A rollicking good time that infuses the historical romance genre with a refreshing new voice, I loved the undermining of traditional norms that allowed the exploration of family and love to feel even more centered on the people that binds us.

Another great showing from Alexandra Vasti! I have really come to love the banter and chemistry that Vasti's characters have, and in the majority of her books I really love the relationship development. In this one I did wish A TINY BIT that there were some flashbacks or more details about Selina and Peter's previous interactions. To me, this felt like book 2 of a series (which as far as I know it isn't?). I know it mentions the Halifax sisters in passing, but I think that's it. In just the way they were mentioned, it seemed like Selina's brother (Nicholas) and SIL would have been Book 1 (with how casually their courtship was mentioned, like we already knew what happened) and the super briefly talked about previous interactions between S & P that happened during said courtship. In those moments I really felt like I missed something. But honestly, that would be my only complaint. I enjoyed the pace and semi-intrigue and the communication between main characters once they figured out their own feelings.

I look forward to the rest of the series and can't wait to learn more about Will! I kept going back and forth about who he'd end up with, so I'm excited to see if any of my theories are correct!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I loved this book! We have Peter Kent who has recently acquired the title of Duke, two sweet half-siblings, and a strong female love interest, Lady Selina Ravencroft, who happens to run an underground steamy book-lending library for the ladies of the ton. The plot was original, the characters were well-defined and interesting, and it had enough Regency detail to make me happy. I really enjoyed the chemistry between the characters and Peter was both charming and kind and extremely interested in family. The only thing that I didn’t like, but I will overlook because I liked the book so much: I do NOT like the title itself. It seems a bit cheesy for me.

I have been stalking this book on social media and I am so happy. I got a chance to read an early copy. I cannot believe this is Vasti’s debut novel. (Do yourself a favor and read her delightful novella as well.) I have always loved American fish out of water in Britain trope, and it was done to perfection in Ne’er Duke Well. Selena and Peter were a couple goals from the jumpstart. This is exactly what you want in a historical romance!

If you like Sarah MacLean, Julia Quinn, or Evie Dunmore then I completely recommend this book to you.

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really really liked this book more than I thought I would.

The plot is great - the American Duke Stanhope trying to get guardianship of his half siblings and the clever Lady Selina Ravenscroft playing matchmaker to increase his chance at court. It felt like it started slow for me = but the more I read, the deeper I was into this book.

The tension and spicy scenes are so perfect!! Seriously they are a level above a lot of other historical romances - but then again the FMC does have access to some interesting texts in this story. :)

Alexandra Vasti has done it again! Ne'er Duke Well was an absolute gem and joy to read. I have so much fun with this book and will be buying my own copy so I can read it again. I enjoyed everything about it. The writing was great, the humor was amazing, the characters were interesting and dynamic and the romance was the perfect mix of steamy and swoony. I absolutely loved Peter, he was adorable and I want to protect him at all costs.

I will recommend this book endlessly. Thank you for the ARC, I am so glad that I have had the chance to read this one.

I had high hopes for Vasti's first full-length novel after reading and loving her shorter pieces. Her writing is top-notch, and I think her dialogue particularly sparkles. The main couple, Selina and Peter, are great characters driven by goals, dreams, and motivations beyond their romance (I'm here for the love but I need a legitimate plot and real world complications!!). I really enjoyed Selina's friends and can't wait for them to hopefully have their own books someday. Anyone who likes authors like Evie Dunmore, Sarah MacLean, and Mia Vincy should welcome Alexandra Vasti into their libraries!!!

I really enjoyed this, the characters were delightful and the plot was familiar and comfortable but still had enough unique twists to keep things interesting.

This is a historical romance that tells the story of Lady Selina, who is trying to find a. Wife fir her childhood friend who happens to be the Duke! As they spend time together they realize they have developed feelings for each other.

I loved this book! I enjoyed Alexandra Vasti’s writing style and loved the regency era! The steamy chemistry was great too!!

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

DNF’d. It took a lot for me to feel connected to the story. But both MCs were charming enough.

It just wasn’t enough to keep reading

(I didn't leave a star rating on Goodreads)

I recently fell in love with Vasti's novellas, and I was so excited to pick this one up! While I don't think her first novel had quite the same impact as her novellas- I still enjoyed it. Overall, I think there a bit too much going on in regards to the side plots, even though I did like the side plots. I could have used more one on one time with the two main characters to see some more development and chemistry, even though they had known each other for some time. The steamy scenes were great, but again would have been better had the characters had more time together. I'm hoping that there will be more novels after this one with some of the side characters- it's been set up beautifully for a series!

This was a nice quick read. The characters were likable, although at times I was more interested in the secondary characters then the main. I loved the humor in the book! I love a book that is witty, it makes the story so much more enjoyable! I also appreciated that the story moved and a nice pace and didn't drag. Spiciness was at a nice level as well. I will definitely read this author again.

This is a very enjoyable Regency tale with appealing characters. Although fairly light-hearted, it has some depth to it, as the MMC and FMC both deal with challenges of balancing being true to themselves vs. fitting in and understanding when they should accept help instead of trying to shoulder all responsibilities themselves.

Peter Kent, Duke of Stanhope, grew up in New Orleans, and was not expected to inherit the title. He has a slight acquaintance with Lady Selina Ravenscroft, having met her during the past couple of years he has spent in London since inheriting the title. He and Selina pursue a closer acquaintance once he determines that his best chance of being named the guardian for his half-brother and sister (Freddie and Lucinda), is to marry a very respectable, very English lady, to offset the disadvantages of his American upbringing, his radical politics and some minor scandals that he’s been involved in. Through Peter’s relationship with Selina’s brother, Selina gets involved in helping him find the right woman to be his duchess.

Of course, Selina and Peter have to spend a lot of time together on this project and they end up falling for each other. Although to all outward appearances, Selina is eminently respectable, she has secrets of her own, which if discovered, could derail Peter’s chances of securing the guardianship of Freddie and Lu.

Peter and Selina are both charming well-developed characters, with interesting quirks and generous hearts. They are surrounded by an attractive cast of family and friends that contribute to a well written narrative that keeps the reader’s interest and moves the story forward.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the ARC.

Unfortunately I found this book to be a bit boring and I didn't feel any chemistry between the leads. It kind of feels like the reader is dropped into a romance in progress. The characters have met before the book starts, which is fine, but they are friends and are already attracted to each other. So it's just straight into the angst of why they can't be together. But angst doesn't work if you don't know or care about the characters.

I think flashbacks could have worked really well in this book and it's a shame we didn't get any, especially since Selina and Peter's initial meeting did seem interesting based off the one to two throwaway sentences we got describing it. For instance, Selina's brother mentions in a letter that upon meeting Peter Kent he "knocked you into a mud puddle at Broadmayne, didn't he? And stole your horse. And wasn't there something about a wedding at St. George's, two sheep, and a duel?" Despite hooking the reader with this, we're never told the full story (and it sounds more interesting that what we get in the book).

The back half wasn't bad. But that was more focused on the plotline of making sure Peter gets custody of his siblings than the romance. And I did find some of the resolution scenes, like the kids entering the court room, to be corny. The research behind this book and the political activism both characters engaged with was well done. I do like when characters have their own things going on. But I do wish we got more scenes between Selina and Peter that wasn't either about his siblings or wasn't insta-lusty.

Really enjoyed this first full length novel by Alexandra Vasti. I have read all her novellas that are out and am a big fan. This book certainly lived up to my expectations - although I agree with many reviewers that it would have been nice to see more of Selina and Peter’s relationship build in real time, I also enjoyed seeing it blossom with the foundation it already had. They have good chemistry and I appreciated that they didn’t have any kooky misunderstandings but actually communicated with each other! I wish we got more Lu and Freddie content in the book, perhaps more time of them living together as a family because they are charming - would have liked to see them build trust toward Peter and the payoff of them declaring life with the Kents as “home” would have been sweeter. The writing itself is splendid as all of Vasti’s work is, and I’m cautiously optimistic that we will get sequels for Lydia, Georgiana, Will(!), Ivy and Gabe? A girl can hope.

This was a fresh, modern take on historical romance, which is (usually) decidedly not my thing. But I knew the author’s voice going in, having read and loved In Which Winnie Halifax is UtterlyRuined , and I think the tone the author brings to her writing may draw in readers who normally don’t read historical romance.

What I Loved

Peter Kent
I’ll always be Team Antihero and not Team Cinnamon Roll. I gotta say, though, that Peter Kent is such a delicious cinnamon roll that I just wanted to take a bite out of him. A truly nice guy, earnest and supportive and open with his feelings but still so very, very sexy. And oh, did he have it baaad for Selina.

She laughed and squirmed, and he meant to let her go, but when he looked at her face, she was staring at him. Her eyes were bright as morning.

“You have this way of looking,” she said softly, “as though you cannot see enough of me.”

“I cannot.” He lifted the rumpled sheet, smoothed it over her bare shoulders, then slid his hands down slowly, caressing the sides of her breasts, her rib cage, the curve of her waist through the thin linen. A flush bloomed on her cheeks again.

“I can’t touch enough of you either. I’d thought to spend the morning on it. Touching you. Tasting you. But mere morning won’t suffice.”

The Ravenscroft Family
So nice to read about a loving, supportive family rather than a cruel, toxic one!
I want more of this family.

The Humor
Oh, the scene when Selina introduces Peter to potential brides was priceless. Especially Georgiana! I just knew there was more to her than meets the eye. I found myself smiling often while reading and even though the main plot could have been insanely angsty, it wasn’t. It was just angsty enough without becoming dark.

The Chemistry
Chemistry between the MCs is always my jam and this book did not disappoint. It was so intense and swoony. The sexytimes were hot (especially their first time together), but greedy me wanted a few more scenes.

I could see this book being the start of a series. I need more books that take place in the Ravenscroft family world and I would absolutely love to read Will’s story (pretty please). And OMG Georgiana, too. What an intriguing character! The author’s notes mention that she will be writing Georgiana’s story… maybe she will be paired with Will? One can only hope!

This regency romance had the perfect balance of humor, romance, societal commentary, and family dynamics. Not many of this genre get it right! Alexandra Vasti is a new author to me, but one I will absolutely be looking out for.

In the end, this was really a 3.5 star book, but I'm rounding up, as the characters are lovely and the writing is good.  It just feels like this would have been better as a novella like her others.

To start, the h and H are both lovely people who are open and caring of others. It’s especially refreshing to see a H who is free with his affection and openly says he is on board with marriage, despite his messed up father and upbringing. I also liked that the h was knowledgeable and educated about sex - and recognized that all women deserved to be, as well - but also wasn’t some temptress character.  She was also highly rational (mostly), and I love a rational, thoughtful heroine. I loved that what Peter most likes and notices about Selina is that she’s clever. He thinks about her mind more than her face or body. And the writing is so so good (even if I don't like the word “sweet” as much as Vasti apparently does based on this novel and the novellas).  And I loved their relationship once they did get together - the open communication and obvious affection for the other is so nice.  

I just wish the book hadn't started with them basically already (secretly) in love with the other, with the falling in love having happened off page 2 years before. I would have liked to have seen them develop their intense feelings for each other, rather just be told they had them and then just watch them deepen. The book really skipped over core relationship development, so I didn’t entirely feel their connection. We’re told all these memories and stories of them getting to each other over the past couple years, but I’d like to have read them in real time.   

I realize many romance books start with the protagonists already into each other, but here there’s just no real tension (I don’t mean that in an angsty way). Aside from the build up over actually saying "I love you," they essentially get their HEA by halfway through the book.  He proposes and declares his feelings to her <spoiler> 30% in. They are engaged by 45%. Happily married at 52%.</spoiler> And then it's like there's a Part II where they have to solve the mystery of who is trying to out Selina's family re: the naughty library and how they are going to resolve getting the custody of the kids.

It almost felt like the book was actually the second in a series that started with Faiza and Clermont, especially considering how much they’re mentioned, yet never appear.  It kind of seemed like she didn't know how to write a romance for an entire novel, which is weird because it would have been fine if she'd included their history on page.

But the writing and characters are so pleasant and witty and clever and lovely, I can't bear to give less than 4 stars. And there are a couple decent spicy scenes (though Matilda's novella is still the best of the bunch).

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thanks to Net Galley and SMP for this advanced copy.

Oh, what a delight. I have a soft spot for feminist historical romances, and this checked all my boxes. Selina is whipsmart, strong, and brave. Peter is so kind, funny, and just head over heels for her. The supporting cast are so full and well-rounded, and they all serve a purpose in the larger narrative of this story.

This is the first Vasti book I've read, but I'm running straight to see where I can read the rest of her work, and I eagerly await news about Georgie's book. A win all around.

So cute and well thought out! I actually really loved this regency era novel. It was funny, spicy and had a great plot.