I love Alexandra Vasti's novellas and was excited to read this full-length book! This was overall a good read, I think this is perfect for fans of Bridgerton or other historical romances.

I love the women empowerment theme throughout theme throughout the book. This is rom-com, but also has a lot of deeper topics throughout as well and tons of character development.

I do wish the pacing of this book was a little slower, for the first half of the book.

Overall an excellent read!

I absolutely love historical romances and this one felt like a breath of fresh air! I adored the romance aspect and wish I had a lot more of it.
Selina is a very strong heroine and Peter is a funny and charming duke. Together they make for an entertaining read. I would’ve loved to have met the MC when they first met each other instead of having the book start 3 years into their acquaintance. There also were maybe too many extraneous details… does it matter that Peter is from America?
Overall I loved this book and can’t wait to read more from Alexandra Vasti!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

Peter Kent is an unexpected Duke, son of a third son, born and raised in the US, he is the outsider Duke if ever there was one. Lady Selina is the daughter of a Duke who died when she was six and she was raised by her older brother (the current Duke). Upon coming to England, Peter learns that his father had two "natural" children and Peter seeks to adopt them. However, his outsider status makes this hard even for a Duke. But Selina sees something of herself and her brother in the Duke's troubles and seeks to help him through marrying him off to a respectable lady and therefore making him respectable himself.

What I liked about this book:
- I'm a sucker for the unexpected gentry trope
- I've read quite a few historoms featuring Dollar Princesses, but this is my first American Duke
- Lady Selina is proper in the streets but has a secret s3x bookshop!
- I found Peter's siblings incredibly charming, and the rest of the extended cast as well.

This is a fun book with a lot of plot points so I can imagine a lot of people will like it. However, overall, I didn't resonate much with the characters or the romantic arc in this book. The first half of the books had a lot of hijinks which just felt like too many and too forced, but then they didn't follow through with fun hijinks in the rest of the story, so then they felt out of place. In general I felt the book was more driven by the external plot than the internal growth of the characters as individuals and also as a couple, and I prefer the latter in my romance novels.

I really enjoyed the Halifax novellas by Vasti, so I will continue to read her work, I think this one was just a one off for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review to come after the St. Martin's Press boycott. St. Martin's Press, please do right by your readers.

ALexandra Vasti has knocked it out of the park. I wasn't too sure I would like a duke from Louisiana but I definitely fell in love with Peter. His heart is huge and he is determined not to lose his father's illegitimate siblings and views them as his true brother and sister. He is so loveable and the scraps and scandals he gets himself into are hilarious. He is true to his American roots in that he doesn't understand all the stuffiness of the Ton nor does he care about any of the things that make up the rules of those days. Selina is wonderful. She is a fixer and goes above and beyond to help others. She has a secret goal in love and I love how this is intertwined within the book. The plot is intricate and it moves along nicely. Once I started reading it, I was not able to put it down. I love how they grow together and also how they come together to help and support one another. I absolutely thought the little snippets at the beginning of each chapter were brilliant. They give you insights into how characters think and feel with pieces of letters they wrote to a variety of characters in this book. I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I discovered Vasti last year with a few novellas that she debuted with. I absolutely love her writing style, whit, and romance w/o all the stuffiness of the Ton. They are light and fun and are not your typical stories. She has quickly become one of my favorite authors.

Synopsis: Peter Kent never expected to inherit his estranged father’s duchy, or to find two orphaned, half-siblings awaiting him in England. The “American Duke” is making a name for himself and collecting adversaries both in parliament and around the Ton, due to his progressive attitude.

Lady Selina Ravenscroft has never met a problem she couldn’t resolve. So, when the new Duke needs to secure a wife in order to obtain guardianship over his young siblings, Lady Selina sees it as her duty to help. Her own scandalous affairs make it impossible for her to step into the role of duchess, so she sets about helping the Duke to woo the eligible, and virtuous, ladies of the ton. But as so often happens, the heart soon wants what the mind knows it cannot have.

Review: Ne’er Duke We’ll is a highly enjoyable (and spicy!) regency romance. The Duke of Stanhope and Lady Selina are memorable characters and their chemistry is off the charts! The children, Lu and Freddie, are a fun addition to the story. I often do not like children in romances, but these two are entertaining!
This book has a lot of plot to offer. The Duke wants to be granted guardianship over his siblings, so there is some Emma-esque match making. Lady Selina has been keeping a secret from her family for years and now she may be found out which could lead to scandal. And a few other dramas take place to torment our characters. In the end, family and love prevail.

Thank you to St Martin's Press & Netgalley for giving me the chance to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review 💕

This book was so much fun. I had the BEST time.

It was maybe the most enjoyable romance book I've read, ever. Definitely in my top three.

There are brief moments when you think the miscommunication/keeping a secret/getting found trope is about to be played out, but then there are twists to it.

Vashti does an amazing job of keeping readers rooting for Selina and Peter the entire time, but it's not just rooting for them to get together.

I'm constantly impressed by the romance books I read, the extremely developed individual lives of the characters apart from romance is what keeps you reading.

I can't gush about this book enough!

Thank you so much for giving me an Arc. I have been a fan of Vasti’s for a minute and these are always such tender and heartfelt stories. I did enjoy this one but I wish there was more of a third act break up so the ending fell flat for me. I thoroughly enjoyed Selina as a character and I’ll always adore VastiMs work but I needed that third act break up.

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.