I absolutely loved Ne'er Duke Well, but I was so unprepared for just how phenomenal this book would be.The banter, the romance, the characters, I adored absolutely everything about it.I think I must have highlighted over 3/4 of the book. This book had a ridiculous smile on my face the entire time I was reading. I just loved every single page of it and cannot recommend it enough!

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my giddy aunt! I have discovered a new fav hist-rom author in Alexandra Vasti, whose humorous intelligent style now places her books atop my teetering TBR.

And what phenomenal characters in her latest (out 7/23/24): Lady Selina, a highly ranked member of society who has a secret erotic circulating library for women; and the Duke of Stanhope, originally from NOLA but already firmly ensconced in Parliament as a radical voice for England. Plus he wants to have his two illegitimate siblings under his care, but needs a respectable wife to raise them with him.

When the sparks fly between the Lady and Duke as she helps him search for said wife, will they ever be able to leap daunting hurdles to true love?

Ah hist-rom fans, you MUST read this intriguing spicy tale. I promise you will thank me!

This was a fun story with interesting characters. Heavy on the sex scenes, if that's is or isn't your thing, but a good romance with great chemistry and a unique storyline.

A fun and witty regency romance! I really enjoyed the main characters and the romance between them! The supporting characters were great and added to the story! I recommend this book to those who enjoy regency romance! X

This was an addictive regency romance that I devoured in a day - reminded me of other smart, well-written regencies I love by Julia Quinn, Evie Dunmore, Tessa Dare and Sarah MacLean.

Lady Selina, a duke’s sister, decides to matchmake for Peter Kent, Duke of Stanhope, who was raised in New Orleans by his mother after his father left them, in hopes of turning the Duke into a well liked and honorable member of society so that he could become guardian for his illegitimate siblings. In the meantime, we find that she’s the proprietress of a scandalous library which lends ladies of the ton erotic literature. Can their scandalous selves work together?

I liked how there were body positive messages in this one, a lifelong relationship between Selina’s aunt and her female friend, and certain minority representations.

Spice levels were a 5/5.

I assume this will be a series and we’ll see stories from Georgiana, Lydia and Iris, too - which I am definitely looking forward to!

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Alexandra Vasti for the ARC.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, so when I got a chance to read it in 2023, I dropped literally everything else on my TBR and jumped in. I will admit a few things up front: I was nervous about this American duke from Louisiana. A lot of historical romance handwaves away the source of their nobleman characters' fabulous wealth; adding in an American origin story from a Southern state doesn't exactly solve the issue. I shouldn't have been nervous: Peter is a radical, and his first speech in Parliament was all about abolition and how the movement hadn't gone far enough. And Selina! She's all Society Darling on the outside, Feminist Sex Educator on the inside. Yes, I would like a library card for your sexy library, Selina, thx! So yeah, basically Peter is one of the best romance heroes I've read in a long time, and Selina is a great addition to the list of historical romance heroines who both like to read and who use their influence to further a feminist cause.

Peter asks Selina for help in getting custody of his two younger siblings. (He's not the automatic guardian because they're illegitimate and were never acknowledged by his father.) Selina's solution? Find Peter a respectable wife to show that he would provide a stable home for them. (Also, she's done research on the judge who will rule in the case, and she knows that a love match will make him more sympathetic to Peter's cause.) The problem with the solution? Selina wants to be Peter's perfect match ... but because of the potential scandal of her lending library, a union with her might cause more issues than it would resolve.

The book is super sexy, includes a pair of cute kids who never overshadow the main relationship, and ends with one of my favorite mini-tropes: the courtroom drama finale. If you like historical romance, you really have to pick this one up.

Full Disclosure: I received a complimentary advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher. Alexandra Vasti and I are social media mutuals. This did not affect my review of the book.

I’ve been hooked on Alexandra Vasti’s work since I read her first Halifax Hellions novella. As well-written as her novellas are, I was incredibly excited to get my hands on her first full-length novel. I was not disappointed. In fact, I loved everything about this book. I adored Peter and Selina and their love story. The way they loved each other tore me apart and then put me back together again. Her secondary characters were absolutely delightful as well, and I so hope some of them will be getting their own stories. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest review.