This was the book that I have read by Alexandra Vasti, but it certainly won't be the last! It was a delightfully refreshing and fun regency romance full of intrigue and a compelling storyline that kept me engaged and hooked until the end. I often found myself yearning to read this book in any spare minute that I had just to find out what happens. I would definitely recommend to fans of the Bridgerton series looking for more to read in this genre!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Vasti is a fresh new voice in historical romance. She creates unique characters and a compelling story. Earl Crush was sexy as it was heartwarming. The H and h were perfect for one another. They were both good people that were insecure in their own skin, but found contentment and acceptance with one another. The supporting cast was great! Also, there was a bit of a crime mystery to liven up the plot. I would definitely recommend this book!

This just might be my favorite historical romance book ever! I loved the first book in the series "Ne'er Duke Well", so I had high expectations going into this book and Alexandra absolutely crushed it!

With how awkward and quiet Lydia was in the first book when in social settings, I knew her book would be interesting. I love that instead of a traditional Englishman for a suitor that she ends up in Scotland on an adventure and finds herself a hermit of a Scotsman that compliments her and her quiet yet determined personality with one of his own. I loved the dynamic between them and how Arthur was determined not to fall for her or notice her in any capacity beyond professional in their hunt for his brother. Naturally, that just makes the heart want what it shouldn't want even more and I ate it up! I loved the tie into politics and how Alexandra ensures her books are historically accurate as much as possible and it really shows! The attention to the details is incredible and makes the story all the more immersive with a stronger plot. I loved how Lydia found herself and how she navigated her social anxiety in tricky situations and how despite her overprotective brothers, she had a support system in her antics that was behind her regardless of traditional societal roles at the time.

I haven't read much historical romance before, but I can be certain that Alexandra's books are going to stand the test of time the more I read in the genre. The strong female main characters she writes are brilliant and know how to navigate English society while staying true to themselves. I can't wait to see where this series goes next!

I adore Alexandra Vasti and when this approval landed in my inbox I dropped everything to read it. I loved the characters, the story, the writing... all of it and I can't wait for more from Vasti!

Thank you for the early copy for review!

I thought the premise of this book would be fun, but it was a bit of a slog to get through. It took a little bit too long to get to main plot of the story for me, but I did enjoy the chemistry between the two main characters.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

This story was so fun, lovely, and sexy! I’m becoming such a huge fan of the author after reading a couple of her books now. I feel totally transported INTO the story and feel like I know these characters so well, and that’s everything I want in a book. Totally hooked!

Alexandra Vasti could write a grocery list and I would give it 10 stars. This really is no different. There is something really lovely about how Alex writes her characters that makes me really feel seen in them. I am excited for fans of her trad Debut Ne'er Duke Well to fall in love with Earl Crush.

Alexandra Vasti is quickly becoming one of my favourite voices in historical romance. Earl Crush is a worthy successor to Ne’er Duke Well.

Lydia travels to Scotland in order to propose a marriage of convenience to her pen pal, Arthur, the Earl of Strathrannoch. Believing that she had been writing to him the past few years, in reality Arthur’s brother had been posing as the Earl. The two end up going on a quest to find his brother leading them to uncover espionage and their own amorous feelings for each other.

Lydia and Arthur both have their own insecurities that they have to work on throughout the novel. Lydia suffers from social anxiety but bravely rallies when the situation requires it.

Arthur lacks confidence and has to work to believe in his own self-worth. He is a gentle giant that gets unmoored in the presence of Lydia. He can hardly believe that she would choose him but does his best to prove to her that he is the one who can make her happy. He is a quiet, unassuming MMC that has a steadfast devotion to the FMC that will make you swoon.

Can’t recommend this one enough.

This book was a fun time. i enjoyed the pairing of a period story mixed with espionage and i found all the characters to be interesting. i thought some of the romantic elements dragged a bit and felt like a time out in the story but i did end up liking the main characters together. Overall, an entertaining read.

I wasn't 1000% in love with Ne'er Duke Well, but Alexandra Vasti is back to her extremely high standards with Earl Crush! Lydia is the perfect mix of anxious and sassy, and Arthur's brooding earnestness balances her perfectly. When she shows up to propose to him after a long correspondence, she discovers that, contradicting the signatures, he didn't write the letters! They embark on a journey of zebras, disguises, and pretending to be newlyweds to unravel who impersonated him and why. A few prime quotes from my buddy read of this one: "Omg but Bacon is such a good dog name", "Shaving- like removing Clark Kent's glasses or putting on a disguise. Whole new guy.", 'So much “trysting”', and "SHE HAS SO MANY BROTHERS".

A jaunty, joyful, sexy romance between a socially sheltered heiress and a reclusive Earl who set out together to untangle an espionage plot when his brother’s disappearance with protected information about an ammunition invention suggests violence might be nigh. Vasti’s characters are wonderfully tender as they work through their individual insecurities. The heroine’s longing to prove herself brave and strong, despite being pegged as faint of heart for her social anxiety. The hero’s longing to be chosen first by someone after being pitted against his brother by an uncaring father. They both want to be loved, and I enjoyed how openly Vasti wrote about this yearning from both characters’ perspectives. While much of the plot revolves around hunting the missing brother and uncovering the scheme afoot, we get plenty of sexy times as the couple gives in to their powerful physical attraction and uncovers the depth of their feelings for one another. We also get Vasti’s delightful humour, with briskly paced banter, a herd of adopted zebras, and a scheming staff bent on matchmaking. With a warm, gentle heart at its core, lots of lusty longing, and a high-stakes sleuthing plot to throw the lovers together, this one’s sure to bring a smile.

What a romantic and emotional read!

I was a big fan of Ne'er Duke Well, the first entry in the Belvoir's Library series, but this second entry which focuses on Lydia Hope-Wallace and Arthur Baird, Earl of Strathrannoch, is somehow even better.

Although Lydia believes she has been writing to Arthur for three years, it turns out that she has actually been corresponding with Arthur's younger brother Davis regarding her politically radical ideas. Lydia was hoping to enter into a marriage of convenience with "Arthur", not knowing that Davis was impersonating Arthur, and hijinks ensue as Lydia and Arthur team up to track down Davis on the way to their own happily ever after.

Throughout their journey, we get to know not only Lydia and Arthur, who are fast on their way to falling in love, but also the rest of the Hope-Wallace clan and Lydia's friend Georgiana; they were all charming, and I'm hoping at least some of these characters will show up in future instalments! As well, I particularly liked how Lydia, despite being burned by Davis' deception and her own shy nature, chooses to embrace change and take risks to change her life - her commitment to following her heart was so admirable.

Earl Crush is well worth a read for those who are looking for an emotionally complex book with compelling characters!

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this book for review consideration; all opinions above are my own, and I note that I have already pre-ordered my own copy of Earl Crush!

This lovely regency romance was a true delight to read. The characters are wonderful, I loved getting both Lydia and Arthur's perspective, and the author hit the perfect balance of deeply stirring and heartfelt scenes that didn't feel forced or cheesy. She really built up this love story well, and I was very invested. There's a little bit of intrigue and suspense to keep you turning the pages, mixed in with some very spicy interactions between our main characters. The growth over the course of the book for both characters was great to see.

Overall this is a very charming romance that I heartily recommend!

This is my first Alexandra Vasti book and after this one I am going to read the rest of them! This was a fun regency read with a unique storyline. Lydia our FMC shows up to our MC home after exchanging letters to one another to ask his hand in a mutual beneficial marriage. The only problem is she was not writing to our main character but his brother who is AWOL. It was such a fun read to see how it unfolded and I cant wait to read more from this author!


Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the e-ARC.

Vasti has freaking done it again!!! I absolutely ADORED Lydia and Arthur. So much so that I may just make Lydia my new whole personality. As always, Vasti combines romance with a deep plot and fully-formed characters you'll cheer for from the outset. Smart, fun romance with heart!

Earl Crush was a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t crazy about Ne’er Duke Well, it didn’t hold my interest enough. But Earl Crush was like night and day for me! Such a cute romance and loved the spice! After reading this and getting more background I think I will reread Ne’er Duke Well and enjoy it more.

4.5

I loved the first book in this series earlier this summer, so I was very excited when I saw this book on NetGalley. Historical romance is such a fun genre, because it often allows for the reader to escape into a world totally unlike their own. Earl Crush is a great follow up to Ne'er Duke Well! I loved the plotline, which was full of adventure and romance, and a plethora of fun characters (plus if you make the male main character a brooding Scot, I'm never going to complain lol.)

The only reason I didn't give this five stars, is for a plot choice near the very end of the novel that felt like it was added for no reason other than to add one final point of drama. However, I loved loved loved the epilogue, it is perhaps one of my favorite epilogues ever.

For Bridgerton fans, this book really felt like an amalgamation of all the best parts of the individual books in that series, so...loved that!

Loved this book. Love Alexandra Vasti—she’s a new auto read author for me. Her books are filled with so much humor and honest to god *romance* that I can’t get enough. Lydia and Arthur have my whole heart.

I loved Alexandra Vasti's novellas but I've been struggling with her full novels. They just don't have the same tautness that made her novellas so gripping and dynamic. I DNF'd the first one and I got through Earl Crush by skimming a lot because I did get bored. I like the premise well enough and the idea of the characters sound great, but the execution isn't there for me. I found the characterisation of the heroine to be overought and inconsistent. I barely remember the hero. The prose got a bit purple in places. Even the suspense didn't grip me, we could tell who the villain was the moment they were introduced. It pains me to leave this review because I really really want to love this book and I think it could have been excellent. The hero assuming she was about to marry his brother and running to London (?) to crash the wedding had me rolling my eyes - it was just all so silly.

I've been reading HR for about 17 years and it's so hard to find someone doing it decently these days. AV's novellas gave me a glimmer of hope, but alas.

Oh this was such fun and so lovely. Everything about Arthur was delightful, his gruff bewilderment and astonished happiness. Love Vasti’s writing in general and she’s never been better.