Having read this authors initial free novellas, I was highly anticipating her first full-length novel and I was not disappointed. All of the hijinks, pining, and opposites attract goodness from the Halifax Hellions find their way into Selina Ravenscroft and Peter Kent's marriage of convenience romance. Selina, sister of a duke and secret purveyor of an erotic library, is a "fixer." She is notorious for having a hand in proposals and is just generally dead set on making everyone else happy. Along comes Peter, who never expected to inherit a dukedom, let alone two younger half-siblings whom he is desperately trying to gain custody of. A new project for Selina! And the solution to gaining that custody is of course for Peter to find a suitable wife--but certainly not Selina (due to the erotic books of course). However, even as Peter makes a valiant effort to court and woo an appropriate bride, it becomes clear to both parties that they're actually.... in love with each other. I loved this not only because of the excellent banter, supportive side characters, and steamy love scenes, but also because the couple refuses to fall for the third act break up that is so nicely set up. It's a great balance of internal and external conflict. I can't wait to read more from this author!

One of the most heartfelt and joyous histroms I've read in a while! I loved Peter and Selina, and the way they both strived to make the worlda better place. Funny and emotional, I adored this story and can't wait to see what Vasti does with all the other fascinating characters she introduced in this book. NE'ER DUKE WELL is definitely going to stick with me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the eARC of this book! I have been so excited to read more Alexandra Vasti after finding the Halifax Hellions series, and Ne'er Duke Well did not disappoint! Lady Selina, and her entire family, are delightful in their relationships with and support of one another. The Duke of Stanhope is really the perfect foil for her strength and subversiveness. I loved them both, and reading their banter and interactions was such a delight! I loved it!

A very fun steamy Regency romance! I couldn't put this one down! Peter, the newly inherited Duke of Stanhope must become respectable if he has any hope of becomming the guardian to his half siblings. Lady Selina Ravenscroft is just the person to help him find a suitable wife to help with that endeavor. Peter and Selina become closer and realize they want each other but a union with her might cause more issues than it would resolve due to her secrets.
The kids are adorable troublemakers and sometimes stole the show. Overall a great summer read!

Fun, entertaining, sexy, heartwarming, gut wrenching times and so full of intriguing characters that with just a few chapters into "Ne'er Duke Well" I was not only deeply invested in this story but was kind of frustrated that I now had to wait for a while to get all the stories of the other character's stories written and published.

4.5/5
Can't wait for more.

This read started out well for me. I like a strong female character and Lady Selena is presented as one. I enjoyed the male character, Peter, and found the addition of children in the story adorable. The writer, however, lost me when it came to the sex scenes - they were way over the top!

Ne'er Duke Well is the debut novel by Alexandra Vasti featuring a reluctant duke, a secretly scandalous lady, and the aim of winning the duke custody of his young siblings.

The story begins with Salina, a headstrong lady in good standing who has a secret. As a friend of the Duke, Peter, she is sympathetic to his cause and endeavors to find him a wife, which she is sure will tip the custody tide in his favor. A match making process begins, and we're introduced to several interesting friends of Salina. However, almost immediately Salina discovers she wants Peter for herself.

Pros for me:
•The characters•
I found Peter and Salina to be strong, likeable main characters. The supporting characters were well rounded and added to the story. I would love to read more about Salina's friends in future novels. Her family was loving and nurturing and a breath of fresh air. The children were delightful little beasts, and didn't overtake the book at all.

•The steam•
The tension could have been wound tighter between our leads, but when it did snap it was quite steamy. Salina and her desire is represented as evenly as Peter's. There are several open door scenes.

Cons for me:
•The pacing•
This felt like two books. The first half being the matchmaking and subsequent marriage, which was settled before the middle of the book. The second half then involved the custody stakes, the secret our Lady is hiding, and an anxiety laden doom-spiral about when the one was going to ruin the other. I felt this part dragged along a little bit, but maybe that's because the beginning felt too short. Which brings me to

•Our main couple's history•
Salina and Peter met off page and have known each other a couple of years before the matchmaking begins. We don't get their meet-cute or their first infatuations with one another. We do get a couple of morsels that sound quite tempting, but are never given the full story. I feel this tamed a little of the tension and romance stakes between the two.

Overall I really enjoyed this book! I love the writing style, the diversity, and the laughter infused within. I will definitely read the next book from this author.


**Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my thoughtful and honest review**

What a spectacularly binge-able debut! I’m not a huge historical romance reader, but this may be the book that convinces me to more significantly dip my toe in the subgenre.

I loved Peter and Selina, and I loved them together, but my favorite part of this book was the vivid world around them. Our MCs families and friends and the hijinks they get into over the course of the story made for some excellent pacing as Peter and Selina fell for each other. Also hooray for no third act breakup!

Oh my! Selina and Peter had all of the workings for a funny, fantastic courtship. However, this book just didn't have the wow factor I was expecting. There were some clever parts, but overall I just felt bored. I probably wouldn't recommend this title, but would be willing to try again with this author.

**Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5⭐️

<blockquote>"He could tell her that she was extraordinary. He could tell her that when she walked into a room, all the candlelight gathered itself upon her face."</blockquote>

Peter Kent, the newly minted Duke of Stanhope, needs a respectable wife by his side to help in being granted guardianship of his two half-siblings. Enter Selina Ravenscroft, a respectable lady of the ton. She helps him in finding and courting ladies of her acquaintance- and I think we all know where this goes.

The entire first half of the book Selina tells herself that she can't be the respectable wife Peter needs (she secretly runs a library) but then, after having him court her friends for weeks, she pretty much gives up that position after one conversation? This was cute though, Peter and Kent had believable chemistry and I really felt that they both cared about the children.

My issue with this book is that it felt like I had picked up the third or fourth in a series, and was missing all of that backstory. People and events were mentioned offhandedly as if the reader should know who and what was involved. I actually stopped to check Alexandra Vasti's other novels to see if I had missed something, but as far as I can tell these characters are new. Like when our story begins, Selina and Peter already know each other well- but we're never given the context of <i>how</i> or <i>when</i> they first met? We find out he's been to her families country seat but again, not told why he was ever there. It was just disorienting, like we were being given or part of the story

Thank you to Netgalley and publishing team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I requested to read and review this book for free from St. Martin Publishing Company. This story is set back in the 1800. Many things were not talked about during this time such as romance and all the things that go with it. There is no birds and bees talk unfortunately. Selina wants to change that for women so that way they can no what can happen and what is going on with their body. She wants to educate the female population. But many don't like what she is doing and will go to great lengths to stop it. But with her family and friends by her side can she fight the injustice or will the other side win. Peter doesn't want the title of Duke didn't think it would ever happen. But now that it has he wants to use it to stand up against injustice. But he already has a big fight on his hands by wanting to adopt his brother or sister. Can he have them and fight the injustice or will he have to give it up. And if he gives it up will he still get his siblings? When all the these world's collide what happens? This book can be read anywhere but by a mature audience only.

This is a light historical romance set in Regency times. Light on history, heavier on the romance. It has a historical feel with some more modern ideology.

Peter Kent is American raised, the grandson of a Duke, and has now inherited that Dukedom. He is struggling to gain custody of his illegitimate and much younger siblings, Lucinda and Freddie.

Selina Ravencroft is the independant and outspoken sister of a Duke and the secret owner of a library. A library that also discreetly circulates books of a more explicit nature, to educate women about their own sexuality and give them a chance at sexual agency.

Peter is struggling to gain custody and Selina is convinced what he needs to strengthen his case is a wife. She sets about finding him one.

Their friendly relationship takes a turn when Selina curates a selection of wifely candidates for Peter, not realizing Peter's main interest is in her. Escapades occur and Peter and Selina find themselves in a position where they need to both wed--each other!

The attempt to gain custody and to gain the children's trust takes up part of the story as does the developing relationship between Selina and Peter--originally a marriage of convenience but one that is based on deep mutual attraction and strongly developed feelings of love.

The story is fun and a quick read, with some predictable situations and circumstances. It's entertaining and fun. The care Selina and Peter have for the children is notable.

I don't think you need to read previous books in this world to enjoy this read.

Overall, an interesting premise with characters you immediately care about!
My only issue was the pacing. It felt like it took a while for not much to happen. I also wish we could've been privy to their initial meeting and the random shenanigans they had prior to the current time in the book. There also just soooo much going on that I think it took away from the romance aspect.

I would love to share my full rating/review; however, I will be withholding it for the time being due to the ongoing SMP boycott.

This book will suck you in until you come out of it 5 hours later a completely different person. I wouldn't say I read a lot of Regency style books but this one is going into my top 5! Peter and Selina are so down bad for each other it's laughable how hard they try to set Peter up with someone else. If you are a fan of Mr. Darcy's hand flex and Anthony Bridgerton's wandering nose, then Peter Kent will definitely be one of your favorite new book boyfriends. This book was a delightful time and I look forward to re -reading it when I need a pick-me-up!

Thank you to Alexandra Vasti and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I came to love Alexandra Vasti’s work through her novellas. I love how her heroines are always clever and feisty. In this book, Selina looks like a proper debutante, and behaves like one in public, but she secretly runs a lending library full of erotic books for women. She’s a genius, of course. It’s her secret life that makes her think she can’t marry the male lead, the Duke of Stanhope. The two of them clearly have tons of chemistry, but Selina does not want to ruin Stanhope’s chance of becoming the legal guardians of his two half siblings. She does the kind thing and tries to help Stanhope get married to other women. Hijinks ensue. Selina and Stanhope realize they are only attracted to each other. It takes them a while, and sometimes Selina doth protest too much. But I love the way they come together at the end, the way Selina has to learn to trust Stanhope and his love of her. This was a fun Regency Romance with plenty of surprises.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

There are some dramatic moments toward the end of the book that took me out of the story, but otherwise I love the plot and characters! There's great chemistry and solid banter between Selina and Golden Retriever Husband Peter (SO NICE AND SUPPORTIVE AND LOVES HIS FAMILY), and I'd happily read a spinoff about their friends and family members (especially Lu and Lydia).

4 🌟's

this was so cute!! i freaking love having children in histrom was literally sobbing 3 diff times throughout this

vasti never misses.. her writing and worlds reminds me a lot of lisa kleypas and sarah maclean and i am here for it!!!! can't wait for more

Peter Kent was raised in America but has moved to England after inheriting an ancient dukedom. He now has one goal-to gain guardianship of his two younger half siblings. But his impulsive behavior, outspoken views on politics, and Americanness are all working against him. Enter Selena Ravenscroft, a strong willed debutante who secretly runs an underground erotic library. When Peter enlists the help of Selena to improve his social standing, she suggests marriage to a lady of impeccable reputation as the best solution and sets about as matchmaker. Peter and Selena soon find they are unable to deny their chemistry and must find a way to overcome their scandalous reputations in order to secure the best life for Peter's siblings.

This steamy romance was both fun and entertaining. However I wanted a bit more of Peter's backstory, history with the Ravenscrofts or introduction into English society. The story alludes to this time period but gives few details, it's as if I missed a previous installment. There is a wide cast of side characters, each one enjoyable and amusing. I would love a spinoff of several characters!

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

This was precious and made me feel giddy for these characters, who deserved only good things. I also love a historical romance with women who reject the limitations placed on them by society and embrace their own agency.