This was a solid okay. The character development seems to happen off the page, with lots of telling instead of showing. The main characters already know each other, already have feelings for each other, and are already involved in each other lives. The book is very plot forward instead of character forward and that’s not my favorite thing. I want character growth and relationship development, but these characters were already the best version of themselves from the start of the book….they just had to work together to fix plot and I got bored. The steamy scenes were well done. And the historical aspects were well researched. The writing is great too, with a good pace to the book, I just wanted more romance and character growth and tension between the two MCs, instead it was a lot of scheming and kids.

I loved this book!! This was my first book by this author and it won’t be my last. The chemistry between Peter and Selina was noticeable from the very first conversation and they were a wonderful pairing. Also, Selina’s super secret sex library (say that 3 times fast) was a fantastic story line. I could not have asked for two better characters to form a pair. Peter being willing to do everything he can to get custody of his younger siblings was so sweet and I really loved that part of the storyline and I like that it never felt like it was overtaking the romance. Will definitely recommend.

This book is feminist smut about feminists writing smut, and I loved it.

"But then again, this was exactly what she wanted Belvoir’s to be: an attainable resource for women who would not otherwise have access to knowledge that could change their lives for the better."

Peter Kent, a Louisiana abolitionist that can’t help but create scandals everywhere he goes, inherits the Dukedom of Stanhope and discovers two precocious half-siblings. Determined to become their legal guardian, Peter turns to society’s most meddlesome debutante who has a dangerous secret — Selina Ravenscroft curates and distributes a circulating erotic library exclusively for the women of the ton, marked by iconic green cloth bound covers. Arranging the perfect match may be just what Peter needs to convince the chancellor he deserves custody, but Peter’s impulsivity and Selina’s illicit secret just may put everything they’ve built in jeopardy.

"I know this isn’t funny. But only you would turn up your nose at embroidery and resolve to overturn society in its stead."

I definitely thought this book was going to be 80% arranging a match, and while that was important to the plot, it was much more about childhood relationships, grappling for control in a society actively working against you, and the beauty of loving someone wholeheartedly for who they are. There were passages that legitimately gave me chills, which has not happened to me in years.

Despite how emotionally grounded this story was, there was no shortage of spice. Honestly, more than I was expecting! There were a few passages where I thought, okay let’s get back to the plot, but the author usually brought it back around through character development, and the spice didn’t make the book drag on at all. Every plot point and character arc took its time to play out, so the spicy interludes were tons of fun.

My only gripe is that there is one loose end that I was sure we would get resolution on, and didn’t really come full circle — but I’m suspecting that if the story is the hit it deserves to be, we may get a sequel or spin-off exploring that character.

If you are 1) a lover of historical romance heavy on the history AND the spice 2) a meddlesome auntie in training with a solution to every problem or 3) a lover of complex sibling relationships, then Ne’er Duke Well will knock your stockings off.

For all the Bridgerton lovers! The messy, drama and love will bring them here. This book was a wonderful read that swept me up in it from the first chapter. Loved seeing the characters fall for each other and all the banter that went along with it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 (Historical Romance)

Synopsis: Peter Kent, the Duke of Stanhope needs a wife, and Lady Selina Ravenscroft is determined to help him find one. However, on their quest, she realizes that she might be the right woman to be his wife. Peter is always getting himself embroiled in one minor scandal or another, but he really needs Selina’s help. Will her help end up in a marriage proposal? Or will she find another way to help Peter?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book!! It was 🌶️🌶️🌶️. I loved that the FMC secretly ran a library filled with enlightening books for ladies. The undercurrent of feminism in this book was fantastic! I really liked it. I thought the characters were believable, I loved the friendship and familial relationships that were portrayed in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you loved Bridgerton or other Regency Romances, you’ll love this.

What an excellent debut novel from Alexandra Vasti! I’ve read all of her novellas and so of course I expected nothing less. Vasti has a singular ability to write two people’s intense yearning, particularly capturing the tenderness and heat within emotional and sensual scenes. I loved so many things about Ne’er Duke Well, but most of all the almost radical honesty practiced by the mmc’s with one another. For example, Peter’s straightforward and direct approach to pining, which is of course to be open and just tell Selina how he feels. How kind, that he doesn’t lead another woman on as so many mcs have done in this trope. And then Selina is honest in turn, both when she tells Peter her secret before the wedding, and again when she confides her drastic solution to the potential 3rd act scandal instead of just running away. This book doesn’t fall prey to the trope-y pitfalls of characters lying to themselves or to the oft-seen well- intentioned lies of omission. Ne’er Duke Well is deeply feminist, sex positive, and refreshingly diverse. It features strong and capable women, whetting our appetite for future books in the series with the introduction of scintillating future FMCs, Selina’s uniquely unconventional friends. I did feel that both of the external conflicts in the story were a bit thin, given the leniency and leeway for eccentricity and sidestepping the law afforded the aristocracy. And I felt the story could have been tighter in places, likely a growing pain with this being Vasti’s first full length novel, and given her incredible facility with the length and scope of the novella. Overall, NDW is a truly delightful and captivating read. Vasti is an auto-buy author for me, I cannot wait until her next book comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

My rating: 2/5

This book and it's romance moved at lightning speed. I really wasn't invested in either character or their romance because of it. Don't like what's happening in the book ? Wait 2 pages it will be over. Which originally I thought was nice because I thought " oh the author isn't dragging us through the miscommunication trope", but turns out they're not dragging us through anything because everything is rushed. Even with it being rushed some parts felt boring as I just couldn't get into these characters.
Their romance took a backseat to the custody plotline and though a history between them was hinted we never really got to see that or their chemistry.
It just wasn't for me I'm afraid, definitely a cute premise and I'm sure it's a fit for anyone that wants a fast paced regency romance!

Ne’er Duke Well is a treat of a Regency romance. It is lighthearted, sexy, romantic, funny and easy to read. It touches on serious subjects and handles them deftly. The chemistry between the main characters is palpable. There are two orphaned children who are not overwhelmingly precocious or overbearing for a nice change.

I enjoyed my time with Peter, Selina and their friends and family. I’m hoping there are future books to follow.

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for the advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Ne'er Duke Well brings together a delightful couple in this light historical romance. Peter Kent was born in New Orleans but has recently become the Duke of Stanhope. The transition has been hard and his hopes of becoming the guardians to his half-siblings rests on him gaining respectability. Lady Selina Ravenscroft has agreed to become his matchmaker and sets out to find an indisputably respectable woman for him to marry. The Duke and Selina's interactions felt natural and sweet, and they eventually realized that Selina would be a good match for Peter herself. But the road was full of wonderful moments with the ladies Selina tried to set him up with. These ladies were all interesting and delightful individually. It would be nice to see some of them get their own books. Unfortunately, Selina has a secret that if it comes out could ruin the couple's respectability hopes. Peter's half-siblings were quite a handful as well but Peter's unrelenting love for them is evident. The ending was beautifully heartwarming. I recommend this one for historical romance fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I thought this was a really good story. Peter and Selina took me a minute to get into but I think it was just that way for the beginning. Once it clicked it clicked👏. The romance was everything and I can’t wait to read more from this author. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read Ne’er Duke Well in exchange for an honest review. :)

"Ne'er Duke Well" by Alexandra Vasti is a historical romance with the perfect blend of romance and comedy. In order to secure guardianship of his half siblings, Peter Kent, the newly inherited Duke of Stanhope, seeks to improve his reputation in society. He enlists the help of Lady Selina Ravenscroft, a well-liked individual in society with a hidden secret. Selina proposes Peter court and marry a woman of impeccable reputation, and takes it upon herself to find the ideal match. However, her matchmaking endeavors go awry, resulting in chaos and unexpected romantic feelings between Peter and Selina. As they navigate societal expectations and the challenges posed by Peter's younger siblings, they find themselves falling in love.

Lady Selina is portrayed as intelligent and charming, and I adored her character immensely. She complements Peter perfectly, balancing his occasional recklessness (with the purest of intentions!!). Overall, the story is heartwarming and lighthearted, with adorable children, humorous characters, and meaningful themes. I had so much fun reading this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was SO GOOD. It seems, at first, to be a fun, rompy historical romance. And don't get me wrong -- it is but it is also so much more. It's a celebration of found family, of step-parents, or unconventional families that love with their whole hearts. It's about the importance of women knowing their own bodies and being informed enough to consent. It's about two people who love each other so fiercely they can't imagine the other does as well (they do). 

I especially love the way that Vasti -- a literature professor by day -- subtly shows the historically accurate diversity of the British empire in this era, where racial, ethnic, cultural, and class lines were, in fact, much more slippery than we understand them to be, and certainly more than they are depicted in most historical romance. Vasti, to be sure, is a voice for the genre that should be spoken about hand-in-hand with such greats as Courtney Milan and Tessa Dare. 

While a well-researched historical romance, one of the most relevant messages I took away from this is the ways in which so many women -- myself included -- don't share their struggles or their successes for fear of offense or being perceived as a difficult friend/partner/child. Watching Selina realize, one by one, as her husband, friends, and family are so proud of what she's been doing was a surprisingly emotional storyline. 

There's enough of a side cast that this could be an interconnected (and Vasti just announced that her second book is feature Lydia), but it doesn't overpower the reader with oversharing. The cast of characters is unique enough that they all stand on their own and give the reader a taste of what could unfurl with future stories.

I really really enjoyed the novellas from this author so I’m disappointed that this full length fell short for me.

The beginning of this book is great. The Duke wants custody of his siblings, Selina is a fixer and she’s gonna fix this for Peter and obvs that means finding him a wife. The bummer is that he wants her for a wife but she’s got some stuff going on that will 100% ruin his custody chances.

There’s tension, there’s wanting, how are they gonna get together?! What’s gonna happen?!

Oh wait, this is all gonna wrap up fairly quickly and now the romance aspect is over. Now the only driving force in this story is a custody battle.

There wasn’t enough moving the story forward for me at that point and found myself skimming the remainder of the book.

I received an eARC, review is my own.

Thank you netgalley + publisher for the e-arc! I haven’t ever really been a huge fan of historical romance but this cover and description really hooked me, and this did not disappoint! Wasn’t too overly focused on politics and didn’t have crazy historical jargon (which is normally why I stray away from historical/regency) it was just a simple, cute regency romance with historical and political undertones. Kind of had a marriage of convenience trop but with a little twist! Peter was soooo sweet and has such a big heart (we love a man who supports his wife no questions asked). I loved loved loved the “he falls first” trope, the angst and pining had me giggling so hard! The spice was wonderfully done and really worked with the plot instead of just being added for the sake of it, I always love some tastefully done spice. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and Peter and Selina's story and it’s made me more interested in regency romance and the author as a whole!

I loved this book! It’s truly a perfect historical romance, a genuine platonic ideal of the genre. The hero is so good. An American abolitionist turned Duke who wants to care for his illegitimate half siblings but also refuses to tow the line about the slave industry to make it happen and a heroine who starts a library to ensure women are educated on their own sexuality.

This book has an amazing supporting cast, a great found family trope, and an incredibly fresh twist on a very old trope. It was everything I could hope for and made me smile the entire way through.

Everything about this was magic, I loved it. The beginning was a bit muddled, and took a little to get going, but once it did the book was like a tidal wave. I loved Peter, he was adorable and the fact that he couldn’t stop talking was great. Enjoyed so so so much.

I really loved this story, which I thought was a light, easy read with low levels of angst but a good dash of tension to help pace the story. The chemistry between Selina and Peter was hot from the jump and the spicy scenes were great. I also loved the dynamics with his younger siblings, who felt like fully developed characters and not simply plot devices. I also appreciated when Peter's past trauma came into play and how Selina and Peter honestly handled it - there was no miscommunication trope here and that was excellent! They behaved like actual adults who respected one another and tried to talk through tough things, even if that was imperfect or difficult for the characters. In the best of ways, reading Peter and Selina's love story felt like you were reading/witnessing a *real* love story between *real* people and not simply characters on a page - Alexandra has handled this story so beautifully and I was thrilled to read her debut full-length novel.

thank you to netgalley for this arc!

this book is a perfectly sweet and funny low-angst high-reward (what do i mean by that? couldn't tell you) romance. i have finally found an author who does sassy-side-character-children right! selina and peter are both good people, fun people, kind people, etc., etc.
honestly i don't have any complaints, but i feel less feverish about this book than i have about others i have read recently so it's getting 4 stars. and this isn't quite a complaint, but seriously these people sure do love to get down and dirty right after being sobbing messes? good for them, couldn't be me.
extremely enjoyable read, i am so looking forward to more in this series!

This was my first historical romance in a while and what a delight! This was a lighthearted, fast read with fun characters and a great setting. I am wondering if it will become a series because of everyone we might, but that might just be wishful thinking on my end.

Peter Kent has just been named Duke of Stanhope. he has relocated from New Orleans to England and is on a mission to get custody of his younger brother and son who said father never acknowledged. He has a bit of a problem though because he is creating unintentional scandals. He has a differing opinion from most of the people in the House. He hasn't made any effort to get a wife. He doesn't really get the way of life as a Duke. And to top it off the man who he needs to convince to allow him guardianship doesn't have a fond opinion of Peter at all. Somehow his "friend" Selina Ravenscroft gets wind of this and decides to help him. The same Selina who continue to catch Peter's eye and intrigue him. He is summoned to the Ravencrosft mansion to discuss options and when Selina throws out that Peter needs to get married he immediately think she means to her and he finds himself ok with that. Then she pulls the rug out from under him and says no not her, she will make a list of eligible women for him to court. So Peter goes along with it, and it is one disaster after another.

Selina also finds herself surprised by the possibility of her and Peter getting married but she has a secret. She runs a library in the ton that holds some very salacious material. Material that almost the entire ton of women read! So she she can't marry Peter because that scandal would hurt him in this instance, but they find themselves in a predicament and Selina thinks on her feet and says that Peter is her newly fiance. She is determined to help him get guardianship of his family. Now that she is his wife, she finds herself wanting to explore this HOT chemistry that they can't seem to ignore. One thing leads to another and she realizes that she doesn't want this to be fake anymore. She wants to tell Peter how she really feels, and she hopes that he feels the same.

Like I said, this was a light easy read. I liked the chemistry between Selina and Peter which was almost instantaneous. The spicy scenes were great. I liked the dynamics with his younger siblings. I also liked when some of Peter's past trauma came into play and how Selina and Peter honestly handled it. It helped solidify their feelings for one another and felt genuine. I do hope that this becomes a series- I could see us getting a story about Will, Selina's brother whose heart is broken. As well as Selina's friends that played a part in the beginning of their relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This is my first book by Alexandra that I have read, but it will not be my last.

I wanted to get my hands on this ARC so badly, so thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress @alexandravasti for making this one happen for me!

Selina, the sister of the Duke of Rowland, is a force to be reckoned with — if something needs doing, she gets it done, with nary a blond hair askew (unless she’s jumping in the Serpentine, but I digress). In addition to being the most efficient sister of a Duke, she also secretly owns a publishing house that super secretly prints women’s erotica and other salacious stories. No big deal, but she wants to avenge the lack of knowledge that caused her friend to become pregnant without knowing how that happened. I *love* her. She deserves the world.

Peter is the newly crowned ninth Duke of Stanhope, a shocking inheritance given that he was living in Louisiana (in America! Gasp!) when he was found to take over the Dukedom. He takes England by surprise with his lack of proper English decorum, and he turns Selina’s head. The problem is, he’s found two of his philandering father’s children, his half siblings, and custody is not guaranteed. So the gregarious, abolitionist, loud Peter has to do *something* to sway the Court. Selina comes up with a plan— a plan to get Peter married — and shenanigans ensue.

Selina truly believes that she can’t be the one to marry Peter because she’s too scandalous — but what happens when the chemistry is Too Intense™️ to handle?

This book is so, so good. I expected this given the excellency of the Halifax siblings shorts, but I still wasn’t prepared for how much fun this is to read. Also, @alexandravasti has a way with a spicy scene so if you’ve read the Halifax novellas, YOU KNOW. Finally, if you’re a sucker for some elderly lesbians like I am, put this on your TBR immediately. 🥹