this novel to all of my friends.

I'm giving this 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Alexandra Vasti writes such fun books filled with humor, great characters, and amazing romance! This one was sweet lighthearted and with just the right amount of spice.

Peter and Selina were absolutely delightful together in this charming historical romcom. I'm so looking forward to the next book in this series!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This ended up being a really fun, sweet book. For a bit, I wasn’t sure how I was enjoying it, because the main characters get together so early on (compared to the majority of rom-coms). Here really isn’t much of the initial tension between them. It almost feels as though there was another book before this where they were side characters. They get married more quickly than I expected, but in the end, I actually liked that they were able to go through some difficult times together. They were completely supportive of one another and as a reader you get to experience them truly falling in love. Both of the main characters are very likeable and their interactions are fun to read. I hope the author makes this a series with Lydia as the main character next.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

Adorable characters! I liked the premise of the lending library and the Venus Catalogue and appreciated the agency and education it tried to give women as that is often something I have to overlook in other historical romances. I did enjoy the book overall, but was confused enough about references to events that take place before this story and other characters that I stopped reading to look up if I accidentally started in the middle of a series. For example, how Selina and Peter met is referenced in detail which made me wonder if I missed a book before this one that set them up as the next pairing. I kept reading after learning that this is Alexandra Vasti's debut novel, but I still felt like I was missing a previous book or prequel at times. This would be understandable if I started in the middle of a series, but was confusing with this book being labeled Book 1 in the Belvoir's Library Trilogy. I probably would have given this book 4 stars, but took off one star for this confusion. I consider 3 stars to be a good rating and will definitely read more of Alexandra Vasti's books in the future, I just hope some of the references that it seemed like I should already understand are explained in book 2. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastic full-length debut from one of my favorite Historical Romance authors! I eagerly await any new writing from Vasti.

Well this was unexpectedly delightful. A southern gentleman becomes a duke in England and must find a wife but falls for his best friend who is trying to find him a wife. Said woman also runs a sexy book library for female liberation and pleasure. Yes yes yes! This was steamy AF and such a treat to read!

Ne'er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti is a historical, regency romance that follows Peter Kent and Lady Selina Ravenscroft.

A little bit of background information: Peter, who is a newly appointed Duke, has developed a scandalous reputation that he needs help turning around if he wishes to become guardian of his half siblings. So, he turns to Lady Selina for help. She then embarks on helping him find a reputable woman to marry.

From the start, I could see the chemistry between these two and how perfect they were for each other. From how Peter cared for his younger siblings and how Selina cared for her own friends and family. How they both are strong and willing to do what it takes for those they love. How they both stand up for what they believe is right. This was a love story that I will be rereading.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: @alexandravasti was my first, and will remain, my favorite historical romance author.

Her characters are believable and lovable, her dialogue is fun and fast-paced, and the amount of lovely female friendships is 🥹🙌🏼🙌🏼

This book is no different.

I love Peter and Selina. (Peter is from the American South!)
The spice was spicing 🥵🌶️🔥
And the stakes were sweetly high 🙌🏼

So yes, as I recommend @alexandravasti novellas (the Halifax Hellions!), I'll also recommend this novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and for the ARC. ❤️