Oh this one is a love letter to the regency romance. 😍

For historical romance readers, it’s about the nostalgia. It probably starts the same for most of us: we remember reading a regency before we ought to have. They were those colorful, tattered books you saw in your mom’s magazine rack, next to Good Housekeeping or some sweepstakes mailer or another.

Or maybe these were the first romance novels we checked out from the library. A Jane Austen-loving soul discovering a new set of authors to devour.

But it takes a special talent to make such a tried-and-true genre new again, to make these stories somehow both nostalgic and fresh, comfortable and convicting. That’s what you’ll get with @alexandravasti ‘s work. These two books (here I include Vasti's debut, Ne'er Duke Well) are truly something special.

If this is your genre, prepare to be wow’ed by Earl Crush. As ruined for other works as an unmarried woman without a chaperone in 1816.

And, if you’re new to the genre, these books are an incredible place to start.

Earl Crush was fantastic. Five stars and my favorite regency to date. Sexy and heartfelt. Deeply romantic. Scottish and surprising. With espionage and certain ruin.

-He falls first
-Marriage of convenience
-Adventure and romance on the road
-Mistaken identity and family secrets
-Epistolary elements
-Anxiety rep
-Golden retriever MMC

In Lydia, Vasti delivers another FMC who redefines what it means to be strong. One who is vulnerable, imperfect (dare I say “demure” in the year of our Lord 2024?), and anxious - AND YET SHE IS ALSO shockingly brave, utterly subversive, and profoundly relatable.

Women are never defined by one thing in Vasti’s work - not by their marriage prospects, nor their bodies or dowries, and certainly not by shyness or propriety.

Ultimately Arthur Baird, like Peter Kent before him, is a hero not because he rescues the damsel (though he does) or his swoony/spicy leading man-ness (though he is), but because he lets the rare woman he’s found be herself. And never misses that it’s she who rescues him.

How can you be nostalgic for a place you’ve never been? For time like this?

Read on, regency lovers, and find out.

Thank you to Alexandra Vasti, SMP Romance, and NetGalley for this eARC.

Arthur is pathetically in love with Lydia, and I'm here for it. Here comes a fiery political redhead knocking on his door, asking for his hand in marriage, and he has no clue who she is.
 
I'm sitting here with tears (happy tears, mind you) running down because of how much I loved this book. It started off a tad slow for me in the beginning, and I wasn't sure if it would or could surpass Ne'er Duke. Well. Alexandra Vasti had me laughing, screaming, and crying all within this story of political espionage and mistaken identity. She has definitely made her way onto my must-read list of historical authors, and I absolutely cannot wait to read the rest of this series. (Is it too much to hope for a romance involving one of Lydia's brothers?)
 
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.

Huge thanks to Netgalley for the eARC.

Alexandra Vasti has quickly become an automatic read for me. I've loved every historical romance she's released since I first stumbled across her Halifax series. Earl Crush has been a bit more jam packed than her previous work but equally as enjoyable, The romance in the story serves is beautifully complimented by the political intrigue subplot. I could have done without the third act separation between our couple but c'est la vie.

Can't wait to devour Vasti's future works.

I absolutely devoured this book. I loved Vasti's Halifax Hellion novellas and I enjoyed her first full length book, Ne'er Duke Well. But Earl Crush brought me right back to that Halifax Hellion feel - cant put it down and full steam ahead. Lydia and Arthur are so perfect they had me kicking my feet with glee! Arthur and Lydia both have a lot of growing to do and I think Vasti did a great job giving them both space to work through their own personal issues while moving the plot along. The tension between the two simmers from the get go and when they finally come together it felt like I could breath again.

An assortment of things I loved:
- she proposes first!
- besotted MMC
- there's a menagerie of zebras?
- wonderfully supportive side characters (I love you Huw and Bertie)
- a fake marriage
- GROVEL
- an epilogue that made me cry

This is one I can't wait to reread. Doesn't hurt to say one more time that I loved it and I can't wait to read Georgianas book next!

Typical Vasti in the best way - fun, smart, sexy, and with a man who is a pathetic blobby mess for the FMC. This series is a great intro into historical romance and perfect for any romcom fan.

ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || EARL CRUSH [thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my #gifted copy!]

Title: Earl Crush
Author: Alexandra Vasti
Genre: Historical Romance
Format: Digital
Star Rating: ★★★★★

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:
For three years, wallflower heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace has been secretly writing radical pamphlets and corresponding with the charming Earl of Strathrannoch. When his latest letter reveals his financial troubles, Lydia sets out to Scotland with a bold plan: a marriage of convenience. The only problem? Arthur has no idea who she is.

Stunned by the proposal from a mysterious redhead, Arthur soon discovers it was his brother, not him, writing to Lydia. Furious but intrigued, Arthur needs her help to track down his rogue sibling involved in British espionage. As they work together, sparks fly, and Arthur finds himself torn between protecting Lydia and falling for her.

ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
Dare I say I enjoyed this more than Vasti’s last novel? I think I did! There was just something about Lydia and Arthur that pulled on my heartstrings (and it’s not just because they had excellent spicy scenes and he fell first - IT’S NOT).

Mistaken identity, a plot to take down a Duke, and a team of women set to stop it? Yes please!

I especially loved the dialogue between Lydia and Arthur. I think I highlighted full pages of discourse between them because it was SO GOOD. Whether it was banter or confessions or just staring into each other’s eyes, Vasti wrote it with such grace that I could’t turn away.

But seriously, Alexandra, how do you pronounce “Strathrannoch”? Because in my head it was “Sassenach” every single time in Jamie Fraser’s accent. :D

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Outlander
Marriage of Convenience
Espionage & Secrets
Woman Taking Charge
Excellent Spice

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 4.50 ⭐️
# of Pages: 352
Pub Date: January 21, 2025

I’m thankful for this ARC!

Lydia is not a people person (same girl). She faints or vomits when put in social situations. And yet, she’s a secret writer of political pamphlets.
Through this, she meets the Earl and begins a three year pen pal courtship, of sorts.
But when she finally draws up the courage to meet him, it turns out that’s NOT who she’s been talking to. It’s the Earls brother, who is suspiciously missing after stealing a piece of weapon that shouldn’t fall into the wrong hands.

The plot follows Lydia and the Earl, named Arthur, as they track down his brother Davis and spark up their own relationship in the process.

I liked this one. It had spice at the right moments, hit you in the feels at the right moments, and has enough drama to keep you interested.
Timelines are a little rough, and the plot changes pace often, but I did enjoy it!
I did like the characters, even Lydia’s horde of brothers. I love historical fiction romances, and this is one that I’ll recommend as well.

Lydia and Arthur's fake marriage/mistaken identity journey was the perfect break for me in between heavier reads. I really enjoyed seeing Lydia become more fleshed out as a character in this second installment, and Vasti did a great job of not hearkening back too much to the first book and letting Lydia have the stage mostly to herself. The insecurities held by both Arthur and Lydia were way more true to life than I'm used to seeing, and played out to a satisfying, if predictable, conclusion without trapping us in a miserable cycle of misunderstandings and miscommunications. There was also a genuine twist, in the last third of the book that I did NOT see coming, and Vasti really did a great job of misdirection there.
I do think that the internal monologues of Lydia and Arthur got repetitive - their relationship is at it's most entertaining when they get to bring in their friends and family, and I wish we had gotten more of that.

This was my first time reading a book by Alexandra Vasti and it won’t be my last! Ever since I finished all of Julia Quinn’s and Lisa Kleypas’s books I have been looking for my next historical romance author and I’ve found her!!!

To start, this book was clearly very well researched. The historical facts about politics during this time were accurate and I applaud Vasti for the work she must have put in! I loved the idea of Lydia taking control of her life because she is tired of life happening to her. She’s a great character!

Getting into some of the details of the book- the spicy parts were very well written. They weren’t corny or unrealistic; they fit in nicely. The funny anecdotes about the zebras and animals were cute details. Lastly, I loved the sub characters in this book!

The ending had a nice little twist and I loved the letters! The only thing that kept this from another star was the slowness in the beginning and at times the Scottish dialogue was a little hard to understand. Sometimes authors will find context ways of implying meaning for other languages and I think that would have been helpful!

Can’t wait to read more by her!

Earl Crush is a funny and sweet romance with a touch of spy adventure. Lydia Hope-Wallace and the Earl of Strathrannoch have just had the most awkward meet-cute and now they are teaming up to track down the Earls's brother. Between the funny moments, endearing conversations, and adventure, this engaging story had me hooked. Somehow Lydia's shyness and Baird's self-doubt work to make them a couple I was really rooting for. If you have read Ne'er Duke Well, you will have a step up with many of the characters that appear in both stories, however, I think Earl Crush can easily be read as a stand-alone. There are several characters from this world who I am excited to get stories for.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this title!

I have loved everything that Alexandra Vasti has written and this book was no exception. I have been in a reading slump lately, but I read through the entirety of Earl Crush in one day. It was such a fun story with loveable characters and an entertaining plot. I loved Lydia's journey from lacking confidence to finding her own form of courage. I also loved Arthur's almost found family story where he recognized that the family he always wanted had always been there, but he was too hurt from his childhood to realize it. My only issue with Earl Crush is that everything seemed a little bit rushed at the end of the novel, but that was minor compared to how much I loved the rest of it. I highly recommend this title for anyone who enjoys romance!

I really love this author’s writing style! I read her first book and loved Lydia so much; I was thrilled to learn that the second book would focus on her and her continued character development. I loved how respectful the main characters were of each other. I could not put it down, it was full of pining, a little mystery and I really loved the epilogue. I can’t wait for this author’s next book!

Another absolute winner from Alexandra Vasti!

Lydia is a very rich spinster who has been writing radical political literature under a fake name. She has also been communicating with a Scottish earl for more than three years. And while she is socially awkward and gets easily flustered in person, she is beautiful writer and thinks she has finally found a man that will love her for her brain as much as her person (and money) in the earl. So when she decides to be the driver of her own fate and show up at the earl's door and ask him to marry her, she is horrified when he has no idea who she is.

Arthur quickly realizes his younger brother has been using his name to write to Lydia -- but he may be up to an even more dangerous scheme than that. He asks Lydia to stay and help him locate his missing younger brother -- but the longer he spends with her the more he wonders if she would ever fall in love with him instead.

Tender and sweet -- the romance definitely took over the plot very quickly but that was fine with me! I loved both of these characters and their growing love for one another. I only wish the conclusion hadn't felt so rushed -- but the epilogue was lovely! I hope we get a Davis book next!

4.5⭐️

This was another fantastic read by Alexandra Vasti!
The romance between Lydia and Arthur was so unbelievably sweet. Arthur had me swooning with his love confessions and I loved seeing Lydia grow more confident in herself throughout the story!

I also loved getting to see the snippets of letters at the beginning of each chapter! Arthur’s were my favorite but some of them had me howling.

- hot earl x shy wallflower
- meet disaster
- meddling staff
- found family
- the zebras! 🦓
- mystery & politics

THANK YOU to Alexandra & NetGalley for sending me an early copy of this one!
Pub date: 1/21/25

Alexandra Vasti has become an auto-buy for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! This could be read as a stand alone but I think you’ll get more out of it if you read Ne’er Duke Well first.

Arthur had me from the moment he opened the door to receive the world’s most awkward marriage proposal from a complete stranger. The pining he did for Lydia while trying to protect his fragile heart plucked at my heartstrings. I didn’t even know I HAD heartstrings.

This book had several different subplots that some might think took away from the romance, but give me some adventure and a road trip any time!

The only thing I would have liked to see more of was what happened with Lydia and the brother at the end.

I can’t wait for book 3. Please tell me there’s a book 3? Georgiana? Jasper? iris? Sir Francis Bacon? I’m here for all of them.

Alexandra Vasti can do no wrong! All the feelings of a classic historical fiction, but modern and new. I love her writing and love her love stories.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

I LOVED this. I loved Lydia, who reminded me of myself so much (awkward in public! Totally understood that. She’s smarter than I am though). And Arthur. Arthur! I love him. I wasn’t sure at first, but the love between them grew and I just became so fond of both of them.

The story involved in this was fun too - I enjoyed the cloak and dagger spy-ish part, and learning about both Lydia’s and Arthur’s families. I’m hoping the next book in the series is Georgina and maybe one of Lydia’s brothers- Jasper??? Can’t wait either way for the next book.

Such a fun book! I came across Alexandra Vasti’s Halifax Hellions novellas and devoured them, then immediately pre-ordered Ne’er Duke Well (not something I usually do) and have been so excited to get my hands on Earl Crush. It’s a great romance with a devoted hero and a heroine who really comes into herself, both of whom recognize something in the other that allows them the courage to break out of their self-imposed bounds. Beautiful writing and a plot with espionage-driven excitement. I loved the side characters, particularly Arthur’s estate manager and stable-master, and it was great to see some of the characters from Ne’er Duke Well return. I’m hoping we get to visit this world again soon!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing an eARC for an honest review.

Alexandra Vasti is a go to for Regency romances in this modern romance era. She's able to come up with plots and characters that don't ignore modern readers sensibilities. The twist on this arranged marriage was a truly new look at this trope. Overwhelmingly enjoyed!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

In this sequel to her debut novel Ne'er Duke Well, Alexandra Vasti tells the eagerly anticipated story of Lydia Hope-Wallace, the buxon, auburn-haired heiress who secretly pens a scandalous political pamphlet through Belvoir's Circulating Library. In an uncharacteristic act of brazen gumption, Lydia decides to travel to Scotland to offer her own hand in marriage to the Earl whom she has been corresponding with through her writings for over three years. When she arrives, both she and the Earl are left speechless. This is, of course, because the Earl has no idea who Lydia is and denies ever writing to her, which begs the question: who did?

Where do I begin? Regency romance? Check. Mistaken identity? Check. Marriage of convenience, ungodly pining, espionage??? Check times infinity. Not to mention... the spice is off the Scoville Scale. I read Earl Crush as an e-ARC on netgalley, and I am so beyond happy that I didn't have to wait until January. I have no notes, truly. Alexandra Vasti has outdone herself. I won't be thinking about anything else for a long while. If you liked Vasti's first novel Ne'er Duke Well, buckle up because this one will keep you glued to the pages even more than before. 5 stars, easily!