Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC; this review is my honest opinion.

Ne'er Duke Well was the first book of Alexandra Vasti's I read, and I knew it wouldn't be my last. I was so glad to get to read Lydia's story after liking her so much as a supporting character; Vasti writes characters who are easy to like AND relate to, and Lydia is both.

Lydia is wonderfully relatable to anyone who's ever suffered from social anxiety. She's funny, she's impassioned ... and her initial reaction to Arthur is also incredibly relatable. (Good thing that his reaction to her is equally awestruck.)

The whimsical touches -- zebras? in regency Scotland? -- are so much fun. And someone please give the bedchamber door an award for best supporting character in a Very Important Scene.

Lydia and Arthur! I loved them: their pining for each other, their obsession with each other, the lengths which they’d go to for each other.

This is a regency romp of the highest caliber. I adored it.

Overall a good read with interesting plot. Could feel sympathy for the hero and heroine with their insecurities. I am always a fan of hero falling fast, particularly with a bluestocking. Loved the epistolary headers at the beginning of each chapter. Plenty of steam for those who like it, yet not gratuitous..

Despite not reading the first book in the series, I had no trouble understanding the connection between characters.

Would like a novella featuring Davis to flesh out his character.

3.7 Stars
One Liner: Mindless fun!

~1818
Lydia Hope-Wallace is a shy heiress who spent her life cocooned by her brothers. Her disastrous Seasons make it easy for her to become a wallflower and pen seditious pamphlets anonymously. This led to her correspondence with the Earl of Strathrannoch, a man with the same political ideas as her.
After three years of correspondence, the earl admits to financial troubles. Lydia goes to Scotland to offer help and support – a marriage of convenience (with herself) so that he can revive his beloved castle. However, a rude shock greets Lydia in Scotland. Arthur, the Earl of Strathrannoch, has no idea who she is. Turns out, it was his brother using his name. Moreover, the same brother has stolen an important item from the earl.
Together, they try to find where the missing man is. If only the attraction between them wasn’t so strong. ;)
The story comes in the third-person POV of Lydia and Arthur.

My Thoughts:
Firstly, this is a silly kind of read with some OTT elements. Don’t take anything seriously. Just enjoy the silliness, and you’ll have more fun that way.
Initially, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it much. But it was an easy read so I kept swiping the pages. After the initial 20% or so, I realized the book would be fluffy with a touch of absurdity. It was funny in its own way and made me happy. I can’t complain much if I’m enjoying it, right?
The plot has many elements but they are all surface-level stuff most of the time. This is a romance before anything else. The characters are attracted to each other pretty much from the start. It’s spicy too. There’s a Verity-inspired scene as well (IYKYK).
Each chapter starts with a short excerpt from a letter/ journal written by one of the characters. Some of these were so much fun, especially the ones by the side characters.
Apart from a pet dog (Bacon), this book happens to have some zebras and a degu (a rodent apparently) as well. We don’t meet the degu personally, though I wish we did. She has a name too!
There’s some drama in the climax and towards the end, which is expected. It does get sorted after a couple of scenes. It would have been nice to read a proper conversation between two certain characters which was only mentioned afterward. I feel it would have made a difference.
Anyway, the epilogue is well done. I won’t reveal spoilers but the presentation was interesting. I like it!

To summarize, Earl Crush is entertaining as long as you don’t think too much about the contents. The writing style is easy and light, so you can finish the book in a couple of sittings.
I think this will be a standalone series since the blurb for the next book is out on GR (it’ll be a Sapphic romance!) and some eligible bachelors are waiting for their turn.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Hoping to avoid another horrible London season on the marriage market and looking for a life of her own choosing, Lydia secretly travels to Scotland planning to propose to a man she's never met in person. Hopefully a marriage of convenience could benefit them both and be just the thing to give her the life of freedom she's looking for. However, arriving at the Earl of Strathrannoch's estate, she discovers that things aren't as they seemed, and though her hard-sought freedom may not be quite in reach, she accepts a request for aid of a different sort from the earl. His younger brother is missing, and with him, an important invention. While they work together to solve the mystery, will they also discover just what they need in love?

This is a very enjoyable romance of acceptance and found family, all put together with an adorable set of characters and some great emotional conversations about letting yourself love and be loved. I look forward to seeing more from this author.

This is a tough one to rate. I liked Lydia and Arthur. I loved the fun animal touches of the zebra herd, the degu, and the dog Sir Francis Bacon. I love the word Strathrannoch. I liked that the Earl of Strathrannoch’s stable manager and estate manager are allowed to love each other at the Earl of Strathrannoch’s estate in a (fairly) believable way for the times. I loved Lydia’s “ten thousand” overly protective brothers.

I didn’t love that both Arthur and his brother wanted to marry Lydia. I didn’t love what became boring, repetitive sex (can’t believe I’m writing that). The story was drawn out by the sex scenes, which were fine but not well spaced. And I really didn’t love the last 40 pages, which were a convoluted and unbelievable mess.

I read an advance reader copy of Earl Crush from Netgalley.

I want Alexandra Vasti to write 25 historical romcoms like Tessa Dare and Sarah MacLean have done, because Vasti is a voice we need in the genre!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Alexandra Vasti has quickly become a must-read author for me.

I really enjoyed Ne’er Duke Well, but it took me a while to get into. For Earl Crush, I thought the pacing was excellent, and the story really moved along.

I particularly liked both the main characters, who seemed well suited and heartwarmingly likable. The side characters, too, enriched the story significantly. Huw + Bertie= <3 And while Georgiana is my girl (and I can’t wait for her story), I'm here for Francis Bacon. I’m looking forward to the continuation of this series and excited to see what comes next for this author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm really loving this author. I loved Arthur and Lydia in this story and all their hijinks, including with zebras, and all their character growth. I enjoyed the twists and the characters brought back from the previous book and all the sexy and sweet moments. I especially loved the epilogue. This story just warmed my heart and I can't wait for the next one.

Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti is such a fun regency romance. In this installment of the series, we follow Lydia Hope-Wallace to Scotland. Since we left her in Ne'er Duke Well, she has been publishing political pamphlets and writing to Arthur Baird, Fifth Earl of Strahrannoch regarding the topics. Because they get along, she has no other prospects, and he is in need of her weath, she decides to run to Scotland with Georgiana and propose to Arthur.

Unfortunately, things go sideways very quickly, starting with zebras running amuck and almost taking out Lydia and Georgiana. Not to worry, Arthur saves them both and enlists Lydia's help in finding his missing brother. It seems the Earl's brother has become involved in some sort of conspiracy. Arthur and Lydia must follow his trail to uncover the truth of it all, if they can overcome their building passion long enough to track him down.

If I had to pick just one word to describe this book it would be fun. Like the first book, we get dual, third-person POV from both Arthur and Lydia. The way that Alexandra Vasti writes men's desire and passion is everything I want in future romance novels. She builds genuine chemistry between her characters so well and these two just could not keep their hands to themselves. There is definitely some pining but not much slowburn in this installment, unlike the first book. Earl Crush would also be easy to read as a standalone novel, if you happen to pick this one up first. I actually read about 20% before I realized it was the second and went back to read the first. It gives more context to Lydia, Georgiana, and Belvoir's Library, but you wouldn't find yourself lost.

I also love that in this book we get to see Lydia come out of her shell and not in a she realized she could because a man told her she could type of way. I would've loved to get more from the side characters though, see their motivations, relationships, and history but I understand that the story had so much going on already, it might've been hard to fit in.

I can definitely see myself re-reading this for an easy, fun palatte cleanser with open-door, explicit spicy scenes, which makes it easy to give Earl Crush 4/5 stars.

I can't wait to see what the next book has in store for us, fingers crossed for Georgiana's story!

Thank you to St. Martin's Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

This review will be posted on Fable, Storygraph, and Goodreads. I will publish reviews on Amazon and B&N when available (around the release date).


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"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.

For three years, wallflower heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace has anonymously penned seditious pamphlets - and for almost as long, she's corresponded with the reclusive Earl of Strathrannoch. 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. To, um, herself.

But the real earl has no idea who she is. When a bewitching stranger offers him her hand in marriage, Arthur Baird is stunned. And when he learns that his traitorous brother has been writing to her under Arthur's name, he's bloody furious. He's content to live alone in his moldering castle, and he has no desire for a radical wife. (Or at least, he shouldn't.)

But Arthur is desperate to track down his brother, who's become dangerously entangled in British espionage, and he needs Lydia's help. What he doesn't need? The attraction that burns hotter each moment they spend together. As Lydia slips past his defenses and his brother's mysterious past becomes a very present threat, Arthur will have to risk everything to keep her safe - even his heart."

But his brother couldn't be all bad orchestrating happiness for his brother... even if accidental...

I stayed up till 2am finishing this book! I couldn’t put it down.

Vasti’s characters are so memorable and relatable while also feeling authentically Regency. You can tell the author does her research to make these characters products of their time.

Lydia’s anxiety rep was well done. I loved how she longed to be seen as capable even despite her struggles. And Arthur was the sweetest giant teddy bear of a man who protected her while also giving her the respect she needed. Their chemistry was perfect, and the spicy scenes were plentiful and hot!

The plot had so many exciting turns I did not expect. It kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how the characters would survive the latest twist! There’s a lot more action and adventure than your typical Regency romance!

I must say, I enjoyed this one even more than book 1! And I can’t wait for book 3 next fall. Pick up this book today for a spicy and exciting ride.

Thank you to Netgalley, St Martins Press, and Alexandra Vasti for my free copy to review.

I really enjoyed Lydia and Arthur’s characters. Sometimes with rotating POVs, I’m looking forward to only one character’s timeline. But I wanted to know from both.

In many romance books, there is a lack of communication between the love interests. This is a pet peeve of mine. Many books could be half as long if only they were honest with each other.

It made me happy to realize that Lydia and Arthur do communicate. There’s some angst but they talk, they are honest.

They get to know each other, flaws and all. And I love how much they love each other, no matter their supposed flaws according to society or their actual flaws.

I also enjoyed the epilogue, in the form of letters.

It was a lovely romance read. I was happy to go back into the Belvoir’s Library world. I am looking forward to Georgiana’s story next!

Vasti has been one of my favorite historical romance writers since her Halifax Hellion novellas and her second full length novel does not disappoint! No spoilers, but even when this story dipped into some tropes that aren't typically my vibe, I was still able to enjoy it!

I loved this book! Alexandra Vasti's character-driven historical romances never disappoint. A delightful combination of romance, wit, adventure, and humor.

Fizzy banter, electric chemistry, a hero and a heroine on wonderful character journeys and narrative arcs that fulfill and complement each other - possibly the best romance of 2025 and it's not even out yet.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book. It might actually be my favorite romance of the year. It has everything I want - two fleshed out leads, fun side characters, a Quest, a misunderstanding that leads to a fake marriage that leads to a real relationship, a Mystery - and it's so well written. This is going in my Auto Recommend list for when people ask for a good historical. The social anxiety that Lydia feels is far too relatable, but I love the connection with Arthur. 5 stars, wouldn't change a thing.

What a marvelously entertaining book. Alexandra delivers again with aplomb. Her characters are real, they are shy or bold and they fight for everything they want. Mistaken idententity, fake marriage, a race to discover a missing brother, espionage, assassination all thrown together and topped off with love, laughter and sexiness is going to put this book on top of the charts.

Loved it

3.5 stars. This was a really cute and fun regency rom com. I enjoyed the romance and a lot of the characters were well written. I especially liked Lydia and the fact that she was introverted. I did feel like the pacing was a little off, and towards the end I kind of stopped caring about the politics plot that was going on.

I enjoyed the romance in Earl Crush so much. I just loved Arthur and when Lydia found her confidence, they were so much fun to watch fall in love. With Vasti's previous book, I felt like there was extra stuff added in that cluttered things up a little. The spy story line felt a little last minute and a bit of nonsense. I liked the letter deception and the "where's my brother" story line, but it was a lot of clutter that could have been cleaned up some. The romance though, it was great.

Thanks @netgalley @smpromance and @alexandravasti for the chance to read Alex's second book, Earl Crush! It releases on January 21, 2025 and is available for pre-order from @blue_cypress_books.

Filled with THE BEST Bridgerton vibes, Earl Crush had me laughing, pining, and trying to discover the mystery at the center of the story.

Alex is such a fresh, funny, HOT voice in the historical romance space (which should not be "dead" despite the *discourse*). You should pre-order Earl Crush and read Book 1 in the series--Ne'er Duke Well--before it comes out.

Heiress Lydia has secretly authored political pamphlets for the past three years, and, in the process, developed a pen pal relationship with a Scottish Earl who just might be the only man who truly understands her. So, when she goes to his estate in Scotland to propose to him (you see, his earldom is in a lot of debt and she's got money to spare), she learns that the man she's been conversing with is the young brother of the Earl. The real Earl knows nothing about her and is furious that his brother would try to hunt her fortune. There's also a small matter of the younger brother stealing a rifle scope and possibly being in league with some bad people, so the Earl (Arthur) and Lydia team up to try to discover his younger brother's whereabouts before it's too late. Along the way are zebras chases, fake marriages, Bonaparte loyalists, and much more.

Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Tropes: only one bed, secret identities, SO MUCH PINING, fake marriage, touch her and die