It wasn’t until it mentioned the “erotic catalogue of Belvoir’s Library” that I realized it’s the same world as Ne’er Duke Well. Apparently I really like to go in blind! But it’s not surprising that I loved another Alexandra Vasti book.

The characters were fun and quirky. I really like the world Vasti is building. I loving seeing the spin where women aren’t in the dark about everything. I think it helps the overall story to not feel like all the other historical romances out there. Also loving some of the 🌶️ scenes.

Every single book or novella written by Alexandra Vasti has been a knockout—including this one. Her characters are always so relatable and seem so three dimensional. Real people with real issues. Her sex-positive stories are full of consent and mutual pining. I love how her female characters are feminine but also not stereotypical, especially with the time period of the novel. Highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this remarkable story! Opinions are my own.

Overall this was thoroughly enjoyable.
There were some inconsistencies with the elaborate plot and a lot of internal self-doubt monologues that were slightly distracting but it was well written and kept my attention.
I’ve yet to read the first in the series but I will hunt it down and look forward to what comes next.

Thanks to NetGalley for review copy.

This was Vasti’s best yet!!! I loved this book, I finished it in one day! Arthur and Lydia had the BEST chemistry and their banter was hilarious. Seriously a great regency rom-com!

Loved this book. Historical romance isn’t my favorite, but Alexandra Vasti writes exactly my taste in this space. And the books are SPICY— there were a few moments in this where I blushed, which is an achievement all on its own. I loved Lydia in particular; shy heroines are so rare in the books I read, and I related to her a lot. Overall, I really loved this.

I loved Ne'er Duke Well and was eagerly looking forward to this sequel - and it didn't disappoint! Set three years after the first book, Selina's anxious friend Lydia Hope-Wallace has screwed up her courage to propose a marriage of convenience to a penpal who started corresponding with her over her secretly published political pamphlets.

Determined to steer the course of her own destiny, with best friend Georgiana (and Georgiana's delightful little white dog, Sir Francis Bacon) in tow, she steals away to her penpal's impoverished Scottish estate to make him an offer he can't refuse: her money for the freedom to write, and live, by her own ideals and a future of platonic intellectually stimulating companionship together.

However, she is absolutely stunned to discover that the Earl of Strathrannoch has no idea who she is. Turns out, she's been corresponding with his ne'er-do-well brother, who conveniently happens to missing. And has stolen Arthur's blueprints for a highly effective sniper rifle. Shenanigans and hijinks ensue.

Like the first book, there were some quibbles of pacing for me, especially towards the end which I felt was a little too abrupt. Alex's writing is absolutely delightful and full of banter, and this book was fun from start to finish. However, Arthur grated on me a little. Not a man of words like his brother, he is frequently driven witless by Lydia and is reduced to exclamations like "dinna fash yourself". I'm one of the few people who hasn't read Outlander or been seduced (yet) by Highlander romance so rather than making me swoon, it made me want to throw something at the man for being patronizing.

Still, brave red-headed Lydia and gold-haired and golden-hearted Arthur make for a wonderful pair and their romance is lovely. I can't wait to read Georgiana's story next!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC; Releases January 21st, 2025

In Alexandria Vasti’s upcoming book, Lydia Hope-Wallace, a radical heiress with social anxiety heads to Scotland to propose a marriage of convenience to the impoverished Earl of Strathanroch with whom she’s been writing/sharing political ideals (in secret) for the last few years. Soon after she arrives, however, she finds out that she wasn’t corresponding with the earl himself but his ne’er do well younger brother posing as the earl— a brother who may be mixed up in something quite dangerous. Together they decide to work together find him and end up finding themselves pretending to be newlyweds as part of their investigation. Will their fake vows result in true love?

There is so much to love about this book- secret identities, road trips, fake marriage, protective older siblings, espionage, treason, PLUS an epistolary epilogue! It was fun, funny, and steamy. I adored literally everything about this- my favorite Vasti yet. Early Crush is out January 21st!


Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the e-ARC; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really liked Ne'er Duke Well, and I liked this book even more! The characters are great. The plot slaps! And the sex scenes are sublime.

Yet another home run from Vasti!

We have fake marriage, a herd of zebras, found family, spies, intelligent bomb ass women, and an absolute golden retriever cinnamon roll of a man who makes consent hot as hell!

I’m not sure how you can say no to this one!!

Also if Jasper and Georgiana aren’t end game I’m going to riot!!!

Thank you to the publisher for my advanced copy, all thoughts are my own.

This feels like it might be Alex Vasti's best work yet. I loved Lydia and Arthur and the interesting side plot involving their brothers. Probably the only histrom I've read that includes a herd of zebras! And it was nice to see characters from NE'ER DUKE WELL again. A fun, must-read for fans of historical romance.

Book Review: Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti
Alexandra Vasti does it again! After thoroughly enjoying Ne’er Duke Well, I was delighted to see Lydia Hope-Wallace return for another adventure in the Belvoir’s Library Trilogy. Earl Crush is a wonderful, funny, and swoon-worthy read that I found incredibly hard to put down. This latest Regency world is so immersive that I believe fans of Evie Dunmore’s The League of Extraordinary Women series will absolutely love Vasti’s writing in this trilogy.

Non-Spoiler Book Summary
Following the introduction of wallflower Lydia Hope-Wallace in Ne’er Duke Well, we rejoin her life three years later. Lydia embarks on a journey to inject herself into the Earl of Strathrannoch’s life, hoping to help save his financial situation. Over the past three years, she has developed an attachment to him through their correspondence. However, the Earl, Arthur Baird, is taken aback by Lydia’s sudden appearance in Scotland (with Georgiana Cleeve in tow and Sir Francis Bacon in hand) because he doesn’t know who she is. It is quickly revealed that Arthur hasn’t been writing to Lydia all these years; instead, it was his brother, Davis, masquerading as Arthur. With this looming mystery in the background, this charming novel follows Lydia and Arthur as they discover themselves, navigate love, and ultimately explore the meaning of family.

Reviewer’s Overall Thoughts
• Vasti’s portrayal of the love interest in this novel is refreshing. I appreciated having a male character who feels genuine and relatable, breaking away from many overused tropes. Additionally, Vasti’s decision to include more chapters from the male perspective allows readers to connect deeply with the characters at the heart of her stories. She did this in Ne’er Duke Well, and I was pleased to see it continue in this second installment.
• I was pleasantly surprised by a twist near the end of the book. Without giving anything away, I felt that this story transcended the typical historical romance genre. Rather than simply focusing on two people falling in love, Vasti weaves a plot with purpose and meaning. I enjoyed how she elevates the narrative, bringing the overall story to life in a way that feels both impactful and engaging.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for this advance reader copy of the book and the opportunity to submit a review.

A rich woman on the shelf, an honorable Earl, and and adventure to Scotland sets the stage for this second novel by Alexandra Vasti.
Her writing style is very easy reading and brings the historical to life.

Our FMC, Lydia, while having much to recommend her, has an inability to fully function socially, leaving her a very rich woman "on the shelf". Lydia does find her voice though in writing shocking pamphlets on very modern thinking under a pseudonym. This happens to set the stage for or meet cute.

Our MMC, Arthur Baird, is a very poor Earl in Scotland. He's coping with his long gone father's poor land and money management, not to mention the zebras....when Lydia shows up at his door and promptly vomits on his shoes.

Confusion, mixed identities, a pretend engagement...it's all fun and games until someone tries to shoot the Duke of Wellington! I really enjoyed this one, I'd say almost more than the first. The romance was the right level of spice and fit the story well.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the opportunity to read this advanced copy on exchange for my honest review.

Excellent! Easily within the top 3 historical romances of the year for me. Characters are well developed, plot is engaging, chemistry is suspenseful and rich, and zebras properly surprising. Clearly well researched with lovely and diverse side characters.

This was a cute easy Regency romance. I don’t typically read historical romance but I thought I would branch out and I was entertained by it. I liked the personalities of both Lydia and Arthur and how they were able to find each other. They had a really sweet relationship. Arthur initially seems to have a gruff exterior but you find out he is just a big teddy bear while Lydia seems quiet and meek but holds a great inner strength and bravery. There was a bit of everything: a fake marriage, a high stakes scheme and lots of shenanigans.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alexandra Vasti for the ARC.

I adored this book. Lydia's strong moral compass and tenacity, while also being shy. Arthur's supression of his need for love and family, while being the most loyal stand-up guy. I just love them.

I was cracking up at the shaved beard scene and Lydias crisis! And how Arthur thinks a small explosion is the best diversion.

The romance was wonderful, the perfect amount of angst before the spice hit. And man did it hit!

All the stars!

Any historical romance with a spy subplot immediately has my attention. Add in a heroine stepping outside her comfort zone and a bit of an adventure and I'm sold!

Lydia is so incredibly charming - she clearly has severe social anxiety, but is a prolific author of political pamphlets published by Belvoirs, which author Alexandra Vasti introduced to us in her previous book. She's had a three-year correspondence with an impoverished, but passionate Scottish aristocrat, the Earl of Strathrannoch. She travels to his estate to propose a marriage of convenience - her dowry will help his estate and marriage will save her from the London social scene. The Earl isn't who she thought he was and they wind up tracking down his brother together and getting caught up with French spies along the way.

The pace is fast and locations change a few times. Some characters from the previous book make an appearance, but this book stands alone. The relationship is sweet and the third act breakup isn't what you'd expect...and is quickly resolved, thank goodness!

I love the world Alexandra Vasti has created and look forward to visiting it again!

Vasti did an excellent job with the next in the series. Lydia was a fun character to get to know. The chemistry with the Earl was chef’s kiss. I appreciate the growth in the MMC during this story. Lydia found a good match and it was fun to see her relationship with her brothers. I hope we get more of them in the future.

I loved this book. It was everything I love about the modern regency romance genre. The characters were fun and the plot was enjoyable. I was so into this book and it was a very quick read for me! It was an absolute romp.

Oh wow I really loved this one! I knew I loved Scottish men but this was reaffirmed that for me lol. Lydia was such a compelling character and the plot really kept me on my toes! I definitely recommend!!

Yet another fun, genuinely humorous romp from this author. The opening is pure, romance novel nonsense that I wanted to shoot straight into my veins. Lydia Hope-Wallace is whip-smart, accomplished, and ambitious, but suffers from serious social anxiety. She embarks on a journey to propose a marriage of convenience to an earl with whom she's been corresponding about politics. She figures she can help his financially troubled estate and she can gain the relative freedom that a marriage affords a woman in this day and age. What she doesn't expect is that the man she meets, the true earl, is not the person she has been corresponding with... but his brother.

To say she is thrown off by this change of course, and state of the estate she arrives at, is an understatement. There is fainting. There is vomit. There are zebras.

Arthur Baird, Earl of Strathrannoch, is flummoxed but also... of course... enchanted by Lydia Hope-Wallace, and his protective instincts immediately kick into gear as he protects her from a stampede of said zebras.

The mutual pining that ensues was delicious. He assumes she's in love with his brother, she is not used to trusting her instincts when it comes to those outside of her family, and they both want to jump each others' bones.

I love the way this author marries romance, comedy, and mystery (what is the earl's brother up to and why) that drives the plot forward at an excellent pace. And if you don't think Arthur Baird drops a "my wife"... you are sorely mistaken. Highly recommend and can't' wait for more!