Alexandra Vasti is quickly becoming a must-read author, and Earl Crush is another winning entry to her booklist. I rooted for Lydia as she worked through her social anxiety throughout this story that is a little bit of mystery and a lot of romance. The epigraphs that come from Arthur’s personal correspondence are dreamy (get yourself a man who looks at you like Arthur writes about Lydia).

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for an eARC. Opinions are my own.

3.5
This was a fun read, I loved the characters and the story. Once I got to about 30% I couldn’t stop!

Spoilerish warning…. I didn’t love the resolution between Davis and Arthur. I mean, I it was resolved but it felt like a little more time could have spent on that situation for better closure. But that’s just me.

Content: I skipped a lot of spicy stuff. I’m not sure how may scenes exactly but at least 3…the good thing for us Closed Door readers is that it’s obvious when things are heating up and you can just skip on to the next chapter.

Vasti is undoubtably THE talent to watch in the histrom space. Every detail is meticulously researched, every page dripping with beautiful prose and zippy humor. Lydia and Arthur are the couple of histrom dreams. I am down bad for a down bad hero like Arthur. The book starts with a dramatic flourish and stays zany in the best way. Vasti is an auto-buy author.

Thank you SMP for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Earl Crush is a charming Regency rom-com with a light-hearted tone, but the romance felt rushed. The connection between the main characters lacked depth, making their love story less convincing than it could have been. It seemed as though the author hadn’t fully fleshed out their personalities, which made it hard to fully invest in their relationship. Additionally, the espionage subplot felt overly complex, adding unnecessary confusion to the narrative. That said, there are still enjoyable moments throughout the book, making it a fun, if somewhat uneven, read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an eARC of this book via NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperbacks. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Published: January 21, 2025
Pages: 352

Alexandra Vasti introduced herself to me as a new author with “Ne’er Duke Well” where I thoroughly enjoyed the read. So what can I can say about “Earl Crush”…just absolutely a wonderful historical romance novel. This was a well-written, and well-developed story that has scandal and social awareness in this delightful and steamy regency romp.

Lydia Hope-Wallace a sheltered but wealth heiress writes and publishes pamphlets under a under a pseudonym about her opinions because she is unable to talk to men when she goes to balls and can get quite ill. The pamphlets become popular and catches the interest of the Earl of Strathrannoch who starts a written correspondence with the heroine about what she writes. When the heroine gets the courage to confront the Earl, she goes to him in Scotland to assist him in his dire situation. It is unfortunate that the hero does not know she is…not having corresponded with her for over three years.

Ms. Vasti leaves you very much enthralled with her characters and all their nuances in this story. The characters and witty and well-developed individuals. This was one book that had me from the beginning to the end…hard for me to put down. Slow burn romance to smiling cheek to cheek. The story has romance, mystery and puts you into that comfy read mode. Highly recommend this one also from the author.

*3.5 stars*

This might been a case of I just wasn't in the right mood for this. I enjoyed the first book and this was cute. It started out so fun and spunky but then I got kind of bored. I feel like the overall plot was just really simple and not much too it. I was ready for something different to happen or for it to speed up. But it was as sweet read and like I said it might have just been my mood. I wanted a little more complexity or depth to it..

Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

4/5 stars

I was a big fan of Vasti’s first novel and really enjoyed this one! I did find the character of the Earl a bit stereotypical, hence the 4 instead of 5 stars, but loved Lydia - she really made this book for me.

Lydia - a wallflower with anxiety and big opinions ends up on the doorstep of Earl Strathtannoch’s door, proposing marriage. However, there has been a clear misunderstanding and this book tells the tale.

4.5 stars
For the past few years, wallflower Lydia has been anonymously publishing “radical” political pamphlets through the Belvoir Library. During this same period, she thought she was exchanging letters with the Earl of Strathrannoch (Arthur). When she goes to Scotland to meet her pen pal and propose marriage, learns he didn't write the letters. The letters were, in fact, written by the Earl’s missing brother, and Lydia and Arthur team up to find him.
I really enjoyed this book. I had read the first in the series, and while I enjoyed it, I found myself liking this book even more. For me, it was the perfect mix of romance, humor, emotion, and a bit of mystery. I found the romance to be well paced – a nice build of tension before the spice, and the humor was often laugh-out-loud.
The characters were very likable. The pacing was great. The story focuses on the relationship between Lydia and Arthur, but there are some great family dynamics and just enough regency era politics to help move the plot along.
If you hadn’t read the first in the series, you might miss a couple of small details, but the book stands on its own very well.

Alexandra Vasti's books are so funny and sexy I always have to read them right away! Earl Crush is about socially anxious heiress/radical pamphleteer Lydia and semi-reclusive earl/inventor Arthur. They've been corresponding about politics for several years, so Lydia comes up with the brilliant idea to travel to Scotland and surprise Arthur with a proposal of marriage! Except Arthur has no idea that they've supposedly been sending each other letters and has no idea who she is. They set out on a li'l road trip together to figure out why Arthur's brother was catfishing her that really turns into a tour of all my/our/your favorite sex tropes (someone's coming, quick kiss me! Only one bed! Makeout/dry hump up against the wall! AND MORE!).

We feel like these books fill the Tessa Dare niche of "hilarious, super sexy, and emotional," and we're just so happy every time we pick one up.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

this. book. is. amazing. I could scream about it from the rooftops 😫 the representation of social anxiety, being the oddball out, and still having confidence and power in your decisions is what made Lydia one of my favorite characters ever. There was NOTHING about this book I didn’t like, the story, characters, the quirks 🧑‍🍳💋 I’m usually not one for annotating but I was SCRIBBLING LIKE A MADWOMAN over some of the things said in this story.

Thank you so much Alexandra for sending me an ARC and letting me delight in this story.

Review posted to GoodReads 8/31, posted to evelynlainebooks on Instagram 8/31, and TBD future date.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was such an enjoyable romp of a Regency romance. We have the Scotland highlander romance hero, a dash of spies and tension, and lovable main characters. And paced perfectly. I read this book all in the span of one sleepless night. I'm so excited to read more of the Hope-Wallace family (Jasper??? swoon? I'm rooting for him and Lydia's best friend) and get the rest of their stories.

ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! A stunning regency romance! Just a brilliant romance in general! From the very beginning I was enthralled by the characters and their story. Lydia starts off witty and brilliant and it’s hard not to immediately want to know more about what’s going on in her brain. Arthur, on the other hand, is introduced as aloof and mysterious and, well, giant and bearded, so… sign me up! Their love story is a slow burn that had me giggling and kicking my feet the whole way through. And the best part? We love it when a man is down BAD for his girl. I had heart eyes and red cheeks reading some of the earl’s POVs.
This book has romance. It has history. It has mystery. It has all the makings of a perfect comfort read! 10/10! No notes! Add this to your tbr ASAP!

When you think the man with whom you're corresponding knows you, but when you show up at his door, he's confused by your presence and it gets a bit awkward.

Lydia Hope-Wallace is a wealthy heiress that has been sheltered all her life by her brothers and mother. She started writing pamphlets under a pseudonym about her opinions and publishing them through her friend's bookstore since she's unable to talk to men when she goes to balls and can get quite ill. They become wildly popular and the Earl of Strathrannoch reaches out to her and starts to converse about her pamphlets. When she finally builds up the courage to go to him in Scotland and propose due to his lack of funds, Arthur does not know who she is because the he has not been writing to her for the past 3 years. When the Arthur convinces her to stay, she starts to for the first time get comfortable around him and push past her fear to help him find his brother.

Historical regency romance is one of my favorite genres. I read all of Alexandra Vasti's books in one week because I couldn't get enough and this is no exception. It has everything that a reader could want: mystery, romance, and an incredibly hot Scottish man (Jamie Fraser, anyone?).

The author wrote about Lydia's anxiety and showed how despite warring with herself, Lydia still pushed through to try new experiences rather than shirking them due to fear. There's so much positive progression from the Lydia the reader sees in Ne'er Duke Well and this book.

Arthur is so patient with Lydia so that she has gain more confidence to do what needs to be done. He is the strong, patient man that she needs to encourage her to find herself and never judges her for what she feels. His need to be loved was something that made me want to wrap him in a hug. Also the fact that he is quite clever with his inventions and a bit of recluse really complimented Lydia.

I receive an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

I loved this story. There was a road trip and forced proximity. I could not put the book down, I devoured this story. This was a character-driven book as Lydia and Arthur were both perfectly flawed in all the best ways. I love how accepting Arthur was of Lydia and vice versa it made their fabulous love story that much more lovely. They were the perfect counterparts to one another. The addition of the intrigue in the story was compelling and interesting. I cannot say enough good things about this story and the ending letters were the perfect way to encapsulate the love created in this story. Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

5 stars

I was absolutely charmed by this book. The characters were so well developed and easy to root for (including the side characters). The relationship between the two main characters was so sweet. They go from strangers to sort of reluctant friends to being fake married to being actually in love. But make no mistake, there was some serious pining from the start. Arthur was down bad for Lydia (we love to see it). Lydia was also very socially anxious and I loved how Arthur helped her with that.
The theft/espionage subplot was also well done and I liked how everything tied together and how all the trouble the main characters got into helped bring tj together.
This was such a fun historical romcom that I could not put down and had me giggling the whole time I was reading

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Publishing for the ARC!

Hello Book friends!

Today I’m reviewing Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti. In the second novel of Vasti’s Belvoir’s Library series it’s wallflower heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace to find her happily ever after. And when she boldly turns up in Scotland to propose to the man she’s been secretly writing to for three years (gasp). Things don’t quite go the way she planned them.

Oh, Alexandra Vasti, you’ve done it again.

A delightfully enchanting book about two people who want something more than what society expects of them. A hermit Earl who would rather be helping his tenants and restoring his crumbling castle than interact with nobility, or anyone really. Arthur Baird’s estate is clearly in desperate need of funds. Enter the shy intelligent heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace who would be able to provide and proposes just that (along with marriage) the moment he meets her.

The catch…

He’s not the man whose been writing to her.

Earl Crush is a romp of a novel. It’s a fast paced, character driven romance, with cameo’s from the first book! Fans of the first novel will be screaming (happily) “kiss already,” “wait… where are you going,” and “I am a puddle of so many happy emotions.”

Plus, the love letters at the end are absolutely the BEST!

I highly recommend pre-ordering this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Another standout from Vasti, I love this series of smart, headstrong heroines and the men who pine after them.

I saw myself in Lydia’s social anxiety and swooned at the way Arthur tended to her needs. This is what good romance novels are made of!

Zany hijinks, particularly those zebras, could have been distracting but it’s all in the spirit of fun and reminds me of much loved works by Virginia Heath.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6612167016

Well that was a perfectly charming book. It's now the fifth thing by Alexandra Vasti I've read and the first book I've read via NetGalley. This is my first review in ages so uh...it'll likely be a bit clumsy.

I just recently dove into Vasti's work and couldn't help but get the feeling that I'm catching someone right before they'll hit their stride to becoming a standard favorite--a Julia Quinn, Coutney Milan, or Eloisa James just before they're noticed and specific style loved.

Onto this book in particular: <i>Earl Crush</i> is the second book in a new series by Vasti, following <i>Ne'er Duke Well</i>. It is what I've come to think of as Bluestocking Regency Romance. I uh...really love this genre--think Laura Lee Guhrke's Girl Bachelor series. Women are clever and men love their cleverness. I love their stories.

And the FMC and MMC in this book do not disappoint. They are clever people who have their faults and an internal dialogue of strength and human frailty that is lovely. And you learn about them through the telling--rather than the stating. They have depth and background. I not only like them, but I roll my eyes at their choices sometimes--because people aren't perfect and are informed by a wealth of personal history. And Vasti reminds us of that through her storytelling.

That said--I can definitely see where bits felt rushed. Read this book. It's worth it. You'll be happy to catch Vasti early.

This is my second Alexandra Vasti book, and it delivers fun characters with very compelling chemistry. Earl Crush is about Arthur, a penniless Scottish earl who invents in his spare time, and Lydia, who is shy in public but very forthcoming as an author of seditious pamphlets. Arthur and Lydia are great together and the banter really jumps off the page.

The story itself didn't work quite as well for me, though, and the plot felt both unevenly paced and contrived at the same time. There's so much going on in this book, with a plot against the government mixed with espionage mixed with a laundry list of family dynamics. All of that is well and good, but it feels more like window dressing for the romance than a truly thought out story on its own. And then it ends without giving you some real emotional beats!

I keep reading these books because the chemistry is so good, and maybe that's why I like the Halifax Hellion novellas better. I had similar plot complaints with Ne'er Duke Well. But if that's less important for you and you prefer chemistry to plot, then you will probably enjoy this book just fine.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
A absolutely wonderful read - I loved every second of this book. Both protagonists were really flushed out characters and expertly written characters just take a book to the next level. I can’t wait for the next one.