thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

i love a good regency book, but this one was just all spice and that’s not what i care about in regency books!

the plot was more fascinating to me; even though it was slightly all over the place… i’m not quite sure how certain people knew each other? But all the same!! I liked the idea of a secret library for women

Last year, I read around twenty romance novels, and they shared a commonality– the couple committed to one another by the end of the story. While I long for a literary happy ending, sometimes I wonder what occurs after their moment of coupling. Yes, epilogues are occasionally provided, but I consider them to be a post-story highlight reel rather than a glimpse into a relationship with its natural ebbs and flows. A notable aspect of Ne’er a Duke by Alexandra Vasti is the continuation of the plot beyond the couple’s (Peter and Selina) unification.

Main character Peter’s quest for guardianship of his half-siblings transpires throughout the story, reframing the romance in a unique and family-oriented manner. With the help of Selina, Peter gains guardianship, a sweet plot point. The journey of adoption also allows Peter and Selina to fall in love amid hardship, suggesting that love does not occur in a vacuum, but in conjunction with other relationships and personal difficulties. Seeking guardianship acts as a framing device for the story and allows Peter and Selina’s relationship to go beyond marriage and into family life. Because I am so accustomed to marriage as an ending, moving past their wedding hooked me, stimulating my curiosity about the additional tricks Vasti may possess.

Vasti is a bookish world-building magician. Characters Peter and Selina live in the rich historical background of nineteenth-century London. Vasti knows her stuff– I mean really knows it, given her status as a British literature professor– and covers complex topics such as historical custody laws, abolition, and social customs and expectations of the time. A significant storyline revolves around Selina's secret library enterprise, through which she loans books on sexual and reproductive health to women of the ton. While Selina is portrayed as beautiful, she and her female friends are also repeatedly described as smart and capable, an emphasis not always seen in this genre. Vasti highlights Selina’s experience as an excellent problem solver, as well as her friend Lydia’s political knowledge.

Ne’er a Duke highlights the importance of family (by choice and by blood) and community. Selina receives support for her library business amidst town scandal from her family and Peter. Despite the secrets she previously hid from them, they convey unconditional love and acceptance. Exploring themes beyond the conventional romantic portrayal serves as a refreshing reminder of the varied nature of love.

Relationships throughout the novel demonstrate the realities of a recent marriage. Peter and Selina scrutinize their own shortcomings critically, yet extend grace and understanding towards each other as they recognize and empathize with each other's perspectives. These discussions deepen their relationship and add layers of complexity and understanding to their dynamic. They navigate their nuptials by allowing each other time to adapt to their new reality while reminding one another of the value they add to the relationship.

Through Selina’s secret library business and Peter’s quest for guardianship, Vasti sheds light on pressing social issues of the time while weaving a captivating love story that resonates due to its themes of acceptance, personal growth, and community. Peter and Selina make an untraditional but unified family unit, especially with the addition of Peter’s recently adopted half-siblings. Ne’er a Duke is a sweet yet multifaceted narrative I recommend to anyone who enjoys a fast-paced read, strong female characters, realistic relationships, and a complex historical setting.

I'm predicting that this will be one of my favorite romances of the year. I also have my eye on the author's novella backlist. This was an historical romantic comedy with witty banter, slow burn, kids (excellent side characters) and it is light and lovely and was a joy to read. It reminded me of historical romances by Julie Garwood and Judith McNaught which is high praise- they both had amazing characters, stories, and banter. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to the publisher for sharing a copy. All opinions are my own.

This book was an absolute delight.

Peter Kent has inherited a dukedom from his late grandfather and found he has two younger half-siblings; his father did not claim the children and therefore, he has to fight for their guardianship. But the man who will have the final say in the children's fate is not his fan, so Peter must come up with a plan to impress him.
Selina has secrets of her own, something that only her twin brother knows. She's careful, cunning, and passionate about helping Peter secure his guardianship which leads her to find the most eligible ladies in the ton for him to court.
This book was romantic, funny, and heart-wrenching. Peter and Selina's chemistry oozes from them in every conversation and encounter. I was rooting for them from the very beginning. The children were hilarious and I loved getting to see their tentative relationship with their brother turn into more.
My favorite part was the way the marriage was settled within the first half, which led to the second half focusing on the underlying conflict to be resolved. It also opened the gates to some well-written explicit scenes that had me pausing for a breather.
The historical context was well-researched and presented, the character arcs felt realistic and natural, and the writing was beautiful, and fitting for the time period.

I read quite a bit of historical romance and I am pretty used to the themes that can be found in them. But there's a comfort in that. But there are certain themes I'm not a huge fan of.

Miscommunication (or lack of) by the main characters often frustrates me. Especially when the author makes it so something that would have been shared without thought, is deliberately left out. I know this is done on purpose to further the plot, but it is not really something I enjoy.

In this book, I thought I saw the miscommunication coming a couple of times, but then, to my surprise and enjoyment, the main characters actually communicated - had conversations and worked together. And I loved that! Seriously, the happy shock I felt each time this happened was a balm for my reader soul.

I found Ne'er Duke Well to be an extremely cute historical romance and I will definitely read more by this author!

I don't often give a historical romance a 5, and maybe this one is more of a 4.5 to me, but I'm going to round up to 5 stars!

A rollicking good time that infuses the historical romance genre with a refreshing new voice, I loved the undermining of traditional norms that allowed the exploration of family and love to feel even more centered on the people that binds us.

Another great showing from Alexandra Vasti! I have really come to love the banter and chemistry that Vasti's characters have, and in the majority of her books I really love the relationship development. In this one I did wish A TINY BIT that there were some flashbacks or more details about Selina and Peter's previous interactions. To me, this felt like book 2 of a series (which as far as I know it isn't?). I know it mentions the Halifax sisters in passing, but I think that's it. In just the way they were mentioned, it seemed like Selina's brother (Nicholas) and SIL would have been Book 1 (with how casually their courtship was mentioned, like we already knew what happened) and the super briefly talked about previous interactions between S & P that happened during said courtship. In those moments I really felt like I missed something. But honestly, that would be my only complaint. I enjoyed the pace and semi-intrigue and the communication between main characters once they figured out their own feelings.

I look forward to the rest of the series and can't wait to learn more about Will! I kept going back and forth about who he'd end up with, so I'm excited to see if any of my theories are correct!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I loved this book! We have Peter Kent who has recently acquired the title of Duke, two sweet half-siblings, and a strong female love interest, Lady Selina Ravencroft, who happens to run an underground steamy book-lending library for the ladies of the ton. The plot was original, the characters were well-defined and interesting, and it had enough Regency detail to make me happy. I really enjoyed the chemistry between the characters and Peter was both charming and kind and extremely interested in family. The only thing that I didn’t like, but I will overlook because I liked the book so much: I do NOT like the title itself. It seems a bit cheesy for me.

I have been stalking this book on social media and I am so happy. I got a chance to read an early copy. I cannot believe this is Vasti’s debut novel. (Do yourself a favor and read her delightful novella as well.) I have always loved American fish out of water in Britain trope, and it was done to perfection in Ne’er Duke Well. Selena and Peter were a couple goals from the jumpstart. This is exactly what you want in a historical romance!

If you like Sarah MacLean, Julia Quinn, or Evie Dunmore then I completely recommend this book to you.

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really really liked this book more than I thought I would.

The plot is great - the American Duke Stanhope trying to get guardianship of his half siblings and the clever Lady Selina Ravenscroft playing matchmaker to increase his chance at court. It felt like it started slow for me = but the more I read, the deeper I was into this book.

The tension and spicy scenes are so perfect!! Seriously they are a level above a lot of other historical romances - but then again the FMC does have access to some interesting texts in this story. :)

Alexandra Vasti has done it again! Ne'er Duke Well was an absolute gem and joy to read. I have so much fun with this book and will be buying my own copy so I can read it again. I enjoyed everything about it. The writing was great, the humor was amazing, the characters were interesting and dynamic and the romance was the perfect mix of steamy and swoony. I absolutely loved Peter, he was adorable and I want to protect him at all costs.

I will recommend this book endlessly. Thank you for the ARC, I am so glad that I have had the chance to read this one.

I had high hopes for Vasti's first full-length novel after reading and loving her shorter pieces. Her writing is top-notch, and I think her dialogue particularly sparkles. The main couple, Selina and Peter, are great characters driven by goals, dreams, and motivations beyond their romance (I'm here for the love but I need a legitimate plot and real world complications!!). I really enjoyed Selina's friends and can't wait for them to hopefully have their own books someday. Anyone who likes authors like Evie Dunmore, Sarah MacLean, and Mia Vincy should welcome Alexandra Vasti into their libraries!!!

I really enjoyed this, the characters were delightful and the plot was familiar and comfortable but still had enough unique twists to keep things interesting.

This is a historical romance that tells the story of Lady Selina, who is trying to find a. Wife fir her childhood friend who happens to be the Duke! As they spend time together they realize they have developed feelings for each other.

I loved this book! I enjoyed Alexandra Vasti’s writing style and loved the regency era! The steamy chemistry was great too!!

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

DNF’d. It took a lot for me to feel connected to the story. But both MCs were charming enough.

It just wasn’t enough to keep reading

(I didn't leave a star rating on Goodreads)

I recently fell in love with Vasti's novellas, and I was so excited to pick this one up! While I don't think her first novel had quite the same impact as her novellas- I still enjoyed it. Overall, I think there a bit too much going on in regards to the side plots, even though I did like the side plots. I could have used more one on one time with the two main characters to see some more development and chemistry, even though they had known each other for some time. The steamy scenes were great, but again would have been better had the characters had more time together. I'm hoping that there will be more novels after this one with some of the side characters- it's been set up beautifully for a series!

This was a nice quick read. The characters were likable, although at times I was more interested in the secondary characters then the main. I loved the humor in the book! I love a book that is witty, it makes the story so much more enjoyable! I also appreciated that the story moved and a nice pace and didn't drag. Spiciness was at a nice level as well. I will definitely read this author again.

This is a very enjoyable Regency tale with appealing characters. Although fairly light-hearted, it has some depth to it, as the MMC and FMC both deal with challenges of balancing being true to themselves vs. fitting in and understanding when they should accept help instead of trying to shoulder all responsibilities themselves.

Peter Kent, Duke of Stanhope, grew up in New Orleans, and was not expected to inherit the title. He has a slight acquaintance with Lady Selina Ravenscroft, having met her during the past couple of years he has spent in London since inheriting the title. He and Selina pursue a closer acquaintance once he determines that his best chance of being named the guardian for his half-brother and sister (Freddie and Lucinda), is to marry a very respectable, very English lady, to offset the disadvantages of his American upbringing, his radical politics and some minor scandals that he’s been involved in. Through Peter’s relationship with Selina’s brother, Selina gets involved in helping him find the right woman to be his duchess.

Of course, Selina and Peter have to spend a lot of time together on this project and they end up falling for each other. Although to all outward appearances, Selina is eminently respectable, she has secrets of her own, which if discovered, could derail Peter’s chances of securing the guardianship of Freddie and Lu.

Peter and Selina are both charming well-developed characters, with interesting quirks and generous hearts. They are surrounded by an attractive cast of family and friends that contribute to a well written narrative that keeps the reader’s interest and moves the story forward.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the ARC.

Unfortunately I found this book to be a bit boring and I didn't feel any chemistry between the leads. It kind of feels like the reader is dropped into a romance in progress. The characters have met before the book starts, which is fine, but they are friends and are already attracted to each other. So it's just straight into the angst of why they can't be together. But angst doesn't work if you don't know or care about the characters.

I think flashbacks could have worked really well in this book and it's a shame we didn't get any, especially since Selina and Peter's initial meeting did seem interesting based off the one to two throwaway sentences we got describing it. For instance, Selina's brother mentions in a letter that upon meeting Peter Kent he "knocked you into a mud puddle at Broadmayne, didn't he? And stole your horse. And wasn't there something about a wedding at St. George's, two sheep, and a duel?" Despite hooking the reader with this, we're never told the full story (and it sounds more interesting that what we get in the book).

The back half wasn't bad. But that was more focused on the plotline of making sure Peter gets custody of his siblings than the romance. And I did find some of the resolution scenes, like the kids entering the court room, to be corny. The research behind this book and the political activism both characters engaged with was well done. I do like when characters have their own things going on. But I do wish we got more scenes between Selina and Peter that wasn't either about his siblings or wasn't insta-lusty.

Really enjoyed this first full length novel by Alexandra Vasti. I have read all her novellas that are out and am a big fan. This book certainly lived up to my expectations - although I agree with many reviewers that it would have been nice to see more of Selina and Peter’s relationship build in real time, I also enjoyed seeing it blossom with the foundation it already had. They have good chemistry and I appreciated that they didn’t have any kooky misunderstandings but actually communicated with each other! I wish we got more Lu and Freddie content in the book, perhaps more time of them living together as a family because they are charming - would have liked to see them build trust toward Peter and the payoff of them declaring life with the Kents as “home” would have been sweeter. The writing itself is splendid as all of Vasti’s work is, and I’m cautiously optimistic that we will get sequels for Lydia, Georgiana, Will(!), Ivy and Gabe? A girl can hope.