"I am built for you, Lydia Hope-Wallace. My body and my heart were formed for the loving of you"

A gentle giant of a man, a woman who knows her mind, love notes, theft of experimental weaponry, agents, espionage, and zebras! Doesn't it sound like a fun plot?

Arthur and Lydia might be might favorite Vasti couple. But I think I said that for all her previous couples.

Arthur is a rough-tender blacksmith of an earl. Lydia is a six-and-twenty year old pamphleteer spinster with a social anxiety(!) She shows up on Arthur's door to offer a marriage of convenience to a man who respected her and her ideals, or in other words, to Earl Strathrannoch with whom she's been corresponding in years only to find out he has no idea who she is.

Arthur doesn't know what to make of Lydia at the start. There is instant attraction but these two get closer and closer on the hunt for Arthur's brother's whereabouts. These two are perfect for each other. Both have struggled with meeting the societal and familial expectations in the past so they are very gentle with each other.

Once again, Vasti writes the most delicious spicy scenes.

ARC Review: Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti
Pub Date: January 21, 2025

Alexandra Vasti just always knocks it out of the park, and Earl Crush is no exception! I refuse to rank her books because I love them all so much and YOU CAN'T MAKE ME CHOOSE. I love them, your honor!

Lydia was such a wonderful FMC. She suffers from debilitating social anxiety but also pens radical pamphlets. She has been unsuccessful on the marriage market so decides to travel to Scotland to propose a marriage of convenience to her penpal the Earl. However when she arrives at his home, the Earl has no idea who she is. They embark on a journey together to find his brother who had been impersonating him and the forced proximity sends sparks flying.

Listen, this book was destined to be a hit for me - I love nothing more than a Scottish setting/main character and Arthur, the Earl of Strathrannoch and his absolute devotion to Lydia is just...absolute perfection. He is so gone for her so fast - the romance made me kick my feet it was so swoony and sweet. I giggled, swooned, and fell in love with this book unequivocally. I highlighted so many lines and already can't wait to reread! And of course, as any book by Alex is, this book is H.O.T.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily. And a huge thank you to the author for including me on this traveling ARC!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti.

For those who read Ne’er Duke Well, we are reunited with Lydia Hope-Wallace, who in addition to writing pamphlets has also been exchanging letters with the Earl of Strathrannoch. Lydia travels to Scotland to propose a marriage of convenience to the Earl. Only, upon offering the marriage of convenience, discovers that she has in fact not be exchanging letters with the Earl himself but with the Earl’s brother. Together, Lydia and Arthur set out to track down Arthur’s brother.

This books gives you a regency era romance with plenty of intriguing story beyond the romance. Absolutely my favorite installment in the Belvoir’s Library. And ya’ll, these two are on FIRE for each other. Their romance will have you giddy. Definitely a book to check out if you enjoy marriage of convenience, fake marriage, miscommunications, and mutual pining.

Any regency romance by Alexandra Vasti is not one to miss!

Thanks so much to Alexandra Vasti and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for the eARC of Earl Crush. If you love Bridgerton, this is definitely the book for you. Such a cute quick romance book with mystery and comedy.

I’m sad to say I don’t think Alexandra Vasti knows how to show how her characters formed their connection. In her first full novel, Ne'er Duke Well, you’re just sort of told they had moments over the course of the previous two years, but you don’t experience them. It’s just “remember that time at theater?” Here, the H meets the h, is immediately into her, then the book basically says “two weeks later” and he’s in love, while describing how he’s seen how brave, smart, etc. she is. But we never get to see any of it!

I do love how she writes the characters once they’ve established the connection. As in Duke, the couple are (mostly) up front with their feelings (gotta keep the "love" declaration as the true climax!) and have a very healthy, fun relationship. They establish fairly early on that they’re a couple, and then we get enjoy experiencing them as a couple, which is unique, at least compared to the HRs I’ve read.

And I really loved both characters, though I felt a bit more emotionally connected to him than her, probably because he's just so aware of his intense feelings so much sooner than she is. I just personally prefer to experience the couple falling for each other (I also really don’t like instalove, second chance, or childhood friends (who of course were always secretly in love with the other).  So skipping the connecting is never gonna work for me no matter how much I like the actual characters.

Earl Crush simply had everything I want out of a Regency rom-com - what a delight!

Lydia is a radical thinker, whose writings under a penname resulted in a years-long correspondence with a mysterious Earl in Scotland. When she decides to take her destiny into her own hands for once and surprise him with a visit and offer her hand in marriage, he’s definitely surprised… he has no idea who she is. The two then embark on a hilarious journey involving political intrigue, shifty siblings, and even a runaway herd of zebras in order to uncover the mysterious plot of her former pen pal.

I love the dynamics between Arthur and Lydia as they get to know each other and start to understand what it means to be seen for who you are. Highly recommend to anyone who wishes Bridgerton also had a secret government plot to uncover or anyone who has a hard time being themselves around strangers.

Earl Crush is a delightful, Regency, rom-com with a mystery to solve! I appreciated that the main character appears neurodivergent but is appreciated for her differences. Overall, a light, fun read!

Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti is everything I want in Historical Romance-an FMC before her time, an MMC who defies gender stereotypes of the period, well written spice AND a mystery to boot…I can’t ask for more. Arthur gives big Jamie Fraser vibes, and Lydia is the heroine that all introverts wish to be. The cast of side characters is handled just right as well-not so many as to drag down the plot, but each intentional and interesting on their own apart from the main story. I am so excited to have found this author, and will be following her writing from here on out! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Thank you to Alexandra Vasti, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Earl Crush is Alexandra Vasti’s newest Regency rom-com. It follows Lydia, an heiress with a slightly romantic (and a bit questionable) proposal for the Earl of Strathrannoch, the man she’s been penpaling for nearly 3 years. The only issue? The Earl, Arthur, has no idea who she has.
Lydia and Arthur get entangled in a quest to find his brother and slowly get entangled with each other.

Also, special mention for the Zebras because they were cool.

Tropes:
Right Girl, Wrong Earl
Regency
“Marriage” of convenience
Historical Romance

Earl Crush is perfect for those of you obsessed with Bridgerton. Earl Crush is a romance filled with mystery and comedy. This lovely book releases on January 21, 2025!!

If you love love, you’ll love Earl Crush.

Earl Crush sings and sizzles from the very first line, the kind of book where you feel lucky and delighted just to be reading it. With laugh out loud moments, delicious pining, and sharp, smart plotting, it was truly everything I love about historical romance. Alexandra Vasti is one of the best of the genre and I can't wait for the next book!

This was cute, this author's historical romance books are easy to read and fun. I loved how obsessed the mmc was he was great. I loved the mystery and political intrigue aspect that kept me hooked on the story. The romance was so cute I loved that the fmc is the rich one out of them and the proposal between them. Overall this was cute there were more things I wanted with the romance but I'm excited to read more from the writer. Thanks to SMP for this arc.

A rare and fun fun fun delight! 💕 I couldn't put this one of a kind romance down! Lydia and Arthur are my new favorite regency couple! They have spark, mystery, and steamy times to share! I am a BIG lover of all books that have espionage and romance blended like a sweet sweet and spicy cinnamon roll!

The book starts off with mistaken identity and a blind faith that makes the world go round and round! Lydia is the most determined and giving soul! Arthur is protective and has a crunchy and gooey personality lol! 💞

These days readers need an escape into a book that grabs them and takes them on a grand tour de life! And oh does this treasure do! The pace of the book was the perfect combo of leather and lace lol Leather for quick wit detail! And Lace for sweet moments that make your heart simmer! 🎁 This romance book is on my shelf for life!

Bravo!! 🍪

4.5⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book. I love regency/historical romance, and this was an amazing read!

I love a feminist protagonist set in this era, and Lydia Hope-Wallace was a terrific example of one. She’s so brilliant, smart, and funny. Arthur Baird seems to be a grumpy MMC at first, but he is indeed a cinnamon roll and together it’s such a cinnamon roll pairing- I can’t think of two more love interests who are actually perfect for each other.

One of my favorite things about this was the mystery/quest aspect of it all, I didn’t realize it would be as intense as it actually was and I was hanging on the edge of my seat! I can’t wait for the next books in the series!

I'll say it over, and over again, Alexandra Vasti is one of the best voices in historical romances. I would read her grocery list, and I'm sure it would be joyous and spicy. After Ne'er Duke Well, I was really excited to know what would happen with Lydia and I love how this fast forwards to 3 years later, and we get a glimpse into who Lydia has become in that time since her initial growth from the first book. I love all the awkwardness of her meet disaster with Arthur and this whole mystery surrounding his brother and why he kept writing to her. Arthur is grumpy, poor, and wonderful inventor, and the staff at his sad castle are an amazing new set of secondary characters we get introduced to. I love the pace of the book with the mystery that needs to be solved, along with all the situations that bring Lydia and Arthur closer together (the pining!) and how their fake relationship just becomes more and more real (along with the danger). It never gets too dark but it does get emotional near the end with the lot of plot twists along the way. I feel like the cover really captures the tone of the book... fast paced and lots of fun. Bring on the next one (Georgiana perhaps?).
Steam: 🔥🔥
Heart Flutters : ❤️❤️

This was different than what I’m used to yet entertaining. I enjoyed this story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this arc.

I love a story from Regency England. This one had me shelling out cash to purchase the story before this one. I love seeing strong women make decisions for themselves, even at a time when it was not a normal thing. Seeing what a woman could do, even if they had to hide their identity, is a brave action. Even today, some people will not do or say what they really think, if they are worried about how they appear to others.

I hate ruining a story for anyone, but this was great fun in seeing a woman taking charge and doing what she thinks is right, even when it put her in danger. I felt like I could understand the main character, as she has older brothers, as I do. You sometimes get pushed to the side, but it doesn't mean you are not smart, and strong on your own.

Pick this one up when you need a story about a strong lady, a story you can't put down, and a story that will make you enjoy the read.

Put a Duke or an Earl in any book and I'm happy! I love the time period, love the talk, love the setting, love everything about this book! Well done! Can't wait to read more!

Loved this delightful, breezy, spicy read. Arthur and Lydia and the other secondary characters were so fun to get to know. I do wish there had been more of a resolution to the love triangle aspect (it consumed the H's thoughts throughout the book but just kind of petered out). It'd be fun to meet up with Arthur's brother and Lydia's brother in another book and see what happens with them. Can't wait for Georgiana's story!

My thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am so happy to have gotten a “Read Now” copy of Earl Crush when it was available for a short time on NetGalley. This is my first Vasti novel and I was so pleasantly surprised! I don’t read a ton of historical romance, and this felt like a perfect encapsulation of the genre for me.

I typically like to read a summary before going into a new book, but for this novel I chose not to. This book did a great job easing the reader into the story while also feeling fast-paced in the best way. The characters were wily and lovable, and the found family aspect of the employees at the castle was adorable - in fact, I wish we had gotten to see more of them.

Vasti’s prose had a wonderful way of seeming true to the era (the early 1800’s) while remaining easy to read. I really really loved the epigraphs at the beginning of the chapter, and thought it was especially clever when the note was mentioned again in the course of the following chapter.

Overall, this was an absolutely lovely romance and I will be reading more from Alexandra Vasti in the future. Huge thanks to Alexandra Vasti, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lots of tropes in this book:
Forced proximity
Fake marriage
False identity
Secrets and spies

Lydia Hope-Wallace decides to risk it all to go to Scotland to meet the Earl she’s been corresponding with to propose a marriage of convenience. But upon arrival she meets another man who really is the Earl Strathrannoch. The mystery and adventure begins.

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