🌶️🌶️🌶️RED HOT REGENCY!

Alexandra Vasti has combined several of the most popular Regency romance tropes with a lot of spice to create this delightfully wicked novel. Peter Kent became a Duke after the death of his estranged father. When he moved from America to England he discovered that he had two half siblings who are now in foster care. When his friend Sarena suggests that he might have a better chance of winning his plea for guardianship if he finds a respectable English lady to marry, she starts to play matchmaker. True to genre formula, she is already attracted to him herself. But she has a secret that could lead to scandle, and he is in need of respectability. Mix together the plots of two or three Bridgerton novels and add in a lot of SPICE, and you have a red hot regency sure to entertain.

I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher but the opinions in this review are entirely my own. I can honestly say that if you like spicy historical romance, you will love this new novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc. I really enjoyed this. Full disclosure, I know the author and that may have made me look on it more favourably, but it's a great read. How can you go wrong with a secret erotic library? This is a historical rom com, and I don't often like rom coms because I don't enjoy over the top humor or anything that gives me second hand embarrassment but this was the sort of humor I enjoy. Peter's mishaps were so silly you couldn't help but laugh and he too would make fun of himself. I really liked the moment when they both went wait why are we doing this the hard way and laughed at themselves for not thinking of getting a row boat form the get go.

I also really enjoyed all of the side characters. Georgiana's arc was a particular favourite of mine, I was hoping there as more to it and was very happy when that proved to be the case.

This was smuttier than I thought it would be, which I am definitely not complaining about. And I loved that she had no pain losing her virginity and thought about how weird it is that it's always described as so painful.

All in all this was a perfect for me historical romance and I'm really excited to read the novellas.

📖ARC Review📖

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first book by this author and I’m a sucker for a good historical romance. I think my only issue is I am constantly comparing all of the historical romances to my absolute favourite ones of that genre by Evie Dunmore. Sadly, none have come close yet but that doesn’t mean I haven’t read some good ones.

This was a good one! I liked the concept of the new Duke with his not so good reputation and the proper debutante with her secret banning together to try and improve his image so he can gain guardianship of his half siblings.

The beginning took me a while to get into, it was a little difficult for me at the start. Not sure what it was, nothing wrong with the writing but maybe it was the backstory and the length of time it takes to move past it. On any case one I was past it, I did enjoy it!

Banter, matchmaking, secrets and facades, all good elements in a historical romance.

Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti releases on Tuesday, July 23, 2024.

📚 Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 ~ 3.5 stars (4 on Goodreads)

Lady Selina Ravenscroft appears to be one of society’s proper debutante, but she had a secret. Peter Kent, the newly inherited Duke of Stanhope, must become respectable in order to become guardian to his half siblings. Selina offers help, but her matchmaking doesn’t go according to plan and the two are caught in a compromising position.

This is the debut full-length novel for Alexandra Vasti. This book and I did not start on the right footing, unfortunately. I had to read the first few chapters a few times because they just didn't catch my attention and I had a very hard time caring about the characters or what was happening. Perhaps this was a mood-issue, as the book *did* improve and there were some great moments (clueless Georgiana was the highlight, IMO). The story was more of a rom-com and I would recommend it to fans of Virginia Heath or Courtney McCaskill. I wish that more time had been given to the matchmaking and the main couple developing their love story, rather than so much of the focus going to the precocious siblings. However, I really liked Peter and Selina's relationship in the second half of the book and the plot surrounding the circulating library. 3.5 stars

Tropes: Unexpected Inheritance, Matchmaking, Compromised, Secret Job, Children as a Plot Point

Steam: 4

* I received an ACR and this is my honest review.

Ne’er Duke Well

Oh my gosh WHAT A DELIGHT! Such a fun historical romance adventure. I absolutely adored this one.

Peter Kent is the recently appointed Duke of Stanhope, who just moved from New Orleans to take over the dukedom and earn guardianship of his half brother and sister. Unfortunately, he needs help improving his reputation prior to the guardianship hearing. Selina decides the best way to accomplish to the task is to find Peter a duchess. Though as she tries to help him court, she cannot deny that she seems to be best fitted for the job. A role she tries to resist as the library she runs in secret could bring even more scandal to Peter’s reputation.

I adored this! The banter and chemistry was top notch. I could not stop giggling the antics of Peter’s siblings, Freddie and Lu. This one is delightful, heartwarming and a hug of a (spicy) book that emphasizes what we can accomplish when we support those we love.

I highly recommend this one! Thank you to Griffin and Netgalley for this ARC!

Ne’er Duke Well is on shelves July 23rd! My opinions are my own.

This was a wonderful historical romance that was so enjoyable throughout. It had such a great story and was nice and steamy. The plot was so well done I now want to read all of this author’s backlist.

If you enjoy reading historical romance, this book is for you!

I had such high hopes going into this book. After reading Vasti’s original novella trilogy, I could hardly contain my excitement for her first full-length venture. However, I was underwhelmed by the end result of that venture.

Let's start with the things I did enjoy about the novel. The writing: I thoroughly enjoyed the writing in her original three novellas, and that was no different in this novel. I enjoyed Vasti’s writing and the ease I had with reading the book. I also enjoyed the spicy times. I remember how detailed Vasti’s intimate scenes were in her novella’s and how they were a specific point of enjoyment for me. I think the spicy scenes were the saving point for me because they kept me interested.

Which leads me to the things I didn’t enjoy. I am a huge lover of kids in a novel if they serve a purpose and add to the plot. There were kids in this novel, but they were hardly around in the whole book (maybe 10%?) So, I was severely disappointed in the execution of the kids and their involvement. There was ample opportunity for them to be featured and included more, but those opportunities were never taken advantage of. Another thing I didn’t enjoy was how much I DIDN’T care about the characters. I found myself stuck in a rut around 40% because I just didn’t care about what was happening. And then I realized it was the characters I didn’t care about.

I knew I was supposed to care about them but I just… didn’t. I liked them well enough, but I felt like I didn’t know them well enough to care about what happened to them. I also found myself bored for a great majority of the book. I felt there were times when the plot was stalled for Peter and Selina to have a back and forth bicker about absolutely nothing. I didn’t feel that the gravity of the third-act situation had enough tension for me to care what happened.

Overall, I just didn’t care that much. However, I did find myself enjoying myself much more in the second half and I do plan on trying out her next book in the series when it is released.

I still have high hopes for the next book. Crossing my fingers I enjoy it more than this one!

I received this as an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Ne'er Duke Well is Alexandra Vasti's new regency romance and it has been on my tbr list since I heard about it. I admit I was super excited when I got this book because I love Vasti's stories. She has the perfect mix of plot and character development and I'm here to tell you that this was another good one!

Peter Kent is the new Duke of Stanhope. Recently from New Orleans, Louisiana, he realizes quickly he has to become respectable because he has also learned that he has two half-siblings and in order to become their guardian, his current reputation won't do. With his radical politics and questionable reputation, he needs to prove he can take care of them and the only way he sees how to do that is to turn to the most clever and managing person he knows, Lady Selina Ravenscroft.

Selina Ravenscroft is one of Society's most proper debutantes and if anyone can help Peter, it is her but there is one secret she has that if anyone finds out about it, could ruin their whole plan. She runs an erotic circulating library for women because she refuses to let anyone be caught in a similar situation as she was. She supports ladies learning everything they want to about sex and relationships before getting married off despite what Society thinks but she acknowledges that she does have to keep it under wraps to save the reputations of her family.

When Peter asks Selina for help, she agrees to help and does everything she can to find suitable ladies for him. What she didn't expect was that perhaps the right lady for him would be her. I loved all the shenanigans and especially the chemistry between these two. Selina keeps trying to throw her friends in front of Peter and Peter lets it happen but he quickly sees that Selina may be the right one for him. I also loved the times when Peter was with Lu and Freddie.

If you haven't read anything by Alexandra Vasti yet, you need to correct that right away. She has other series you can pick up but this is a standalone so if you want to grab this when it comes out, you should consider doing so, I think you'll enjoy it if you enjoy Regency Romance. Vasti does a fantastic job of developing the character's stories and she also writes steam well.

Fans of the Bridgerton series do not want to miss this sizzling Regency marriage of convenience romance that sees an unexpected Duke from America needing to find a wife in order to win guardianship of his younger half siblings.

Steamy, full of heart and with strong female characters, this is the first book in a new series and its perfect for those who enjoy books by authors like Evie Dunmore, Suzanne Enoch, Erica Ridley or Julia Quinn. This was also great on audio narrated by Mhairi Morrison.

I loved Selena, the FMC in this book, who secretly runs a scandalous library for women of the ton that helps publish titles intended to both titillate and educate those ladies with little to no knowledge of sex, conception or contraception.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review! I thoroughly enjoyed my first book by a new to me author and will eagerly be waiting for the next volume in the Halifax series!

📣 a fantastic historical with a supportive, golden retriever duke & a warm & competent sister of a duke who gives him butterflies

Thanks to the publishers & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 What’s one of your Wednesday numbers? Some of mine are: 33%, about how far I am into my current read, Long Live Evil; 1 kid awake & I’m getting him to practice home row typing while I finish this review 🤣; 1 Cinderella dance class I’m taking my daughter to this morning.

This book!

I freaking love a book that doesn’t go where you think it will go, that gives you the cool relief of acceptance & love instead of the stress you might have anticipated.

Alexandra Vasti’s Ne’er Duke Well offers that & so much more to its readers:

🙌🏻 a well-intentioned duke who has a heart & sometimes gets himself into scrapes bc of it. Peter is an abolitionist, an American, wants to get custody of his two half-siblings, & has had feelings for Selina for so long even if he doesn’t recognize them for what they are right away.
🙌🏻 comedic moments that shine, from a fierce sister to a nervous friend who’s constantly trying to escape Selina’s matchmaking efforts.
🙌🏻 a social fixer, businesswoman heroine who runs her own circulating library for women featuring erotic, philosophical, etc. books that are often denied to women. YESSSSSSS.
🙌🏻 when he could denounce or abandon her, he cleaves more strongly. He supports her & is proud of her when she feels at her lowest!
🙌🏻 the same for her. She knows what his heart wants & from the beginning, she wants to help. She’s so silly in thinking she wants to marry him off to someone else 😆😍.
🙌🏻 my goodness, the steam is good!

Ne’er Duke Well has my heart. A total winner & this author makes me really excited!

5 ⭐️. Out 07/23.

Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.

[ID: Jess holds the ebook in front of a mural of two exhausted people seated at a table, leaning over each other.]

Omg such a great fresh take on historical romance! I loved Peter as a MMC. He represents a unique part of the aristocracy at the time. I loved Selina’s fierce independence and desire to make sure the women of the time weren’t kept in the dark.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Ne’er Duke Well is a recently released Regency Romance by Alexandra Vasti, a new-to-me author.

The hero, Peter Kent, had been abandoned by his father, a duke, and raised in Louisiana, far from the entanglements of London Society. However, two years earlier, upon discovering that he was the heir presumptive to the dukedom, he returned to England to learn the ropes. Now, he is the Duke of Stanhope. He wants to use his position for good. He has liberal ideas and is not hesitant to proclaim them. But there is a problem. He has two young half-siblings, Freddie and Lu, and he is determined to take custody of them and raise them in a caring environment. Unfortunately, he has made a bad impression on the judge who will rule on his case. Peter needs help.

The heroine, Lady Selena Ravenscroft, wants to provide that help. They are friends of a sort. She thinks his suit will be aided by his taking a wife with an impeccable pedigree. The children need a mother, after all. She has a few ladies in mind. But not herself. Definitely not. Because she has a secret that she knows will come out one day, and the scandal would be ruinous to her and to Peter’s chances. Selena is part owner of a well-known publishing company. The company is especially successful because of its “Venus” line, racy novels for ladies to help them learn a little of the world so they won’t be so disadvantaged when dealing with men.

Whenever one member of a pair in a Romance tries to help the other find a perfect match, readers know what to expect. But the journey to love—how they get to the point of realizing they are meant to be together—is what makes the novels fun. Peter and Selena are well suited, and the obstacle is a formidable one, making this a very enjoyable read.

This is a charming, moderately steamy Romance with likeable protagonists and a well-constructed plot. It’s a standalone novel, as far as I can tell, but I look forward to more from this author.

I was very excited to read a book by this new author. She definitely was able to craft an appealing story with action, humor and plenty of steam. I was very sympathetic towards the hero Peter. His family background was tragic and he was doing everything in his power to give his family a better future. The heroine Selina was really something. She was cool and competent--exactly the kind of wife Peter needed. Unfortunately, she had a big secret that, if found out, would overshadow all of her good qualities and potentially ruin her future with Peter.
There was one thing in this book that bothered me. Rather than depicting the English society of the time, with standard HR characters, the author went with the current "Bridgerton" trend. There was a diversity of characters which were there to tick off some boxes on the modern-day checklist. This didn't have any actual bearing on the plot and I found it distracting.
I do give the author credit for bringing this book to a happy ending. The story was careening towards the dreaded third act break-up and the author navigated her way through it quite nicely.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

Fantastic historical fiction! The characters stole my heart. It’s sweet, swoony, funny and a great time start to finish. The writing is fresh, humorous and the historical aspects feel well researched.

Ne'er Duke Well is a delightful, steamy, and slightly silly Regency romance with a social conscience. Set at a woman-run library, the story introduces an American duke, Peter Kent, who unexpectedly becomes the Duke of Stanhope. Lady Selina Ravenscroft, the secret power behind Belvoir's Library, becomes his matchmaker. Their hasty marriage gets off to a steamy start, but Selina's secrets are on the verge of being exposed.

With wit, humor, and solid character development, Vasti has crafted a charming Regency series around Belvoir's Library. The book's spicy scenes would feel right at home in Belvoir's Venus catalog—a ladies-only collection with a combination of radical philosophy, erotic memoirs, and titillating novels. A promising start to a new series!

This clumsy Duke means well but has a knack for getting stuck into scandalous situations, I wasn't sure of Peter at first but he grew on me as the story went on, however, Selina definitely runs this household! I did feel like I was almost missing a previous book with these two characters, as they had a backstory that was referenced but not fully explained, leaving me to wonder if I missed something or if I just wanted more knowledge of that beforehand. I liked that Selina was progressive and had her secret library to run, it added to the plot of the story and was a fun addition to a historical romance... I did think (in the beginning) that the sexual tension between Peter and Selina was a bit odd though. Overall, this was a fun historical romance that had multiple storylines to follow, which was a nice break from the romance!

Goodreads review 7/18, Instagram @evelynlainebooks 7/17 and in the future!

Ne’re Duke Well is an amazing historical romance. In addition to a radical Duke, it has everything I love about historicals: strong women who won’t be confined to society’s boxes and the men who are absolutely gone for them. Alexandra Vasti creates fantastic, realistic characters that I couldn’t get enough of.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Peter Kent never expected to become the Duke of Stanhope while growing up in New Orleans. But now he’s a peer in London, and will do anything to be named guardian of his precocious half siblings. Lady Selina Ravenscroft, who makes it her business to help people when she can, determines Peter should marry to show just how responsible he is. But after meeting Selina’s candidates, Peter just wants Selina. Which is great, since the feeling is mutual. Only, Selina’s secret project running an erotic lending library for the ladies of the ton won’t help Peter’s case for guardianship if the truth comes out. Can these two figure out a way to be together, and protect the kids too?

I adore this book! Selina is strong and spunky, and finds ways to work around the limits society places on women. For Peter’s part, he wants her from the beginning, even if that’s not her plan. He supports her no matter what she does, even when Selina thinks he won’t. There’s really no question that he’s all in when it comes to Selina, and their chemistry is sizzling.

Another plus is welcome on the page diversity that doesn’t always appear in regency romance. From queer aunts to a South Asian attorney, these are all characters that would be a part of 19th century London, even if they aren’t usually mentioned, and I love the role they play here.

Alexandra Vasti writes wonderful unconventional characters in seemingly conventional settings. Selina and Peter are smart, responsible, and engaging, along with being super hot for each other. Ne’er Duke Well is the amazing start to this new historical romance series, and I can’t wait for all my favorite characters to get their own HEAs.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have loved all of the novellas from this author so I was super excited for this full length book and it definitely did not disappoint!

Peter Kent(who grew up in Louisiana) has just become the new Duke Of Stanhope and he needs some help to get the guardianship of his two half siblings(as they're illegitimate). His radical opinions along with some accidental incidents have given him a scandalous reputation and this will hinder his case. When he runs into Lady Selina Ravenscroft, he decides to ask her for help and she comes up with an excellent idea - to marry him off to a lady with an excellent reputation 😆 Much to Peter's disappointment she doesn't include herself on the list of his prospects lol😂(she has her reasons). But, things don't always go according to plan, do they?

Both Selina and Peter were amazing protagonists! Selina was so intelligent, efficient and strong while Peter was loyal, caring and optimistic! They complemented each other so well and I loved the romance between them(and how Peter was utterly gone for her🤣). Their little family with the two siblings - Lu and Freddie was perfect, and there were so many hilarious moments with them. Selina's family was equally amazing and I loved their friends and how everyone came together for them! I think I loved almost all of the characters in this one!

“You are the heart of us, Selina. There is no family without you.” 🥹

My favorite part was definitely the fact that there wasn't any unnecessary drama in this one - no secrets or misunderstandings. Selina is very honest with Peter and in turn, he's very supportive. I loved the fact that they worked together and figured out a solution without any unnecessary angst! Also, I don't think I need to mention how steamy this one was 😆
Mhairi Morrison's narration was excellent and I enjoyed listening to the way she voiced the different characters and their accents - it was so vivid and fun!

This one comes out next week so make sure to grab it if you're looking for a fun historical romance with amazing characters and a cute found family!❣️✨

I'm still fairly new to the subgenre of historical romance, but this is the most fun that I've had while reading one and now I fully understand its appeal. I thoroughly enjoyed both Peter and Selina as main characters, who felt very much of this time period while holding refreshing opinions that made them rebels tending to attract scandal. Vasti's writing is warm and accessible, doing incredible work building up the attraction between these two so it feels palpable to readers and paying this off so satisfyingly in the story. The synopsis only covers the book's first half, and I was delighted that there were so many fun and interesting developments left to discover in the second, even if the plot becomes overly busy at a few points. The entire cast of characters is wonderful, and I look forward to reading future books that either include or are centered on them.

Alexandra Vasti has a magical way of making everything feel light and airy, so you don’t even notice the way that deep emotions and weighty issues are sneaking up on you until you’re crying happy tears for her characters. And the spice is as on point as you'd expect from her Halifax novellas. A charming and polished debut that announces the entrance of a singular new voice into Historical Romance! Can’t wait to read the next one in the series.