I came to love Alexandra Vasti’s work through her novellas. I love how her heroines are always clever and feisty. In this book, Selina looks like a proper debutante, and behaves like one in public, but she secretly runs a lending library full of erotic books for women. She’s a genius, of course. It’s her secret life that makes her think she can’t marry the male lead, the Duke of Stanhope. The two of them clearly have tons of chemistry, but Selina does not want to ruin Stanhope’s chance of becoming the legal guardians of his two half siblings. She does the kind thing and tries to help Stanhope get married to other women. Hijinks ensue. Selina and Stanhope realize they are only attracted to each other. It takes them a while, and sometimes Selina doth protest too much. But I love the way they come together at the end, the way Selina has to learn to trust Stanhope and his love of her. This was a fun Regency Romance with plenty of surprises.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

There are some dramatic moments toward the end of the book that took me out of the story, but otherwise I love the plot and characters! There's great chemistry and solid banter between Selina and Golden Retriever Husband Peter (SO NICE AND SUPPORTIVE AND LOVES HIS FAMILY), and I'd happily read a spinoff about their friends and family members (especially Lu and Lydia).

4 🌟's

this was so cute!! i freaking love having children in histrom was literally sobbing 3 diff times throughout this

vasti never misses.. her writing and worlds reminds me a lot of lisa kleypas and sarah maclean and i am here for it!!!! can't wait for more

Peter Kent was raised in America but has moved to England after inheriting an ancient dukedom. He now has one goal-to gain guardianship of his two younger half siblings. But his impulsive behavior, outspoken views on politics, and Americanness are all working against him. Enter Selena Ravenscroft, a strong willed debutante who secretly runs an underground erotic library. When Peter enlists the help of Selena to improve his social standing, she suggests marriage to a lady of impeccable reputation as the best solution and sets about as matchmaker. Peter and Selena soon find they are unable to deny their chemistry and must find a way to overcome their scandalous reputations in order to secure the best life for Peter's siblings.

This steamy romance was both fun and entertaining. However I wanted a bit more of Peter's backstory, history with the Ravenscrofts or introduction into English society. The story alludes to this time period but gives few details, it's as if I missed a previous installment. There is a wide cast of side characters, each one enjoyable and amusing. I would love a spinoff of several characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was precious and made me feel giddy for these characters, who deserved only good things. I also love a historical romance with women who reject the limitations placed on them by society and embrace their own agency.

Lady Selina and Peter Kent were endearing, nuanced protagonists, and their chemistry was incredible. The found family, laugh-out moments, and dynamic supporting cast made this a standout historical romance.

I’ve been trying to gather my thoughts on this one for a while now. It was a fun book for sure, but it was missing a bit of something for me. Each of the Halifax novellas were unlike anything I’d read in the genre before. Unfortunately, Ne’er Duke Well didn’t stand out from the rest. It was still charming, but it had some weird editorial choices that messed with the pacing.

Maybe it was a fluke that I’d read a few different custody battle books before getting to this one, but the plot just didn’t really speak to me. Again, it was fun, but it didn’t make me feel much. Everything felt a bit squeaky clean by the end; it all just felt a bit too easy? So while I had a good time, I just wasn’t emotionally invested because there wasn’t much tension. Even with a custody battle! The sex even got to be a bit rote by the end.

The editorial hand also felt a bit off—I don’t know, however, if it was too heavy (removing scenes) or not heavy enough (not adding scenes). When I started to get into the stride of the story, scenes I was excited for just weren’t there!! Some of this was personal preference on my part, but some of it just felt a bit clunky. The novellas, on the other hand, had a very masterful control of the scope and pacing of scenes.

I was SO excited for the scene where Nicholas confronted Peter after the ruination. I love those scenes so much!! And then not only were we shut out from that scene, but we were also never told even a bit about how that conversation went? Nothing was ever mentioned!! I wanted that comedy. The same thing happened with their wedding day and marriage vows. We got a bit and then the rest was cut and never really recounted by the characters.

Still, do think this was a remarkable debut, I’m just more excited for what Vasti does next. The setups for the next books seem very intriguing and right up my alley, more so than the setup of Ne’er Duke Well. I also just think Peter—while hot and sexually gifted—just wasn’t MY preferred hero. Honestly, he seemed rather exhausting lmao. I love him for Selina, but I’m more interested in who’s to come.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75*/5 🌶️🌶️.5/5

*I think my rating could go up if I were to reread—since I read it over a period of several days—but I’m not entirely sure I’m compelled to reread, hence it not quite making four stars.


I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

Historical romp, Duke from America, secret lending library, drama & dogs! What more could you ask for?


Peter Kent, now the Duke of Stanhope, is trying gain guardianship of his two half-siblings, 12-year-old Lucinda "Lu" and 10-year-old Freddie. BUT he is an outcast to society, not married and from America (gasp!). Selina Ravenscroft is the sister of a Duke and secretly runs a lending library with a secret catalogue, the kind that may compare vegetables to various body parts, if you know what I mean...

Selina is a 'helper' and can't turn her back from anyone in need. She embroils herself in Peter's predicament which leads to hilarity, drama and revealing all of their secrets.

A couple of twists and turns, and a few spicy scenes later there is a HEA!

Vasti’s prose is a witty delight and pulled me in from the first page. I truly didn’t want to put the book down.

We’ve got a lovely cast of characters in Peter, Selina, Peter’s young half-siblings, and Selina’s friends and family. Together, they paint a lovely point of view on families (or what we make of them) and feminism.

Sincerely hoping to see a return to this world with some of the secondary characters!

Ne'er Duke Well
By Alexandra Vasti

ARC Review: Pub. Date July 23, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️

“𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒚. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒖𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅.”

I don't know what I expected from this book, but it exceeded every possible expectation I may have had. I went in pretty blind. I knew it was a regency romance, and I've never read one before, so I decided to give it a shot. It was FANTASTIC.

Selina is potentially one of my favorite FMCs. She's so smart and witty and not willing to settle for less than she's deserves. She's also protective of the people she loves and will do anything to make sure they are ok. She's completely badass. Her storyline in this book is so empowering and I loved every moment of it.

Peter was a great MMC. He was sweet, thoughtful, a bit mischievous, and surprisingly SPICY! I haven't read regency before so I didn't really know what to expect going into this, but it was 🔥🔥🔥 and I loved it.

The pacing in this book is also different than I expected. It moved really quickly and held my attention the entire time. I absolutely LOVED the direction it took in the third act. Some of the twists were phenomenal. If I didn't require sleep I would behave read bit on one sitting.

There were some other really interesting characters and I'm hoping this is a series because I would love to visit these characters again.

𝑶𝒉 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏. “𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒂. 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

Read March 21-22, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book.

Peter Kent is a little out of his dept as the Duke from America. He is trying but even his best try and propriety is for the gossip sheets. Peter wants to have legal guardianship of his unacknowledged siblings. Selina has long since decided that she was not for marriage but she loves to meddle in other's. The only problem is that Peter needs to be respectable, and that means he needs a respectable fiancé. While Peter agrees to Selina's suggestions to court her friends, it leads to hilarity.

I really enjoyed the characters and the slow realization of building attraction between Peter and Selina. Yes, they have known each other for a while as casual acquaintances but the attraction and desire between the two of them felt natural which I appreciated because the lust/love at first sight can be a bit annoying. Their relationship is built on respect and comradery which was a nice addition.

I quite enjoyed this historical romp and will be looking for other novels by Alexandra Vasti.

Spicy and adorable! I love the chemistry between Peter and Sirena! And his half siblings are so funny and full of adventure. I enjoyed how Sirena comes to realize Peter IS the one for her, and it is not easy to admit! A good regency romp with lots of good characters and swoony moments!
Thank you to the author and publisher for this arc.

"I didn't marry you for that. I didn't want you because you could make me respectable or fix my cursed house or take care of my siblings." He touched the line of her lips with one finger. "I just wanted you."

4.5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. Book releases July 23, 2024

Peter Kent inherited the dukedom of Stanhope when his estranged father died 2 years ago. Since then, he has discovered he has two half-siblings, 12 year old Lucinda "Lu" and 10 year old Freddie and he is trying to obtain guardianship. The problem is, he is a bachelor, he is a bit radical as he was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and is an abolitionist, and his estate has no furniture and minimal staff.

Selina Ravenscroft is the sister of the Duke of Rowland. Similar to Lu and Freddie, Selina and her twin brother were raised by her older brother, which makes her sensitive to her friend Peter's plight. Selina has a huge secret. Two years prior, her twin brother purchased Belvoir Library for Selina, which she's been running. The scandalous thing is, there is a secret Venus catalogue, which educates women in matters of the sexes. If this were to be found out, Selina, would surely be ruined. This is why, when she comes up with the idea for Peter to marry before his siblings' custody hearing in order to make him more likely to obtain guardianship, she believes she couldn't possibly be on the list of potential wives, right?

This book was everything I could want in a romance. The female protagonist is fierce and brilliant. The male protagonist is 100% supportive. Unlike most romances, although there is conflict, there is never the conflict between the love interests or areas of miscommunication, instead the couple works towards resolution of problems together. There was also quite a bit of humor throughout. Overall, the story was well told from beginning to end and I will definitely read more from this author in the future. And oh, I forgot to mention, some of the books mentioned on the Venus catalog are actual books that were published in the 1700s.

-regency romance
-dual POV
-3rd person POV
-friends to lovers
-marriage of convenience
-steamy 4/5

Literally a perfect Regency romance if I’ve ever read one.

You will immediately fall in love with Selina and Peter. They are two of the best main characters I’ve ever encountered in a romance novel. Selina is fiercely independent, wise, and brave for a woman of her time, and Peter is warm, kind, and charming despite his insecurities with his current predicament involving his newly-acquired social & political (and familial) status.

A truly well-written story from start to finish with compelling characters, an intriguing storyline, and some spicy romance. Also lots of great humorous moments and tender dialogue. Absolutely loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book, and I think it’s my favorite book I’ve read so far this year! I really enjoyed Vasti’s writing style and thought the characters in this story were so fun. Peter and Selina were both so witty and their banter had me giggling and kicking my feet throughout the entire book!
I often find that children in romance books overshadow the couple & relationship, but I didn’t think that was the case in this book at all.

There were some historical inaccuracies that I think would bother some readers (especially around women’s rights but in other areas as well) – this wasn’t an issue for me personally, but if you prefer your historical romances to be historically accurate it is something to be aware of.

I’m already planning to buy a physical copy of this book when it’s released so I can reread it because I adored it so much!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book.

I knew I was a major Alexandra Vasti fan—I loved every single novella she’s written—but this debut novel is spectacular. I’m obsessed with the characters. The story was fun and emotional and I devoured it, as one does when one reads fantastic, emotionally charged prose with lovely relatable characters. All the tropes were delicious, and I loved the ending. Chef’s kiss!

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher, for an advanced copy of this delightfully fun love story!

This lighthearted historical romance will appeal to people who enjoy the “I'm going to set you up with someone else only we're falling for each other” trope.

I liked this book a lot. It immersed me into the story quickly. I do love characters in my historicals who buck traditions and conventions. And that was both characters: Peter, the American Duke (whose father was English), and Selina, who ran a library with a special selection of books to help women learn more about the world (specifically sex).

It was pretty obvious right from the beginning that Peter and Selina were meant for each other, even as she was trying to set him up with others. (The others weren't bad! I hope they get their own HEAs!) It's just that the two obviously complemented each other. Peter helped Selina embrace her bold, confident side. He thought what she had accomplished with her library was amazing and supported it, even when she was afraid of the scandal it would cause. For Peter, Selina is instrumental in helping him get custody of this half siblings. But she also loves him through the difficult times, and makes the house a home and generally brings comfort and love and order into his world.

One note for people who like strong time period historicals: I had no sense of what time this was set in until specific years were mentioned.

This was a delightful romp that kept me smiling the entire time. The main characters had radical politics and at first I feared it would read as if a 21st century couple was dropped into the Regency, but I think Vasti struck a good balance between historical accuracy and modern sensibilities. Also, I'm a sucker for hellion children, so Lu was an absolute delight. I also loved several of the side characters and would be interested to see future stories about several of them, so I hope this is the start to a series!

This book was so much fun!! I loved Peter and Selena’s story - it was funny and wholesome and kept me on my toes from beginning to end. One thing I really appreciate is when you are presented with an adult relationship in which both parties actually manage to act like adults. Without spoiling the plot, I will simply say that it is refreshing to see a couple working together and being honest with one another.

Also, the smut was spectacular. Very steamy.

I typically do not read period books so it took me a while to get into this one, but once I did I was pleasantly surprised!