*Ladies in Hating* is a lush, steamy sapphic Regency romance that beautifully blends gothic intrigue with simmering romantic tension. Alexandra Vasti crafts a captivating story about Lady Georgiana Cleeve, a famed Gothic novelist, and her mysterious rival Lady Darling—who turns out to be Cat Lacey, the butler’s daughter and Georgiana’s secret crush from youth. Their literary rivalry quickly evolves into something far more complex and passionate, especially when they find themselves trapped together in a creepy manor with ghostly happenings. The novel is full of witty banter, slow-burning desire, and atmospheric suspense, making it perfect for readers who love swoony historical romances with a gothic twist and deeply emotional connections.

I love Alexandra Vasti’s writing. It’s so funny and cozy. This was a super cute and a little spooky kind of sapphic love story, and I really enjoyed both characters.

This was such a charming read! Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

I know what girls want. And girls want a sapphic, regency era romance with rival novelists and forced proximity!!!

Immediately I was intrigued by the premise of one of the FMCs being accused of plagiarizing the other for a bit of conflict. But as we learn what’s REALLY going on my heart just swoons. Speaking of swoon, the romance in this book was so sexy??? It felt so forbidden and sexy. And it wasn’t over the top smutty either. Truly a delight. Love seeing love.

About halfway through I was a little concerned because I felt like the story was very romance driven, but by the end we get some plot twists and an evolving storyline that kept me super engaged.

You could imagine my utter DELIGHT when I logged this book on Goodreads and realized that it is part of a series! I must be off right now to catch up. TTYL xoxo

This was an amazing read. I absolutely love regency story’s with representation especially when they are well written stories.

Alexandra Vasti has done it again! I adored Earl Crush, so I was thrilled to be selected for a traveling ARC of the final book in the Belvoir’s Library series.

Ladies in Hating centers on Georgiana and Cat, two gothic novelists. When Georgiana notices striking similarities between her own work and that of another author, she confronts the writer—only to discover it’s none other than her teenage crush hiding behind a pseudonym. Cue some forced proximity in a delightfully eerie old manor, a couple of mysteries to unravel, and, of course, a slow-burning romance.

I especially loved the early awkwardness between Georgiana and Cat, and how that tension gradually softened as they began to open up. Both characters carry emotional weight from their pasts, and watching them grow vulnerable with each other was such a treat.

Also, Bacon the dog completely stole the show. His antics were absolutely adorable!

Thank you so much to Alexandra Vasti and NetGalley for the ARC and eARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5, rounded to 4
🌶️

Incredibly cute story of two rival gothic novelists in 19th century England who solve mysteries and fall in love. Georgie is the disgraced daughter of an earl who supports herself and her mother writing Gothic thrillers. Her rival, Lady Darling aka Cat Lacey, writes stories with suspiciously similar details. Cat is also her childhood crush, the daughter of her family’s former butler.

This was both heartwarming and funny, and even the spicy scenes are written with an eye to showcasing the power of love and trust. I loved that it was a true Gotchic - spooky decrepit manor, mild supernatural happenings, a long lost heir of noble blood - written with modern sensibilities.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

I loved this novel! I was so excited for a sapphic historical novel and this was incredible! I loved their hidden identities, the tension, the banter, the miscommunication, and finally the maybe-haunted house and the history in it. This was so layered and I adored the characters and their very fully fleshed out lives. And I can’t forget to mention how much I also loved Bacon. Another fabulous novel by Vasti!

I really enjoyed this book, it was the first of the author’s that I’ve read. I thought the fears of both characters felt realistic and I love it when characters have big feels and talk them out on page. I loved the gothic writers in a gothic setting too.

This book to me was an example of how anything regency era is done right. The description of clothing was right, time period slang and metaphors, EVERYTHING. And I love how a sapphic relationship was worked into it. This is one of my favorite regency era sapphic romances. The banter, the jokes, the spice. Everything was *chef’s kiss* good and I will be reading more books from Vasti from now on. This was exceptional. And I am a sucker for a HEA. The family reunion? A niece? Stop, I was emotional. I want a physical copy of this to own forever. Also, a Bacon fan forever. He should never cease his impertinence.

I am thankful to publisher and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read book three of the Belvoir’s Library. Our main character is Lady Georgiana Cleeve and we have met her previously.

I think the romance plot line and the fun of rivalry writers made this delightful. The only reason I am giving it four stars instead of 5 is that Lady Georgiana seems to be a different person than we previously got to know in the other book. However, this book will have you rooting for her just as hard as you would root for any other romance.

Being in my sapphic era, this book was PERFECT. I’m notorious for gravitating towards gothic romances, but this one really knocked it out the park. Ghosts, spooky manor, and don’t forget the pups! The setting and imagery was amazing. The relationship between Georgina and Cat was beautiful. Historical romances can be difficult for me sometimes but this one was such an easy read. Loved it!

My first sapphic book! Super cute, fun to read and likeable characters. Thank you St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC via NetGalley!

Normally, I hate a miscommunication trope, but I found this one to be entertaining and a fun start to the book (to me!). It was fun to see them puzzle out the "what is going on" around that miscommunication. I really enjoy the two MC's separately as well as their dynamic together - I was totally rooting for them!

The writing is playful but I did want a bit more from it. I also wanted more time at the haunted mansion but it felt like they were not there for very long + the mystery felt like it fizzled out, which is a bummer. Overall, a fun read - 3 Stars is neutral!

4.5/5

Ladies in Hating was a delightful, queer regency romance that had me swooning and fanning myself many times. Despite a bit of a rough start, this book caught its stride and grabbed my attention with its witty dialogue and stylized prose. The pacing was quick, yet it knew when to slow down at the more genuine, intimate moments of romance and self-discovery. And let me tell you that romance was romancing!

I was initially worried that the two main characters were too similar in their strong-willed attitudes, but over time, their actions and intentions, ways they handled situations, etc. differentiated them well from each other. They developed into three-dimensional characters with believable flaws that I grew fond of and rooted for.

My main gripe with the beginning of the book was that there was certain plot-related information that I believe would have been more effective if revealed later. The "hatred" would have been more convincing, and the readers could have followed in the characters' emotional journeys without knowing too much and having more sympathy for their histories.

Overall, this book ended up being such a pleasant surprise! I would recommend it for those who are fans of books that have a blend of genuine romance and steamy scenes.

📖 Bookish Thoughts
I had so much fun with this! Sapphic women writing Gothic novels?? Say less. Naturally I was obsessed ASAP!

Georgiana and Cat are both witty, intelligent, snarky, dramatic, and lowkey obsessed with each other.
Bacon the dog? The true star. He was the emotional support character we all needed.

The ending was perfect and I was so happy for Georgiana! I already preordered the physical copy because I need this on my shelf forever. If you love sapphic historical romance, you NEED this!

🩷 What You Can Expect
• Rivals to lovers
• Secret past crushes
• Sapphic Gothic writers
• Spooky manor
• Forced proximity
• Witty Banter
• Complicated family


🗓 Pub Date: September 23, 2025
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I generally shy away from period pieces but the synopsis of this book drew me in. I found the relationship development between Cat and Georgiana to be so sharp and charming. Rivals to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and Vasti delivered this perfectly through her use of witty dialogue and making me kick my feet as the ice thawed between them. Looking forward to reading more of her work.

3.75 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice 1.5/5 🌶️

A period FF, enemies to lovers Romance with several mysteries, a haunted mansion and a whole bunch of will they/won't they tension?

Yes please!

Georgina is one of the best selling, gothic authors for a decade and she has a problem - a new gothic author has hit the literary scene and somehow, their books have striking similarities that can't be explained by mere coincidence.

Since both authors write under a pen name (though, it is public knowledge who Georgina is) Georgina goes on the hunt to discover the identity of the other author, only to find out that it is someone from her past.

Cat is the new hit gothic author who's novels have capitated the Ton. The daughter of a butler, she is trying to support herself, her younger brother Jem and their cousin Pauline when the daughter of the Lord who fired her father discovers her pen name and threatens her livelyhood.

Can Cat and Georgina set aside their differences to discover how their books seem to keep resembling each other's?

Well, no.

At first they can't.

But then a run down estate, bats, ghosts, screams in the night, and mystery thrust them together into close proximity and the gothic setting and company is too much temptation to resist

I received this book as a free ARC from NetGalley and was not paid or coerced into writing a review.

I have wanted to like all of Alexandra Vasti’s full length novels and while I somewhat enjoyed parts of this one, it fell into the same pitfalls I found with the previous two: oddly disjointed plot that doesn’t flow well, an interesting promise of a plot point that falls through (this time it was the ghostly manor), and characters that don’t feel like they have any real depth. I was really hopeful that I would love this one. It’s sapphics! Rival gothic writers! Years of secret pining disguised as dislike! But unfortunately, I felt bored and confused while reading. Which really feels like an accomplishment, tbh.

Ladies in Hating features Georgina and Cat, both gothic novelists. When Georgiana realizes that her novels are very similar to Cat’s, she confronts her only to learn that the pen name hides her teenage crush. Georgiana and Cat have some forced proximity in a creepy old manor, and also get to solve a mystery or two, all while falling in love!

I really love Alexandra Vasti’s novels and this, the third instalment in the series was just as good as the first two. The pacing was maybe a little slow, but honestly I just love the communication and humour once the story got rolling.

Cat is a fabulous heroine, so ready to give all her heart to Georgiana - I loved all her sweet words and pet names. Georgiana was understandably hesitant, but I enjoyed how much she grew in this book!

Overall, a fun story and a really sweet (and spicy!) romance. No need to have read the others, this one can definitely be done as a standalone.

I'm such an Alexandra Vasti stan!! Lady Georgiana Cleeve and Catriona Lacey share a frustrating past and (not so) secret Gothic novelist present. When both women end up at the run down, probably haunted, and properly eerie Renwick Hall to research their next book, they end up paying a bit more attention to each other. Sexy, charming, smart, and full of love, this third installment of the Belvoir's Library trilogy gives the hint of a gothic novel without scaring too much. It had me looking up words, jumping at sudden noises, and cheering on another Vasti couple.

Thanks to Alexandra Vasti, her publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my review!
Where do I begin! I loved this book so much, the yearning, the plot, the ghosts, everything! This was such an enjoyable read and definitely a five star in my opinion! I would definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys sapphic books!