A fantastic historical romance! A plot for marriage to get custody of his siblings and a secret library for women to educate themselves. It touched on social issues of the times, something overlooked in the genre more often than not.

I loved Selina’s personality, she was smart and strong willed and had created a life for herself outside the confines set for women. Peter was adorable and cared so much for his siblings, who were so fun. We see them both fighting for their family and people they care about, even when it puts them in funny situations. I loved seeing the kids warm up and feel loved, as well as her family welcoming them all into the brood.

I really enjoy when the drama of a romance isn’t between the couple and when they work together against an obstacle.

I loved reading this book, and I’m excited for more from this author! Hopefully we can see more about the other girls of the ton and her family. I would love a prequel about her brother!

I love the found family trope and this cover is so cute!
I love Peter and his sweet devious little rebel vibes and I love Selina’s fierce personality and the way she stands up for what she believes in and for those she loves. I wish Will finally came home! I was a little sad nothing happened with that storyline… the court scene with Lu and Freddie was so cute! Overall, I enjoyed this one but just wish that it was less of a slow burn and more compelling. 3.5/5 stars for me! Thank you Alexandra, publisher and netgalley for the arc!

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook and this is my freely given opinion.

This is my first time reading this author, and I was looking forward to trying something from someone new to me.

In this story, Peter Kent is the relatively newly titled Duke of Stanhope, after some very unfortunate events in the family that brought the American from New Orleans to take up the title in England. He never expected to inherit, and is conscious of being a fish out of water, but eager to use his newly inherited power and influence to make radical changes that could better the world. He has also discovered that, thanks to his neglectful rogue of a father, he has two living half siblings, a young girl and boy, who are alone in the world. Because his father never acknowledged them or arranged for their care, when their mother died, they were shunted from place to place. Peter himself has had a fractured family life, being abandoned by his father, and traumatized in his youth by the death of his beloved friend and brother. So he is determined to bring the children into his home, and give them stability and love. However, this is not as easy as it sounds because Peter does not have the best reputation, between his radical politics, and his various societal missteps. On top of that, because of their own poor experiences, his young half siblings are lacking in faith and trust in him as well, especially his sister who has armed herself with some very thick prickly armour, and eyes him with hostile distrust.

Despite some issues in their previous encounters, Peter turns to a woman he sees as being intelligent, organized, socially and politically adept woman who likes to help others, to help him best approach the issue of convincing the Lord Chancellor overseeing his case, Baron Eldon, to look on his petition for guardianship with favour, especially when Eldon apparently looks upon Peter with disfavour already. Lady Selina Ravenscroft is the woman he admires so much, and she is also highly regarded in society as well as a sister of a well regarded Duke as well. Lady Selina does not appear to like Peter very much initially, but she believes in family and when she meets his siblings is touched by them and his efforts to give them a home and family so comes up with a plan, and rallies her resources to help him. She decides he must wed, as this would show him to be a stable and reliable family man.

However, she pushes forward candidates other than herself, as she does not want to wed. Lady Selina has a secret endeavour that not even her best friends are aware of. She is determined to ensure that the literate ladies of the Ton have knowledge that Society in general does not allow them to have openly. Having knowledge of intimate, sexual, and erotic in nature, she feels would allow women to be more aware, and look out for their own interests and protection, such as preventing being ruined and ending up unwed and pregnant, or being taken advantage of by a rake. To this end, she works secretly with a publisher to run a circulating library with a secret collection just for woman. However, if she is outed as the manager of this collection, she is aware it could ruin herself, and also her family.

Peter follows Selina's instructions and meets with and attempts to court the candidates she suggests, with her supervision and help. But really, he ultimately comes to the conclusion that Selina is the best choice for him, and the one he wants. Despite her refusal of his suggestion that they court, they end up in a compromising situation, caught out by the very people that Peter must impress, and they end up wed in haste. As they work together to make their hasty marriage work, and gain guardianship of the children, Selina and Peter develop a love and respect for each other. Peter, on finding out about Selina's secret work, is admiring of what she has accomplished, and how her subversive work aligns with his beliefs and politics, and is nothing but supportive. Selina appreciates how loving, thoughtful, and caring Peter is. But things start to unravel as Selina's secret comes out and threatens their endeavours for the children, and also threaten to taint and harm Selina's own family.

I don't know what, maybe I am getting more sentimental in my old age, but I rather loved the family oriented storyline and how family relationships and bonds were so strong in both the main characters. It made the story warm and sweet for me. Peter sounds like he was abandoned and had some emotional trauma from his childhood, and wants to work to provide a stable, loving home for his found family, to the point where he is willing to do anything for them. Lucinda and Freddie, his young half sibs, are crusty, but cute characters, especially with Lucinda being so protective of her brother, but distrusting of Peter. I loved how hard Peter worked to gain their trust and regard - despite being full of self doubt. Selina and her family have a very loving and supportive family and willing to open and share with Peter and his siblings, as well as set an example for how family should be. I loved the secondary characters, such as Selina's friend, the other ladies she lists for Peter to court (OMG, Georgina is so great and so full of story potential!!!), and her aunts.

This is very much a feel good story with a cinnamon roll, warm, sweet hero, and a strong, managing heroine that he admires, with some steam, and great supporting characters. However, I felt that there was some more detail needed for some background on Peter and why Selina did not like him initially. It felt like it alluded to that, and some of how he was not regarded very well without any sufficient detail. But otherwise I quite enjoyed the story.

4 stars out of 5

thank you for the review copy!!!

as my first alexandra vasti novel, i can safely say that Ne'er Duke Well will not be my last. Not only am i absolutely smitten with Peter and his charming face but also his brother and sister! Lu is the protective older sister out for blood and freddie is the sweetest lil man ever!!! I could have read an entire book about their family dynamic. Throw in Selina and Peters love for her and you have all the makings for my new favorite book!! A refreshingly sweet yet spicy novel thats sure to put a smile on anyones face.

Trying to figure out why it took me so long to find pick up a regency/ historical romance?? This was a freakin blast I need more

This is a very entertaining read. The author has made.the characters come alive. Peter is a Duke and a bit wild. However he knows he is going to have to change and become respectable in order to get custody of his half siblings. So he ask for assistance from Selena who is very respectable in the ton but she has a secret and scandal is just right around the corner. Selena suggest he marry and suggest three of her friends to chose from, but Peter only feelings for the one Lady she did not list. But when they are.caught in a comprising situation they marry and will need to trust each other to fight a unknown foe to insure Peter is awarded custody of his half siblings.

Fun read you.

This book was just plain fun to read. The two main characters were multidimensional and beautifully written. Their chemistry was perfect. And the quirky characters in both their families added a lot to the story. I loved how strong the FMC was and how much the MMC respected her. I think my favorite thing about this book (And this could be a minor spoiler, so you've been warned.) was that the author managed to tell a story with secrets at its heart without using the miscommunication trope! That made me so happy. The connection between the two main characters was strong enough that they didn't keep secrets from each other and worked together to solve their problems. Relationship Goals!
Overall this was a well written and memorable romance.

First off - I really enjoy Alexandra Vasti's writing. Her Halifax novellas were cute and cheeky, just like this full-length novel!

Pros - I hate an 'I need to sacrifice my happiness for my love' trope, and for a while, this book was heading in that direction before it was promptly nipped in the bud. Thank goodness! Instead, the main characters could tackle their challenges as partners - a refreshing change of pace for a Historical. I didn't mind the child characters and actually wished there was more of a focus on the newfound family aspect of the story.

Cons - There were a lot of mentions of other people and characters who we weren't introduced to in this book, but that had something to do with the main character's backstories. At times this was a bit confusing and had me looking at Goodreads to confirm there weren't previous books in the series.

3.5 stars

A new Duke looking for a wife, his wacky matchmaker might find the right person was her all along.

We have a familiar setting and story but this story is not traditional. It’s a little quirky. If you like that, you’ll like this. The chemistry is there as well as the love to root for.

I think the story was well written and a good addition to any bookshelf.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

What a breath of fresh air! Historical romance readers often find comfort in tried-and-true tropes and a somewhat formulaic format. While Ne'er Duke Well uses a familiar setting, it skips the expected format. This feels new while still being an excellent addition to a beloved genre.

Our couple formally gets together somewhat quickly. They support each other and communicate well (though there's just a smidge of miscommunication, it is handled beautifully). There is no third-act break up. The stakes in the conflict are high and there is a villain to deal with. The tension is broken during sweet (and funny) scenes between the main characters and the male main character's younger siblings.

There is so much material here for a series that I can't help but assume one is in the works. I could even be a multi-generational series.

This was a promising debut from an author I've been excited about ever since reading her novellas. The concept of a secret erotic circulating library for women is great, the cast is filled with likable and diverse characters, it brought the emotion, and the sex and banter were really hot where they needed to be! I did think the plot could use some work; specifically, the main obstacles to the romance could've easily been overcome with just a little more common sense and insight on the part of the heroine, or were things it was made so clear to the reader weren't really obstacles, that when the hero reacted exactly the way you'd expect him to react and/or he or the heroine's friends and family pointed out the obvious, it was a flaw that detracted from all the other ways the book was very strong. Despite that, it frequently called to mind other authors I love, such as Evie Dunmore, Julia Quinn, Mary Balogh, and Loretta Chase, and if it felt a bit like a pastiche or first sketch of one of those authors at their best, that's already still so much better than the vast majority of historical romance out there that I can't wait to see future Alexandra Vasti titles.

This book was AMAZING! Peter and Selena are such vivid, realized characters, and I think they compliment each other so well. Conflict is handled nicely (no third act breakup!), and there is a lovely found family element.

Charming and well-done romance novel. The conflict was a little slight, but I liked the resolution. Writing was clear and engrossing, and the characters were well done. I was intrigued by the side characters and would like to read more stories in this world!

Lovely rompy story with likable characters, some mystery and a good dose of sizzle! Peter and Selina make a good pair and the siblings are simply hilarious

Wow! I absolutely LOVED Ne’er Duke Well! What an engaging book, with a unique storyline, lovable FMC and MMC, adorable supporting characters, delicious spicy moments, no third act breakup, great chemistry and so much more! I could not put this book down, almost rushing to the next page to see what would happen next. Selina is so relatable. Always worried about everyone else, trying to solve their problems, seeing herself all alone in her personal adventures so as not to burden others. All the while, because of her fierce desire to help others and show them their worth, she had been building (outside her knowledge) a group of supporters that would be there for her at the drop of a hat. Peter on the other hand, had been through so much and was convinced he had the opposite of the midas touch, he was so afraid to be just another thing for Selina to fix. It was clear that they had a connection and a desire to be together but they were stubborn and unwilling to act on those actions because they were afraid of how it would affect the other. THANK GOODNESS for compromising situations, am I right?! I’m so glad that these two found each other, that they complimented each other, that they brought out strength and good and the best in each other. This book was an absolutely GEM and Alexandra Vasti has secured a place in my must-read authors category! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ARC.
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P.S.- I’m crossing my fingers that Georgiana will have a chance at love in a future book? She is so interesting and would make a great second book in the series ;)

I adore a cinnamon roll hero. Peter was a perfect balance of radical and progressive. I'm never disappointed with an Alexandra Vasti read and was so happy with her first full-length novel.
Selina herself is a woman worth idolizing for her daring act of running an erotic literature circulating library. These two have great chemistry. I appreciated that Peter's younger siblings did detract from the hero/heroine. I'm not the biggest fan of kids in romance novels, so I thought the author handled this well.
I also think that Alexandra Vasti writes some of the best steamy scenes in historical romance.

Read this. You'll love it.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a hoot! Peter and Selina are so likable and so well matched. I love how they were a united front against everything that came their way.

There were a few times when I thought things were going one way, and they went another better way instead. The basic premise is that Peter is trying to get custody of his illegitimate brother and sister. Selina decides to help him by finding him a respectable wife. Of course, she realizes she wants him for herself, but she has a secret that will cause a scandal and doesn't want Peter to lose his chance of getting custody.

There are tons of side characters and tons of series potential here! I know I'd love to see Lydia and Georgiana find their people. And we need to know more about Will!

While I'm not typically a huge fan of kids in romance, watching Peter try to bond with them was sweet and sometimes hilarious. And they are actually written as kids instead of the weird Stepford kids you find in books way too often.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It was sweet, spicy, and funny, which is a wonderful combination.

I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a lovely debut from Alexandra Vasti— it was sweet and light-hearted, but still got across some very important messages, and I'd recommend it to any historical romance reader. This was a charming romance with some excellent, if not timely messaging regarding censorship and sex education. I appreciated the diverse characters and absolutely fell for them. Thank you for the opportunity to read this beauty of a book.

Fun and steamy historical romcom with a fun cast of characters. Selina and Peter had great chemistry, I just wish we would have gotten more backstory. I felt at some points like I missed a first book in the series that had some of those past scenes. I really loved the premise of the Venus catalog and I hope something like this existed back then for all those naive women. I hope we get more books in the future with Selinas friends!

Although entertaining, this isn’t really a book that I would enthusiastically recommend to friends. I enjoyed the author’s novellas and thought they were fun to read so I was excited for this one to come out. Unfortunately, there was very little chemistry between the MCs and it felt like I was missing part of their story. The way they got together felt very sudden even though the plot involved the FMC trying to find a wife for the MMC. There was no build up to their relationship or even their friendship. The spicy scenes were also meh. It was kinda in-between a closed-door romance and a semi-explicit one so it was fairly anti-climactic. I wish the author spent more time developing their relationship so I could’ve given this 4 stars.

ARC was provided by Net Galley.