An enjoyable, charming piece of historical romance. I will admit that regency romances and the like are my go-to "guilty" pleasure - a fun way to escape when I'm feeling overwhelmed with life. Never Duke Well checked all the boxes I look for in these escapes - heart, humour, and chemistry. It had it all!

In this regency matchmaking story,the new Duke of Stanhope, Peter Kent, has inherited and would like his father’s natural (illegitimate) children to become his wards. The great-aunt they have been living with may be willing to turn them over to their brother’s loving care, but the judge who the outspoken Duke has managed to piss off on a number of occasions to comical proportions, and who has say over the custody matter, may not be so eager. To improve his reputation and avoid scandal, he asks a lady of society whom he believes of wisdom and discerning taste to advise him on his situation. Lady Selina suggests he marry to offer a two-parent home to his young brother and sister; after meeting Peter, she somehow finds every lady that she puts forth unsuitable. Their chemistry and friendship quickly add up to Selina being the only choice for him, but she has a secret of her own that will result in scandal if her identity as the woman behind a popular circulating library of erotica for women were to get out.

Peter is delightfully awkward, and Selina curious, lusty, and in turmoil; I was rooting for them, hard. This charming debut novel reads like part of a series, with backstory for all supporting characters, any number of whom would be a welcome next read. Vasti’s fully realized eighteenth century London is thrilling, feminist, and sex-positive. Her literary and historical credentials back up the great storytelling.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #Ne’erDukeWell via #NetGalley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press.

What a fun and heartfelt read! The quality of the writing is GREAT and the story line, characters, and plot points were interesting and enjoyable. I enjoyed the chemistry between the characters and getting lost in this world. This was my first read by this author and it won’t be my last!

NE'ER DUKE WELL by Alexandra Vasti had my attention from the excellent title alone, but it's also really good!

The marketing blurb promises a Regency romp, and there is definitely some romping (including the scene captured on the cover!) but there's also tenderness, the love of found family, trusting the people you love, and trusting the people who love you to show up for you.

Peter needs to convince the court to give him custody of his half siblings, and Selina's plan is for him to find a respectable wife. But he doesn't want anyone from her list of prospects, he wants...her! But of course, she has A Secret that could ruin all their plans. I liked that the marriage hunt didn't drag out too much, because just smooch already! It was very precious how much they admired each other, how they saw strengths that the other thought of as weaknesses. It's very sweet. (In an emotional sense; it is also spicy in a "women's underclothes of that era were two unconnected pant legs" sense.)

NE'ER DUKE WELL comes out July 23, and I already am chomping at the bit for book 2!

If I had to describe Ne’er Duke Well in a word, it would be “charming.” Vasti has two exceptionally likable leads in Peter and Selina. He’s an unexpected duke, an American by birth, so he doesn’t know the ins and outs of Regency society. He needs all the help he can get to claim custody of his half-siblings, and he decides that Selina, the sister of a duke, is the perfect person to advise him how to succeed in his goal. Her solution? Find himself a wife to show that he’s settled and ready to raise children.

This leads to a delightful read. Peter is earnest and open, if a bit too easily politically correct, and he’s blissfully ignorant of Regency rules. Selina knows them all and follows them scrupulously due to her secret circulating library (hey, the blurb tells you about it) and her resulting need to appear utterly disassociated from it. I loved in particular Peter’s “courting” scenes, where Selina sets him up with perfectly suitable women who are perfectly unsuitable for him.

Ne’er Duke Well is light and fun and frothy. If things go a bit too swimmingly at times, I took that in the joyful spirit in which it was written. I especially liked the allusions to Harriette Wilson and her memoirs, which this book parallels nicely. And I hope Vasti makes some of Peter’s rejected prospects heroines of their own books!

I've decided to DNF this title. Review witheld due to the SMP boycott. I will not be releasing a review until SMP makes a statement. Thank you.

I love this book! Like many of us I was introduced to this author via the free Halifax Hellions novellas. I really enjoyed them and was excited for this debut, and it completely lived up to the hype. A historical romance where the MMC isn't a rake and is hilariously awkward, yes please. Add to that he loves the heroine because she is the most clever woman in his acquaintance. Amazing. Can't wait to see what this author writes next.

This was a marvelous Regency romance; there were a few moments where I felt like I was walking into the middle of a series, but mostly it just made me want another book about every single side character (maybe especially the lesbian aunts).

This book is such a fun adventure. The banter is great, excellent chemistry between MMC and FMC. Fun historical romance with a sprinkle of angst.

Historical/regency romances are pretty hit or miss for me, but I absolutely adored Ne'er Duke Well! It was fun, had me giggling, and I really loved Selina's character and her dynamic with Peter.

4/5
Like a mixture of Emma and any Bridgerton novel. Entertaining FMC who just wants to help anyone she meets.

4.25 stars!

Ne'er Duke Well is my new fav historical romance. I say that as I have only read 4 others but whatever! It had refreshing writing that left me giggling and smiling at my Kindle. I really enjoyed Selina's character and found it lovely that she didn't have to act like her friends in other to be considered 'strong' and I loved her side storyline although it did kinda help drag out the story a bit too much. Anyways, the most delicious part of this book was... PETER! Omg he was just the most perfect book boyfriend that I was left a giggling mess every time he teased Selina. I didn't really love how much backstory we had to learn in this book especially since it felt like the author expected us to know the story already. Like the story felt like it was already going on before the book started, to put it simply, it felt like a second book in a interconnected historical romance series.

Overall, such a good experience and had emotional depth that is sometimes lacking in most romances nowadays, even though I did skip the spicy scenes sometimes since it felt like too much at times but still was very decent! Felt like reading a contemporary romance with the historical time setting. ALSO, the cover is just so DIVINE and LOVELY.

Cute and amazing love story with decent plot<3

A regency romance with a few twists. A duke raised in Louisiana comes back to London to fight for guardianship of his siblings. Enter Selina, who is determined to help him win his legal case while hiding a big secret of her own and trying not to fall in love with him. I wish there were more scenes with the young kids and maybe a few less pages with the sex scenes. I also felt the ending was slightly rushed but overall it’s a fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

"You bring the morning with you. You're the light, sweetheart. When you walk into a room, I can't see the shadows."

Peter is the newly appointed Duke of Stanhope with a hilariously unrespectable reputation. He doesn't mind the reputation (he certainly doesn't regret his outburst regarding abolition), except that it's getting in the way of his attempt to gain custody of his young half siblings.
Selina, a duchess who is always caring about others more than herself, has made it her mission to help Peter's reputation by finding him a respectable wife. The problem is, their chemistry is starting to get in the way of her matchmaking. But as a lady who secretly runs a (for women only) catalog of salacious books, she is not the scandal free wife he needs.

This book completely charmed me! From the laugh out loud scenarios at social events to the loving and supportive family dynamics, the sweetest littles (I want to gobble up chaotic lil Lucinda), and a little bit of feminism... it was an all around good time. It was funny and spicy but also pulled at my heartstrings.

I see the makings of a series and I cannot wait to see who else's stories we're going to get!

THINGS TO LOVE:
+ regency era
+ matchmaking
+ an irreverent duke
+ a rebellious duchess
+ shenanigans of the ton
+ secret libraries
+ marriage of convenience
+ family cheerleaders
+ a sword wielding little lady
+ the best banter

If you like Evie Dunmore, you're going to LOVE this one!

I loved Ne'er Duke Well. It's funny and sweet and everything I'm looking for in a historical romance.

Peter Kent has just become the Duke of Stanhope. He wants to get custody of his much younger half-brother and sister, and as a half-American duke who doesn't fit into Regency society, he needs help to revamp his image. He turns to Lady Selina Ravenscroft, duke's daughter and society maven for help. Selina decides that getting Peter married is the answer to his problems. Of course, nothing goes as planned.

Peter is a great guy who just wants to do right by his newfound siblings. Selina is awesome. Society knows her as a charming daughter of a duke, but unknown to everyone, she's actually running a library that provides women with forbidden and scandalous books so she can educate women about sex. It's a noble endeavor but one that would cause a terrible scandal if it became known publicly.

I really loved this book. It's hilarious and also tender, and the two main characters are great. I was rooting for them from the first chapter, and watching them figure their lives out in the book was really entertaining.

This book also has some really interesting secondary characters, and I hope to get their stories in future books.

I highly recommend this one!

The Neer Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti was a refreshing read to start off the spring for me! Selina is brilliant and fierce, the Duke of Stanhope is a big softy. I enjoyed their banter and would have loved to read more scenes with his sister Lu, maybe later on we’ll get her story. I think where the story fell a bit short was the selina’s dilemma over her book store I understand that it would of been a huge scandal but it just seems like she would of been able to figure out on her own how to avoid the issue of it being traced back - she says in the book she knows they will find out.

I was not expecting the plot twist of who was spreading the rumour of the Venus Catalogue. I have read all of Vasti’s previous books in Halifax novellas and I am excited for the world to read her debut Novel.

I will read anything Alexandra Vasti writes! I liked the book a bit less than her novellas but it was still a very solid read.

I love the yearning between the characters. The male and female leads were kind people trying their best which was a delight to read! It was easy to like them. I find that her characters sometimes read like progressive women from 2024 but it doesn’t put me off from her books - I just have to be in the mood for it!

This was a rare historical romance where the needed-but-dreaded third-act plot something made sense and didn't make me sort of hate everyone involved. I kept thinking "these people deserve their happy ending" and I'm relieved that in 2024, we might be getting characters that work together when the heat turns up. This was spicy and sweet, but didn't rip me open (and tbh, a few months after reading it, I have only a vague memory of the plot). Nice vibes, would re-read, not sure this is going on my all-time best list.

As someone who works in the youth department of the library, I do not usually read books written for adults or romance. But I was drawn to this one by the title and cover, and it did not disappoint! Such a fun read!

Peter Kent, the new Duke of Stanhope, is in real a jam. Not only does he have the nerve to be an American from Louisiana, he’s an abolitionist who acknowledges his half-siblings to boot. He would love nothing more than to gain custody of his younger brother and sister, but he of course has a few ideological disagreements (and one really big cognac debacle) with the only Tory standing in his way.

Lady Selina Ravenscroft is by all appearances, a proper ton miss. But nobody knows she is a feminist operating a scandalous underground lending library that helps women further their erotic educations. She doesn’t want a husband out of obligation, she frankly doesn’t need one, and she’s definitely not still regularly thinking about the man who landed her in a puddle of mud years ago.

Peter has seen Selina work her magic firsthand, and believes she is the right person to help with his problem. Selina’s solution? Find him the perfect, respectable ton darling to wed in an effort to tidy up his reputation about town so he can persuade the courts to grant him guardianship. Anything…for the children.

When I was able to scoop up an advanced copy of Ne’er Duke Well on NetGalley in exchange for my review, the noise I emitted sent not one, but both of my cats flying off of my lap and into a closet. Do you remember that Geico commercial with the wee piglet holding pinwheels whilst sticking its head out of the car window? Something like that. So one could say this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024. And also that I have zero chill ever.

It’s another Alexandra Vasti grand slam, y’all. Like…what is sexier than two progressive regency era people who mutually respect each other? Basically nothing if you were waiting for an answer. The sparks were sparking, and Peter and Selina are just everything. Peter’s siblings were absolutely delightful, and so were the additional supporting characters. I literally cannot wait for the rest of this series. And as a lady in the legal community, I live for a little courtroom drama in my reading material.

I could wax poetic about Alexandra Vasti’s writing and world-building for days because she has easily become one of my favorite authors. I know have yelled at y’all before to get in on the ground level…so if you haven’t yet, we are officially in a fight, and the only way you can make it up to me is by pre-ordering this book. And like…nobody’s even paying me to be mad at you. I’m mad for free, and I think that’s even worse, so you should probably make sure you read this one. Or at the very least could you pick up the Halifax Hellions for the sake of world peace?

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this eARC via NetGalley! All opinions are my own (who else is this weird?).