Earl Crush is a delightful new read by Alexandra Vasti. Lydia has a nauseating fear of social interaction but through her secret identity as a political writer, is able to get her intelligent and staunch thoughts out into the public. Through this avenue, she starts a secret correspondence with an Earl who shares her political preferences. She gears up her bravery to go meet him in person and propose a marriage of convenience, but finds out that the man she thought she was communicating with wasn’t who he seems.

Enter Arthur, the real Earl and the brother of the man she’s been corresponding with. The two eventually join forces to track down his brother and the valuable item he stole from Arthur and fall in love along the way.

Lydia and Arthur are so well-written, I feel like they could spring out of the page. Both are well-developed characters, with strong backstories and motivations. Lydia and Arthur both feel a little bit lost, a little bit unlovable but immediately strike a friendship laced with a blazing attraction. Arthur’s quiet support of Lydia for who she is and Lydia’s unending belief in Arthur sell the romance. Add in tropes of electricity when they touch, a fake engagement, found family and loving friends, Earl Crush is truly a historical masterpiece.

I can’t wait to read more from Alexandra Vasti and I highly recommend you preorder it now. Many thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really loved Alexandria Vasti's Halifax Hellions novellas but I find myself a bit disappointed with her novel-length work even if it’s still enjoyable.

The thing about Earl Crush is that there isn’t anything especially wrong with it but I just had to struggle to get through it because it simply wasn’t that engaging compared to her previous work. What really made her novellas charming and unique is that there was a real lightness to them even if they were also like, smart and sexy.

In theory, Lydia and Arthur’s story should have hit the marks given the tropes they both fall into and their dynamic, but I just found it somewhat lacking, almost superficial in nature. Relatedly, while the sex scenes were fine, they felt a bit formulaic and I found myself going “okay I do not believe these people are sexually obsessed with each other” which is never a great sentiment while reading a romance novel.

That said, the book had its funny moments and I’m hoping that Vasti returns to novellas since it seems like her skill truly shines through in that shorter and pithier format.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book!

This book made me wish I didn’t have two small humans, two dogs, a husband and a job because once I started reading I got very grumpy at having to stop!

One of the best historical romances I’ve ever read. Loveable characters I immediately rooted for. Great pace. Longing. Pining. Sexiness. Gah! I loved this book.

5/5 Stars | Two little cinnamon roll shy loves who are v shy + various hijinks


What I loved: The relationship build-up in this was chef's kiss. I have bumped this up to a 4.5 just while thinking about it. It's that good. I've never read anything by Vasti before, but you better believe this is the first of many. This is one of the best historical romances I've ever read, full of pining and longing and "I love them, but I won't trap them" and IT'S SO GOOD. YOU HAVE TO READ THIS PLEASE. Also, the plot in here was actually interesting and well paced??? The hijinks weren't ridiculous??? LOVE IT.

What I didn't like: Give me a minute and I know there was something, but I couldn't even tell you. Maybe this is a 5 star. I think this is a 5 star. Nothing was bad. This was perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book!

I started this right before bed,intending to read a chapter…and promptly read 30%. It had me hooked and I found it easy to pick up each time!

Lydia is wonderful! She’s very relatable with her social anxiety and strong opinions. Arthur is her perfect balance, supporting her in such gentle and open ways. There is quite a strong mystery plot behind this romance, as well as many lovely side characters and animals!

The banter and internal monologues were top notch! I have so many highlights and quotes and will definitely go in for a reread of this. This is my first Alexandra Vasti but I’ve already got her previous books loaded and ready to read!

Thanks to Netgalley and SMP for a digital copy to review!

💓I’m swooning. A captivating regency romance that shines brightly! From the very first page, I was completely drawn in by the characters and their journey. Lydia is witty and clever, making it impossible not to be curious about her thoughts and feelings. Meanwhile, Arthur is introduced as enigmatic and distant, adding an intriguing layer to the story. Their romance unfolds slowly, keeping me giggling and swooning throughout. I love when the MMC falls first. 😌 I couldn't help but blush and sigh over some of the earl's perspectives. This book is filled with romance, history, and mystery—everything you need for the perfect comfort read! This was my first time reading Alexandra Vasti and I look forward to reading more of her work.

This book has got assassination plots, zebras, gay butlers, frantic forest hook ups, quiet FMC’s that are secretly tearing down the patriarchy and aristocracy one word at a time, and a man that is an absolute simp for her and all her quiet fierceness. I absolutely adored all of the characters and I absolutely can’t wait to see what happens with our chameleon Georgiana in the next book.

4.5 stars. Lydia Hope-Wallace is a secret political writer from an honorable home who writes pamphlets that could potentially get her arrested. (Suffrage for women, dishonorable politicians, etc...) She begins "pen-palling" with a person intrigued by her writing and identifies himself as an Earl from Scotland. She decides that marrying him would be a great idea as they have compatible ideals. She can give him money as he is broke and she no longer has to deal with the marriage mart. She secretly escapes her home and visits him in Scotland to boldly propose marriage only to find zebras, various other wild rescued animals, a crumbling castle, and that the very large burly man at the door is not the one who has been writing to her. It was his brother! Adventure ensues. There are runaway horses, espionage, theft, a one-bed trope (yay!), found family, romantic letters, disguises, protective older brothers, a small dog named Francis Bacon, and the sweetest main male character ever. Arthur Baird seems so gruff on the outside but he is just golden goo and deep valleys of emotion.

<i>"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" </i>

READ THIS and don't lie to me that you didn't squeal a little inside. I did an imaginary swoon.

I didn't know what to expect when reading this as I haven't read a Regency Era novel since I finished Bridgerton. I am disappointed with myself that I have not returned sooner. This was delicious, fun, and a delightful escape. It was paced well and kept me sitting upright in bed yelling at my children to leave me alone as "Mommy must finish this!" I want to now read everything by Alexandra Vasti.

I was able to read this as an ARC from NetGalley and the publishers. Put this on your "Want to Read" list and get your hands on it on January 21, 2025. You will love it.

This one doesn’t come out until January 2025, but I want to review it while the good feels are still fresh! For lovers of Bridgerton, the League of Extraordinary Women, or any fans of regency romance, don’t miss out on this series. I loved the MC’s in this one and found the historical piece very interesting. Also, everytime I saw the title, I sang this song in my head, so I had to include it on the post. Add this one to your TBR now!

I have loved Alexandra Vasti’s books for a very short time, only in the last few months did someone recommend the Halifax Helions novellas to me. But I am now a life long fan! Earl Crush is no exception; it’s funny, smart, heartfelt. The characters are rich in humor, emotion, and brains. I will most definitely be buying a “shelf trophy” when the physical copies are published. If you are missing Bridgerton or wish Pride and Prejudice had a few more zebras I would recommend this book!

I finished this book and promptly burst into tears. Alexandra Vasti is a hilarious genius. Her wit practically jumps off the page and hits you in the face. I lost track of the number of times I laughed out loud while reading this, but it was a lot. Her writing is so sharp and clever but also emotional and evocative.

Anyway, all this to say I absolutely loved Earl Crush. I actually loved it MORE than Ne'er Duke Well which I was not expecting. Lydia and Arthur were the heart and soul of this book and I was positively head over heels for them and their love and utterly invested in their journey to happiness. (This has nothing at all to do with the fact that I will probably love Arthur Baird until my dying day.) Their misadventures from the very beginning reel you in and the plot charges along without a single dull moment. The tension between them builds absolutely deliciously (despite this being a dual POV, color me impressed) and culminates with breathtaking delight (read: the spicy scenes were SPICING and there were A LOT of them). The setting, the side characters, the historical elements, the SPY PLOT, all perfect, no notes, not a single one. My one VERY minor complaint is that the characters did such a good job communicating until that bit of melodrama at the end but it was resolved quickly enough.

This is one of those rare books that makes a home in your heart as you read and never leaves.

P.S. Earl Crush was my first ARC!

Whew what a ride! We have explosive chemistry between two people the Earl of Strathrannoch! Lydia Hope-Wallace an heiress believes she had been writing to Arthur for 3 years but she has not! Lydia tired of being in the shelf and believes since her and the Earl have so very much in common they should wed! Her fortune for his run down castle in Scotland!
When Lydia finds out Arthur is not whom she has been writing to she is mortified and sets off a chain of events that are hilarious yet definitely full of secret plots against villains! Of course the Home Office is involved!
The road to HEA has never been bumpier! Lydia finds courage to speak up for herself and do daring deeds! Arthur finds he does deserve love and his deceased father was way more evil than he thought!
Arthur and Lydia are an incredible team that work in a madcap adventure to thwart villains and try to keep their hands off each other! They fall hopelessly in love and a near explosive ending kept me turning the pages late into the night! Bravo

I enjoyed this historical romance, and the added mystery provided more to the story than just a typical romance read. It was a fun, quick read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Alexandra Vasti has delivered another delight in the Belvoir’s universe. Lydia and Arthur get down to business — in more ways than one — as this fun, steamy, funny, and fully entertaining story plays out with a touch of suspense in what becomes a race against time. They’ve got a mystery to solve, and oh, they end up having to pretend to be married to do it. It’s delicious.

I loved and felt a kinship with Lydia. As the youngest and only girl in a family with multiple brothers, I know that brand of chaos around the home and how easy it is to become the “quiet” one. I could empathize with her anxiety and feelings of discomfort when thrown into large groups of people and expected to converse. I admired the way she handled stressful situations and rose to the occasion when people she cared for were at risk. Seeing her find her strength and her place throughout the book was one of my favorite things.

Arthur. Sweet, sweet Arthur. I adored him. I know he’s not a king but I’m prepared to serve on his court. The found family element of his story was so lovely, especially once he realized that’s what he had. His constant support and encouragement of Lydia was so endearing. He was unwavering in his belief that she could handle herself, even as his worries were front and center. He still gave her the opportunity to spread her wings and do things she didn’t believe she was capable of but he knew she could do. We love non-toxic masculinity.

Lydia and Arthur together were explosive. Their chemistry was undeniable, no matter how honorable Arthur might have tried to be. Their intimacy came in many different forms and the emotions tied to it in each moment were key to where they were in the journey. It was so well done and, yes, hot.

I also loved the humor in this book. There are so many moments of dryly delivered one-liners and offhanded asides that are my exact brand of humor. I loved the rapport between Lydia and Arthur, as well as with all the secondary character, who all added depth to the story.

I can’t wait for more to come in this series. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alexandra Vasti quickly became one of my favorite historical-romance authors with her novella series, so it’s been a delight to be an early reader for her series of full-length novels.

Her writing, as always, is *chef’s kiss*. In this story, we’ve got a shy writer who’s stronger than she thinks, and a burly Scottish earl who lives in a run-down castle. As if that weren’t enough, Vasti throws in tons of humor, mystery, and slow-burn steamy romance.

This book is witty and romantic, and I highly recommend it.

4.5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy via NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

"Was it not still possible for her to change? Was this not a chance for her to do something - to thrust herself into the world instead of hiding from it, to take action instead of waiting fruitlessly for a life that never quite seemed to begin"

I find such ease reading Alexandra Vasti's books. I started the book and a couple of hours later I finished it. I was fully invested and just couldn't put the book down. There's this inexplicable pull that Vasti has with her writing, that is so rare, and it makes her books so compelling. I read the first book of the series earlier month, and was very happy to jump straight into Earl Crush. .

Arthur and Lydia's story is filled with political intrigue, an unravelling mystery, the glory of a Scottish castle, and a supporting cast of gripping characters. However, we truly got to see Lydia break out of her comfort zone and command the story. I also want to commend the cover artist, I appreciate how every cover (so far and I hope it continues) has been based on a moment of chaos for the two main leads. It’s hilarious and such a fun way to visually present two characters. In this case I never thought zebras would ever make an appearance all the way in Scotland.

I loved that we got to revisit Belvoir! Selina's such fiery character and her business and political acumen makes a presence in the book. I also caught several easter eggs, Vasti's definitely setting up Lydia’s brothers for solo books while expanding the narrative. Could we possibly see Jasper and Georgiana soon? Something I'm personally cheering for!

Thank you so much St. Martin's Press for providing the ARC! I can't wait for the next instalment.

I was given Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti in exchange for my honest review by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley.

Earl Crush is a fast paced novel of Regency romance with the added bonus of a moldering castle, spies, and a herd of zebras. What more can reader want?

The novel follows Lydia Hope-Wallace as she travels to Scotland to offer her hand in marriage to the penpal she has never met in person. Once there, her dreams are dashed to discover that the Earl of Strathrannoch is not the author of her letters, but his missing brother is the dubious penpal. What ensues is nothing short of delight.

I loved this book so much. It is a refreshing take on the Regency romcom, and truly brought me so much joy while reading.

*Sigh*
Another quality delivery from Alexandra Vasti. A shy wallflower with hidden courage and vast amounts of cleverness coupled with a gruff, tormented, gentleman-in-name-only? Yes please.

This dual POV novel delivers all the romance and charm you’ve come to expect from this author, but this one also tosses in enjoyable gifts like spies! Intrigue! Danger! So.much.fun. It was literally one of those books that kept me up past my bedtime because I couldn’t put it down (a.k.a. ‘just one more chapter!’ syndrome).

Readers can rely on Vasti for her entertaining rom-com storytelling…but what you’re also getting is her skill (for what might possibly be the best in the genre) for the tormented MMC who falls first. It’s truly a pleasure as a reader to feel what the MMC is feeling rather than just be told (and often left unconvinced).

This book (and its predecessor, Ne’er Duke Well) aren’t specifically titled as part of a series, but they are indisputably linked in the Vasti-verse (same characters, continuing storylines, etc). It seems fairly evident that this book is setting up for a third story (without spoilers: Another character introduced in Ne’er Duke Well is reintroduced in Earl Crush, set up to play a nice juicy role here…but I feel like that ‘juicy role’ opportunity wasn’t fully taken advantage of within these pages).

Despite this, I will be first in line to read whatever Ms. Vasti publishes next! Take this adventure out for a spin and enjoy the trip.

Recluse grumpy Scottish Duke who's also a blacksmith and inventor with a heart of gooey chocolate? Sign me up! A clever, feminist, courageous heroine ready to take on her own future in a fiercely manner even though she's super shy? Heck yep!

Loved this even more than the 1st book in the series and I thought that was difficult to top.

Earl Crush is one for the keeper shelf!

The story's both heart melting and heart breaking, hilariously funny and deadly serious, wonderfully relatable and strangely odd, totally sweet and scorching hot - and all this makes it such a complex, highly entertaining, and swoon worthy historical romance.

The moment I read about the unusual animals, I knew that it must be based on real life examples - and I was not disappointed! I just adore the research that went into the book and that we as readers can benefit from it.

I'm very grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me the opportunity to read Alexandra's book ahead of the publication date.

A reclusive Earl and a wallflower Heiress unexpectedly find love in this adorable, humor filled regency romcom! I absolutely loved this book with a capital L. The dry humor, the found family, zebras, the grumpy teddy bear MMC, and romance was the best. I also liked how it had a little mystery sprinkled in the story! Would highly highly recommend!!