Well, this was wonderful. Just wonderful. Earl Crush is smart, funny, sexy, emotional, kind and unabashedly romantic, full of pining and needing. Lydia and Arthur are awkward yet strong and brave. I can easily state that this is one of my favorite books of the year. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. All opinions are solely my own.

I loved this story sooo much. Historical romances are my jam and this has such a lovely unique feel while also having Bridgerton like vibes. I think everyone should read this book just as soon as they can.

This was such a good follow-up to Ne’er Duke Well. Earl Crush is Lydia’s story, one of the characters from that book. She is petrified of her own shadow and completely awkward with people she doesn’t know (so far as to faint and vomit on them) but is incredibly intelligent, penning political pamphlets anonymously in England in 1818. The youngest in a very wealthy family with four older brothers, she’s never gotten married because she’s so awkward but travels to Scotland thinking that a pen pal of hers might be an option. This one has a bit of a mystery involved because it turns out the person she thought she was writing to was actually the brother of an Earl and they have to find out what happened to his brother. Naturally she ends up falling for Arthur, the Earl, and he for her but he’s convinced he’s less educated than his brother, not as much of a catch, etc. Alexandra Vasti writes such entertaining, funny, sexy stories and I was thrilled to get to read her latest early.

Came for the author and her perfect mixture of history and romance and stayed because just so damn charming. Vasti always sneaks in real history, anxieties, and tensions, and this book likewise doesn't shy away from the complex issues that governed the class, racial, sexual, and gendered lives people of this historical moment. But then also the characters are whole and unique and do not evolve in an obvious straight line. I particularly appreciated the FMC, who is not always easy and struggles to claim the live she wants. That said, the book is also just funny, charming, and worth a read.

Lydia Hope-Wallace drives up to Scotland with the intention of proposing to the Earl of Strathrannoch, with whom she's carried on correspondence for the past three years, only to discover it was his brother pretending to be him who had been writing her. He asks her to help him find his brother who absconded with a dangerous piece of equipment he created. While they attempt to figure out why the Earl's brother stole it and who he's working for, Lydia learns one of her brothers is also part of a clandestine organization. As the two continue to try to find answers, pretending to be a married couple for appearances, they find that perhaps all their faking might be turning into something real.

A spicy and thoroughly enjoyable regency romance.

An absolutely adorable historical romance about a heiress spinster and a broody earl trying to uncover the mystery behind where his brother is. This had the cutest and steamiest romance I’ve read in a while and I’m so sad to leave these characters!

I knew I was going to love this after being obsessed with Ne’er Duke Well! This was so fun to read and the romance was sweet, swoon-worthy and absolutely swept me off my feet. Lydia and Arthur both have me in a chokehold because their chemistry was unreal! The angsty love declarations had me in happy tears. I’m so obsessed with them. They’re both very well written in their struggles and Lydia was just so precious to me in how she developed since Book 1. And the way Arthur was rightfully down bad for this woman every single time. I’ve said this before, but any man written by Alexandra Vasti is always the entire green forest!

Vasti’s writing style is always so freshly addicting because I breezed through this book and could not put it down. The plot was well paced and I loved the balance between the chaos (hello, 16 zebras) and funny moments. Lydia’s older brothers were all hilarious too and the interactions had me cackling. I love her family so much and would adore books about her brothers too because they are all so ridiculous and goofy.

Really enjoyed the second installment of these interconnected standalones. The MMC and FMC were both great and I thought the plot was fun and interesting.

Alexandra Vasti has written another unforgettable, unique Regency romance! I can't think of another one with zebras trotting around the grounds.

Lydia Hope-Wallace has been corresponding with the Earl of Strathrannoch for quite a while, or so she thinks. When she learns that he is in financial straits, Lydia sets out to offer the Earl a bargain - she proposes that they marry. They have corresponded long enough that she thinks they might do well together, and he needs money, which she has. She has her own reasons for wanting to marry. But it turns out that the Earl had never exchanged a single letter with her; his brother has pranked them both. But why would he do this?

I adored Lydia, who was born in the wrong century and chafed at the limitations put on women. The Earl was an admirable man trying to keep the estate afloat, since his father had run it into the ground, with his passion for travel and exotic animals.

I received an e-arc from the publisher St. Martin's Press and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

♾️⭐️

This book is perfect. Alexandra Vasti is so smart and we don’t deserve her. I have so many notes. I have so many thoughts and so much love for it and these characters.

I need a little time to process all these thoughts and feelings and will reassess in the near future. 💜

Add it to your TBR, preorder it, show it all the love it deserves.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alexandra Vasti has done it again! I loved her debut novel and I loved this one as well. Her historical details and worldbuilding are spectacular and her romances are scorching hot. I’ll read anything and everything Vasti writes!

I love Alexandra Vasti more than I thought possible. The level of detail she provides that is all based in fact is astounding! I love how she shines a light on Queer or marginalized love stories, and let's us know that people have always loved romance and sexuality from the beginning of time.
Arthur and Lydia live deep in my heart. I was kicking my feet in glee whenever they were near each other, and I ADORE a hero who is gone for his heroine before she's even figured out she's allowed to want him.
I can't wait for more books in this world, such a fun romp.

I was very excited when I learned Lydia would be the center of the next book in this series. I find her awkwardly charming, and loved the inner confidence and strength she had despite her insecurities in social settings. Arthur, similarly, won me over quickly. That boy just needed a hug.

I would say the pacing of this book was a little all over. I would have liked more of a build up between Lydia and Arthur, I think they got together a tad too quickly. But I did love the "pretend to be my husband" storyline they fell into in the middle of their investigation. I think the dialogue was well done. Arthur was very tender and sweet and quite funny. I loved all of the scenes with Arthur and Lydia's brothers, the dialogue had me giggling with glee.

I do wish the Arthur-Lydia-Davis conflict near the end of the book where all the revelations come to light would have been fleshed out a bit more. It would have been nice to flesh out the brothers relationship a bit more, though the epilogue was very sweet. There should have been more Davis and Arthur interaction though. More Davis in general, really. He really shadowed over everything for most of the book and to only have him for a few pages felt like a shame.

I think the author does a good job writing historical romance that appeal to modern sensibilities and also expand women out of the role of debutante/spinster/etc that usually comes with this genre without disparaging parts we, the readers, do love about this genre.

It was a very sweet book and I enjoyed my time with it. I feel very lucky to have gotten to read it before it released.

Alexandra Vasti can do no wrong.

That's it. That's the review.

Kidding. But really, Vasti has quickly become an auto-read author for me. I do prefer her novellas to her novels...the pacing works better in her shorter stories. I was a bit nervous about this after reading Ne'er Duke Well because, while the characters and writing were both amazing as always, it was missing that spark of adventure that I came to associate with Vasti novels. Plus, I wasn't sure about Lydia...she didn't stand out to me in that other novel so I was worried about reading about her as a protagonist here. But I should have had more faith.

Bottom line: you can't regret picking up a Vasti novel if you like regency romances with strong heroines, witty banter, humorous writing, spicy moments, and representations of healthy relationships...all catered toward modern sensibilities.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I read historical romance intermittently, but after finishing Earl Crush I want to go through all of Alexandra Vasti's previous works and branch out into other historical romance authors as well. This was such a charming, heartwarmingly awkward, delightful read. I identify so much with Lydia, and our MMC Arthur was delightfully broody and gruff. The suspense and thriller component was not contrived, nor did it feel like a different book (which happens a lot when a suspenseful plot is just inserted into the book). I thoroughly enjoyed the entire novel from start to finish. Pacing was great and the glimpses of Arthurs letters throughout the book were such a nice touch. I have already recommended this book to all my friends and they will be reading it once it is released. Thank you Alexandra Vasti and Netgalley for the ARC!

what a fun read! i greatly enjoyed the banter between the two main characters in this book. i loved the plot the entire way through! pretty much the moment i picked up the book, i was sucked into the plot and wanted to know what was going to happen next. i'm definitely going to be picking up other books by this author, especially the first book in this series. i hadn't even realized this was part of a series! so excited to read more.

thank you to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a review!

Genre: historical romance
Scotland, c 1815

Lydia Hope-Wallace has been corresponding with the Earl of Strathrannoch, under the same alias that she uses to write her seditious pamphlets, so she already assumes that the day she appears on his doorstep to propose a marriage of convenience that he’ll be surprised. Except, he hasn’t been the one writing to her and has no idea who “H” even is. Mortified beyond belief, Lydia tries to flee, but instead is waylaid by the earl's pack of zebras. Arthur guesses Lydia’s correspondent may be his younger brother who has been ingratiating himself to the local Scottish aristocracy, and agrees to work with the captivating Lydia to locate him.

Alexandra Vasti ups the ante for her second full-length novel, with over the top hijinks and more plot than we can summarize in a blurb. Are a lot of the plot points “romance reasons”?- yes! But Vasti backs it all up with extensive historical research to ensure her characters are on a historically accurate regency era adventure. Laura Kinsale is one of Vasti’s favorite authors, and I happened to be reading Earl Crush alongside My Sweet Folly by Kinsale. I started seeing some really fascinating parallels: My Sweet Folly, in particular of the Kinsales I’ve read, has a plot that never stops, with the characters continuing to encounter new twists and turns. (To Vasti’s credit, the plot moments her characters experience do actually make sense in line with the story progression, and I can’t necessarily say the same for Kinsale.) I read the epistolary epilogue for Earl Crush approximately ten hours before I read the epistolary epilogue for My Sweet Folly, and the parallel filled me with warmth.

Even though this is Vasti's second full-length book, she's easily a comfort read author for me. Her signature style is comprised of deliciously tactile intimate scenes and deeply romantic relationships mixed with ridiculously fun plots based in historical research. I can’t recommend her writing enough: she’s a particularly good entry point for readers newer to the historical romance genre with her blend of easy dialogue and sound research with approachable prose.

Lydia is a rich London heiress with a large degree of social anxiety. She spends her time writing intelligent and radical but anonymous political pamphlets. She embarks on an epistolary relationship between herself and a Scottish earl (Arthur), who is unaware of her true identity. Come to find out that he, in fact, is not actually the author of the letters. Lydia intends to propose a marriage of convenience before realizing Arthur is not who she thought, taking him by surprise when she shows up on his doorstep. Hijinks ensue and love blooms in amongst solving a nice mystery with a bit of danger intertwined. I genuinely enjoyed this book, the characters were written in a satisfying way that made them endearing and easy to relate to, and there were nice threads of humor throughout the story. The author writes longing very well, and it was extremely satisfying to root for Lydia and Arthur amongst all of their insecurities and strengths. I also loved the epilogue! I have read this author before and really enjoyed her, and although it was part of the interconnected universe that this book takes place in, the current book works fine as a standalone. That said, I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this story in exchange for my objective review. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars. Publishes January 21, 2025.

Alexandra Vasti IS regency romance, and my goodness is the world lucky to have her words.

It's hard to express how delightful this was. How deep the love was as it developed slowly and surely, how perfectly radical Lydia was while still being firmly based in history, how spicy the spice was. I wish I could be a fictional regency girlie so I could be friends with Lydia.

My reviews are usually longer, but I'm kind of in a daze from how good this was, so just take my short words for it, okay?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I adored this book, as I do all of Alexandra Vasti's books. What made this one special were the two main characters: Lydia, who is typically very shy in person, but very opinionated when she writes her pamphlets, and Arthur, a Scottish Earl who is trying his best to take care of the run-down estate he's inherited. Lydia shows up on Arthur's doorstep mistakenly believing that he's been the one corresponding with her about her radical pamphlets. She's ready to propose marriage to him, but it turns out that Arthur's brother has been pretending to be the Earl, and he's gone missing with Arthur's plans for a telescopic lens. Lydia and Arthur then decide to work together to find the rogue brother. The combo of the plot and the sweet slow burn between these two makes the book unputdownable. The way that Arthur really understands Lydia, and tries to help her out when she's having trouble in a crowd or is nervous is beautiful, and it helps her to be braver. If you're looking for something that is both exciting and also super cozy, I highly recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the free digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.