4.5/5⭐️ 2/5🌶️ 1/5😢

PROTECT MY BABY ARTHUR AT ALL COSTS

Earl Crush was a magnificent regency-era romance romp (say that five times fast)—ridiculously sweet, a bit spicy, with mystery and political intrigue and just plain ol’ FUN!

The premise felt unique and fresh with two quieter/shy MCs who showed great character development throughout the book. The romance was incredibly sweet and honestly had me tearing up a few times (I was so down bad for Arthur, I’m not gonna lie) 😭😭

However what I loved most was how clearly well-researched it is, with many part of the story drawn off real people, events, and historical writings. I found this to be incredibly engaging and gave the book more depth than anticipated.

I highly recommend Earl Crush whether you’re a seasoned historical romance reader or looking to dip your toes in the genre for the first time!

tropes & themes:
→ regency/historical romance
→ fake marriage
→ wallflower but secretly politically vocal FMC
→ recluse scottish earl/inventor MMC
→ shenanigans & SUSPENSE! 💥
→ grade A groveling 🙇🏼
→ “tell me to stop” 🥵🥵
→ 16 zebras??? 🦓

As with every Vasti book I’ve read, I had an amazing time reading this. The characters were delightfully awkward paired with an engaging mystery plot. The entire plot was wild, and I love how it took Lydia and Arthur all over the place trying to track down Arthur’s brother. I was surprised in the best way how detailed and involved the plot was including the great plot twists and a daring carriage escape. Lydia and Arthur had wonderful chemistry paired with great banter. Arthur was so sweet especially with a certain horse scene. One of my favorite moments was when Arthur met Lydia’s brothers. I loved the entire family dynamic scene and watching how each family member interacted with him. I also just loved how wild and over the top this book was at times. I was not expecting zebras but they made for a great time. I cannot get enough of Mhairi Morrison’s narration. She is such a perfect fit for these regency reads. She brings so much energy and emotion to the role, and I can’t imaging anyone else narrating one of Vasti’s regency tales. I highly recommend reading this story.

Alexandra Vasti does it again! She’s a staple of the historical romance community, and I would read her grocery list. Earl Crush is so romantic and steamy, and so emotional and made me full on swoon. I’ll be rereading Earl Crush several times in the future!

"What do you want?" he murmured. "What can I give to you, my love? I have about a hundred rambling letters. I have a castle, if you'd like it, though I fear it has numerous windows that need replacing and very little furniture. I have sixteen zebras."

I don't even know how many annotations I've made. I loved this novel so much! Where do I start?

❤️ARTHUR. This perfect, bearded, insecure bear of a reluctant Scottish Earl who looks fearsome, and is absolutely kind, gentle, sensitive, and earnest to his core. This man loves so deeply that he carved himself straight into my heart within the first few minutes of meeting him. There is nothing more swoonworthy to me in romance than a man who truly deserves to be loved to the depths of his partner's soul for being himself. Arthur must be saved at all costs. I would rescue this book from a fire for him. Every time he says "Dinna fash" I get lightheaded.

📚LYDIA. She's a feminist, an anonymous writer of political pamphlets, and she suffers from social anxiety. My Queen! By deciding to take charge of her own life, she is the seemingly insignificant pebble that drops into the pond, so the ripples of her bravery continue to get wider and impact more and more people. I love her independent spirit, her insecurities, her desire for love and acceptance. I love how much she loves Arthur. I love her relationships with her brothers and her friends Selina and Georgina. I love her intelligence and refusal to accept societal expectations for women.

🐎 The madcap caper of a premise, and subsequent mystery adventures that have all of the characters dashing all over Scotland and London, alone and in various groups, trying to discover and/or subvert unknown plans by unknown individuals who stole Arthur's new invention to permit more accurate long-range shooting. This book reminded me of classic Georgette Heyer novels given its comedic elements, and the good but misguided intentions of the characters that threaten the whole enterprise, but somehow, despite themselves, come together in triumph at the end.

🦓 Any historical romance novel featuring a gay animal rights activist who has rescued a herd of zebras from menageries throughout the British Isles automatically wins my forever devotion. Chef's kiss

🐶 Same goes for Sir Francis Bacon. Every time someone referred to Bacon I laughed.

🌈Bertie and Huw were true highlights of this novel for me. I loved that their partnership was seamlessly integrated into the landscape of the story and the lives of the other characters, rather than existing like an island that needs some kind of explanation for being there. They're woven into the fabric of the world, and no one would ever consider them to be otherwise.

😍 Lydia's brothers and mother are hysterically funny and I loved all of them. Ned most especially, and I need to read a story about him and Jasper!

🌷The 15/10 Epilogue. It brought me to the best of tears. It was perfect. I wouldn't change a single word.

This is without a doubt Alex Vasti's best work yet. The prose is sublime, the humor and dialogue are sparkling and real. The pacing is spot on. The characterizations are inspired. I will be recommending this bright, engaging, and truly entertaining historical romance to all of my followers and friends.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to publication. All opinions are my own.

SWEET, DARING, BRAVE, WELL-EDUCATED LYDIA HOPE-WALLACE. You stole my heart in Ne’er Duke Well (interconnected standalone) and although I LOVED Selina’s story, I was beyond eager to meet the woman who can’t keep the contents of her stomach in place. From the absolute get go, I have been enthralled within this read. Three years ago, a mysterious Scot whom shared many very similar opinions messaged Lydia through Belvoir’s post inquiring further political chat. Three years later, Lydia arrives at what she thinks is this earl’s homestead. Instead she finds a gruff black smith who turns out to be her correspondents older brother, the ACTUAL earl of the estate. After realizing she’s been “catfished”, Arthur requests Lydia’s help in searching for his younger brother. He informs her of some terrible information regarding who Davis actually is, and after a near zebra trampling death experience, Lydia agrees. The two work together to retrace Davis steps hopefully finding him along the way. During this time, both Arthur and Lydia realize the worst thing for both individuals, they’re actually developing feelings for each other. The actually breaking, burning NEED these two create while not crossing any lines is delicious…. until they DO cross the line. At this point everything just gets so tender and rough that I was kicking my feet and giggling like a school girl. I’m normally not one who enjoys historical fiction, even if it’s a romance, but this author knows how to grab my attention and keep it through out her entire story.

Pub Date: January 21 2025

ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. Thank you.

review posted to NetGalley & Goodreads

Another fantastic historical romance from Vasti, this solidified me as an always reader of her books. This book included so much lightness, hilarity, and a great twist. I was super interested in Lydia's story from the first book and this did not dissapoint!

This book was incredible, jam packed with so many classic romance tropes but still feels fresh. It is so so swoony.

Earl Crush is a historical romance featuring an obsessed male lead, an adorable cover, intrigue, and.....zebras! Protagonist Lydia is shy, but has a strong voice she is learning to use. This was a fantastic sequel to Ne'er Duke Well, but can also be read as a stand alone. Each chapter starts with a relevant quote from a historical figure or excerpt from a character's correspondence, and I felt that really added to the story and created suspense. I also enjoyed the author's notes at the end that explained what historical events inspired the conflict. Highly recommend!

Between her two novels and her trilogy of novellas, Alexandra Vasti has quickly become a new favorite romance author for me! In the second of her linked full-length novels, the story focuses on Lydia Hope-Wallace, the shy heiress we met in Ne’er Duke Well and learned she was secretly writing bold political pamphlets. In Earl Crush, we learn she’s been corresponding with a broke Scottish earl who harbors similar political views - and Lydia heads to Scotland to propose they marry. Instead, she meets the real earl, Arthur Baird, who was not writing to her and realizes his brother Davis had been pretending to be him for a mysterious plot that might involve espionage. I loved how plotty this one was, which also put Lydia’s talents to good use and placed Lydia and Arthur in a variety of scenarios that are both funny and trope-y as well as ways for them to connect and develop feelings for each other. While the plot is busy and full of adventures around Scotland and London, it doesn’t overtake the romance, which is truly lovely and swoonworthy. Lydia and Arthur navigate their feelings and how they want to show up for each other and themselves in order to be together and figure out relationships with others, namely their families (though I also adored Arthur’s quirky household, which included Bertie and Huw, whose own story I’d also read). Can’t wait to read Georgiana’s book next!

We get to mix a little bit of road trip with a little bit of fake identity and throw in a bit of fake marriage in this romp! The social awkward and painfully shy Lydia has shown up at an earl’s castle in Scotland to propose a marriage of convenience after three years of secret correspondence with the man. Except Arthur the earl is not who she had been writing to, it was his younger brother pretending to be the earl. And then the brother might be in some sort of scheme with a rifle part and Arthur needs Lydia’s help to track him down. It was so fun reading these two work together to solve the case and Arthur was just so impressed by Lydia’s cleverness. All the best kind of chaos, yearning, and steam.

Earl Crush by Alexandra Vashti is a hilarious historical romance novel. The story begins with our heroine, Lady Lydia Hope Wallace, traveling to Scotland to propose an arranged marriage to Arthur, the reclusive Earl of Strathlanock. Lydia is an heiress who has been secretly exchanging letters with the Earl for three years. In one of these correspondences, she learns that the Earl is having financial difficulties. So, she decides that an arranged marriage would be beneficial for both parties. But there is a slight problem: when she arrives, Arthur knows nothing about the letters and has no idea who she is. Arthur's brother, Davis, was the actual letter writer, but is now missing. Lydia and Arthur decide to work together to find his wayward brother and embarks on a crazy journey to find out the reason for his disappearance. Along the way, there are crazy moments, adventure, humor, and political intrigue.

Earl Crush is a wonderfully funny historical love story filled with hi-jinks, adventure, and many tender romantic moments. The story captivated me throughout. I loved the main couple, Lydia and Arthur, and their chemistry was red hot. The narrative also had a strong supporting cast the were also quite delightful. This story will have you smiling and rooting for this lovely couple, making it a must-read for any Regency romance lover.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Earl Crush was just as lovely and entertaining as Ne'er duke well.
This book was a lot of fun and it had a very engaging story. In Earl Crush we get the story of Lydia, a shy but fearless heiress who has been corresponding with an Earl in Scotland through the last couple of years and decides to travel to Scotland to propose a marriage of convenience of sorts. However, she quickly discovers that the Earl (Arthur) isn't the one that she has been corresponding with but his brother (who is nowhere to be seen and might be stirring trouble!). They decide to join forces to find Arthur's brother and in the process they get to know each other. They had such great banter and chemistry together and part of me wished they had banter and got to know each other longer before falling into bed together (felt a little too insta-love for my liking). I love when the male MC falls hard and fast and Arthur is no exception, he is attracted to Lydia not only to her beauty but also her brains and I just absolutely love that.
Definitively grab this if you enjoy Ne'er Duke well.

2025 is only five days old but it's going to be hard for any other historical romance to top this one. Vestri delivers a swoon-worthy couple and well-paced adventure in her second installment of this unnamed series. It is a standalone, super steamy, page-turner. I finished it in a day!

You couldn't ask for a better couple to root for than Arthur and Lydia. Their romance begins when Lydia shows up on Arthur's doorstep to propose a marriage of convenience to the man she believes she's been pen pals with for three years - a Scottish Earl. However, Arthur, the real Earl, has never written any letters. They soon surmise his ne'er-do-well brother may be the culprit. Not only has his brother, Davis, stolen a prototype rifle scope but he's also disappeared and Arthur needs Lydia's help to draw him out of hiding. They team up to hunt him down and get some answers and find themselves caught up in espionage, an assassination plot, and the hottest yearn-iest love affair ever written!

The cover is great, the writing is superb, the story is everything a historical romance should be. Read it as soon as you can.

Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti is a captivating and sensual novel that rivals the allure of Bridgerton. With its wild and delightful storyline, Vasti has skillfully woven a tale filled with humor and romance, centered around a strong Scottish earl, zebras, and a forward-thinking feminist heroine. This book is a must-have for any romance enthusiast's collection!

This was a fun read that had romance, mystery, adventure, and a broody MMC. I love a grumpy MMC, so this was right up my alley.

What I appreciated most about this book is Lydia is a feminist looking to improve the lives of everyone through anonymous political pamphlets and at no point during this book does Arthur discourage her or make her feel like she's doing anything wrong. I really thought they were such a great match from the beginning, and it was fun watching Arthur fall for Lydia so hard. And I was also glad it happened earlier in the book and it wasn't a slow burn.

What set this apart from other regency romances I've read is the adventure. Trying to find Arthur's brother, some of Lydia's family getting mixed in, following the suspects, and putting themselves in danger. I sometimes hate these kinds of books since I get stressed, but at no point in this book did I get stressed or cringe, so that was a big win.

Thanks to @stmartinspress for sending me an advance copy of Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti, out January 21st!

I loved Ne’er Duke Well, the first book in the series, but even that didn’t prepare me for Earl Crush.

Quick question for @alexandravasti: are you kidding me with these characters??? YOUR HONOR, I LOVE THEM. I would die for Arthur and Lydia. They are so smart and sweet and funny and vulnerable.

Exhibit A: “I’ve chosen the abyss.” 💀
Exhibit B: “Had the man not realized she was composed primarily of worry?” (Same, girl.)

After Lydia learns the man she’s been exchanging letters with wasn’t actually the Earl of Strathrannoch but his missing brother, she agrees to help the Earl find him, with unexpected consequences.

What unfolds is a true Regency romp with the vibes of The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean meets Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare. There’s Espionage! Intrigue! A road trip!

I *love* an epistolary element, and this book takes it one step further with UNSENT LETTERS. Excuse me, I fear I have passed away.

I read Earl Crush in September and have had to keep my thoughts to myself for SO LONG so excuse me if I have run awry with exclamation points and shouty capitals. I’m so excited for historical romance lovers to get to read this book and fall in love with these characters the way I have. And soon, you can!

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

When Lydia Hope-Wallace decides to offer her hand in marriage to the Earl of Strathrannoch, it's with the understanding that the stranger is actually a long-standing pen pal and trusted friend. One she's bantered and argued with, as well as slowly fallen in love with over the course of three years. However, the disgruntled man that holds the title (and owns the decrepit family home Lydia had in mind she was saving), is decidedly <I>not</I> the man Lydia has been conversing with.

And, while Arthur Baird is a man used to solving his own problems, he has to admit he may need the unexpectedly fiery woman to help solve a problem concerning his brother (and the man Lydia has <I>actually</I> been talking to). What follows is a misadventure including sixteen zebras, a chase around the British countryside, mistaken identities, and only one bed in the inn.

An utterly fun, hilarious, and sexy misadventure between a penniless but dedicated Scottish Earl and an introverted, opinionated heiress. I loved every second of reading this ridiculous book, and can only imagine how wonderful it would be to enjoy as an audiobook. If you're looking for a funny, character driven, Regency romance that's just a little unrealistic (but makes up for it with laughs and heartwarming moments)-- then don't look any further!

Wallflower Lydia Hope-Wallace has decided to take her future into her own hands. She plucks up her courage and goes to propose marriage to the person. She’s been writing letters to for several years, who seems not only to share her interests in politics, but agree with her wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, the man she finds isn’t the man she thought she was writing to. Enter the Earl of Strathan - a strapping Scot who cares not a whit for politics, but cares for his land, his people, and eventually, for Lydia.

Vasti’s storytelling shines again here in the Belvoir’s library series - and her adeptness at writing off the charts chemistry and believable relationships. I adored every second of fun in this book!!

I loved every page of Earl Crush. Alexandra Vasti does it again, creating a group of characters who are lovable and intriguing, all while making her reader laugh out loud and feel what her characters are feeling.

Lydia Hope-Wallace, a wallflower heiress, heads to Scotland to propose a marriage of convenience to the Earl of Strathrannoch, who she has been corresponding with anonymously for three years. Except upon her arrival, the Earl of Strathrannoch, Arthur Baird, has no idea who she is because Lydia has been writing to Arthur's brother who is not the Earl of Strathrannoch.

Lydia is brilliant and braver than she thinks. Arthur lets Lydia herself and sees her for the incredibly brave woman she is. Lydia is a relatable FMC and Arthur is a swoon-worthy MMC.

This book was laugh out loud fun, full of witty banter, capers, and romance. Earl Crush is a 5 star read!

Thank you to Alexandra Vasti, SMP Romance, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Earl Crush
By Alexandra Vasti

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is delightful, funny, full of heart and very well written. I read the whole thing in two days and loved every second of the journey. Lydia Hope-Wallace and Arthur, Earl Strathrannoch, have such a lovely story. Lydia at 26 is firmly on the shelf and decides that she is ready for a marriage of convenience to the Earl of Strathrannoch, with whom she had been corresponding for two years. She arrives at his castle and proposes only to have him question exactly who she is. It appears that Lydia has been writing to the earl’s younger brother unknowingly. But there is something magnetic between Arthur and Lydia and it isn’t long before Arthur wants her for himself. Integrated beautifully into the story is a well formed plot involving the Home Office and some foreign operatives as well as some delightful side characters.

This story had the perfect blend of romance, angst, spice and plot. It was really beautifully crafted and kept me interested until the very last page.

Read this book if you love:
- Historical romances with a good plot line
- Intrigue
- A delightful found family
- MMCs with broad shoulders who are six foot-more
- MFCs who are clever and resourceful and willing to be brave even when they are afraid
- Really good build up and exceptional pay-off to the love story
- zebras!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for my honest opinions. I really didn’t want this one to end at all!