Yes, I read this via print and audio within the same month and NO REGRETS. I loved it both ways. Narrator was excellent, beautiful Scottish accent! AH I just love Arthur and Lydia so much!! This book will be a new forever fav. Alexandra Vasti is one of the best newer voices in historical romance in a long time!!

4.5

Alexandra Vasti does it again! For the second day in a row, I've been unable to put down one of her books until I reached the final page...and stayed up way too late to do so. Mhairi Morrison also provides excellent narration, particularly of the hero's Scottish accent (always a plus).

Lydia, politically savvy but socially inept, hatches a plan to propose to an impoverished earl that she's been writing letters to. Only problem is, when she shows up, he has no idea who he is and it turns out she's been writing to his brother instead! However, this opens up a whole new mystery of what Arthur (the earl)'s brother has been up to, and soon they are traveling together as pretend newlyweds and encountering all kinds of ridiculous and romantic scenarios. So many good tropes, including only-one-horse (which might be superior to only-one-bed) and we-have-to-kiss-to-not-look-suspicious. As a youngest daughter with older brothers, I also appreciated Lydia's similar family dynamic. There's some miscommunication at the end which bothered me a bit, but otherwise this was the perfect historical rom-com!

I will now be anxiously awaiting Georgianna's book, which I've heard will be sapphic (!!), and catching up on all Alexandra Vasti's other published novels. Highly recommend!

Vasti really nailed the swoon factor with this book. Two shy MCs foisted together by a misunderstanding with a backdrop of political intrigue? So perfect. Notes at the beginning of chapters with further insight into the MC’d feelings? Also perfect.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an early release audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Sweet love story between Lydia and Arthur. A bit spicier than I was expecting but I really enjoyed their escapades throughout the UK to solve a mystery.

I enjoyed Mhairi Morrison's narration.

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.

3.5 stars rounded up

I didn't love the beginning, but this won me over by the end. Earl Crush is a fun historical romance about a painfully shy woman who writes radical political pamphlets and a reclusive Scottish earl who she thinks she has been corresponding with. The book opens with her going to propose a marriage of convenience, only to discover that the author was his brother who is missing.

It's a very rompy book that weaves in real history, but I felt like the romance got going too quickly, before I had a chance to feel like I knew the characters and cared about them. It got there in the end, but more could have been done earlier I think. There's also more sex than I would typically expect from a traditionally published book this length. Which I didn't mind, but again it just started a bit too quickly for my taste. I did love the couple by the end though and had fun reading. The audio narration is good, though I don't know that I was getting a believably shy heroine from that. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

I read this while also listening to portions of it while on walks, I like Vasti's recent books so much and i'm excited for this series to continue.

Alexandra Vasti and Mhairi Morrison are the most dynamic duo! This is my second time reading Earl Crush and it just keeps getting better.

Morrison’s narration is SPECTACULAR and I ADORE the humor (every performer has a delightful cheekiness) and emotion (the tender, quieter moments just hug your heart) she infuses into every characters’ voice. I love how every character has distinct voices and characteristics and you know immediately which characters are involved in the scene.

Lydia and Arthur’s love story is one of the most romantic, tender, precious, and beautiful stories I have ever read. The epistolary elements woven throughout are EVERYTHING - their love letters will leave your breathless with their vulnerability, care, heart, and hope.