I love Alexandra Vasti’s writing, and this book is her best one yet! I am obsessed with Lydia and Arthur and their slow burn romance. I loved all the small ways they fell for each other, and the way Vasti writes the inner worlds of the characters makes even the larger miscommunications and conflicts feel rooted in reality. And the steamy scenes definitely don’t disappoint either — sensual without feeling gratuitous. I’m already so excited for the next novel in the series and will be recommending Vasti’s work forever.

Sadly, I didn't enjoy this as much as I have Alexandra Vasti's other books. I think the mistaken identity trope just doesn't work for me.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my ARC.

I adore this writer! Lydia was a fantastic FMC and I loved the unexpected Arthur. Very well paced story with great intrigue. It kept me up reading to late in the night, but pretty much morning.

Alexandra Vasti gives us a historical romance about a heroine who writes controversial pamphlets and is very wealthy. In Earl Crush she approaches Earl of Strathrannoch to offer him her hand in marriage to help him out of his debts. Turns out she corresponded with his nasty brother. As they try to straighten things out they find out they are in love. Period romance with a little crime.

this was my first historical romance and it was honestly such a good freaking time. i’m a big fan of bridgerton and felt as though this satisfied every craving i had for something similar. i’d love to read more of these and will definitely be checking out vasti’s other works in the future!

the romance is at the forefront of this book and it was swoon-worthy and tender, full of chemistry and angst. lydia is headstrong and arthur is just the sweetest little grump, i honestly loved them together. the emotional depth was heartfelt, the character development beautifully crafted. the writing was immersive, a beautiful play between elegant and modern that brought a fresh twist for those new to regency era romance. i am truly in awe. the female friendships and found family are also of note, i deeply appreciated these relationships throughout the book. there were definitely some ridiculous moments sprinkled throughout but it provided good comedic relief and brought a fun twist.

it is easy to read, keeping you pleasantly entertained throughout. some of the middle end’s pacing felt a bit long, however it truly came through by the end. oh and the journal entries at the chapter heads were just so good. obsessed. highly recommend this one to anyone searching for a fun yet profound entry to historical romance!

thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This was such a fun read! Even though I didn’t read the first book in the series it was easy to follow. It is a bit of a slow burn between two shy MCs but oh so much fun to read. The tension between them had me kicking my feet when they finally kissed. And when Arthur told Lydia to “Put your hands on the door,” I practically melted.

Watching Lydia come out of her shell because she had Arthur on her side was heartwarming. He never once put her down for her intelligence or social anxiety. The mystery of Arthur’s brother was well thought out and had me guessing up until the end.

Over all I couldn’t put this book down and immediately bought the first book, Ne’er Duke Well, when I was done.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book so much. Alexandra Vasti’s books are sparkling and hard to put down! I thought the romance was well done. The descriptions were charming, and I would buy this to have on my shelf.

I’m a sucker for historical romance and I really enjoyed this book. It was a little rushed, but overall I liked the characters and it was a cute, easy read.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖 (I loved a lot about this novel, but it did feel like it went on longer than I wanted)
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? I feel like it was a really balanced mix – first half is more character and the latter half is more plot
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: Pretty soon in – chapter 1 of 31
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, and it’s so cute – it’s done through letters throughout the following years (1819, 1821, 1821, 1824, 1826, 1826

Should I read in order?
I think this okay to pick up alone! But you do get to meet the heroine in book 1 of this series.

Basic plot:
Lydia goes to Scotland to offer marriage to the Earl of Strathrannoch – but when she arrives, she finds she’s been terribly misled...

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency (didn’t catch a date but this takes place after book 1 in the series, which is 1815)
- Scotland setting
- English heroine / Scottish hero
- politically minded heroine
- must kiss you to avoid discovery
- fake marriage
- some road trip vibes with one bed and one horse
- heroine has social anxiety
- mystery to solve together
- mid to higher steam – I might be off a bit because my notes were sketchy but at least 4 full scenes

Ages:
- heroine is 26, didn’t catch hero but think he’s around 30?

My thoughts:
There was so much I adored about this book. Vasti’s writing is really wonderful. I love her dialogue and how she develops her mains. I really fell in love with both of these main characters. Lydia is just adorable, I feel for her so much (and understand) her social anxiety. And Arthur was just the best. I love how he slowly lost his mind and heart over Lydia. I fell for him hard the moment he grabbed Lydia up and rescued her from the zebra stampede.

My favorite parts of this book were more centered in the first half of the book. I wasn’t super into the mystery-ish/spy plot of this one – I did like it overall but thought it drug on a bit too long for me and I found myself ready for the book to be over before it was...but when the mains were together and focused on each other I was so in love. The spice was super delightful to me – Arthur was so emotional and obsessed with Lydia and he just melted my heart repeatedly.

So definitely a fun read but the espionage plot took it down a bit for me.

While I dnf'd this book because it just wasn't for me, I'm sure others will love it. I was interested in the story and wanted to find out what happen next but I was given this copy for an honest review and was unaware of the sexual content of this book. It's a no for me but if you like a regency rom com type story and don't mind the adult content then go for it.

The book was delightful. I laughed and swooned throughout. I fell in love with the characters from the beginning and rooted for them at every turn.
The growing love and chemistry between the FMC and MMC felt natural. A connection that was built over years of correspondence turned into an impromptu proposal to the wrong man. How could the two not fall in love with one another when they decide to pair up to solve the disappearance of the intended? The story was engaging and the unfolding was unexpected. There were a few minor surprises along the way since I did go into the book blind and with no expectations.
I will be paying close attention to any future releases the author has planned. This is an author to watch for. If you’re looking for a fun, fresh regency romance, then I highly recommend picking this one up. An especially great read if you are between head reads. I will be picking this one up to add to the collection.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a digital advanced copy of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Another nice addition to the Belvoir's Lending Library series! While I felt this started out slow in terms of relationship development, I enjoyed how it all played out and found it to be a quick and cute read. Yes, there are ridiculous things throughout the whole book, but if you just give into it, it's nothing that ruins the plot, just adds a bit of whimsy. And there's some precious earnestness, esp from our grumpy and gruff duke that helps mellow it out.

I look forward to the next installment!

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

This had so much going on and I loved it! A brilliant heroine, a sweet and silent MC, political intrigue, family drama, all the things! Arthur pining for Lydia never gets old. And I have never felt so deeply for someone casting up her accounts 😂 The letters at the top of the chapters had some of the most poignant, swoonworthy writing!

I received an advanced copy of Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti from the publisher St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: For three years, the wallflower heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace has anonymously been penning seditious pamphlets, and for all that time she has kept a correspondence with the Earl of Strathrannoch, who has taken an interest in her thoughts and opinions and has his own political ambitions. In his latest letter when he reveals his dire financial straits, Lydia has a brilliant idea: she’s an heiress and the Earl needs money, so why not get married? You see, Lydia has difficulty talking to many people, which has sabotaged her own seasons, and so knowing her spouse is someone who she can talk to is good enough for her. So she sets off to Scotland to offer herself as a bride to the Earl. Unfortunately, Arthur, the Earl, doesn’t know who she is. It seems that his brother was pretending to be him and the brother is missing and entangled in British espionage. And so Lydia joins Arthur to find his brother before it’s too late. And soon Arthur and Lydia form a relationship of their own.

My Thoughts: Dear lord, I loved this. I started getting more and more into this book as inauguration was arriving and I was desperate to escape. I open up this book and was immediately swept away in Lydia’s journey. This book is for me near perfect historical romance. We have someone who really struggles with anxiety, finding herself and trusting herself over her anxiety. We see someone who felt she could never really have love because of anxiety finding that she is someone to be loved and that she can trust in love. The chemistry between Arthur and Lydia is just really strong. I found it believable and their sexy times were done well. Arthur is also a lead I could fall for. These characters were so well developed that you truly felt you were observing true love. The subplots of espionage were fun and there is plenty of humor, I cannot encourage you enough to read this.

Who Should Read It: Anyone who loves historical romance.

Summary: A wallflower pitches herself as a bride to be to an Earl in financial straits, to bad it’s the wrong brother.

I absolutely adore Lydia Hope-Wallace and the courage it took for her to go all the way to Scotland to propose a marriage of convenience to the man she believes is the Earl of Strathrannoch. When she arrives on his doorstep, Arthur Baird, the real Earl of Strathrannoch, has no idea who she is. It turns out that his brother Davis has been writing to Lydia under false pretenses and perhaps with not-so-good intentions. Thus begins an epic road trip. I loved that the story kept careening into different tropes: marriage of convenience, mistaken identity, fake engagement of convenience, there's only one bed, etc. At the same time, I felt that it didn't quite find it's footing with the spy/thriller aspects that involved a stolen rifle cope, French conspiracists, and Davis' actual allegiances. Overall a strong second book in the trilogy. Can't wait to read Ladies in Hating.

Headstrong heroines meeting cinnamon roll hero in historicals are my favorites! This one certainly met that criteria. Loads of fun and with adventure and intrigue. Vasti’s writing style is so enjoyable and engaging. I had the most fun reading this. The chemistry between Lydia and Arthur was dripping off the pages. Easy five stars!

This book was an absolute delight. It was the perfect amount of comedy. Lydia is charming and Arthur is an endearing grump. This series is a favorite of mine, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every book Vasti has shared with us!

This was a great historical romance! The plot was interesting, and I thought all the characters were well written.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Absolutely adored this book. Alexandra Vasti has such a fun way of writing and I adore the characters she creates. A perfect amount of spice and laughter, I can’t wait for more from her!

This was my first book by Alexandra Vasti and I enjoyed it! Earl Crush was a great mix of swooning and quirkiness! I enjoyed getting to see Lydia grow and enjoyed getting to see how the story progress with Arthur! I just loved how fun and silly it was too, all while having serious moments tied up! While I liked the storyline, there were too many parts I had to skip, so I don't think it is a book I would recommend if you like similar books to me.


Thank you NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!