Did I laugh? Yes. Did I tear up? Yes. Did I fan myself? You know it. Did I want to smack the MMC? Of course. AV is a damn wizard when it comes to weaving a tale that is not only intriguing but also involves great main character development, along with supporting characters who aren’t just there to serve the main story but also their own and historical facts that give the reader insight that people back in the day weren’t all the same. Even more importantly to my own interests is the representation of a plus sized FMC who is not defined by her curves or lushness (either by herself or others). The only downfall of this book is the lack of wood chopping and blacksmith forge scenes ;)

I received an ARC of Earl Crush from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.  Alexandra Vasti is a new author to me and I really enjoyed her story. Lydia Hope Wallace is a bold spoken writer but shy and phobic when around strangers and groups. She has been corresponding long distance with the Earl of Strathrannoch and decides to propose to him to.solve two problems with one solution. She needs to marry and is wealthy, and he needs money, and understands and agrees with many of her positions on numerous topics. The only problem is that she has been dreaming of marrying the wrong person. When she arrives at his doorstep, he has no idea who she is and from there on, they must figure out the next step. This is a great story, full of suspense and intrigue and a budding romance. I can't wait to read her upcoming stories.

This was such a charming and fun read!

Earlier this year I read "Ne're Duke Well" from this author and really enjoyed it so I was excited to dive into another Historical Romance and "Earl Crush" definitely didn't disappoint me.

One thing I really love about this author's writing style is that her storylines make you feel a wide range of emotions. The plot is fun, playful, emotional and at times laugh out loud funny.

I loved reading Lydia and Arthur's story and really enjoyed watching their relationship develop and grow.

I look forward to reading more from this author in the future and would definitely add this one to your TBR.

Thank you Alexandra Vasti, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"Earl Crush" by Alexandra Vasti is the second installment in an interconnected standalone historical romance series. I was utterly charmed by this book! The cover makes it seem silly and, while it had a few comical moments, it was overall very emotional, heartfelt, and sweet. There is a slightly thrilling plot element that propels the story forward and brings together our main characters, Lydia and Arthur. Highly recommend this book if you're a fan of the genre; you don't need to read the previous book, "Ne'er Duke Well," but it does add more depth to this story.

This story is charming and funny. Loved Lydia’s nod to feminism and Strathrannoch was the perfect compliment. Bertie and his menagerie of animals was probably the best part. Also loved the snippets at the beginning of each chapter and the epilogue. Neat way to share character insight without adding bulk. Definitely checking out Vasti’s backlist.

Alexandra Vasti is fast becoming one of my favorite HR authors. Having just got into historical romances in the past two-three years, I’ve almost finished reading all the trailblazers in the genre and am looking for new things to read. Vasti’s books bring humor, charm, and interesting stories to the regency era. I could tell she was something special with the Halifax twins, then the Ne’er Duke Well introduced us to Selina, this novel gave Lydia the sweetest romance with Arthur, and I can’t wait to read what happens to Georgiana next! Many thanks to the author for the ARC, I sped through this book and look forward to what’s next!

I was really excited to read this after loving Alexandra's other book. I read this in a few sittings and liked the set up and the characters chemistry and really believed they were in love. BUT I dont love insta love and it felt like things moved fast between them and could have benefited from a slower burn.

It’s honestly rude that Vasti’s second novel is *this good* after her stunning debut. I love the quiet interiority of both Lydia and Arthur and how they find so much comfort in their ability to be themselves with each other. Contrasting that with a fairly madcap plot makes for a really interesting juxtaposition and a fascinating story. In Ne’er Duke Well, Vasti is telling a story with mostly personal stakes, but how those personal stakes can be a catalyst for good in the world. I love how Vasti has wound a story of much higher outside stakes for these two very quiet people at the center of Earl Crush. For them, they have to move beyond their comfort to do whah is right, and they urge each other to do that as they fall in love. This story is different from but just as compelling as her debut. TLDR - Lydia and Arthur are amazing, and Vasti has knocked it out of the park with another beautiful, funny, thoughtful story.

I was excited when the author announced this book and was very happy to get an ARC to read! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book.

I loved Lydia Hope-Wallace when I met her in Ne’er Duke Well, so I was glad that she was going to get her happily ever after! **I do not think you have to have read Ne’er Duke Well to read Earl’s Crush, but I think it definitely enhances your enjoyment of the book if you did.

This book opens three years after the end of NDW, and Lydia has found her voice- her written voice. She’s been publishing radical political pamphlets through Serena’s Belvoir’s Library under the pseudonym “H”. She has also been having a years long epistolary relationship with the Earl of Strathrannoch, who wrote to “H” via the Library. Through his missives, he’s shown himself to be a man who agrees with her political positions. He also revealed the utter financial mess of his estate.

So, Lydia decides that though they’ve never met, and he has NO IDEA she’s a wealthy spinster, the best way to take the reins of her own life into her hands is to go to Scotland and propose a marriage of convenience. Georgiana, to my delight, accompanied her on the trip.

Well, upon arrival we find out that Arthur, Earl of Strathrannoch, has no idea what letters she is speaking of nor any idea why she would say “I have money…I am here to marry you.”
The utter mortification causes our socially anxious heroine to do what she often does - throw up. Turns out, Arthur wasn’t writing her but his deceitful brother, Davis, who has now mysteriously disappeared with Arthur’s newly designed rifle scope.

This leads to an action sequence involving Lydia trying to leave on horseback driving the carriage carrying Georgiana, a stampede of zebras, and a heroic rescue by Arthur involving bravery on Lydia’s part she didn’t know she had in her. I was sucked into the story and never looked back.

This book has laugh out loud comedic scenes, a mystery involving Davis and Lydia’s brother Jasper, and a chance to see the four friends (Serena, Lydia, Georgiana, and Iris) working together to stop an assassination attempt on Wellington. The action kept me turning the pages. Lydia was brave and pushed herself to work through her anxiety in order to help Arthur and I was proud of her.

The romance felt very “lust at first sight”. Thus, this book felt spicier than NDW. Do I believe by the end that Arthur is in love with Lydia, and she with him? Yes, and I do appreciate how he fell in love with her mind. He did win me over with the way he encouraged her to do the things she was afraid of.

But, the third act separation did make me pause. I understand why the choice was made for Arthur to do what he did, but I don’t like it. And I needed him to GROVEL MORE. Lydia pardoned him way too fast.

I also needed to see the scene between Davis and Lydia on page. That man had some explaining to do as well!

The epilogue written in notes back and forth between them was a sweet ending that felt full circle to the beginning of the book.

All in all, this was a fun romp through Scotland and London, and I enjoyed my time reading it!

I cannot wait for Georgiana and Iris to have their stories told.

I also would like to put out into the universe that I need Gabriel and Jasper Hope-Wallace to also have books

I am loving historical romance as of late and this is a winner. It reminded me a bit of Tessa Dare: hilarious, super sexy, and emotional. Lydia - socially awkward women's rights pamphleteer. Arthur - Scottish inventor who is a bit of a recluse. Add a road trip to catch a catfishing brother and you have a fun, steamy, sweet and loving Regency romp.

Wow! Only Alexandra Vashti could work in a herd of zebras - in Scotland, no less, and have it lead to a marvelous love story! Romance, intrigue, mystery, danger, all wrapped up in a package that draws you in from the first page. Lydia is a wee bit impulsive, rushing off to Scotland on the basis of a pen pal correspondence and hoping for a marriage, and Arthur is a very unusual Earl. Their story of how they face their problems and overcome all to lead to a HEA is a wonderful story full of twists and turns, but always fun. I laughed, cried, and read all night to finish this novel which I wholeheartedly recommend to all romantic readers everywhere! Although I received an ARC, I voluntarily leave these comments of my unvarnished opinions.

This book is a gem. Perfect for fans of Bridgerton, both the Peneloise friendship, the scandal sheet, and the letter writing, going off to marry a stranger-ness of To Sir Phillip With Love. Put it in Scotland, add more hijinks, and soooo much pining, and you have this book. My favorite so far this year.

Alexandra Vasti does it again! She is my absolute favorite of the new wave of post-Bridgerton authors because she flawlessly blends modern sensibilities into historically accurate narratives. No eye-twitching anachronisms here, just empowered heroines and evolved heroes, plus well developed non-white and LGBTQ+ characters.

Earl Crush has it all: humor, adventure and heart—plus swoon-worthy letters and the joy of watching a loving relationship grow without a bunch of artificial obstacles and plot devices keeping the protagonists apart.

This was my first-ever ARC, thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, and I was thrilled to get to read this next book in the series so soon after Ne’er Duke Well. Can’t wait for the next one!

IT'S A NEW ALEXANDRA VASTI BOOK - OF COURSE I'M OBSESSED.

I am not surprised by the deluge of positive reviews for Earl Crush. After the mastery of Ne'er Duke Well, we all expect the best from Alexandra Vasti, and once again, she has delivered a wildly romantic, sexy, funny, and touching work of historical fiction. A bookshelf keeper that solidifies her place in the pantheon of modern historical romance royalty.

This was a cute fun book but I got a little bit lost in the plot, it seemed like a lot of moving parts that was a bit difficult to keep up with.

3.5 🌟's

this one was a mixed bag for me which is so disappointing ugh - the plot and the relationship wasn't holding my attention at many points throughout the story so i was just not truly engaged or enjoying my time reading this :/ there was just a lot going on and some of arthur's dialogue was kind of cringey to me lol

This was a unique and fun book. I really enjoyed the first book by this author, so I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, this novel did not engage me as much as the previous novel and novellas. It was not a bad book and I did like it, but I found that I was just not fully engaged and hooked on the next word. I wanted to find out what happened to Arthur and Lydia, so I was certainly invested enough to read the whole book, but I did skim quite a few parts because all the words seemed redundant or just too many words to express a simple point.

Arthur was a great character. He was a bit surly and brooding, but he loved Lydia so well. He desired to protect her and support her.
Lydia was fun to watch grow too. She was painfully shy, but it was lovely to see her overcome her fears and anxiety so she could help Arthur. It was quite inspiring.

Despite my criticisms of this book, I would recommend people to read it. I also want to read any new books by this author as they’re different and refreshing.

Thank you to Net Galley and Alexandra Vasti for the ARC.

This might just be my favorite Vasti book so far. I’ve often felt like an outlier in the book community for not absolutely loving her works, and while there’s something about her writing that doesn’t entirely resonate with me, I still recognize her talent. Vasti is undoubtedly a great writer, but her approach to Historicals often feels more like contemporary romance set in a different era. Additionally, her main characters, while admirable, tend to lack significant growth—they’re almost too perfect from the start, which can make their arcs feel a bit flat.

That said, the book was a fun read, even if it felt a bit scattered at times.

Provided this e-arc by Netgalley. I was so over the moon to be given the chance to read this early. I devoured the first one and was like why isn’t everyone shouting from the rooftops how fun and lovely this book is. The second book made me swoon and also love when a book is set in Scotland no matter the time period. I loved the main characters and it was fun seeing Georgina again but as herself and not pretending to be dumb. Arthur the man that you are. What a sweet cinnamon roll who also feels like hes not good enough and needs to give everything for others. It made me laugh having his family be like “its working!! Our plan is working “ I was next to them cheering them on. There was probably a lot of lines Arthur said that made me cry or swoon. One i loved was him telling her people would be so jealous that he was able to get someone so beautiful as her for his wife. The thing though that I loved about Lydia was her dramatics. She would say I have chosen the abyss let it take me. If this aint me at any inconvenience i dont know what is. Highly recommend this book overall.

Absolute perfection. 5/5 swoony stars for Earl Crush.

Don’t even know where to begin, maybe with the fact I finished this in one sitting? That I’m Alexandra Vasti’s newest fan girl? Or that she’s my new auto buy author? Her books are fun, witty, and romantic.

I loved Ne’er Duke Well, the first in the series, and found myself so eager for her next release. And this newest in the series definitely did not disappoint.

An introverted, socially awkward heiress decides to propose a marriage of convenience to the Earl of Strathrannoch, who she has been in correspondence with for years…only to show up in Scotland to meet the *real* Earl, Arthur, and find out that she’s been writing to his deceitful brother all along. Commence hi jinx, rogue zebras, a fake marriage, and the swooniest love story between two people who deserve so much love. Arthur and Lydia are absolutely perfect for each other.

Also, the epilogue 🥹🥹🥹

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!