This was a fun, flirty, historical romance! It has some silly moments, some steamy scenes and some seriousness as well. I loved the fact that the FMC ran her own little smutty library. Peter had me swooning and blushing. I was rooting for Peter and Selina the whole time. The sexual tension and the witty banter were perfection. I'll definitely be recommending this one and I also look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ne’er Duke Well
By Alexandra Vasti

This is the first book I have read by Alexandra Vasti and I am definitely a fan. A big fan. She writes in such an entertaining way. Her characters are vibrant and layered and definitely flawed which means they are all extremely interesting. In this book, Peter, the new Duke of Stanhope, is looking to gain guardianship of his half-siblings, Lu and Freddie. He comes to Lady Selina Ravenscroft and her family for help with his petition. Lady Selina has no desire to be married herself but is convinced that marriage is the answer to all of Peter’s problems. The only issue is Peter doesn’t want to dance with other women. He wants to « dance » with Selina.

This book was absolutely lovely. It had romance, action, drama, heart and sword play (get your mind out of the gutter…. But also yes…. Yes, there was.) I loved seeing the story unfold and watching these two communicate through their issues instead of running away. It was so refreshing.

This is a great book for anyone who loves historical romances, Bridgerton, or who enjoys a little action plot in their rom-com. I will definitely be reading more books by this author!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the free e-arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I want to preface this by stating I was asked for my honest review of this book, and it was a huge miss for me. I love period romances, but in this book, I could not even get excited about the characters, they were so one noted that they just were words on a page. I didn’t feel like they had any real character or substance till more than halfway through the book, and by that point it was a bit to late personally. I did enjoy that Selina was able to create and maintain a library that allowed women to be more knowledgeable on the ways of the world. But there was just something overall about this book that lost me.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Absolutely loved Ne’er Duke Well!!! I was hooked from the beginning. I love Selina and her mission to not let the women of the ton remain uneducated about their own sexuality. the scheme to get the Duke married so he can have custody of his siblings was adorable. This book was smart, fun, and steamy.

Ne'er Duke Well drew me in with its witty title and lovely cover, and didn't disappoint! I really enjoyed the modern romcom feel to this spicy Regency-era romance. Selina, the FMC, is bold and decisive, and runs a secret library for women of the ton. The MMC is a total golden retriever, loyal and loving. They have great banter and work well as a team to solve challenges. Definitely read the author's note, she added a fun historic detail about one of the characters.

I looked up other books by this author and am so excited to see her next book is about Selina's politically-minded friend Lydia!

This was my first Alexandra Vasti book and won’t be my last! Selina and Peter’s story is so fun…so many shenanigans to entertain you. Steam level is good.

I received an advanced reviewer copy of Ne'er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti from St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Peter Kent has just inherited the Dukedom of Stanhope and he is an outsider in every regard. He grew up in New Orleans and was never set up to live across the sea, and he has radical politics for parliament, but he must become respectable, because he wants to become a guardian to his half-siblings who he is seeking custody of, where his reputation might get in the way. Luckily for him, his friend, Selina Ravenscroft is ready to take on the mission. Selina is a proper debutante, except for the fact that she has a secret that if it got out would ruin her, and she is ready to use her connections to find Peter a future spouse of unimpeachable reputation (not, her, of course, not!). But as it does matchmaking goes awry and Selina finds herself pulled into Peter’s little world.

What I Loved: This book was truly a delight and I cannot wait to read more from the author. I love the trope of the true partner trying to match make their partner and realizing it won’t work out. It allows for some truly delightful humor and I loved the scenarios Peter and Selina fell into when Selina was serving as his match maker and all the ways these matches go awry leave me in stiches. I also like when children are involved in my historical fiction and this book allows for us to have children as side characters while not taking away from our plot. On a more romance note, the chemistry between Peter and Selina is fantastic and the book is steamy. I also liked having our Duke being an outsider, and be from America, that was really unique to me. Also, I need the book telling the story of the two grandma’s romance, thank you! It really had some of the best historical fiction has to offer.

What I Didn’t Like: I found Selina’s worry about ruining Peter to be a bit tiring, while legitimate since this book is not romantically a slow burn, it becomes really a driving force of the novel to the point where it got tiring. The pacing of the second half is a bit off.

Who Should Read It: People who love historical fiction.

Summary: Selina agrees to be a matchmaker for her dear friend, but what happens when feelings develop?

This was such a delightful historical romance! The storyline of getting custody of the children especially tugged at my heartstrings. I loved both Selina and Stanhope so much, and am looking forward to more in this world from Vasti!

THANK YOU to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
And ohhh, how I absolutely adored this! This book seriously has it all: wit, charm, swoon-worthy chemistry, interesting side characters, and... a CAT! !

The plot flowed so well, in my opinion. Nothing felt jumbled, too drawn out or pointless; Selina deals with many anxieties throughout, from managing the bookshop, to wanting to be with Peter, and then wanting to STAY with Peter... it was great to see those anxieties die at her feet! Because at every point she thought she couldn't do itᅳPeter was there for her to lean on.
Those two have SUCH great connection, and I think Peter is one of the best romance heroes I've read in a long while! The way he refuses to let Selina give up, and instead wants to face their problems together, shows so much love and commitment that we don't see NEARLY enough in romance novelsᅳno miscommunication trope to be seen here! !

If you love a good historical romance with passionate, relatable characters, this book is a must-read!

This was surprisingly my first Regency era novel and I’m glad it was! It was delightful.

Despite being labeled a romance, I felt that the romance aspect wasn’t the main focus of the story. I wish we spent more time building the tension, but I still enjoyed Peter, MMC, and Selina, FMC, working towards being strong partners for one another, figuring out how to go about Selina’s “scandal”, and securing custody of Peter’s half siblings.

I did get a bit bored near the end, though. Hence the 4 stars. But I’m really looking forward to Lydia’s book!

The matchmaker falling for the client is a fave subtrope of mine. This is a friends to lovers romp and I love these characters. Both Selina and Peter had depth as well as humor. She’s feisty and wants to help other women and he’s a big golden retriever and they’re perfect together. The author’s voice is great.

So why 3 stars?

We hear about Peter’s antics but I wish we had seen one or two from his POV to understand him better. I wished we saw more of Peter’s attraction to Selina because it almost comes across as instalust. I needed more of seeing them connect because their entire relationship is a backstory. Apparently, you get that if you subscribe to the author’s newsletter.

The basis of the custody plot isn’t close to how guardianship looked back then, so it pulled me out of the story—although I know that won’t strike most readers. (Like Harriet Wilson’s memoir not being published yet). I struggled believing the backlogged Court of Chancery would care about two natural children without money or property, especially if a duke wanted them when literally no one else did.

But even suspending disbelief, the resolution to the library and the custody plots was anticlimactic. Zero tension, all romping children.

I liked the author’s voice and the how the side characters were set up, so I’ll be back to see what happens to them.

"Ne'er Duke Well" will be available on July 23, 2024. I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley.

3 stars

"Ne'er Duke Well" is a historical romance that is a quick and easy read. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Selina and Peter and the slow burn that builds from their relationship.

Peter is an American who relocates to England from New Orleans to claim his title as Duke and finds himself in a custody battle for his two younger half-siblings. His friend, Selina Ravenscroft, who has never encountered a problem she cannot fix, offers to help him find a wife to win the custody battle.

No surprise whatsoever that Peter and Selina fall in love – what else would you expect from a romance novel???

LOVED the *female empowerment* and *women ahead of their time* themes. Overall, it was cute, and I would read future novels from this author.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195790787-ne-er-duke-well

This book was so fun! I'm not generally a fan of historical setting romances, but this kept me engaged. The chemistry of the MCs was giving bridgerton and the FMC was very relatable. I cant wait to re-read when this comes out !

It's hard to be a historical romance reader and not have heard the buzz about Alexandra Vasti. So many fellow readers told me that Ne'er Duke Well was one of their most anticipated books of the year, so I went in with high expectations. Those expectations were met and then some. This book brings heart, humor, and heat, delivered with a unique voice that sets it apart in the landscape of historical romance. Peter and Selina are earnest, and good, and while there's plenty of drama, none of it has to do with the main characters being terrible to each other. This is a historical romance with modern sensibilities, including plenty of taking on the patriarchy, and the (sometimes surprisingly) bold women side characters hold their own against the main romantic plot. And the romance is truly swoon-worthy. A five-star read and beyond. I can't wait to see what's next from this author!

Since we are deep in the Bridgerton show midseason lull here I decided it was time to break out this ACR of this steamy Regency era rom com. Lady Selina has made it her new mission to find the American Peter Kent aka the new Duke of Stanhope a wife to give him a better chance of gaining custody of his younger half siblings. The more she get to know Peter the more comparable she thinks they might be together. However the Lady Selina take herself out of the running due to her secretly running of a library with a women’s only section called the Venus library to help educate the ladies of the Ton of things that are not discussed in polite society. I throughly enjoyed reading this book and got totally sucked into the sorry and the characters. I found both Peter and Selina extremely dynamic people and I loved the sprinkling in of their back stories. I would love to read more stories from these characters!

This was such a lovely read. Both hero and heroine are complex and lovable characters. It's so hard for me to find an hero in an historical romance that is sweet, uncompromisingly kind and I've never doubted his love, for the heroine as well as his siblings.
Both of them have their own mission in this book, for him getting custody of his younger siblings, and hers it's revolutionalize the education of debutantes circulating forbidden text on sex and erotic novels.
They come together with a plan to make him seems more respectable in the eyes of the lord who'll decide the kids future.
I've devoured this book in a couple of days, and my only complain is that I would've loved seeing their first encounter, while instead we are thrown into a already 2-years old history between the two.

A very cute romp of a fish out of water American Duke trying to build a family with his neglected half-siblings and his love interest who moonlights as the owner of an erotic library!
This gave major Lady Whistledown vibes, and is a perfect amuse bouche for those coming off of a Bridgerton high.
I do agree with some other reviewers that the pacing was a little confusing, especially in the first half of the book. I felt like we rushed through a lot of the build up.

No question, this book is one of my favorites of the year! And possibly my most favorite historical romance!

This had everything: I can’t stand you but also I can’t stand to be away from you, let me find you a wife so that you can get guardianship, oops we kissed and now we have to get married, I’m pretending this is for the kids but actually I love you…oh my gosh it was so incredibly good!

Peter is THE SWOONIEST man and I could not love him more. He was so down bad for Selina and even though she was down just as bad, she was so determined to help him get guardianship of his siblings that she tried to push him away and he was NOT HAVING IT. These two ended up being quite the power couple and I adored every second!

This book was laugh-out-loud funny, so swoony, so spicy…a perfect mix of it all. Absolutely 5 stars, no question. And a new favorite for me!

I've heard so many positive things about this author for a long time now, so it's about time I am finally moving one of her books from my TBR to my Read pile! This book had me smiling throughout the story, with delightful moments leading to practically the entire book becoming one giant highlight on my e-reader. The pacing was great, albeit it did slow a bit for me in the middle, but then it picked back up with me racing to the finish line in a day. Sometimes I wish I was a slower reader, because I really wanted the story to keep going. This is one of those books that makes me want to jump in and meet all the characters. The MCs were lovable, the side characters were diverse and beautifully crafted, and the historical setting felt accurate and fascinating. Part of why I love historical romance so much is that you get the love story and the history lesson all in one enjoyable package.

Our MCs, Peter (Duke of Stanhope) and Selina (sister of a Duke) are peers of a sort, and while they have come in contact with each other since Peter first came to England two years prior, they have kept their distance from each other. Peter has been a bit busy since being pulled from his home in New Orleans to take over a dukedom and trying to get guardianship of his half siblings. His reputation to go against the way things are done doesn't make him friends in the government, which severely hinders his ability to convince the powers that be that he is what is best for his siblings, and that's where Selina comes in. Selina is a rebel like Peter, but she takes a more subtle approach and makes a difference in the shadows. She feels bad for Peter and wants to help him, so she comes up with a plan to marry him to a respectable woman to improve his image. The problem is that Peter wants Selina, and Selina's secrets make her an entirely unsuitable match. But as she tries to match-make, and hilarity ensues, it becomes super clear that the only woman Peter wants is Selina. Since this story was written with a dual POV, it enabled the reader to see each of their thoughts as the story progressed, which made the entire story so much richer. Peter was agonizing over his attraction to Selina, and Selina was in complete denial of her feelings. They were such a perfect match, so I was glad it didn't take the entire book for them to realize it. This meant that we could see their relationship develop as a couple in love, and it was charming to watch them settle in so effortlessly into each other's lives. And his siblings? Love them both. Could not get enough. Adorable.

Alexandra Vasti's writing style is just phenomenal. It's such a delight reading a book where things just flow so naturally and the humor is constant but not overdone. It was essentially a historical romcom, with the historical context of lending libraries, sexual liberation of women, and abolition, Truly, one of my favorite historical romances I've read in a while. I look forward to reading whatever she writes next, as well as diving into her backlist!

Vasti has officially become an auto buy author for me. I am obsessed with her regency era romance novels. I love that she includes characters that aren’t free from scandal and Ne’er Duke Well fits perfectly into the mix. I mean what’s not to love about a woman who has single handedly taken on the task of teaching women of the ton about sexual and reproductive natures. Selina has officially become one of my favorite female main characters ever. She is particularly efficient at completing tasks all while harboring a heart of gold. On the flip side, the male main character, Peter, has such adorable golden retriever energy. I love how he went out of his way to do what he felt was right to help someone even if it landed him in the scandal sheets. I also adored how much he loved his siblings and how he was willing to do anything to gain custody of them. Selina and Peter were so well matched and balanced that their relationship development was perfection. I also loved the banter between the two. It’s my favorite thing, and it was expertly utilized between the two MCs. I also really enjoyed the little Halifax Hellions name drop. While they weren’t featured, it was fun seeing them mentioned and then promptly discarded as a suitable match for Peter. There were so many memorable moments too that will stick with you from the dog rescue, to the book store show down, to the court room. This book will send you through a rollercoaster of emotion and leave you wanting more. I highly recommend adding it to your TBR pile.