Lady Darling and Lady Georgiana are rival authors, publishing similar books at the same time. Lady Georgiana decides to confront the unknown Lady Darling, assuming she's stealing her work, but is shocked to find it is her crush from years ago, Cat. In an attempt to get inspiration to write something different from each other, they both end up at a haunted, spooky mansion where something is out to get them. Can they work together before it's too late?

Ladies in Hating was a cute rivals to lovers story involving a precocious dog and a haunted mansion. The banter between the two FMCs was laugh out loud. I really enjoyed their story and how it developed, constantly moving. Also, the dissimilar family dynamics between the FMCs was wonderful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Regency novels are not my typical choice for reading, but Alexandra Vasti is incredibly talented & I've enjoyed all the Belvoir's Library trilogy novels. The third book, Ladies in Hating, is a lesbian romance, murder mystery, & spooky adventure all wrapped into a Regency novel with a great storyline.
Georgiana & Cat met in their teenage years, but life & circumstances separated them for 10 years. They both became Gothic novelists & reconnected through an epic adventure while realizing their true feelings for each other.
Thank you, #NetGalley & St. Martin's Press, for the ARC of #LadiesinHating. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book, with all thoughts and opinions being my own. If you enjoy a bit of history, a sprinkling of passion, & plenty of romantic swoon then you'll enjoy this lovely story.

I really enjoyed Ladies in Hating, I was impressed by Alexandra's crossover into a sapphic romance and the strong relationship built in the book. I enjoyed the mystery aspects and the sincerity with which women were able to communicate in this novel. I found it a refreshing departure from classic miscommunication tropes even though miscommunication was central to the romance/third act break up. Overall, really enjoyed and continue to be a fan of Alexandra Vasti!

I do love me a good gothic sapphic romance, and let me tell you - this was a good one. So good I have to get my own copy.

Two writers like COME ON!!! The hatred but the secret attraction like yesssss do kiss. Both Georgiana and Cat were two loveable characters, with their flaws, and in the end - I was ROOTING for them.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read! This one did not disappoint.

"I like untoward. THIS is bordering on outlandish."

I can't help adoring Georgiana. She's spunky, with a temper, and incredibly creative, with an overdeveloped sense of spite. Not only a talented author, she's an actress and cosplayer. And a bit of a sleuth. I love her.

And Cat! She has secrets keeping secrets, but a heart of gold.

Look out. These two are playing with fire.

"You're incandescent. The whole world ought to be brightened by your light."

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me so I won't be leaving any public reviews. Thanks for letting me try it out!

Convinced that a rival gothic novelist is stealing her ideas, Georgiana Cleeve sets out to put a stop to it. Problems arise when her rival is revealed to be Cat Lacey: the former butler’s daughter and Georgiana’s secret teenage crush. When they end up at the same derelict manor to write their new books, tension rises as they confront the real emotions behind their rivalry.

Alexandra Vasti had me at sapphic gothic novelists. How could I not pick this up after that?
I don’t read a lot of period pieces, and the ones I do tend to be more fantasy than romance, but this might have changed my mind on that stance. At the very least, I will absolutely be adding the rest of Vasti’s work to my TBR.

Everything about this was a dream. The banter. The pining. The tension. I was so utterly obsessed. Seriously, this book had me smiling to myself as I read it, it was so cute. I had so much fun with the romance. Georgiana and Cat are brilliantly relatable, and I adored them. The balance between the different plotlines was really good. Obviously, the romance took precedence, but I did enjoy the side plot of the mystery around the manor and felt that it was well done. There weren’t any plot holes or dropped details, and everything wrapped up very neatly.

I really cannot say how much I appreciate that this was a book focused on a sapphic couple falling in love and living happily. While I understand the importance, I’ve grown weary of queer romances stuffed to the brim with homophobia—internal or external. In a world already so full of hate, sometimes I just want an escape. Ladies in Hating was a breath of fresh air. It was easy, fluffy, and absolutely perfect.

5/5 stars

Nobody is doing it like Alexandra Vasti!! This is my third (plus her three Halifax novellas) Vasti book and I continue to be blown away by her mastery of her craft - LADIES IN HATING is chock full of romance, hijinks, family, and some good ANGST. I’ve loved Georgiana in the first two Belvoir books, and getting to finally journey inside of her head was a real treat, as was seeing her meet her match in Cat, who was spunky and sweet in equal measure. I loved this one!

I expected a cute, Bridgerton-meets-Pride-and-Prejudice rom com. This delivered and so much more! The combination of all the separate genres into one book left me with a cozy, suspenseful, laugh-out-loud read.

Gothic novelists, rivals-to-lovers with secret childhood crushes, a spooky haunted house, and secrets and mysteries abounding? This book was incredible! I loved the push-and-pull and tension between our main protagonists, Cat and Georgiana. These women are both so intelligent. I really enjoyed the history we find out about the two women and their families...I cackled with each meet-cute (That wasn't so cute) and how angry they got with one another.

The only real feedback I have regarding this book is the genre shift and I felt like the ending and resolution went kind of haywire. I still definitely enjoyed the ride and will absolutely be recommending it to others!

“You cannot possibly imagine how long and how desperately I have wanted you.”

I’m so thankful to get to experience the Alexandra Vasti literary universe in real time. Ladies in Hating, the finale of the Belvoir’s series, follows the love affair between Georgianna Cleeve and Catriona Lacey. Once upon a time, a teenage Georgie fell madly in love with Cat and never got over it (she also never got over the guilt of having an evil father but that’s a whole other thing). The two have now grown into gothic novelists with suspiciously similar manuscripts and separate plans to stay at Renwick House, a potentially haunted gothic mansion.

I’ve loved everything AV has ever written, but I think this is my favorite. Georgie and Cat are so tender and have to work through very realistic issues to earn their HEA, but at no point is the dream of riding off into the sunset just written off because they’re two women in love. And they get to be horny! And silly! And all of the things that queer historicals are often lacking in the name of historical accuracy! I had so much fun. Please read this book!!

Be still my regency-era, enemies to lovers, academic rivalry, sapphic beating heart! This was such a fun romance, I couldn't stop giggling from joy. This is what I wanted when I read Bridgerton.

Alexandra Vasti can do no wrong. I eat up everything she writes, and this beauty is no exception.

Rival gothic novelists? A crumbling mansion? Say less.

Cat and Georgiana, rivals extraordinaire, have no idea they’re rivals because they’re both writing under nom de plumes. In fact, Cat has no idea they’re even rivals at all because she’s so busy trying to provide by writing that she doesn’t have time to read. but Georgiana has noticed several alarming similarities in their stories as they’re published. And when she confronts poor unsuspecting Cat, she recognizes her from her past, and is immediately shaken. Because Georgiana had a crush on Cat as a teenager, when Cat and her family lived on Georgiana’s father’s estate in service.

They then find themselves brought together under various circumstance - the best of which is in a crumbling and haunted mansion.

The swoon, the angst, the tension are all magnificent and the end result is perfection. Their character growth is beautiful and I loved them both so much - and all the supportive side characters!

I highly recommend for fans of historical romance, especially sapphic and gothic!

I ventured out of my normal genres for this read. I was enticed by the cover art and title. Historical Romance is a booming genre these days, but as a lesbian I've always felt left out of the mainstream discussions. I thought I would give this book a try and I am glad I did! I love Georgiana and Cat. I feel like I got to know them. There were many moving parts to this story, but I felt it all resolved nicely by the end. Lesbian readers, this does not have a sad ending! Go for it!

this was my second Alexandra vasti book and her writing has remained witty, fun and interesting!

sapphic gothic writers that are rivals since their stories have similarities who end up falling for each other. there’s always some mystery lurking around in vasti’s book and i always enjoy them however, in this one, it got a little convoluted and anticlimactic. wasn’t a huge fan of the progression of cat & georgiana’s relationship as well but they were still cute!

This book had so much potential and elements that i should’ve loved like regency lesbians, haunted houses, and rivals to lovers. But the execution was lackluster. The "rivals" dynamic was resolved super early (like 30% in) so the pacing as well felt off.
however, i liked cat and georgiana individually and together as well so in the end i felt wholesome about it all.

I *loved* this book. Though it can be read as a standalone, I did read the first two books in the series before I picked it up and I had fun with all of them. This one though absolutely blew me out of the water. It was romantic and sweet and incredibly sexy. I love queer historical stories and I love when you can tell the authors put their hearts into them. I also appreciate the historical notes at the end. We’ve always been here 💖🏳️‍🌈.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of Ladies in Hating. Alexandra Vasti is absolutely excellent at writing historical romance, but to be honest, I was nervous for this one as I have seen several great romance writers absolutely flounder when it comes to sapphic romances, I should have known, she was going to do it perfectly though. While I felt like this one took a while to get interesting, I loved the two main characters and their love was so sweet and deep and pure. Both women knew themselves, were secure in their careers, and were both forces of nature in this book and it was delightful to watch them fall in love slowly, and with the perfect amount of yearning and angst. I loved the gothic setting and I want to live in that house now- even with the ghosts. I found the plot line to be perfectly unbelievable and unhinged while the characters’ depth, growth and romance were deeply relatable and believable. Which is exactly why I will continue to slowly dabble into historical romance, and also read everything Vasti writes.

This book was pure gothic sapphic magic and I loved every delicious moment of it. Vasti weaves a romance that is sharp, sexy, and utterly addictive, with writing that sparkles with wit and longing. The chemistry between Georgiana and Cat crackles from the very beginning; equal parts resentment, rivalry, and years of buried desire. I adored how their shared love of storytelling became both their battleground and their bond. But it’s the emotional depth that truly floored me. Beneath the banter and heat is a story about ambition, class, envy, and the ache of past dreams. It’s passionate, heady, and full of yearning. Absolutely stunning.

Ladies in Hating was everything I needed and so much more. I saw someone call it, "this is a love letter to women gothic novelists" and I couldn't agree more. I will never say no to a sapphic historical romance, especially if Alexandra writes it. Georgiana and Catriona need to be on your TBR immediately.

It pains me to negatively report back on this book. When I first read the pitch for Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti, I was super excited about it. Rivaling gothic novelists who fall in love? Then when I started the novel, I struggled to attach myself to our lead character then we pit her against a less wealthy character who is just trying to make it by in life. Something about the setup made me roll my eyes a little because how am I supposed to root for the one character? We are introduced to a mystery that is resolved quickly then I don't know.

Maybe if I read this book in a different format, it'll hit differently. This strikes me as maybe an audiobook I could love. The fact that it is about gothic novelists yet the setting appears to not play in it at all really threw me off. I'm fairly new to the romance genre and know even less about historical romances. This is also a time period where I might know a little too much and also know about the publishing world that I had trouble severing my disbelief for the book.

I'm still in love with its pitch and how it delivers something to me at a different time. At this moment, I'm disappointed. It didn't feel engaging and felt like a very generic setup with characters I could barely remember and wanted to follow.

this was a fantastic concept and enjoyed getting in this romance Regency novel. The overall feel worked and I was engaged with what was happening with the characters. The characters worked well in this time-period and enjoyed the overall feel of them, I enjoyed getting to know Cat and Georgiana in this. I enjoyed the way Alexandra Vasti wrote this and can't wait for more.