I have been eagerly waiting for Alexandra Vasti's traditional publishing debut and this did not disappoint!

What makes this book stand out is Vasti's writing. Everything flows well, it's fun, funny, and romantic!! Many people compare her to Tessa Dare and I would agree! They both have a lighter tone than many HR authors with some quirky moments, but things are never silly and the romance is great. I wasn't really a fan of this cover before reading this book, but this book really works with an illustrated cover (something I do not think of most historicals).

Selena and Peter were both great characters that stood on their own. I rarely like the trope of one characters setting up another character with a partner, but it worked for me here since it did not take up too much of the plot. Plus then we were introduced to other characters more in depth.

Kids in romance is always hit or miss and here you can tell Vasti has young kids because these kids were chaos! We love to see it.

My only minor complaint was I had a hard time following all the side characters and who they were at times. I am not sure if this is a series, but it definitely has first book in a series vibes. Lots of intros. And at the end when they all came together it really worked for me.

Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti is a fun historical romance with a charming duke and a clever, problem-solving heroine. Readers looking for dark and broody heroes should keep searching. Peter, an English duke raised in Louisiana, maintains his good spirits even as he fights to gain custody of his two half-siblings. Selina is determined to help him, and her first strategy is a scheme to see Peter married to a suitable lady. But Peter only has eyes for Selina.

I think this novel’s strengths are its characters, especially Selina. I love her determination to educate the ladies of the ton with her lending library. Peter’s supportive nature is a nice counterpoint to Selina’s catastrophizing. The secondary characters are also charming. I hope all of Peter’s other “dates” get their own novels at some point.

I recommend this book for fans of Tessa Dare and Kate Bateman.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This was adorable, such a refreshing and heartwarming read!!!! I love Peter, he was such a sweet MMC. I really appreciate a regency romance where the MMC isn’t afraid to share his true feelings. Selina was brave and outspoken and I loved her character. This was a great read

I was sooo excited when I got approved for this ARC. I think Alexandra Vasti is a fresh voice in historical romance. She did not disappoint with her debut novel.
I completely fell in love with Peter and Selina. It is definitely a case of two characters completing each other. I loved that Selina opens up to Peter about her secret and Peter takes everything in stride. He is a champion for her, and let's be honest, that is just the type of hero we all need. The side characters were amazing, I couldn't pick a favorite one.

The ending was *chef's kiss*!!

I wonder if Vasti will make this into a series, and if so, I would love to read her twin brother's story and her best friend's.

Lady Selina is a delightful and determined character we first meet while she’s sneaking out of her publisher’s office, where she’s responsible for running a lending library with a secret collection of racy and informative books for women. She collides with Peter Kent, now a Duke, who is trying to convince his much younger half-siblings to make their home with him through coercive kittens and tiny rapiers. Selina and Peter are both a bit chaotic, and I loved reading their romance that leapt off the page from the start. Vasti’s writing is rich and engaging and I hope for more books in this world are to come. Fans of Vasti’s novellas about the Halifax siblings will be delighted with this debut novel.

This is the story of Peter Kent, an American abolitionist who inherits a Dukedom and Lady Selina Ravenscroft. Selina secretly runs a bookshop with a Venus catalog containing erotic reading material available to women with membership. This leads to some funny situations and plenty of heat. The peripheral characters are engaging. Peter is sweet, Selina is feisty. It's a cute, enjoyable story. 3.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin's Griffin for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

It feels like it’s trying to be the “social class issues” sort of historical fiction, except it feels sort of modern in the prose and context and jokes, and some of the jokes–due to the context–aren’t hitting the way they are supposed to, at least not for me. I stopped after chapter 2 (5%). I’d guess a solid three to four stars for the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

4.5 Stars! First time author Alexandra Vasti did a fantastic job on this book! My only criticism is it could’ve used a prologue. I felt a bit lost at times and would’ve loved a little more back story. That being said, this was really entertaining and kept my interest. The main characters, Selina and Peter/Duke of Stanhope, were easy to love and root for. I loved the HEA ending and wish the book was even longer! I’d love a book about some of the secondary characters next! Georgina was freakin hilarious!
*I received this book at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

A fast-paced romp with tons of emotion and an amazing found family.

Peter Kent, an American pulled from New Orleans (Vasti lives there now) to England to take on his newly inherited title, Duke of Stanhope. He is outspoken and radical both in Parliament and in the rest of his life, which unfortunately inhibits his petition for custody of half-siblings (born out of wedlock). This new take on the single parent trope leads his friends to suggest he marry to show stability.

Lady Selina Ravenscroft can handle anything it seems. She is the epitome of organization and planning. But after she offers several candidates for him to marry (all of whom are super unique and will hopefully get their own stories, as well as helping out in this one), he wants only her. She has a secret passion of her own—helping ladies of the Ton learn what they need to know about intimacy and even pleasure. If her secret comes out, she won’t help Peter show stability.

But when he compromises her, they are forced to marry. Selina works to help Peter win the children’s affection and the court’s approval, making plans to distance herself for his sake should the truth about her ladies’ library come out.

The ensuing shenanigans are both hilarious and heart-rending. Peter’s support for both Selina and his siblings is amazing, and Selina’s inability to manage her emotions after managing everything else around her is provocative. And the over-the-top resolution with all of their found family’s support is theatrical and lovely.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this work for my honest review.

So far, every single one of Alexandra Vasti's four published novellas (the three Halifax Hellions novellas and the recently published novella The Chemistry of Familiar Objects) have been fantastic, and I'm so pleased that her first full-length novel, Ne'er Duke Well, is just as good!

Peter and Selina were such a breath of fresh air in the Regency romance space; they maturely communicated their concerns and worries to each other, were appropriately aware of how their actions would affect others that they care about around them, and generally worked so well together as a pair. Peter's concerns for his much-younger half-siblings and Selina's secret proprietorship of a female-focused erotic circulating library were all dealt with sensitively - in particular, I loved that at their relationship outset, Selina was immediately concerned about how, when her Belvoir's secret inevitably came out, it would negatively impact Peter's guardianship petition. There were absolutely no expectations on Selina's part that this kind of inflammatory secret could be maintained in the face of actual scrutiny from society, and as a reader it was so refreshing not to be expected to suspend my disbelief in that regard and to see the characters tackle the issue head-on. As with all Vasti books, the characters surrounding Peter and Selina were well-rounded and entertaining, and I felt like they were actual people operating in the background of this story - people who had their own motivations and concerns beyond those of our main characters' concerns - which made the world of Ne'er Duke Well feel wonderfully lived in.

Alexandra Vasti is now firmly established as one of my favourite historical romance authors, and I so look forward to future works by her!

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this book for review consideration (I still can't believe that I got to read Ne'er Duke Well several month before my preorder becomes available!); all opinions above are my own.

I am a huge Alexandra Vasti fan, so I came to this book after having read all of the Halifax Hellions novellas, and so if you love those, you'll also love this. It's got everything you already love about Vasti's work (great spice, swoony heroes, fantastic prose, hijinks), but the length to do even more emotional work. Peter and Selina are just soooooo innnn lovveeeee and it was just gorgeous to read their love story. Kiddos Freddie and Lu provided excellent comic relief, the plot had some twists and turns I didn't see coming, and the spice, as usual, was givinggggg. Hot hot hot.

If you're a historical romance fan, Vasti is a must-read author, and even if you're not, I think she's a great gateway because the work remains fast-paced, accessible, and feminist. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a solid debut romance, featuring Peter, who grew up in Louisiana but inherits an old dukedom, and Selina, who secretly runs a lending library filled with erotica. If that sounds like a mad lib, you're not that far off, but Peter and Selina have great chemistry and the book is genuinely funny—some of the lines made me laugh out loud.

Unfortunately, there's way too much going on, and the plot is all over the place. The first half of the book is a marriage subplot where Selina tries to find Peter a bride, and then the second half is a custody battle alongside bookselling drama. I think all of this overshadowed the characters, and there were way too many extraneous details (like did it even end up mattering that Peter was American, specifically?). The other unfortunate thing is that Peter and Selina met ~3 years before this book was set, and I would have much rather read about their first meeting and why they initially liked each other. It feels like you're dropped in to a romance in progress, and I wanted the beginning of the story.

I will definitely read more Alexandra Vasti in the future! I like her characters. I just want them to have a little more room to breathe.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy.

This is a perfect romance novel. It's lighthearted, sweet, and sexy. Selina reminded me of Emma (the best Austen heroine!). Peter never wavers in his support of her. He's also a feminist and an abolitionist!

I also enjoyed the side characters, particularly Georgiana. I'm looking forward to her story.

Finally, it was entertaining to learn more about explicit books that really were in circulation back then. Regency Brits were quite pervy!

I recommend this to anyone who loves romance novels.

📖 Ne'er Duke Well 📖

By Alexandra Vasti // Releasing July 23, 2024

Meet Peter, new to being a Duke, Kent who, after moving to London from New Orleans, is desperate to gain custody of his orphaned half sister & brother. He asks for the help of Lady Selina Ravenscroft, a woman he greatly admires for her determination in helping others resolve their various personal problems. Selina comes up with a brilliant plan to help, but she must make sure a secret she's been keeping from everyone doesn't harm Peter's chances of success.

I'm on some sort of romance novel binge lately. I think I'm just wanting to read some happier books. I need stories with tidy endings and charming characters 😚

I really enjoyed reading Ne'er Duke Well. Selina and Peter are witty MC's and have a great give and go. Peter's little sister Lu is a spitfire and keeps everyone on their toes. The story felt light enough to suit my mood but not too lacking in subject. I hate when adult books have good plots, but the substance is just not there. Like when a story just jumps between actions without a lot of background context. Gah! Ne're Duke Well is a perfect balance. I wanted to keep reading and found myself chuckling a few times!

I've got to mention the spice level! I'm generally ok with some spice. I know that's what I'm getting into when I pick up a romance. But this book had some dirty talk that I wasnt quite expecting 🤣 I say this, knowing there's a whole lotta folks who don't mind higher temps of spicey-spice and that's ok! I'm just giving a heads up to my more conservative followers 😘

Star rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Spice rating 🌶🌶🌶🌶/5
Language rating 🤬/5 (only for some sexual references!)

3.5/5 ⭐️

I'm surprisingly conflicted about giving this book a formal "rating." I found myself going back and forth on my feelings throughout each chapter while reading, and it's incredibly hard to decide whether I should weigh the things I love or find tedious more heavily.

On the surface, the book is a fun romance with a warm heart for family -- both chosen and given by blood. In this novel, Alexandra Vasti has created an excellent cast of side characters (who sincerely I hope will be written about in the future; I'm looking right at you, Lydia & Iris!) and composed sex scenes that managed to make even this historical romance veteran reader blush.

However, I couldn't help but feel like several chapters of this novel were only intended to kill time between major story beats. Certain elements felt crammed in to remind readers of character insecurities that already felt well demonstrated, and it could make the intended emotional core of each of the leads feel a touch repetitive. I was also a bit disappointed in the informal conclusion of the novel's legal plot, though more romcom-focused readers may love it!

One component that particularly endeared this novel to me, though, is Vasti's ending notes, which contextualize some of the historical books, people & legal considerations referenced in her writing. The inclusion of these notes demonstrates a real consideration for the reader's understanding of the history that this book is inspired by, which I sincerely appreciate!

Ultimately, this book is an enjoyably imperfect read that hints at better things to come with further releases from its author. I'll be keeping an eye out for Vasti's work in the future!

What a fun read! Take a Regency Romance with downright silliness, a family comes first message with total girl boss vibes and you have Ne'er Duke Well. 👏👏to Alexandra Vasti for her debut novel. I can't wait for the next!

My first regency romance, and unfortunately, this isn't for me. I tried and got to 65% but I'm not having fun. I see reviews saying it's low spice, but for someone who prefers closed door and clean romances, this was quite a lot.

I'm not going to beat around the bush. This book was a helleuva good time. If Regency romcom ain't your thing, you better rethink that. Vasti brings a fresh of breath air to this genre with her talent. Her characters buck convention and its a story that delves into topics that even modern, contemporaries trip over. Really impressed by this debut author's ability. Will look for their work in the future.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Holy mackerel, what an hilarious and fun book. This is mybforat book by Ms. Vasti and I can see what she is friends with Felicity Nivens. Their writing styles are so unique, witty but serious, sensual and caring. It all comes through.

Peter, tall handsome duke from New Orleans, with a natural mop of curly hair, is just ridi only sweet and caring. He wants to adopt his illegitimate step siblings and has to jump through the marriage hoop to show that he is responsible and a family man. He asks his friend Selina for help.

Selina is so, so very nice, resourceful and smart. I want to be her friend. Heck she runs a library with erotic literature. What's not to love. She's passionate, creative and very much aware of the society around her and how to manage it.

Peter and Selina as a couple are just hot. He loves her, he's challenges her, he supports her, he admires her. She in turn is just topsy turvy in love with him, but holds herself back thinking her business would jeopardize his goal for guardianship. However when two people are in love everything has a way of working out. Cannot wait to read more from this author.

ALEXANDRA VASTI WILL NEVER DISAPPOINT
i was so excited to read this book and it’s safe to say that this book was everything i wanted and more