*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!!

Such a fun historical romance! Normally I don't enjoy Scottish love interests but this one felt less like a caricature than most. Lydia and Arthur made such a fun pair!

this was a quick easy read,, a little mystery with the romance. The characters were good and the setting in Scotland was great.

I really loved NE'ER DUKE WELL, and have read and enjoyed Alexandra Vasti's novellas. However, I was somewhat worried that Lydia would not prove herself as strong, compelling, or likable as Vasti's other heroines. Her crippling social anxiety we were introduced to in NE'ER DUKE WELL made her relatable but not an altogether aspirational character I usually look for in historical romances. I was oh so pleasantly proved wrong!

From page one Lydia takes charge of her life. Her social anxiety is still a major factor (as her poor silk slippers will attest to), but that only makes her determination and agency all the more exciting. Again and again she puts herself in (often hilarious) situations that range from uncomfortable to potentially dangerous as she strives to actually live her life. She already knows she has the intelligence and gumption to make changes in the world (through her anonymous pamphlets circulated through Belvoir's), but now she is ready to actually put herself out there in the REAL world. Her choices may seem rash, but they pay off beautifully.

Arthur is just amazing. It’s easy to expect that a highland hunk will be an all-aggressive alpha male. However Arthur subverts expectations by being as kindhearted as he is brawny. He's vulnerable, but never whiny, and the perfect romantic counterpoint to Lydia as they both begin truly living in their own ways.

It has the steam, sass and comedy you expect in an Alexandra Vasti book (aptly called Regency Rom Coms), and a whole lot of heart as well. Highly recommend, and cannot wait for the rest of the series!

A practically perfect historical with a perfect blend of humor and spice with some spy thriller subplot. Good times!

The characters are delightful. We love a self-aware heroine, complete with obvious anxiety and neurodivergence representation. Our grumpy hero soon proves to be anything but, and Vasti did a great job of melding the "woman who wants to dismantle the ton/patriarchy" vs "the reality of working within the system" without having to sacrifice either characters genuine personalities. Using all the favorite tropes (love letters, mistaken identity, he falls first, fake-marriage and more) this romp of a book provides scorching romance and a well executed spy thriller subplot. This is not an easy feat, but Vasti pulls it off.

Fans of the historical genre will love the classic feel, with a side of action and adventure.

This is a really good book. I’m not often a fan of mixing romance with spy/mystery topics, but this book had enough of a focus on romance that it worked for me! Plus, the spy subplot ended up having some fun twists itself.

I enjoyed the character development and the steamy scenes were well written. I liked the connections to the first book, though this one is totally readable as a standalone.

Thank you for the ARC :)

I absolutely loved this book! The perfect mix of romance and comedy and some of my favorite tropes, he falls first and groveling, written in such a perfect way! Earl Crush was remarkably fast-paced and was such an easy, swoon-worthy romance read. Lydia's character development was also great, watching her go from shy to brave when it called for it and Arthur rooting for her in the background was so sweet. In most romance books I cannot stand the third act breakup but Vasti did the "breakup" so well. I will absolutely be buying a physical copy of this when it comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I had so much fun reading this book. It hit all the right beats for me, all the romance I was looking for with elegant prose, humor and intrigue. If you're a fan of Tessa Dare, Courtney Milan, and India Holton, check out Earl Crush!

Lydia is a political activist and spinster who travels to Scotland to propose to penpal and fellow activist, the Earl of Strathrannoch. When she arrives, she discovers that the man she has been writing to is not the Earl, but the younger brother who has stolen and absconded with the Earl's blueprints for a rifle scope. The Earl, Arthur, is the strapping and gruff type who has no interest in political activism or a marriage of convenience. The cast characters are rounded out with some charming side characters, including meddlesome servants, a supportive friend, Georgiana, and Lydia's four brothers and their loveable mother.
The two and some of their sidekicks end up on a road trip in search of Davis, the earstwhile penpal, and eventually end up in Lydia's home after running into <spoiler>her brother</spoiler>. This leads to some classic traveling shenanigans (A Week to be Wicked vibes!) with lots of pining and meaningful touches.

My favorite detail in this book was the epigraphs before each chapter, where we get excerpts of writing from various characters. Arthur's reminded me of Darcy in the best way.

Tropes: <spoiler> spinster wallflower, mistaken identity, silly disguises, sibling triangle, fake relationship, marriage of convenience, forced proximity, road trip/travel, grumpy/sunshine </spoiler>

This is so romantic! I highlighted a dozen passages that I found so moving and heartwarming and lovely. The characters are sweet. And so much happened! I think that kept the pace really snappy, but not overwhelming. Loved it.
Alexandra Vasti has been my author of the summer and I’m so excited I was able to get my hands on this arc, because I was not ready to be caught up on all her works!

4.25 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s for my ARC!

I just adore anything that Alexandra Vasti writes. She has such a way when it comes to sexy, smart regency writing. This one had a lot of moving pieces and a borderline mystery, but the romance was sweet, 🌶️, and swoony like always.

Can’t wait to see what she writes next!!

Oh this one is a love letter to the regency romance. 😍

For historical romance readers, it’s about the nostalgia. It probably starts the same for most of us: we remember reading a regency before we ought to have. They were those colorful, tattered books you saw in your mom’s magazine rack, next to Good Housekeeping or some sweepstakes mailer or another.

Or maybe these were the first romance novels we checked out from the library. A Jane Austen-loving soul discovering a new set of authors to devour.

But it takes a special talent to make such a tried-and-true genre new again, to make these stories somehow both nostalgic and fresh, comfortable and convicting. That’s what you’ll get with @alexandravasti ‘s work. These two books (here I include Vasti's debut, Ne'er Duke Well) are truly something special.

If this is your genre, prepare to be wow’ed by Earl Crush. As ruined for other works as an unmarried woman without a chaperone in 1816.

And, if you’re new to the genre, these books are an incredible place to start.

Earl Crush was fantastic. Five stars and my favorite regency to date. Sexy and heartfelt. Deeply romantic. Scottish and surprising. With espionage and certain ruin.

-He falls first
-Marriage of convenience
-Adventure and romance on the road
-Mistaken identity and family secrets
-Epistolary elements
-Anxiety rep
-Golden retriever MMC

In Lydia, Vasti delivers another FMC who redefines what it means to be strong. One who is vulnerable, imperfect (dare I say “demure” in the year of our Lord 2024?), and anxious - AND YET SHE IS ALSO shockingly brave, utterly subversive, and profoundly relatable.

Women are never defined by one thing in Vasti’s work - not by their marriage prospects, nor their bodies or dowries, and certainly not by shyness or propriety.

Ultimately Arthur Baird, like Peter Kent before him, is a hero not because he rescues the damsel (though he does) or his swoony/spicy leading man-ness (though he is), but because he lets the rare woman he’s found be herself. And never misses that it’s she who rescues him.

How can you be nostalgic for a place you’ve never been? For time like this?

Read on, regency lovers, and find out.

Thank you to Alexandra Vasti, SMP Romance, and NetGalley for this eARC.

Arthur is pathetically in love with Lydia, and I'm here for it. Here comes a fiery political redhead knocking on his door, asking for his hand in marriage, and he has no clue who she is.
 
I'm sitting here with tears (happy tears, mind you) running down because of how much I loved this book. It started off a tad slow for me in the beginning, and I wasn't sure if it would or could surpass Ne'er Duke. Well. Alexandra Vasti had me laughing, screaming, and crying all within this story of political espionage and mistaken identity. She has definitely made her way onto my must-read list of historical authors, and I absolutely cannot wait to read the rest of this series. (Is it too much to hope for a romance involving one of Lydia's brothers?)
 
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.

Huge thanks to Netgalley for the eARC.

Alexandra Vasti has quickly become an automatic read for me. I've loved every historical romance she's released since I first stumbled across her Halifax series. Earl Crush has been a bit more jam packed than her previous work but equally as enjoyable, The romance in the story serves is beautifully complimented by the political intrigue subplot. I could have done without the third act separation between our couple but c'est la vie.

Can't wait to devour Vasti's future works.

I absolutely devoured this book. I loved Vasti's Halifax Hellion novellas and I enjoyed her first full length book, Ne'er Duke Well. But Earl Crush brought me right back to that Halifax Hellion feel - cant put it down and full steam ahead. Lydia and Arthur are so perfect they had me kicking my feet with glee! Arthur and Lydia both have a lot of growing to do and I think Vasti did a great job giving them both space to work through their own personal issues while moving the plot along. The tension between the two simmers from the get go and when they finally come together it felt like I could breath again.

An assortment of things I loved:
- she proposes first!
- besotted MMC
- there's a menagerie of zebras?
- wonderfully supportive side characters (I love you Huw and Bertie)
- a fake marriage
- GROVEL
- an epilogue that made me cry

This is one I can't wait to reread. Doesn't hurt to say one more time that I loved it and I can't wait to read Georgianas book next!

Typical Vasti in the best way - fun, smart, sexy, and with a man who is a pathetic blobby mess for the FMC. This series is a great intro into historical romance and perfect for any romcom fan.

ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ || EARL CRUSH [thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my #gifted copy!]

Title: Earl Crush
Author: Alexandra Vasti
Genre: Historical Romance
Format: Digital
Star Rating: ★★★★★

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:
For three years, wallflower heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace has been secretly writing radical pamphlets and corresponding with the charming Earl of Strathrannoch. When his latest letter reveals his financial troubles, Lydia sets out to Scotland with a bold plan: a marriage of convenience. The only problem? Arthur has no idea who she is.

Stunned by the proposal from a mysterious redhead, Arthur soon discovers it was his brother, not him, writing to Lydia. Furious but intrigued, Arthur needs her help to track down his rogue sibling involved in British espionage. As they work together, sparks fly, and Arthur finds himself torn between protecting Lydia and falling for her.

ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
Dare I say I enjoyed this more than Vasti’s last novel? I think I did! There was just something about Lydia and Arthur that pulled on my heartstrings (and it’s not just because they had excellent spicy scenes and he fell first - IT’S NOT).

Mistaken identity, a plot to take down a Duke, and a team of women set to stop it? Yes please!

I especially loved the dialogue between Lydia and Arthur. I think I highlighted full pages of discourse between them because it was SO GOOD. Whether it was banter or confessions or just staring into each other’s eyes, Vasti wrote it with such grace that I could’t turn away.

But seriously, Alexandra, how do you pronounce “Strathrannoch”? Because in my head it was “Sassenach” every single time in Jamie Fraser’s accent. :D

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Outlander
Marriage of Convenience
Espionage & Secrets
Woman Taking Charge
Excellent Spice

ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ:
GR: 4.50 ⭐️
# of Pages: 352
Pub Date: January 21, 2025

I’m thankful for this ARC!

Lydia is not a people person (same girl). She faints or vomits when put in social situations. And yet, she’s a secret writer of political pamphlets.
Through this, she meets the Earl and begins a three year pen pal courtship, of sorts.
But when she finally draws up the courage to meet him, it turns out that’s NOT who she’s been talking to. It’s the Earls brother, who is suspiciously missing after stealing a piece of weapon that shouldn’t fall into the wrong hands.

The plot follows Lydia and the Earl, named Arthur, as they track down his brother Davis and spark up their own relationship in the process.

I liked this one. It had spice at the right moments, hit you in the feels at the right moments, and has enough drama to keep you interested.
Timelines are a little rough, and the plot changes pace often, but I did enjoy it!
I did like the characters, even Lydia’s horde of brothers. I love historical fiction romances, and this is one that I’ll recommend as well.

Lydia and Arthur's fake marriage/mistaken identity journey was the perfect break for me in between heavier reads. I really enjoyed seeing Lydia become more fleshed out as a character in this second installment, and Vasti did a great job of not hearkening back too much to the first book and letting Lydia have the stage mostly to herself. The insecurities held by both Arthur and Lydia were way more true to life than I'm used to seeing, and played out to a satisfying, if predictable, conclusion without trapping us in a miserable cycle of misunderstandings and miscommunications. There was also a genuine twist, in the last third of the book that I did NOT see coming, and Vasti really did a great job of misdirection there.
I do think that the internal monologues of Lydia and Arthur got repetitive - their relationship is at it's most entertaining when they get to bring in their friends and family, and I wish we had gotten more of that.