Another fun book from Alexandra Vasiti! I adored Lydia's character and her over protective brothers, and the gentle giant that is Arthur. One thing that I love about Vasiti's books is that she entwines history into her fiction. I know there are a lot of nay-sayers about how accurate regency romances can be, but I love that she included aspects of reality to it that made the focal point of the relationships in the book more meaningful. Who knew that the Earl of Derby had 15oo animals roaming around his estate? My only slight critic on this book, is I wish the timeline was elongated just a bit more to make the relationship between Arthur and Lydia be a little more substantial. 1 month while is very normal in regency era romances felt a little too quick to solve a crime, stop a terrorist organization, and fall in love. I hope to see more from the Hope-Wallace family after we see what happens to Georgiana (and possibly Iris too!)

USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Vasti returns with another hot, hilarious Regency romp about a reclusive earl and the wallflower-turned-radical-pamphleteer who turns his life upside down. So sexy, fun, with comedy, easy to read.

This book was such a mess. I wanted to like it, but plot was forgotten a third of the way in when the love interests started making google eyes at each other and then after the halfway point someone realized there was a plot to progress and it just felt disjointed and messy.

Also, this was wayyyyy steamier than I was expecting. Usually the historical romances that I read will have a culminating romantic scene towards the end but omg these two were like rabbits, I swear. I try not to read those scenes as part of my own personal conviction so I did a lot of page skipping.

Additionally, I felt that the side characters were underdeveloped as well. I would have liked to have seen more from Lydia’s gaggle of intelligent lady friends.

I did really enjoy the anxiety and wallflower rep. I thought that was a nice touch and I actually did like these characters when they weren’t completely abandoning all reason so they could paw at each other. Also, the epilogue was very sweet.

Thank you to St. Martin Griffin and NetFallwy for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This read was full of angst. LOTS of angst. Almost too much angst since I skimmed some of those scenes. I loved how Lydia, even though painfully shy, left the comfort and safety of her home to venture forth and propose marriage to the Earl of Strathrannoch. And the earl, Arthur, was a brawny cinnamon bun hero who was in the dark about the correspondence Lydia had been sending. I would have liked more friction between the MCs so there was more journey in the relationship. The romance seemed anti-climatic (although the sexy times were pretty hot) compared to the other events. There was hijinks of switched identities. I loved the conspiring staff and friends. There was an element of danger from espionage. And a heart wrenching revelation between Arthur and his brother. Overall, an ok read.

Oh my goodness! Each book by Alexandra Vast I is better than the last! Lydia is such an enchanting character. She is shy. She is brave. She is outrageous. It is so fun to read her story as she comes into her own with Arthur's encouragement. The depth of emotion displayed is so spellbinding. I felt like I got an intimate look into each of their beliefs and fears. They now feel like good friends.

3.75⭐️

At first, I found this book a bit challenging to get into, but I grew to enjoy it. The romance felt hurried, and the plot was somewhat chaotic at times. However, it was also amusing and lighthearted, making it a quick and enjoyable read.

If you're a fan of regency-era romance, it might be worth checking out.

Thank you netgalley and St Martin's Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is fine. I was very excited about the premise of it but got l lost in all the spy plots and history and what not. Just have a good romance please? It didn’t feel fully fledged out to me. It was just like…oh here we are and it’s been two days and we are in love. Not my fave.

Rating: 3 Stars ⭐️

Book Blurb: wallflower heiress Lydia Hope Wallace has anonymously penned seditious pamphlets. And for almost as long, she’s corresponded with the Earl of Strathrannoch, whose political ambition is matched only by his charm. When Arthur’s latest letter reveals his dire financial straits, Lydia sets out for Scotland to offer him the only salvation she can think of a marriage of convenience.

Characters: Lydia & Arthur

Chemistry: insta-love

The heroine is shy, pukes in company, and writes seditious pamphlets. She goes on a road trip to Scotland to propose marriage to a man she has been corresponding with but has never met in person. It’s a tough read if you are a historical romance reader.

Thank you to the publisher for providing the ARC.

Lydia, a nearly on-the-shelf bluestocking heiress decides to take matters into her own hands by sneaking away from home to propose marriage to her longtime penpal Arthur, the reclusive Earl of Strathrannoch. Unfortunately, her hopes are dashed when he has no idea who she is! They team up to find his brother, who is the imposter penpal and hijinks ensue!

I really loved this fast-paced adventure romance! You get to see the main couple fall for each other as they try to work out the mystery of the earl’s brother. I love that Lydia is the only sister of 4 very different, but very loving brothers, who cause quite a bit of mayhem during the investigation and courtship. All around this was a fun read and I hope we see more books featuring these characters!

4.5 stars!! This book has everything- mystery and scheming and spies, a big dumb (kindhearted gentle giant) idiot of a Scottish earl, a menagerie of exotic animals, an assassination attempt on a real historical figure, and one feisty, brave (but also kind of always terrified) secretive pamphlet writer!!

Second wealthiest girl on the market, Lydia, has been exchanging letters on radical political topics with what she assumed to be the Earl of Strathrannoch. Out story begins with her arriving at his doorstep, ready to propose a marriage of friendship and convenience- all to learn that it wasn’t quite the earl she was corresponding with. A chaotic chain of events uncovers the true letter writer, a plot against a hero, and brings Lydia closer together with a grumpy earl who, in his own words, has become obsessed with her- what more could we ask for!!

The writing in this book is heartfelt and beautiful, full of epigraphs from “uncovered unsent correspondences.” Lydia and Arthur (our earl) have such a wholesome connection, caring for each other instantly in the way they need, and grows to an exciting passion, even when he’s a big dumb idiot (complimentary)! Lydia’s connections with her friends and her brothers is so fun, and I hope for the chance to get more of their stories!!


Thank you so much to Alexandra Vasti and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

📖 𝑬𝒂𝒓𝒍 𝑪𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒃𝒚 𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒂 𝑽𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴.“

Alexandra Vasti has once again delivered a fantastic historical romance full of banter, steam and mystery! Her characters are each so unique but still so easily relatable.

Our wallflower FMC, Lydia Hope-Wallace goes in search of her long time penpal, the Earl of Strathrannoch, Arthur Baird. Lydia is hoping to convince him into a marriage of convenience. Lydia writes political pamphlets that very few people know she is the author of. She is tired of living in the protection of her older brothers. She dreams of being in a relationship where her partner appreciates how strong she is underneath her wallflower persona.

Unfortunately, when she finally meets Author, he has no idea who she is! This strangers to lovers story had me kicking my feet. Author was a great MMC! His Scottish accent was the stuff of dreams are made of! ❤️‍🔥 He tried to deny his budding feelings for Lydia but it was literally undeniable.

Lydia and Author’s adventure was so fun! Slowly but surely they peeled away the layers to the mysterious Davis Baird.

Let me just say, Alexandra Vasti understood the assignment and DELIVERED on the spice! Author was INSATIABLE.

“𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘭𝘺. “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

The ending of this book left me FERAL for Jasper’s book!

I need all my historical romance lovers to go add 𝑬𝒂𝒓𝒍 𝑪𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒃𝒚 𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒂 𝑽𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊, your to TBR today!

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
🕰️ 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
✨ 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴
🧭 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴
🖋️ 𝘙𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘔𝘊
🔭 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘩/𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘔𝘊
💞 𝘔𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨
😂 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧
👀 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺
❤️‍🔥 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘪𝘪𝘤𝘺
🦓 𝘡𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢 𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘴
🤭 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a review.


Lydia Hope-Wallace is a spinster and a wallflower. She cannot enter a room full of people without fainting—or puking. But she has a solution: she will go to Scotland and propose to the Earl of Stratonnoth, also known as her secret pen pal for 3 years. But when she arrives the Earl doesn’t know who she is or what letters she’s written.

Arthur Baird’s estate is falling apart and he has little money, but when a rich noblewoman comes offering marriage and the funds to save his home, he refuses. He soon realizes that the poor woman has been tricked by his little brother, the same one that stole one of his inventions last month and disappeared with it.

The two will have to team up to retrace his steps and hopefully stop him before he causes massive damage—or kills someone.



This book was a delight through and through. I love a heroine who has anxiety but also knows how and when to stand up for the ones she loves. I love a soft man with a big, tender heart that is just a little beaten up, but is willing to address his vulnerabilities and insecurities. I love when a romance novel has a steady, strong, well thought out plot that adds to the romance aspect. This book has it all. The plot stands on its own— almost a political thriller with twists and turns, deceptions, exciting reveals. It also has a very sweet, tender romance that also makes you sweat with all the heat these two characters bring to the page. (and the bedroom)

The epilogue was absolutely brilliant and really tied up the loose ends for Lydia, Arthur, and Davis. I look forward to Georgiana’s book in the (hopeful) near future!

Thank you St Martins for the early copy.

I’m not a huge historical romance fan, but I’ve heard great things about this series and decided to give it a try. While I thought the first book was just okay, I really enjoyed this one! It offers much more than just romance, which I think is the key for me to truly enjoy these kinds of stories. The non-romance plot weaves in elements of mystery, espionage, and political rivalry, making it compelling and enjoyable in its own right. The romance feels like an added bonus rather than the sole focus, and I loved that balance. If you’re looking for a fun historical romp, definitely give this one a try!


3.63/5, rounded to 4

Summary:
I just finished Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti (out January 2025), and it’s an easy 5 stars. If you’re a historical romance fan, you need this book in your life—preorder it now. It’s everything I want in the genre: gorgeous writing, characters with real depth, and a romance that hits all the right notes. Lydia and Arthur completely stole my heart. Their chemistry, their connection, and the way they bring out the best in each other made this an instant favourite.

Characters:
Lydia: Lydia is all heart. She’s uncertain of herself in so many ways but still finds the courage to act when it matters most. Her journey of stepping out of her comfort zone and learning to trust herself was as satisfying as her romance with Arthur.
Arthur: Arthur is the kind of hero who stays with you. He’s brooding, stubborn, and absolutely undone by Lydia in the best way. Watching him soften and fall for her while still staying true to himself was everything.

Overall Thoughts:
Earl Crush is the kind of book that reminds you why you love historical romance. It’s emotional, romantic, and impossible to put down. Alexandra Vasti proves once again that she’s a powerhouse in the genre. I already want to reread it—and if you haven’t discovered her yet, this is the perfect place to start.

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 stars)

ALSO POSTED ON GOODREADS

Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti is a delightful whirlwind of wit, romance, and intrigue. Lydia Hope-Wallace, a wallflower with a secret edge, and Arthur Baird, the reluctant yet compelling Earl of Strathrannoch, are an irresistible pairing—their dynamic crackles with tension and humour from when Lydia arrives on his doorstep with her audacious proposal.
Lydia and Arthur's banter is sharp and engaging, and their growing connection feels natural and deeply satisfying. Lydia's boldness and intelligence make her a standout heroine, and Arthur's gruff exterior softening into genuine affection is beautifully done.
The espionage subplot adds an exciting layer to the story, heightening the stakes without overshadowing the romance. Vasti masterfully weaves humour and heart into a narrative filled with twists, making it impossible to put down.
This book perfectly balances heartfelt moments, sizzling chemistry, and clever storytelling. It's the kind of romance that leaves you smiling long after the last page, a testament to Vasti's talent for crafting unforgettable love stories.

Grumpy, giant scotsman? Yes, sign me up always.

I enjoyed this romance so much! It's equally as funny as it is sexy but also emotional.

Lydia and Arthur’s chemistry was sooo good. I’m a sucker for declarations of love, and this book had so many great moments. Arthur was really down bad for Lydia. She’s so sweet, fierce and I’ve loved getting to know her since book 1. This had a combination of mystery, espionage, adventure, and just the right amount of spice. I could not stop reading in my head with British and Scottish accents! *swoons*

Alexandra Vasti is a new auto-buy author for me! Ne’er Duke Well was my first historical romance, and this was a fantastic sequel. I hope there’s a book for Georgianna in our future, and maybe some for Lydia’s brothers? 😆👀

🦓Fake marriage
🦓Marriage of convenience
🦓Mystery / investigative element
🦓Anonymous pen-pals
🦓Love letters
🦓Roadtrip with forced proximity
🦓Meddling servants

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the arc. I loved it!

Alexandra Vasti does it again! No sophomore slump here; Earl Crush has the same charm, wonderful characters, swoony romance, and delightful plot that made me fall in love with her debut. I read it in less than 24 hours. Devoured it. Loved it. Couldn't get enough of it. It sucked me in from page one. I fell in love with Lydia and Arthur from their first moments on page. The mystery aspect was a fun departure from Ne'er Duke Well; I love the various capers keeping them together but interrupting their alone time. It's official-I'll read anything she writes!

How do I love Alexandra Vasti? Let me count the ways. A reclusive earl. A seditious pamphlet-writing lady. A menagerie of zebras. A marriage proposal. A missing rifle scope. A fake marriage. Espionage. An assassination attempt. Did I mention zebras?

Earl Crush is an absolutely delightful regency romance. The characters--Arthur, the reclusive Earl of Strathrannoch, and the wallflower pamphleteer Lydia Hope-Wallace--are perfect for each other, even though there's originally some confusion due to the fact that Arthur's brother had been writing to Lydia for YEARS *as* the earl. The anticipation of their wedding vows, if you know what I mean, is steam par excellence.

The narrator of the audiobook, Mhairi Morrison, delivers an outstanding performance. I simultaneously wanted to listen to it nonstop and also drag it out because I didn't want it to end. In addition to the swoon-worthy romance, there's a healthy dose of suspense and intrigue as Arthur and Lydia race to find his brother and the missing rifle scope.

The only question I have now is what will I read while I wait for Alexandra's next book? *quietly sobs*

Thank you to St. Martins for my advance review copy.

Thank you St. Martin’s Griffin, Alexandra Vasti and Netgalley for the chance to read and review Ear Crush ahead of its publication, in exchange for an honest review! Unfortunately, I did not love this one as much as I loved Ne'er Duke Well. Overall I just had trouble getting invested in the story and the romance. Which I admit may have 100% been a me problem, since I was going through a pretty big life change at the time of reading.

I do think this is a fun and heartfelt read, though, much like the first book in this series. While it personally wasn't my cup of tea at the time of reading, I can see many people enjoying the story and still will recommend this author.