Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

4/5 stars

I was a big fan of Vasti’s first novel and really enjoyed this one! I did find the character of the Earl a bit stereotypical, hence the 4 instead of 5 stars, but loved Lydia - she really made this book for me.

Lydia - a wallflower with anxiety and big opinions ends up on the doorstep of Earl Strathtannoch’s door, proposing marriage. However, there has been a clear misunderstanding and this book tells the tale.

4.5 stars
For the past few years, wallflower Lydia has been anonymously publishing “radical” political pamphlets through the Belvoir Library. During this same period, she thought she was exchanging letters with the Earl of Strathrannoch (Arthur). When she goes to Scotland to meet her pen pal and propose marriage, learns he didn't write the letters. The letters were, in fact, written by the Earl’s missing brother, and Lydia and Arthur team up to find him.
I really enjoyed this book. I had read the first in the series, and while I enjoyed it, I found myself liking this book even more. For me, it was the perfect mix of romance, humor, emotion, and a bit of mystery. I found the romance to be well paced – a nice build of tension before the spice, and the humor was often laugh-out-loud.
The characters were very likable. The pacing was great. The story focuses on the relationship between Lydia and Arthur, but there are some great family dynamics and just enough regency era politics to help move the plot along.
If you hadn’t read the first in the series, you might miss a couple of small details, but the book stands on its own very well.

Alexandra Vasti's books are so funny and sexy I always have to read them right away! Earl Crush is about socially anxious heiress/radical pamphleteer Lydia and semi-reclusive earl/inventor Arthur. They've been corresponding about politics for several years, so Lydia comes up with the brilliant idea to travel to Scotland and surprise Arthur with a proposal of marriage! Except Arthur has no idea that they've supposedly been sending each other letters and has no idea who she is. They set out on a li'l road trip together to figure out why Arthur's brother was catfishing her that really turns into a tour of all my/our/your favorite sex tropes (someone's coming, quick kiss me! Only one bed! Makeout/dry hump up against the wall! AND MORE!).

We feel like these books fill the Tessa Dare niche of "hilarious, super sexy, and emotional," and we're just so happy every time we pick one up.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

this. book. is. amazing. I could scream about it from the rooftops 😫 the representation of social anxiety, being the oddball out, and still having confidence and power in your decisions is what made Lydia one of my favorite characters ever. There was NOTHING about this book I didn’t like, the story, characters, the quirks 🧑‍🍳💋 I’m usually not one for annotating but I was SCRIBBLING LIKE A MADWOMAN over some of the things said in this story.

Thank you so much Alexandra for sending me an ARC and letting me delight in this story.

Review posted to GoodReads 8/31, posted to evelynlainebooks on Instagram 8/31, and TBD future date.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was such an enjoyable romp of a Regency romance. We have the Scotland highlander romance hero, a dash of spies and tension, and lovable main characters. And paced perfectly. I read this book all in the span of one sleepless night. I'm so excited to read more of the Hope-Wallace family (Jasper??? swoon? I'm rooting for him and Lydia's best friend) and get the rest of their stories.

ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! A stunning regency romance! Just a brilliant romance in general! From the very beginning I was enthralled by the characters and their story. Lydia starts off witty and brilliant and it’s hard not to immediately want to know more about what’s going on in her brain. Arthur, on the other hand, is introduced as aloof and mysterious and, well, giant and bearded, so… sign me up! Their love story is a slow burn that had me giggling and kicking my feet the whole way through. And the best part? We love it when a man is down BAD for his girl. I had heart eyes and red cheeks reading some of the earl’s POVs.
This book has romance. It has history. It has mystery. It has all the makings of a perfect comfort read! 10/10! No notes! Add this to your tbr ASAP!

When you think the man with whom you're corresponding knows you, but when you show up at his door, he's confused by your presence and it gets a bit awkward.

Lydia Hope-Wallace is a wealthy heiress that has been sheltered all her life by her brothers and mother. She started writing pamphlets under a pseudonym about her opinions and publishing them through her friend's bookstore since she's unable to talk to men when she goes to balls and can get quite ill. They become wildly popular and the Earl of Strathrannoch reaches out to her and starts to converse about her pamphlets. When she finally builds up the courage to go to him in Scotland and propose due to his lack of funds, Arthur does not know who she is because the he has not been writing to her for the past 3 years. When the Arthur convinces her to stay, she starts to for the first time get comfortable around him and push past her fear to help him find his brother.

Historical regency romance is one of my favorite genres. I read all of Alexandra Vasti's books in one week because I couldn't get enough and this is no exception. It has everything that a reader could want: mystery, romance, and an incredibly hot Scottish man (Jamie Fraser, anyone?).

The author wrote about Lydia's anxiety and showed how despite warring with herself, Lydia still pushed through to try new experiences rather than shirking them due to fear. There's so much positive progression from the Lydia the reader sees in Ne'er Duke Well and this book.

Arthur is so patient with Lydia so that she has gain more confidence to do what needs to be done. He is the strong, patient man that she needs to encourage her to find herself and never judges her for what she feels. His need to be loved was something that made me want to wrap him in a hug. Also the fact that he is quite clever with his inventions and a bit of recluse really complimented Lydia.

I receive an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

I loved this story. There was a road trip and forced proximity. I could not put the book down, I devoured this story. This was a character-driven book as Lydia and Arthur were both perfectly flawed in all the best ways. I love how accepting Arthur was of Lydia and vice versa it made their fabulous love story that much more lovely. They were the perfect counterparts to one another. The addition of the intrigue in the story was compelling and interesting. I cannot say enough good things about this story and the ending letters were the perfect way to encapsulate the love created in this story. Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

5 stars

I was absolutely charmed by this book. The characters were so well developed and easy to root for (including the side characters). The relationship between the two main characters was so sweet. They go from strangers to sort of reluctant friends to being fake married to being actually in love. But make no mistake, there was some serious pining from the start. Arthur was down bad for Lydia (we love to see it). Lydia was also very socially anxious and I loved how Arthur helped her with that.
The theft/espionage subplot was also well done and I liked how everything tied together and how all the trouble the main characters got into helped bring tj together.
This was such a fun historical romcom that I could not put down and had me giggling the whole time I was reading

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Publishing for the ARC!

Hello Book friends!

Today I’m reviewing Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti. In the second novel of Vasti’s Belvoir’s Library series it’s wallflower heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace to find her happily ever after. And when she boldly turns up in Scotland to propose to the man she’s been secretly writing to for three years (gasp). Things don’t quite go the way she planned them.

Oh, Alexandra Vasti, you’ve done it again.

A delightfully enchanting book about two people who want something more than what society expects of them. A hermit Earl who would rather be helping his tenants and restoring his crumbling castle than interact with nobility, or anyone really. Arthur Baird’s estate is clearly in desperate need of funds. Enter the shy intelligent heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace who would be able to provide and proposes just that (along with marriage) the moment he meets her.

The catch…

He’s not the man whose been writing to her.

Earl Crush is a romp of a novel. It’s a fast paced, character driven romance, with cameo’s from the first book! Fans of the first novel will be screaming (happily) “kiss already,” “wait… where are you going,” and “I am a puddle of so many happy emotions.”

Plus, the love letters at the end are absolutely the BEST!

I highly recommend pre-ordering this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Another standout from Vasti, I love this series of smart, headstrong heroines and the men who pine after them.

I saw myself in Lydia’s social anxiety and swooned at the way Arthur tended to her needs. This is what good romance novels are made of!

Zany hijinks, particularly those zebras, could have been distracting but it’s all in the spirit of fun and reminds me of much loved works by Virginia Heath.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6612167016

Well that was a perfectly charming book. It's now the fifth thing by Alexandra Vasti I've read and the first book I've read via NetGalley. This is my first review in ages so uh...it'll likely be a bit clumsy.

I just recently dove into Vasti's work and couldn't help but get the feeling that I'm catching someone right before they'll hit their stride to becoming a standard favorite--a Julia Quinn, Coutney Milan, or Eloisa James just before they're noticed and specific style loved.

Onto this book in particular: <i>Earl Crush</i> is the second book in a new series by Vasti, following <i>Ne'er Duke Well</i>. It is what I've come to think of as Bluestocking Regency Romance. I uh...really love this genre--think Laura Lee Guhrke's Girl Bachelor series. Women are clever and men love their cleverness. I love their stories.

And the FMC and MMC in this book do not disappoint. They are clever people who have their faults and an internal dialogue of strength and human frailty that is lovely. And you learn about them through the telling--rather than the stating. They have depth and background. I not only like them, but I roll my eyes at their choices sometimes--because people aren't perfect and are informed by a wealth of personal history. And Vasti reminds us of that through her storytelling.

That said--I can definitely see where bits felt rushed. Read this book. It's worth it. You'll be happy to catch Vasti early.

This is my second Alexandra Vasti book, and it delivers fun characters with very compelling chemistry. Earl Crush is about Arthur, a penniless Scottish earl who invents in his spare time, and Lydia, who is shy in public but very forthcoming as an author of seditious pamphlets. Arthur and Lydia are great together and the banter really jumps off the page.

The story itself didn't work quite as well for me, though, and the plot felt both unevenly paced and contrived at the same time. There's so much going on in this book, with a plot against the government mixed with espionage mixed with a laundry list of family dynamics. All of that is well and good, but it feels more like window dressing for the romance than a truly thought out story on its own. And then it ends without giving you some real emotional beats!

I keep reading these books because the chemistry is so good, and maybe that's why I like the Halifax Hellion novellas better. I had similar plot complaints with Ne'er Duke Well. But if that's less important for you and you prefer chemistry to plot, then you will probably enjoy this book just fine.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
A absolutely wonderful read - I loved every second of this book. Both protagonists were really flushed out characters and expertly written characters just take a book to the next level. I can’t wait for the next one.

I have mixed feelings about the Earl crush . The beginning was really great, funny, relatable and smart heroin. But after maybe one quarter of the book it completely changes it becomes only scene about the two protagonists pining on one another and a plot with too many characters that seems to go in all the directions at the same time. I stopped at three quarter of the book.

ARC REVIEW (thanks NETGALLEY!)

Ahhh!! This was so cute! I have to be honest and say I wasn’t too hopeful for this one after reading Ne’er Duke Well. The beginning kept me skeptical with the wacky herd of zebras but once they get out the way this book is amazing. I loved Arthur and Lydia. I could relate to Lydia and her social anxiety and loved how attuned Arthur was to her needs. I usually don’t care for mystery and whatever in my romance but this had enough to keep me intrigued and not bored. Their letters to each other in the epilogue are what dreams are made of. Swoon central. ❤️

i loved this story! the tension between the main characters was delicious. the story moved along quickly and the adventure added to the overall story, without being too distracting from the love story. enjoyable steamy scenes, not too graphic.

Aww, this was adorable. An introverted heiress with social anxiety proposes to her pen pal. The only problem is that her pen pal, Davis, has been posing as his brother, Arthur. Hijinks ensue when Lydia and Arthur decide to work together to figure out where Davis is and why he would lie about being the Earl of Strathrannoch.

The plot was fun and Lydia and Arthur were charming as individuals and wonderful as a pair. Overall, this was a delightful read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

I was a HUGE fan of Vasti’s short stories, and sadly Book 1 was a disappointment for me. So imagine my RELIEF that I gave this second book a try, because this was GRAND. Arthur was GONE for Lydia and absolutely adored him. A Tessa-Bailey coded hero. I adored their relationship so much!

I don't usually go for historical novels, but this one was a pleasant surprise! It was fun, intriguing, and SO SWEET.

I loved the protagonist, Lydia. She's aptly described as shy but not timid, and that's about right. I also loved how she found her courage throughout the story. It would have been cool to have a little more included about her pamphlets, because that part of her storyline seemed interesting to me, but not touched on all that much. Still, she is a strong protagonist and I loved reading about her development.

As for Arthur, I feel similarly. His lines were swoon-worthy (especially the little intros at the beginning of the chapters), and I didn't think that the conflict near the end of the book was out of nowhere nor out of character for him, so that was pleasant. I would have maybe liked to know more about his relationship with his brother, though I did enjoy the details we got. The supporting characters were also lovely in the ways they added to the plot and character relationships.

Regarding their relationship, I think the pacing was a little fast in the beginning, but I loved it regardless! Alexandra Vasti has a beautiful way with words, and I really think her writing style added to the emotions here. The epilogue made me so happy, and I thought it was a unique and clever way to wrap up the story.

So sweet and so fun! I might just try more historical romance going forward.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC for this book.