RATING: 3/5 STARS

This was a cute historical rom-com that lost a bit of steam for me at the end but was overall enjoyable.

This is a delightful romp featuring lovable characters with lots of personality spunk. The side characters are charmingly fleshed out, and the secret erotic lending library for ladies is such a fun idea!

Overall loved reading this, and can't wait for more from Vasti!

MMC with a Crush™ and a lot of Problems™ (and also is the distant and reluctant Duke from Louisiana.)
🖊 FMC who Handles All the Things™ (and also has a radical lending library where women of London are educating themselves about All Sorts of Topics.)
🥰 Side characters who I adore. (I spent So Long trying to figure out what books I had missed by Vasti...)
🥵 Lots of - That Can't Happen Again.
😘 Also - Who Needs a Bed.

TL/DR Review
Stars: Four!
Series: Belvoir Lending Library Book One (I started here accidentally - but am glad I did and suggest reading in order.)
POV: dual third
Steam: You know how authors go tamed when they go trad? Not Vasti.
Tropes: Opposites attract, pining MMC, golden retriever MMC, competence kink, bluestocking FMC (but socially powerful)
For Fans Of: Eva Leigh - specifically Forever Your Earl
Theme Song: Turn by the Wombats
Subgenre: Historical
CW/ TW: In the book (be still my heart!)

Feb 2025: I'm a mood reader and now I'm in the mood :3
4 ⭐
Peter and Selina working together to try to prove he is a worthy man in british society to take custody of his late father's illegitimate children. The best way to do that is to find a respectable wife for Peter to marry and become Duchess. In comes Selina to assist, having secrets of her own that would make her unsuitable.

As they spend time together their chemistry gets better and better until the tension was great. (I judged it wayyyy too soon). Alexandra Vasti is a must buy author from now on. It was such a fun read and I'm so excited for Lydia's book.

Georgiana, you are a baddie. Can't wait to see you thriveeee

✅ medium 🌶️🌶️
✅ matchmaking
✅ friends to lovers
✅ forced proximity
✅ feminist coded regency romance

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this eARC of Ne'er Duke Well for an honest review!
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<s>August 2024: DNF @ 17%.

I loved the writing but honestly just got bored of the characters. The tension felt lacking and didn’t care enough to continue.</s>

I have been known to talk about @alexandravasti as ‘the master of first lines.’ I am a huge fun of any author that drops you in the middle of some crazy from the jump, and Vasti was by far the best at this with her Halifax twins novellas. So I had high hopes when I put on the audio of “Ne’er Duke Well” driving to Atlanta this weekend. Thankfully, it did not disappoint!

Selina, known for her ability to arrange any number of things among members of the ton, isn’t looking for love. In fact, as the secret proprietress of a library educating females on the more scandalous aspects of life through literature, she means to stay on the outside. That is until Peter comes along seeking a wife to help him win custody of his half siblings. When she tries to set him up with a number of eligible females, it soon becomes clear that he only wants her. But will her scandalous extracurriculars stand in the way of making a family for Peter & his siblings?

I highly recommend this one to fans of Tessa Dare. Vasti’s wit mixed with a heartfelt story and some serious heat makes for the perfect weekend read! And her underground library setting and mix of LGBTQ secondary characters seem especially timely these days.

If you love historical romance with a modern feel, Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti is a must-read. The heart of this story lies in its delightfully goofy and utterly endearing male protagonist. Peter Kent is ardent, passionate, and deeply caring—I adored his unwavering devotion to his siblings and to Selina. His storyline was one of my favorite aspects of the book.
Selina, on the other hand, is a force of nature. Her mission to spread sex education among the ladies of the ton is both bold and moving, and the way she turns her determination into action is a testament to her single-minded, fixer-at-all-costs nature. She takes on others' burdens as if they were her own, sometimes to a fault, but that only makes her all the more compelling.
The plot took a little time to find its footing—I initially struggled to understand why Selina was so invested in helping Peter beyond his quest for guardianship. But once the story settled in, I was completely on board. Peter’s relationship with his younger half-siblings was beautifully developed, and Selina fit seamlessly into that dynamic.
Vasti has crafted a wonderful cast of characters and a world that champions female empowerment and knowledge. I can’t wait to see what comes next in this series!


Thank you to the Publisher and Netfalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! Also a thank you to Libro.fm for providing a ALC in exchange for honest review!

Ne’er Duke Well is a beautifully written, emotionally rich historical romance that I will be recommending to every patron who walks into my library asking for a compelling love story. It’s perfect for fans of Tessa Dare and Evie Dunmore—full of sharp dialogue, deep emotion, and a love story that lingers long after the last page. If you love historical romance with heart and intelligence, this one is an absolute must-read!

Although I struggled a bit because regency era romance just isn't my usual read, this was still a good book and an intriguing story!

Received for free through netgalley for an honest review. I rated this 3.5 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the story and the main love interest. I also loved the idea of making the female lead a standout in society who goes against the rules. Having her own library and helping make other woman both literate and knowledgeable about sexuality was fun. I did struggle with all the characters all being thrown at you to start. For some reason I had a really hard time with that. Cute ending.

This book is fantastic. I enjoyed absolutely everything (except for the narrator's voice of Peter). The plot, characters, and spice were phenomenal. I was so into this book, man. I want everyone to read it. I loved Selina and Peter and LOU. I can't wait to read the next two in the series. Vasti is totally an auto-read author now.

This book is a breath of fresh air — with all the favorite tropes of historicals and the sensibilities of contemporaries. It’s funny with a wholesome heart and a welcoming cast of characters. Selina is a romance reader’s heroine who is impossible not to love. I found the book to be a bit too low-conflict, especially after the 50% mark, where the pacing felt off.

A fun read but a bit too much spice in it for my taste. I would have liked them to stay focused during some of this instead of devolving into the smut that just felt gratuitous rather than purposeful at times. I loved the messages about female independence and education for the time and while the male protagonist is said to be against slavery, I wish that had taken a little bit more of the forefront of the story as well since it's a topic I would like to see more in historicals. Overall, this is a fun quick read with good messages behind it, if you like a lot of spice, you'll like this more than me but I'm just too ace for it sometimes

This was so close to a slam dunk. *So* close. I loved Selina and Peter and how much they were idiots in love without admitting it, but the beats in their story felt too rushed. I wanted more time with them *being* idiots, and while there was no silly third-act break-up, the alternative conflict wasn't too exciting.

Excellent! Exactly what I look for in historical romance. The dialogue is immersive and witty. Period details are rich without being cumbersome. Thoroughly enjoyable read.

Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti is a witty and delightful historical romance that blends scandal, clever banter, and sizzling chemistry. Peter Kent, the newly minted Duke of Stanhope, is trying to change his reputation after a series of ill-advised antics—including interrupting a royal wedding with a flock of sheep. His goal? To become the guardian of his unruly half-siblings and prove that he’s more than just his wild past. To do so, he enlists the help of the sharp and proper Lady Selina Ravenscroft.

Selina, though the epitome of high society, hides a delightful secret—she runs an erotic circulating library for women, a fact that adds layers of intrigue to her character. When Peter turns to her for help, she suggests a sensible courtship with a respectable lady, but of course, things don’t go as planned. Chaos ensues when Peter’s siblings wreak havoc and Selina finds herself unexpectedly caught up in the excitement.

But the true heart of the story lies in the sizzling attraction between Peter and Selina. Their chemistry is undeniable, and watching them navigate the tension between propriety and passion is an absolute joy. Vasti’s writing is full of humor, charm, and clever twists, keeping readers hooked from start to finish.

Ne’er Duke Well is a perfect choice for fans of historical romance with a dash of scandal and a lot of heart. The characters are complex and endearing, and their journey from mutual respect to undeniable love is both heartwarming and entertaining. This is a fun, fast-paced read that will leave you smiling long after the last page.

Apologies for the late review, but this was such a lovely read!!! I've read Alexandra Vasti's Halifax novella's, so I already knew I would adore this book. I have nothing but high praise for Vasti's work--she's right on par with Sarah Maclean and Johanna Shupe AKA the greats of historical romance. The tension between Selina and Peter had me on the edge of my seat, not to mention the high stakes for their relationship. One of my favorite micro tropes in HR is marriage of convenience/we must find the duke an eligible bride, and this definitely hit the spot. What I love most about HR, however, is watching the main characters fight against an oppressive world and building a community that helps them fight for what's right. I'm so glad I finally got a chance to read this one, and I cannot wait to read more from Alexandra Vasti!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy of this title.

This book was a fun read. Not the best thing I’ve read but was enjoyable.

I ADORED this and everything Alexandra Vasti writes. There are few authors that are able to easily capture my heart within the first few pages but she did it so effortlessly and flawlessly.

Ne’er Duke Well was DELIGHTFUL. The premise was wonderful and everything I love in a historical romance. It was funny, witty, & swoony with characters that were as intriguing as they were charming. Peter and Selina’s story was the perfect blend of humor, sharp banter, simmering tension and heartfelt dialogue making it one of my favorite reads of last year. I can’t wait to read more from this series!

Peter Kent―newly inherited Duke of Stanhope and recently of New Orleans, Louisiana aka the American Duke is trying to win custody of his brother and sister. Lady Selina Ravenscroft aka businesswomen and librarian to the ton has an idea- marriage to one of her cool -fun friends. This doesn’t work out as Peter wants Selina- but she can’t. This has some great funny parts with the dates and kids as well as radical abolition and feminist for the win side plot.
This one gets steamy and just overall super cute. As Peter is an all in type of duke and Selina is the perfect new mom/big sister.

I can’t wait for more of this series- which is why I picked this one up. The side friends in this one I hope all get HEAs. Progressive HR with strong FMC!

I liked this a lot, funny and fresh, there were a lot of layers but my favorite part was how Peter never really let Selina run away. Her instinct, like many romance heroines before her, was to disappear to save the people she loves from harm, but he was there at every turn, telling her that he would stand by her no matter what.