I loved this book so much that I don’t even know where to start. Earl Crush manages to be simultaneously hilarious and swoony. I truly think it’s the most romantic thing Vasti has written to date.

It’s impossible to pinpoint everything I loved about this book. The epistolary elements (particularly the epilogue) were superb. She hits some of my favorite tropes (only one bed, road trip, and found family, anyone?). Plus, there is so much pining.

Lydia’s character struggles with crippling anxiety, and her character resonated with me so much. Vasti does a great job portraying Lydia’s experience. In fact, watching Lydia and Arthur both gain confidence in themselves and in each other was incredibly gratifying.

Alexandra Vasti is a must read for me. Read Earl Crush ASAP!

Spice mixed with suspense in this historical romance and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I thought Alexandra Vasti developed such great characters, they felt fully fleshed out, "flaws" and all. I loved the adventures these two went on and although some moments are a bit over the top (she had me at zebras), I loved the chemistry and how drawn they were to each other. Bonus points for Lydia who is a wallflower turned badass and I might've had my own crush on Arthur by the end.

Such a great read to start the year with!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read a copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book cements how I feel about Vasti's books: they are not for me.
I was, simply, bored. I think I had this same issue with the previous book. While the adventure they go on seems interesting, it just is not to me - it failed to retain my attention. I like more romance in my romance books (and by romance, I mean <i>romance</i>, and not sex scenes), and Earl Crush did not deliver enough on that. I think globally there is a lack of balance between the romance and the rest of the story. Which resulted in me skimming a lot.
I get why Vasti has a great fandom, she knows how to write a book. However, her storytelling is not up my alley.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice: 2/5 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Earl Crush is full of excitement, adventure, and fun! 💜

Lydia Hope-Wallace is a wallflower, which makes it easy for her to pen seditious pamphlets anonymously. This leads to her corresponding with the Earl of Strathrannoch. After several years of correspondence, the earl admits to financial troubles. Lydia goes to Scotland to offer a marriage of convenience. However, a rude awakening shocks Lydia upon arriving in Scotland. Arthur, the Earl of Strathrannoch, has no idea who she is. Turns out, it was his brother using his name to correspond with her. Moreover, that same brother has stolen an important item from the earl. This kicks off a daring adventure across Scotland and England to track down his brother.

This book has awesome comedic scenes, an intriguing mystery, and a sweet/spicy romance between the MCs. I loved how Lydia was shy and how Arthur helped her navigate that. The chemistry between them was amazing and I loved seeing their relationship develop. Also, I appreciated Lydia’s growth throughout the story, the awesome supporting characters, and the constant action/adventure!

Overall, this was such an awesome book. Alexandra Vasti has definitely solidified herself as a must read author. Earl Crush is entertaining, swoon-worthy, hilarious, and heartfelt. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the historical romance/regency romance genre!

Ridiculous, over the top, and so much fun! I had a great time reading. I am obsessed with Arthur and I can’t wait to read Georgiana’s story!

Alexandra’s writing just speaks to me. She makes historical romance more interesting by adding radical and outspoken female protagonist’s who value women’s rights and venture outside the norm for that time era. I adored Ne’er Duke Well and have now enjoyed Earl Crush.

Lydia Hope-Wallace has been corresponding via letter with the Earl of Strathrannoch, Arthur Baird. She creates a plan to propose a marriage of convenience to him after finding out about his financial problems. She has the money but no romantic prospects due to her social anxiety, he has the title and a supposed familiarity with her. She goes to Scotland and comes face-to-face with Arthur only to find out she hasn’t been corresponding with him, but with his brother who has gone missing. They work together to find him and uncover the mystery of what his brother is up to.

This was more action-packed with adventure than I originally thought. I loved how the plot always kept me on my toes, but also was full of yearning and angst between Lydia and Arthur. They both worked together in proximity to find Arthur’s brother which helped them find the bravery and confidence to overcome their own obstacles in their path. I loved the way they supported each other & would always lift each other up when needed.

I was lucky enough to listen to an ALC while reading an eARC and can confirm that the narration was so good! the British and Scottish accents while also upholding the 1800s ‘ladylike’ facade was amazing. It made my reading experience more immersive and I found myself getting lost in the story.

read if you like historical romances with a marriage of convenience and some strong, stubborn, outspoken fmc’s. plus SO much tension and yearning from a man who would do anything for her!!! Releases january 28th! Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an eARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review :)

Earl Crush was such a fun read. I loved seeing the growth that Lydia went through as a character trying to put herself out there more socially and do things that made her uncomfortable. She meets the Earl, Arthur, that she thinks she has been corresponding with but in fact it is his brother. The Earl asks for her help in finding him and they embark on a search that takes them up the coast of Scotland and to London looking for him and a rifle scope invention he stole. Somehow within this search they start to tell everyone they are married all the while they are too afraid to talk about their real feelings.

Strathrannoch Castle and it’s heard of Zebra’s took on the role of secondary character and I really loved it. The other secondary characters are lots of fun and really enhance the story. The chemistry between Lydia and Arthur is steamy but they both fight it really hard which makes for this wonderful tension. They are both really sweet with each other. The final conflict was not my favourite but there was some really great grovelling. Overall a really wonderful story and an original plot that I enjoyed immensely.

Earl Crush is the second book in the Belvoir’s Library series. Lydia is a blue stocking who writes radical pamphlets. She has been writing the Earl of Strathrannoch for several years. She has decided to head to Scotland and propose a marriage of convenience. Arthur is the Earl of Strathrannoch, only he wasn’t the one writing to Lydia, it was his brother. His brother has gone missing and Arthur asks Lydia to help him.

Lydia and Arthur an attraction to each other. I enjoyed their pining and internal longing for each other. Lydia has social anxiety and Arthur accepted that and would support her through the times when her anxiety would try to get the best of her. Arthur is working through his feelings of not being worthy of love. These two just fit with their pining and internal longing for each other. And I really enjoyed the epilogue.

Read this if you enjoy:

Grumpy x Sunshine
Pretending to be married
Found Family
Espionage
Open Door Romance

Good gracious I loved this book. I love a sassy historical heroine and oh boy does Earl Crush have it. Lydia is smart and sexy and I want her for a best friend. And Arthur her MMC is just as delightful as a very confused yet very loving Earl that has this brilliant woman appear at his door, saying they have been corresponding for months. (They haven’t, it’s his no goodnic brother). Anyway, this book was so delightful,I got an early copy and when I finished it , I immediately put it back in my TBR pile. If you like historical badass shy ladies? And broody hot working Earls? Get it. You won’t be sorry.

I loved this, zero complaints. After meeting Lydia in book 1 -a lady who is scared of social interactions but secretly writes political pamphlets- it was nice getting to know her brave and adventurous self. After corresponding with the earl for years, Lydia decides to propose a marriage of convenience, in person without her family’s knowledge, but it had been his wayward brother sending the letters.

Arthur is a selfless man trying to take care of his failing earldom, and begs Lydia to help find his brother, who hasn’t been heard from after stealing Arthur’s potentially dangerous invention. He and Lydia find so many ways to support and lift each other up, to find bravery and confidence, that they can’t help but slowly fall for one another.

You can expect-
Historical Romcom
Run away carriage
Exotic animal rescue
Proposal of convenience
Fake Marriage
Love Letters
Banter & Pining
Only one bed/horse
Found Family
1818 Scottish lowlands & London
Dual, 3rdP POV

Their adventures in trying to unravel the mystery of his brother were fun and got quite tense at the end. Very cute and insightful, and would recommend this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s for providing and eARC for my honest opinion.

This book was everything! Arthur and Lydia were just perfect for each other! I loved the mystery element ans how that played into their love story. His Scottish brogue and the way he falls for her....I was melting! Loved the little inserts of letters and writing and how that came full circle. Just loved everything about this book and cannot way for the series to continue!

I'll be honest, I am not one for historical romances (most of the time). Obviously I have read the entire Bridgerton series, and maybe a few Johanna Lindsey novels, but beyond that, it's not a genre I usually find myself picking. So why did I choose this novel?
The cover drew me in immediately. A few pages in, I was fully engaged and I just flew this this book! I enjoy the strong, introverted, before-her-time FMC and the sexy MMC. This is my first Alexandria Vasti novel and I am excited to add another fabulous author to my "read more of" list.
If you're a fan of historical romance with modern sensibilities, charming characters, some bumps in the road, and a story that pulls you in completely, Earl Crush is a must-read. 📚❤️
I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC of this very enjoyable book.

Earl Crush begs the question: what exactly do you tend to first when a beautiful, anxious woman shows up at your castle to propose marriage and subsequently faint into your arms when your sixteen zebra are on the lam?

Lydia Hope-Wallace, a woman comprised of 80% water and 20% worries (same), is terrible at social interactions (also same), but really great at writing radical political pamphlets (ugh jealous) under the name "H". She believes she has been the long-time correspondent of a Scottish Earl who shares her political beliefs, and intends to propose a marriage of convenience as he is broke and she's not. And also it would also be very convenient for her to marry so she can stop vomiting in public.

Arthur Baird, the Earl of Strathrannoch, has just caught the body of a fainting woman who believes she has been writing to him for years. Even though he surmises her actual correspondent must be his brother, who just fled the estate with an invention that could potentially risk all of their lives, he cannot help but be charmed by the small puking wonder who literally tumbled into his life.

Lydia and Arthur, and more importantly Arthur's entire household staff, realize that together they will have the best chance of tracking down his brother's whereabouts. But first, the zebra.

Hello. It's me again. Your Chicago-based Alexandra Vasti evangelist, or Vastihead as I will--and I always will. I am just stopping by to tell you that she has written another absolute banger. I really liked Ne'er Duke Well, but I *LOVED* Earl Crush. It is funny, tender, smart, sexy, and will have a dumb smile on your face the entire time.

ARTHUR! Ugh. This guy is a champion among shmoopy romance heroes that wanted nothing but the best for his lady. To the point of self-sabotage due to childhood traumas, but his intentions were always good. And Lydia!! As a fellow nervous, introverted woman with a lot of thoughts about the government who sometimes does dumb sh*t, I found her incredibly relatable. She is significantly braver than I am, however, since a millennial would never simply knock on someone's door without a minimum of three explicit invitations.

Arthur and Lydia are just the sweetest pair of angels, and the reader is gifted with the most epic epilogue about their life together. My heart is medium-rare.

I absolutely CANNOT wait for Georgiana's book in this series. And while I'm at it, let me just speak this into existence for manifestation reasons: but I would LOVE to see some stories about Lydia's brothers who were an absolute riot.

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

Earl Crush is out on 1/21/25!

Alexandra Vasti's Ne'er Duke Well was one of my favorite romances last year! It was the perfect combination of regency romance meets feminist history as Vasti introduces the existence of underground libraries where women are able to access both reproductive health information and erotica for their enjoyment. What makes this so fascinating is that this practice, and the very texts referred to in the story, are real, and I loved how Vasti was able to incorporate what I assume to be her scholarly work with these types of texts into a romance novel that gives us fully realized female characters exercising what agency they have at this time to push against the marriage market system they live in.

Earl Crush is just as smart and interesting, but surprisingly delivers a different kind of story. I love that Lydia is the character from the fist novel who is now taking control of her life. After corresponding with an Earl who embraces her activist ideas, she decides to travel to Scotland to propose a marriage of convenience, only to find out the man was pretending to be his brother. So talk about embarrassing, as the book opens with Lydia proposing to the wrong guy! (who may actually be the right guy!).

I just loved the dynamic, the chemistry, and the humor in this book. It turns into a mystery as the two team up to find the missing brother and become embroiled in a much larger plot involving spies and a possible political assassination attempt. It is crazy fun, and it works!

Earl Crush is a cute and funny romance with a bit of adventure. Lydia sets out to make herself a marriage of convivence based on political letters, but gets more than she bargained for. She's a cripplingly shy spinster looking for the safety of marriage and a quiet life to pursue her writing. There's a false identity, strangers to lovers, political intrigue, a chase from Scotland to London, love letters, and a neglected castle full of exotic animals. Our hero is a self-conscious giant of a man. I struggled to get into it. Once the action picked up I was hooked. I loved seeing Selina and Georgina from the last book. I would love to see books on Lydia's brothers, especially Jasper. Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the e-ARC; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

📣 a standout historical romance that will fill your romance-loving cup to the brim

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

I will be thinking about Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti for a while.

This book has everything! Romantic tension, face-melting chemistry, sooo much romance (in letters, what the characters are thinking, & gestures), & standout leads that I want everything for.

Lydia has social anxiety but she’s also a badass who isn’t afraid to take the reins into her own hands, so to speak. She is so smart & full of verve & watching her with the Earl is my idea of a fantastic time.

The Earl. Oh Arthur, je t’adore. This brawny Earl is perfection. He is a gentle giant who wants to do the right thing & is stunned by Lydia, who so many other people have overlooked.

The way Arthur & Lydia reveal their mutual vulnerabilities with each other is wonderful, & the way that he sees & appreciates her will have your heart thumping extra.

5 big ⭐️, read it & sigh, friends!

Out 01/21.

Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.

[ID: Jess holds the ebook in front of a dragonfly mural.]

Alexandra Vasti's latest regency romp is a hit. The chemistry and tension between the main characters was excellent, and the side characters made the story all the more rich and interesting.

“Earl Crush” by Alexandra Vasti is the second book in the author’s Belvoir’s Library Trilogy.

I had a great time reading this book. I would describe this book as over-the-top – whether that’s the zebra stampede, mistaken or hidden identities, and terrorist plots, there was a lot going on in this story. Sometimes, a zany historical romance is just what a reader needs.

I did think the book traded emotional depth and connection between the main characters in favour of physical intimacy. It’s clear Lydia Hope-Wallace and Arthur Baird, Earl of Strathrannoch have an immediate physical attraction to each other; but I would have liked more moments where their friendship and admiration for each other develops. Simply having Arthur say “wow, you’re so smart Lydia” (and he says a variation of this A LOT) is not quite the same as emotional development of a romantic relationship.

I thought a lot more could have been made of some of the side characters in this book (both MCs’ brothers in particular), who seem to have interesting stories that get glossed over.

For a book that’s almost too much, I actually wanted more – more feelings, more moments with side characters, more quiet intimacy. Overall, I was entertained and engaged throughout this book. Lydia and Arthur were excellent characters. I look forward to the final entry in this series.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but the opinions are my own.

Earl Crush is a delightful and spicy historical romance and mystery. The setting is 1818 in England and Scotland. Lydia has been writing political tracts (anonymously) and a man has been corresponding with her for a few years. She knows his name and where his Scottish estate is, and when the book opens, she and a close friend are arriving there, to surprise him with a marriage proposal (she’s got money and he doesn’t; they have a good relationship on paper). But it turns out that she hasn’t been corresponding with whom she thinks she has. Things get wild from there!

I loved the relationship that Lydia and Arthur (the real Earl) built. There were a lot of funny instances along the way, and a mystery to solve, involving Arthur’s brother and some French ex-pats.

Mhairi Morrison did a marvelous job with the narration on the audiobook, seamlessly switching between an English accent and a Scottish accent.

Don’t skip the Author’s Note where she explains that various plot points are based on actual historical events.

Somehow I missed reading the first book in this series, Ne’er Duke Well. (This wasn’t a problem, proving that this can easily be read as a standalone.) I will have to remedy that as soon as possible.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I didn’t think I could live this book more than the first one but I did! This was so amazing and the hero is Scottish! Yes please!

Lydia has been corresponding with a Scottish Earl without ever having met him. But for 3 years they share letters about their interests, current affairs and politics. So one day Lydia decides to make a drastic change in her life. She and her friend sneak off to Scotland so she can propose a marriage of convenience to the Earl of Strathrannoch.

Arthur, said Earl, is trying to restore and run his crumbling estate when a young woman shows up on his doorstep. She proposes marriage which he has to turn down since he has no idea who she is. 😬