An enjoyable read. Loved the characters and the story. The setting was also enjoyable. The two leads were perfect. The spice was just what I was needing and expecting. This author is great look forward to reading more.

Peter Kent, the man that you are. I just want to give him the biggest, most grandmotherly smooch on the forehead.

"Ne'er Duke Well" is an utter fucking delight. Lighthearted and funny, but also carefully thoughtful regarding some of the heavier themes. Also, shockingly open door. Which I should have guessed since Selina literally runs a circulating erotic library, but the cover is goddamn cute. This scratches every itch for a historical romcom; a MMC who hearts his wife, a fiery FMC, a sweet found family. Absolutely worth the read.

The funnest, most magical romp of a book! I love Selina and Peter SO much. Pick this book up to watch the sweetest of babes fall in glorious, heartwarming love.

I absolutely loved this book and I’m so sad it took me so long to get to it! I had the opportunity to read the ebook and the listen to the audio and they were both incredible. The narrators were great and really brought life to the characters!

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: soon in, the end of chapter 1
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, six months later

Should I read in order?
This is the first in the Belvoir’s Library but there is brief mention of the Halifax characters.

Basic plot:
Selina helps Peter stay respectable and find a worthy wife to gain custody of his siblings.

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency – 1815
- American hero (Louisianian), English heroine pairing
- Duke hero
- pets in the story – the hero’s siblings have a cat
- children in the story – the hero is fighting for guardianship
- heroine runs a naughty circulating library
- compromised heroine
- matching making
- mid to higher steam – 4ish full scenes

Ages:
- heroine is 23, hero is 29

My thoughts:
It took me a little bit to get into this book, but soon in I was finding so many of my favorite tropes – a matchmaking aspect, longing from the hero, and adding a compromised heroine I was totally in love. I loved the heroine and her naughty library. I loved Peter and his zeal for life and his siblings and what’s right in the world. I loved them together! The banter was so cute and playful and their longing and spiral towards each other was just swoony. The steam was perfection. Super, super sweet. I felt the love in this one – a believable HEA that just felt true 😍

This was a first time read for me by this author and I found it to be a fun and enjoyable story. The storyline flowed nicely and kept me engaged from start to finish. It's a heartwarming story that will give you all the feels and also give you plenty of fun and laughs along the way. Peter is a newly inherited duke and has come from New Orleans to take up his responsibilities. He is also trying to get guardianship of his younger siblings, and becoming respectable will go a long way in helping him achieve his goal. Selina decides to help him find a respectable wife, which will help him show he can provide a stable home for his siblings. She wants to help him find a love match, but the only problem is she is falling for him herself. But she has a secret that is certain to alert the gossip mongers and cause scandal, so she is the last person he should marry. Her mind is clear on that fact, but her heart hasn't gotten the memo.
Filled with heartfelt moments and charming and endearing characters, this book was such a delight to read! I will certainly look for future books from this author! I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I don’t read a lot of historical romance, I read it occasionally so I took a chance on requesting this book. I’m glad I did and have since added more of Alexandra Vasti’s books to my wish list. A secret erotic library for women? Yes please, a swoon worthy male lead? Again yes please! This book was funny and hot and everything I could want from a regency romance.

A charming historical romance! The characters were fun to get to know. The story feels original and fresh. I enjoyed reading and like how the author described the setting and characters. Lots of fun! Very enjoyable book.

Thank you very much to the author Alexandra Vasti, St. Martin's Griffith, and NetGalley for the great opportunity of reading and reviewing this book.

3 stars

As a self-proclaimed Alexandra Vasti fangirl and a devourer of her novellas, I spent quite some time gathering my thoughts about <i>Ne'er Duke Well</i>.

Unlike her previous works, this book suffers from a lack of tension, and a whole lot of plot just plods along without any table stakes.


Pros :

- An introduction to a charming ensemble cast.

- The feisty and take-charge Selina <3 The heart of this story - planner and fixer extraordinare! I'm so so glad to meet a heroine who not just rebels and meddles, but also faces consequences for her actions.


Cons :

- The editing choices of a big publishing house. There's no other explanation on how the precursor novellas, perfect in pacing and characterization led to this ..
The candidates for the first half courtship were obviously unsuitable, and the custody battle in the second half so bland, even the spark in the main Peter - Selina pairing was missing. I skimmed and skimmed, hoping for the book to end.

- Some weird writing choices. A curator of erotic libraries acting like a wide eyed ingenue during the sex scenes.

My thanks to the author and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC, all opinions my own!

Honestly, I had really high hopes for this book, but it just did not hit the mark for me. I felt that the couple fell in love way too instantly and I never like an Insta love I really needed more of a buildup. I lost interest in the characters by the halfway point, and none of the side characters really felt enjoyable in anyway. The ending was boring and in all honesty if I did not have the audiobook, I probably would have DNFed this.

I don’t think this is a badly written book. It just wasn’t enjoyable to me.

Thank you to McMillan publishers for sending me an E ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Quick Summary: A thoroughly modern Regency romance

My Review: Ne'er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti is a 2024 release. It is book #1 in the Belvoir's Library series.

About the Book: "In this steamy Regency romp, Lady Selina is determined to find the Duke of Stanhope the perfect wife—the only problem is she's starting to think that might be her."

Lady Selina is just the type of woman that Peter, an American and newly titled duke, wants in his life. Unfortunately, she keeps trying to push him into the arms of any other woman besides herself. When he decides to go along with her plan, he cannot help but notice that her interest might just be changing.

My Final Say: I really enjoyed this novel. It is what I would call a contemporary Regency novel. The refreshing approach that Selina took with her life was right on. The firm yet gentle (and genteel) manner that Peter displayed was endearing. I liked them together. I also loved how they were both committed to helping the children.

Other: I would highly recommend this book to Regency romance readers, especially to those who like a strong female character and a supportive partner that stands by her.

Rating: 3.75/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: 🍰🌶️
Series: Yes

Sincere appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin), and to NetGalley. Thank you so very much for granting access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own. I look forward to continuing this series.

Alex Vasti is a great new voice in the histrom space. Like many, I first read her novellas, and fans of those will find this debut full-length book equally charming and full of steamy goodness.

I love a regency romance and this was an enjoyable one! Lady Selina is on a mission to find the Duke the perfect wife, but what if it’s her? If you are missing some Bridgerton in your life this will scratch the itch !

Thank you #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I really liked this book, however it felt very divided. The firs half of the book, where Selina is trying to find Peter a wife was a five star for me. the second half of the book when they are trying to keep Selina's secrete safe and adopt the siblings was good but it felt like a lot of things to happen in the book. I really did like the characters and understood their motives which I always like.

Peter, Duke of Stanhope, recruits Lady Selina, an old acquaintance, to help him clean up his image. She suggests he marry a scandal-free woman, but they find themselves drawn to each other instead.
Peter and Selina were both charming characters that made the story such a fun read. The tension between them simmered, and the relationship between them was heartfelt. I’m excited to read more.

This was a fantastic read and I loved every second of it. I had read the books of the Hallifax sisters but this one was so much better, likely we got to know both of the main characters so much better.I loved that Selina was so passionate she ran an erotic library for women so they were more informed of what happens during sex.
The story if pretty much summed up as Peter needs to marry (romance reasons) and Selina is happy to help him find a respectable duchess (definitively not herself). but of course, these two are perfect for each other and they slowly start falling in love. I loved how Peter supported and admired everything Selina did.

I am upset at my self for not reading this earlier because I really liked it! I love a historical romance and this one definitely hit the spot. It was very cute and I didn’t want to put it down!

This gave me some Bridgerton vibes and was a cute read. It took me a little bit to get into but once I did I really enjoyed it. I don’t usually read historical romance either but this was a good one.

Lovely book that everyone should read. The cover pulls you in immediately. I had heard about this author from tiktok. So glad to have received an ARC of this.

I absolutely loved reading this I just felt like the story was soooo rushed and too much was trying to happen at once. I think one or two less plot points would have been perfect and we could have spent more time with relationship and character development. Other than that, I really did enjoy this and adored the romance. I will definitely read the sequel!