What a fun book! "Earl Crush" follows Lydia Hope-Wallace as she travels to Scotland hoping to marry her political pen-pal, the Earl of Strathrannoch. She expects her money will shore up his crumbling estate and she hopes she will find a marriage of equal minds, something she's been far to shy to seek in London. But when she arrives, the earl realizes his brother has been writing in his name, leaving Lydia adrift and unengaged. The real magic happens when she agrees to help the earl track down his brother and discovers the charms of both Scottland and Scottish earls along the way.

I found the characters fun-- Lydia is terribly shy, but also quite intelligent and well-spoken when she comes out of her shell. She spends the book working through her timidity, trying to learn to speak up for herself, be brave, and go after what she wants. I liked that she had a real area in which she needed to grow, and Vasti continues to bring her character into situations to help that growth.

Arthur was an equally compelling lead, combining brooding, inventiveness, and a deep loyalty to his land and his people. He cares deeply about his brother as well, and the conflict between his brother's betrayal and his own desires sparks an internal debate that carries through the book.

The plot moved along well-- I stayed up far too late reading-- and Vasti wove in a fun mystery with political intrigue at its core.

I also really liked all the zebras.

Great book, fun read!

Anxious heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace is safe in the bosom of her over-protective family, but she secretly writes seditious pamphlets -- and then she decides to take her life into her own shaking hands and make a marriage proposal to a duke she's been corresponding with. She turns up on the doorstep of Arthur Baird, the penniless Scottish Duke of Strathrannoch...only to discover "her" duke isn't THE duke at all! Honor, family, and some very hot chemistry between Lydia and Arthur push them both out of their inertial comfort zones to make changes....and perhaps find love and a new way of life.

I am enjoying Alexandra Vasti’s work, and Lydia’s story was fun! The opening of this novel won me over with mistaken identity, anxiety, and ZEBRAS!
Vasti’s character development is her strength. Lydia is smart, and strong, but also a relatable woman with social anxiety. But Arthur 100 percent won me over – the way he fell for Lydia SO hard and the snippets of unsent letters to her made me swoon. YEARNING!
This never feels tropey, and I genuinely didn’t know where the story would go next. The final twist about Arthur’s brother was well done.
Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Loving this new to me author and her great stories. The women in her series are the best and I love their friendships as well as the well-intending but meddling side characters

My new go to author for regency romance!
I was so excited for Lydia’s story after reading the first book in this series, and it surpassed my expectations! We catch up with Lydia while she is on her way to propose to the Earl of Strathrannoch after exchanging letters anonymously. But she soon finds out it was Arthur’s brother who was writing her, and the two go on an adventure to find him.
I appreciate how every female characters in this series has their own life and pursuits outside of the marriage mart, and feel like fully developed characters. At the same time, Lydia and Arthur’s connection was strong and I absolutely loved them together! They were perfectly matched and the chemistry is 🔥!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and this review is written voluntarily.

Earl Crush was a fun and romantic read that keeps the reader guessing on what schemes are being orchestrated. Lydia and Arthur are swoon worthy main characters and make the perfect team. The storytelling is witty and clever, and seeing Arthur instantly fall so hard and feel so protective over Lydia was so heartwarming. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot behind the Strathrannoch family and secret political dealings. I loved seeing Lydia, a conventionally and socially timid woman, have such strong political opinions and push the boundaries set before her. This story centralizes around a woman that is both soft hearted and strong minded and makes it her mission to make a difference using an anonymous political column. I relate to having more confidence in my voice through writing versus talking to others, and I enjoyed seeing Lydia be empowered and commended for her progressive ideas and quiet strengths. Not only this, but Lydia herself is considered a spinster and has written off the idea of finding love. Despite the unique circumstances set before her, she finds her place with Arthur that opens a whole new world of passion and purpose she never thought possible.

Overall, I give this book 3.5 stars, and if you enjoy period romance, mystery and humor this book is definitely for you!

I adored Ne'er Duke Well, and was SO ready for Lydia's book! And let me tell you, it lived up to all my hopes! This book was sweet, funny, endearing, and kept me hooked from page 1. Truly, it had it all. Lydia and Arthur are so sweet, and their slow burn was worth the wait. They met in some pretty unconventional circumstances, but they were meant to be!

Read this book twice and can’t get enough! Thoughtful character development and plot. Delightful cast. Vasti is quickly becoming a fave.

Well, this was wonderful. Just wonderful. Earl Crush is smart, funny, sexy, emotional, kind and unabashedly romantic, full of pining and needing. Lydia and Arthur are awkward yet strong and brave. I can easily state that this is one of my favorite books of the year. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. All opinions are solely my own.

I loved this story sooo much. Historical romances are my jam and this has such a lovely unique feel while also having Bridgerton like vibes. I think everyone should read this book just as soon as they can.

This was such a good follow-up to Ne’er Duke Well. Earl Crush is Lydia’s story, one of the characters from that book. She is petrified of her own shadow and completely awkward with people she doesn’t know (so far as to faint and vomit on them) but is incredibly intelligent, penning political pamphlets anonymously in England in 1818. The youngest in a very wealthy family with four older brothers, she’s never gotten married because she’s so awkward but travels to Scotland thinking that a pen pal of hers might be an option. This one has a bit of a mystery involved because it turns out the person she thought she was writing to was actually the brother of an Earl and they have to find out what happened to his brother. Naturally she ends up falling for Arthur, the Earl, and he for her but he’s convinced he’s less educated than his brother, not as much of a catch, etc. Alexandra Vasti writes such entertaining, funny, sexy stories and I was thrilled to get to read her latest early.

Came for the author and her perfect mixture of history and romance and stayed because just so damn charming. Vasti always sneaks in real history, anxieties, and tensions, and this book likewise doesn't shy away from the complex issues that governed the class, racial, sexual, and gendered lives people of this historical moment. But then also the characters are whole and unique and do not evolve in an obvious straight line. I particularly appreciated the FMC, who is not always easy and struggles to claim the live she wants. That said, the book is also just funny, charming, and worth a read.

Lydia Hope-Wallace drives up to Scotland with the intention of proposing to the Earl of Strathrannoch, with whom she's carried on correspondence for the past three years, only to discover it was his brother pretending to be him who had been writing her. He asks her to help him find his brother who absconded with a dangerous piece of equipment he created. While they attempt to figure out why the Earl's brother stole it and who he's working for, Lydia learns one of her brothers is also part of a clandestine organization. As the two continue to try to find answers, pretending to be a married couple for appearances, they find that perhaps all their faking might be turning into something real.

A spicy and thoroughly enjoyable regency romance.

An absolutely adorable historical romance about a heiress spinster and a broody earl trying to uncover the mystery behind where his brother is. This had the cutest and steamiest romance I’ve read in a while and I’m so sad to leave these characters!

I knew I was going to love this after being obsessed with Ne’er Duke Well! This was so fun to read and the romance was sweet, swoon-worthy and absolutely swept me off my feet. Lydia and Arthur both have me in a chokehold because their chemistry was unreal! The angsty love declarations had me in happy tears. I’m so obsessed with them. They’re both very well written in their struggles and Lydia was just so precious to me in how she developed since Book 1. And the way Arthur was rightfully down bad for this woman every single time. I’ve said this before, but any man written by Alexandra Vasti is always the entire green forest!

Vasti’s writing style is always so freshly addicting because I breezed through this book and could not put it down. The plot was well paced and I loved the balance between the chaos (hello, 16 zebras) and funny moments. Lydia’s older brothers were all hilarious too and the interactions had me cackling. I love her family so much and would adore books about her brothers too because they are all so ridiculous and goofy.

Really enjoyed the second installment of these interconnected standalones. The MMC and FMC were both great and I thought the plot was fun and interesting.

Alexandra Vasti has written another unforgettable, unique Regency romance! I can't think of another one with zebras trotting around the grounds.

Lydia Hope-Wallace has been corresponding with the Earl of Strathrannoch for quite a while, or so she thinks. When she learns that he is in financial straits, Lydia sets out to offer the Earl a bargain - she proposes that they marry. They have corresponded long enough that she thinks they might do well together, and he needs money, which she has. She has her own reasons for wanting to marry. But it turns out that the Earl had never exchanged a single letter with her; his brother has pranked them both. But why would he do this?

I adored Lydia, who was born in the wrong century and chafed at the limitations put on women. The Earl was an admirable man trying to keep the estate afloat, since his father had run it into the ground, with his passion for travel and exotic animals.

I received an e-arc from the publisher St. Martin's Press and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

♾️⭐️

This book is perfect. Alexandra Vasti is so smart and we don’t deserve her. I have so many notes. I have so many thoughts and so much love for it and these characters.

I need a little time to process all these thoughts and feelings and will reassess in the near future. 💜

Add it to your TBR, preorder it, show it all the love it deserves.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alexandra Vasti has done it again! I loved her debut novel and I loved this one as well. Her historical details and worldbuilding are spectacular and her romances are scorching hot. I’ll read anything and everything Vasti writes!

I love Alexandra Vasti more than I thought possible. The level of detail she provides that is all based in fact is astounding! I love how she shines a light on Queer or marginalized love stories, and let's us know that people have always loved romance and sexuality from the beginning of time.
Arthur and Lydia live deep in my heart. I was kicking my feet in glee whenever they were near each other, and I ADORE a hero who is gone for his heroine before she's even figured out she's allowed to want him.
I can't wait for more books in this world, such a fun romp.