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.

Lady Selina and Peter Kent were endearing, nuanced protagonists, and their chemistry was incredible. The found family, laugh-out moments, and dynamic supporting cast made this a standout historical romance.

I’ve been trying to gather my thoughts on this one for a while now. It was a fun book for sure, but it was missing a bit of something for me. Each of the Halifax novellas were unlike anything I’d read in the genre before. Unfortunately, Ne’er Duke Well didn’t stand out from the rest. It was still charming, but it had some weird editorial choices that messed with the pacing.

Maybe it was a fluke that I’d read a few different custody battle books before getting to this one, but the plot just didn’t really speak to me. Again, it was fun, but it didn’t make me feel much. Everything felt a bit squeaky clean by the end; it all just felt a bit too easy? So while I had a good time, I just wasn’t emotionally invested because there wasn’t much tension. Even with a custody battle! The sex even got to be a bit rote by the end.

The editorial hand also felt a bit off—I don’t know, however, if it was too heavy (removing scenes) or not heavy enough (not adding scenes). When I started to get into the stride of the story, scenes I was excited for just weren’t there!! Some of this was personal preference on my part, but some of it just felt a bit clunky. The novellas, on the other hand, had a very masterful control of the scope and pacing of scenes.

I was SO excited for the scene where Nicholas confronted Peter after the ruination. I love those scenes so much!! And then not only were we shut out from that scene, but we were also never told even a bit about how that conversation went? Nothing was ever mentioned!! I wanted that comedy. The same thing happened with their wedding day and marriage vows. We got a bit and then the rest was cut and never really recounted by the characters.

Still, do think this was a remarkable debut, I’m just more excited for what Vasti does next. The setups for the next books seem very intriguing and right up my alley, more so than the setup of Ne’er Duke Well. I also just think Peter—while hot and sexually gifted—just wasn’t MY preferred hero. Honestly, he seemed rather exhausting lmao. I love him for Selina, but I’m more interested in who’s to come.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75*/5 🌶️🌶️.5/5

*I think my rating could go up if I were to reread—since I read it over a period of several days—but I’m not entirely sure I’m compelled to reread, hence it not quite making four stars.


I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

Historical romp, Duke from America, secret lending library, drama & dogs! What more could you ask for?


Peter Kent, now the Duke of Stanhope, is trying gain guardianship of his two half-siblings, 12-year-old Lucinda "Lu" and 10-year-old Freddie. BUT he is an outcast to society, not married and from America (gasp!). Selina Ravenscroft is the sister of a Duke and secretly runs a lending library with a secret catalogue, the kind that may compare vegetables to various body parts, if you know what I mean...

Selina is a 'helper' and can't turn her back from anyone in need. She embroils herself in Peter's predicament which leads to hilarity, drama and revealing all of their secrets.

A couple of twists and turns, and a few spicy scenes later there is a HEA!

Vasti’s prose is a witty delight and pulled me in from the first page. I truly didn’t want to put the book down.

We’ve got a lovely cast of characters in Peter, Selina, Peter’s young half-siblings, and Selina’s friends and family. Together, they paint a lovely point of view on families (or what we make of them) and feminism.

Sincerely hoping to see a return to this world with some of the secondary characters!

Ne'er Duke Well
By Alexandra Vasti

ARC Review: Pub. Date July 23, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️

“𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒚. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒖𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅.”

I don't know what I expected from this book, but it exceeded every possible expectation I may have had. I went in pretty blind. I knew it was a regency romance, and I've never read one before, so I decided to give it a shot. It was FANTASTIC.

Selina is potentially one of my favorite FMCs. She's so smart and witty and not willing to settle for less than she's deserves. She's also protective of the people she loves and will do anything to make sure they are ok. She's completely badass. Her storyline in this book is so empowering and I loved every moment of it.

Peter was a great MMC. He was sweet, thoughtful, a bit mischievous, and surprisingly SPICY! I haven't read regency before so I didn't really know what to expect going into this, but it was 🔥🔥🔥 and I loved it.

The pacing in this book is also different than I expected. It moved really quickly and held my attention the entire time. I absolutely LOVED the direction it took in the third act. Some of the twists were phenomenal. If I didn't require sleep I would behave read bit on one sitting.

There were some other really interesting characters and I'm hoping this is a series because I would love to visit these characters again.

𝑶𝒉 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏. “𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒂. 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

Read March 21-22, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book.

Peter Kent is a little out of his dept as the Duke from America. He is trying but even his best try and propriety is for the gossip sheets. Peter wants to have legal guardianship of his unacknowledged siblings. Selina has long since decided that she was not for marriage but she loves to meddle in other's. The only problem is that Peter needs to be respectable, and that means he needs a respectable fiancé. While Peter agrees to Selina's suggestions to court her friends, it leads to hilarity.

I really enjoyed the characters and the slow realization of building attraction between Peter and Selina. Yes, they have known each other for a while as casual acquaintances but the attraction and desire between the two of them felt natural which I appreciated because the lust/love at first sight can be a bit annoying. Their relationship is built on respect and comradery which was a nice addition.

I quite enjoyed this historical romp and will be looking for other novels by Alexandra Vasti.

Spicy and adorable! I love the chemistry between Peter and Sirena! And his half siblings are so funny and full of adventure. I enjoyed how Sirena comes to realize Peter IS the one for her, and it is not easy to admit! A good regency romp with lots of good characters and swoony moments!
Thank you to the author and publisher for this arc.

"I didn't marry you for that. I didn't want you because you could make me respectable or fix my cursed house or take care of my siblings." He touched the line of her lips with one finger. "I just wanted you."

4.5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. Book releases July 23, 2024

Peter Kent inherited the dukedom of Stanhope when his estranged father died 2 years ago. Since then, he has discovered he has two half-siblings, 12 year old Lucinda "Lu" and 10 year old Freddie and he is trying to obtain guardianship. The problem is, he is a bachelor, he is a bit radical as he was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and is an abolitionist, and his estate has no furniture and minimal staff.

Selina Ravenscroft is the sister of the Duke of Rowland. Similar to Lu and Freddie, Selina and her twin brother were raised by her older brother, which makes her sensitive to her friend Peter's plight. Selina has a huge secret. Two years prior, her twin brother purchased Belvoir Library for Selina, which she's been running. The scandalous thing is, there is a secret Venus catalogue, which educates women in matters of the sexes. If this were to be found out, Selina, would surely be ruined. This is why, when she comes up with the idea for Peter to marry before his siblings' custody hearing in order to make him more likely to obtain guardianship, she believes she couldn't possibly be on the list of potential wives, right?

This book was everything I could want in a romance. The female protagonist is fierce and brilliant. The male protagonist is 100% supportive. Unlike most romances, although there is conflict, there is never the conflict between the love interests or areas of miscommunication, instead the couple works towards resolution of problems together. There was also quite a bit of humor throughout. Overall, the story was well told from beginning to end and I will definitely read more from this author in the future. And oh, I forgot to mention, some of the books mentioned on the Venus catalog are actual books that were published in the 1700s.

-regency romance
-dual POV
-3rd person POV
-friends to lovers
-marriage of convenience
-steamy 4/5

Literally a perfect Regency romance if I’ve ever read one.

You will immediately fall in love with Selina and Peter. They are two of the best main characters I’ve ever encountered in a romance novel. Selina is fiercely independent, wise, and brave for a woman of her time, and Peter is warm, kind, and charming despite his insecurities with his current predicament involving his newly-acquired social & political (and familial) status.

A truly well-written story from start to finish with compelling characters, an intriguing storyline, and some spicy romance. Also lots of great humorous moments and tender dialogue. Absolutely loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.