Ok I loved this. Most regency romance tend to be misogynistic for “historical accuracy” but baby this one said “hold my beer.” Loved all the badass women, the plot, the number and depth of characters, and of course the romance. What a fun unexpected surprise this turned out to be. Give me a whole extended universe please. This also had me falling in love with Alexandra Vasti and I’ve been gobbling up all of her content ever since I finished this.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

This book was SO SO SO good. I had such an enjoyable time with the Halifax Hellions series so I was excited to read a novel length book from this author. I was so pleased by the strength displayed by the main female character, Selina Ravenscrroft, and the stakes felt true to the time period. Having Selina try to matchmake added great tension for the beginning and middle of the book. I also especially loved the resolution of how Selina's secret identity/job was handled. Can't wait to continue to follow this author's future journey and novels! Thank you to NG for allowing me to read an ARC!

Ne'er Duke Well tells the story of Selina, a debutante with a scandalous literary secret, and Peter, a newly inherited duke with a New Orleans upbringing and a feisty reputation. This had all the makings of a book I would love, but too many things just didn't work for me. I can appreciate a modern take on Regency romance, but this book took things too far, to the point that it was beyond reason. I also didn't really care for the romance between the two main characters as their connection was really surface-level. I think this book would be well suited for readers who enjoy a Regency-set romance with a 2024-caliber boss babe female main character and feminist woke male main character.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for gifting me with an ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

There were a lot of torments of this book that I loved but overall there was just something missing. I am not sure if there was a lack of chemistry or a lack of true urgency in the face of complicated circumstances. It was not a bad story, just didn’t fill its potential.

This book was an absolute delight, I laughed out loud a few times and fell in love with our MC’s SO quickly. This is a must read for Bridgerton fans!

This was the perfect book to read as I waited for the release of Bridgerton S3 pt 2. I don't always love Regency romances but the ones I do enjoy have unapologetic heroines, often ahead of their time, just like this one.

This book is brimming with strong, unique, female characters, found family and cozy Ton vibes.

Another great romance by Ms. Vasti! Having read all of this author’s books I can confidently say that she knows how to write diverse and likable characters that make you root for them from the start. I appreciated that this book didn’t follow the basic historical romance formula and all of the characters had memorable personalities. My one complaint is that I felt that the plot started off very strong and around half way through it started to slow down and drag a bit. Overall, I had a fun time reading this and can’t wait for book two!

This book was mesmerizing. I read most of it in one sitting because I was having so much fun with the story and didn’t notice time passing by. I love historical/regency romances and this one was so refreshing. It was somehow true to the genre while also feeling a little modern. Selina was a perfect FMC for this. She was bold and outgoing without being too domineering or pushy in thinking she was right about all things. I feel like that is a very fine line when developing a character like this so hats off to Vasti for accomplishing it. She also has room to grow and learn to accept help. Peter was goofy, loyal, and swoony. I absolutely adored everything about him, right down to his own struggles with his personal worth. I loved the take on feminism in this storyline and I think that it contributed so much to this book. I love the idea of women taking knowledge for themselves in a time when men wanted to keep them ignorant in the name of “innocence.” Vasti approached that topic very tactfully and poignantly.
My only “complaint” is that I feel like some of the background references to Selina’s twin, her friend Faiza, and her initially meeting Peter sounded like there is another novel out there I’ve missed. Yet I cannot for the life of me figure out if it exists which is a bummer because I very much want to read it! All in all I loved this book and I cannot wait to read Lydia’s story next.

A feminist historical romance with found family vibes that will have you (at least it did for me) tearing up while also laughing in other moments at the absurdity of their situation. The lead characters, Peter and Selina, have such great chemistry and witty banter, and they just love each other so damn much it hurts to breathe.

I loved the strong sense of love that Peter has for his younger half-siblings and how willing he is to do whatever it takes to make sure they are taken care of and that they are not alone or unloved, even though they test his limits far and wide. I love how instantly Selina and her family also seem to fall in love with the children, practically taking them in as their own well before the two main characters even get together.

There are a lot of characters to keep up with, so it can be confusing at times, but I do think they all worked well with each other, and I hope we get to see more of them in the future. Another wish of mine was a longer epilogue, maybe a bit farther into their timeline, but overall, I was still happy with the ending we got.

Alexandra Vasti will now be added to my auto-read/buy list. After some snooping, I do know there is another book in the works from another character in this story, and if so, I'm so excited, and I hope more will come about in this potential series. 

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.

What fun!!! I absolutely loved the Halifax sister novellas and was thrilled to see Vasti wrote a full length novel. I thought this was perfectly paced, excellent steam, and many laugh out loud moments. I cannot wait for Lydia’s story!

Alexandra Vasti is an exciting new voice in histrom, with witty prose and characters and utterly swoony characters. Loved it!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I really liked the plot of this book but once I got to reading it, I didn’t feel like it went a lot with what the plot was or stated it was.

It barely even talked about his siblings he was trying to gain custody of. It also really didn’t show much romance between the two MCs. A lot of it just felt rushed in my opinion. The writing was easy to read and it was still fast paced and enjoyable. I guess I just wanted more.

3 stars.

This was a fun and enjoyable read and the banter between the two main characters, Selina and Peter, was great.
The first part of the story reminded me (in the best way) of Jane Austen's 'Emma', a book I also thoroughly enjoy.
The second part of the book could have been a little bit shorter. Nonetheless, 'Ne'er Duke Well' is a delightful summer read.

This story was so fun! I love a good Regency romance and I know that Alexandra Vasti has become an auto-read author! The characters were lively and loved to buck society while still living within their rules. I loved how feminist it was and how the main character ran a spicy library. It was a light and fun story and I can't wait to read the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Really solid full length debut from Alexandra. Her writing is great, and her characters are well developed. If you like her Halifax Hellions novellas, you'll like this book.

Ne'er Duke Well is a fun read. I was so excited when my request to read this via NetGalley was approved. The cover caught my eye, but the story held my interest and now I'm thinking of taking a stroll through Alexandra Vasti's backlist of titles.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

-Friends To Lovers 💕
-Regency Romance 🏰
-Spice 🌶️


"Ne'er Duke Well" was a fast-paced, enjoyable read. The storyline felt like a mashup of a Historical Romance and modern Rom-Com, seemingly opposites but it worked.
I really enjoyed the friends to lovers aspect of Peter and Selina's relationship. While the plot touches on some deep and emotional topics I think their love story felt low-stakes and cozy. If you enjoy a cinnamon roll MMC I think you're really going to enjoy Peter.

I love forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you Alexandra Vasti, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

What a delightful book! Selena is kind of a societal fixer and convener, and also secretly runs a lending library, and even more secretly has a subset of that library that provides MUCH needed sex ed information to its female members. Peter is a new Duke, not fitting in and trying to win custody of his two half siblings. He turns to Selina to try to solve his problem, and her solution is to find him someone to marry. She's can't marry him herself because of the secret (scandalous) library issue, and just as well, because "Not that she cared...Not that she thought about Peter Kent like that. Or at all. Ever." Sure Jan.

The first part of this book is a rompy romcom of Peter test driving potential brides, and pining after Selena, and Selena wrestling with the weird feeling in her chest that surely isn't jealousy when she thinks of Peter marrying someone else. The second part is basically them being so down bad for each other hoping to be enough, hoping for love, worried they aren't enough, worried the other sees them as an obligation. Vasti captures their emotions so well, and the stakes could not be higher (and as a reader I could not have been more engaged).

In the end Vasti brings everything together with all the pieces slotting into place. The children appear maybe one too many times for me, but Lu roasts Peter every time she sees him, and it is always hilarious. The side characters are well developed, and any number of them could have very satisfying books in this series.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley.

Thank you to the author, publisher and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

To be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed this ARC. There were a few little side storylines that weren’t totally necessary IMO but Lady Selina and Peter worked so well together! I loved their story and I loved the Regency setting.

And THE GREEN BOOKS?! I die Miss Selina I DIE ☠️ 👏👏👏

If you’re looking for Bridgerton era vibes with some scandal and sexiness sprinkled (or dumped) in, this book is for you!

Witty, charming, and refreshing! While the plot line - the Duke must improve his reputation to adopt his half siblings, and the quickest way to do that is find a respectable wife- isn't exactly unique, Vasti's characters are a breath of fresh air in the historical romance genre. Peter, the American Duke, was lovely, kind, and determined to care for his siblings. He's even an abolitionist! He's a swoonworthy male lead, and the female lead, Selina, is a delight. She's one of society's most proper ladies, but instead of spending her time on needlework or French, she runs a secret circulating library for the other ladies - one filled with erotic literature!

Peter and Selina's relationship is filled with plenty of chemistry and amusing banter. The friends-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites and Peter and Selina check all the boxes. Their relationship, and Peter's with his siblings, are definitely what carried the book for me.

There were some places where the story seemed a little slow, and I definitely wouldn't call this book plot heavy, but it doesn't need to be. It's a lighthearted historical romance and it fits that description perfectly. Even better, it's a historical romance published in 2024, free of any racist, homophobic, or antisemitic undertones that sometimes turn me off of older historical romance "classics".