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

I wanted to like this more than I did. I got into it expecting a rivals to lovers romance, which this did provide, but it underperformed in that aspect by resolving the rivalry too early. It was confusing as to what genre this was trying to be, because while the romance was obvious it seemed to flirt with the idea of being a mystery without actually providing on that.

The plot itself was a bit weak in my opinion, and while it did manage to tie up loose ends in the end, it could have been handled a lot better. The story felt somewhat scattered brained.

I enjoyed the characters and felt they were true to themselves throughout, but I wish they were a bit more fleshed out. The romance aspect was explored well enough, and the sex scenes were good. Especially the bath tub scene.

One thing that I find annoying was the author’s overuse of pronouns. Looking at her work, this does appear to be her first same sex pairing, so I can grant some leeway there, but do expect frequent usage of names instead of pronouns.

Overall, I did enjoy the book, but I don’t feel like it properly delivered on the premise, and it left me somewhat underwhelmed.

I really enjoyed that we got a sapphic romance as the third installment in this series. Cat and Georgiana are both authors who keep unwittingly writing books with very similar details and storylines and in the process get caught up in a gothic mystery and falling in love. I personally like it when the romantic leads have a bit of an existing backstory to build off of, rather than trying to develop a relationship from the ground up on page one, and the history between Cat and Georgie added an interesting context and tension to the relationship as they got to know each other once more. The other thing I like about Vasti's writing and this series that continues in this book is that each story has a compelling subplot to keep the action and relationship moving forward without having to revolve the central conflict around the love interests having a late stage fight through some miscommunication. Altogether a really fun read with believable heroines and a compelling love story.

i love Alexandra's writing style. her craftsmanship has always been amazing and ladies in hating did not disappoint. the plot, characters and storytelling was done perfectly. we need more sapphic romances.

This book was a really easy read & I enjoyed myself reading it. That being said it wasn’t super compelling, I don’t know exactly what it was but I didn’t find myself interested in the way I wanted to be. It felt slow I guess?I loved the attraction that built between Cat and Georgie because it felt so sincere and I especially loved the crush that Georgie harbored for Cat for all those years.

This book was special because it’s not something you see celebrated in mainstream historical romance novels & everyone deserves to see themselves in every genre of literature, even if it isn’t historically “accurate”. It’s what so much of this book is about, how queer stories most definitely existed but were lost to time because of the nature of this society.

Overall it was an enjoyable enough read!! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Alex Vasti writes the perfect kind of romance- sweet and swoony, with just enough conflict to keep us angst lovers interested. Cat and Georgiana are absolutely precious together, and I could’ve spent 1,000 pages reading about their gothic manor and Bacon the dog.

A really delightful Sapphic regency romance with some spooky Gothic elements!

Ladies in Hating is a regency era FF romance told in limited third-person POV. The main characters are ladies from different social classes who have become quite successful authors of Gothic novels. The main characters' personalities and feelings were very endearing and I loved both of them. As with the other books in this series, there is a fun cast of supporting characters. I enjoyed seeing some familiar names (especially Bacon the dog!) but you certainly do not need to read the previous novels to appreciate these characters or this story. The romance here was honestly one of the best Sapphic relationships I've read. There's a genuine connection, a dash of rivalry, and a lovely, steamy romance. There is personal growth from the leading ladies through the story and, most importantly, a realistic but positive ending (which is not always handled well in queer historical romances).

I really enjoy this author's writing style, and, like with the other novels in this series, I devoured this quickly. The prose fits nicely in a Regency narrative without being too dense to traverse. The author's knowledge and research into Gothic novels of the time period is obvious and I was cheered by the homages to the women-written Gothics and other novels of the time. Northanger Abbey (one of my favorite Austens) was not specifically mentioned, but I felt the spirit. The author's note made these recognizable elements all the more appreciated, as the author incorporated details of real queer women and people of the time. It's a difficult balancing act to write queer stories in this time period that are believable and not overly modern while also allowing the queer joy to shine through, and Vasti did a fantastic job.

I enjoyed the first two novels in this series, Ne'er Duke Well and Earl Crush, and gave both of those 4 stars, but this one is my favorite! Crucially, this one does not have a third-act breakup. This will be a really fun Halloween read! It seems like Iris is the next in line for the series and I will certainly read her story (and others by the author!)

Thank you, St. Martin's Press, for the arc!

This book is for the sapphic yearners in research of a pure love story but also of an adventure. Not only I was living in this book’s world the whole time I was reading it but I was also bringing it with me because it did not leave my mind. I really liked the characters relationships with their families and their passion for their craft. This was a delight!

This book checked a lot of boxes for me! Vasti did an excellent job of weaving in real history without making the book feel bogged down by it. There is humor and heartache and happiness, and it's a real love letter to queer people through time. Cat & Georgie have immediate chemistry, AND they communicate. I love to see it!

I am admittedly a sucker for a supernatural element, and Ladies in Hating delivered. Renwick House felt like its own character, and I was just as eager to discover it as the main characters.

I did not realize this was part of a series until after I'd picked up the book, and it reads very well as a standalone!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a bit of a it's not you it's me 3 star. I'm not a big romance reader, but I do occasionally enjoy a historical romance especially when it's queer. This one unfortunately didn't do much for me. I didn't really feel much chemistry between the two main characters, despite the amount of time they spent staring at each other's mouths. And I struggled to stay interested in the plot that popped up in between the romance. One thing I didn't realize before I started the book is that it is part of a series, and while I think this definitely could be read as a standalone, having the background on all the characters might have helped me feel more invested. .

4.5 stars

This series just never disappoints! I loved Georgiana and Cat’s friendship turned rivalry and the absolute loathing they had for each other (but mixed with sexual tension… obviously). All their run ins were so funny with the way they could not get away from each other fast enough.
The creepy gothic manor was such a fun setting and I loved that all the weird things that happened kept pushing Georgiana and Carly together. The progression of their relationship was so sweet and I loved that they were both so forgiving and soft with each other. Georgiana had a lot of issues trusting and being open to love because of her past but Cat was so patient and understanding with her. I absolutely loved them together.
As with the previous books, you get a little bit of a mystery element which was a lot of fun and I loved that this one involved their families and created the opportunity for some really sweet moments there.
This book was so fun and had such great gothic novel, historical romcom vibes!
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC!

I liked this, but didn’t love. I really enjoyed the ending but it started off slow for me. Overall, a good ending to this series, but I was a little disappointed.

This book was incredibly well written- the dialogue is perfect and it was incredibly well researched.

Really liked this book. It was funny and engaging well most of AV’s books are hard to put down once you get started. I liked the additional depth added to Georgina’s character it made her more relatable and you felt invested in her finally being able to get her reconciliations. I know this the last book of the series but I hope there is another for Iris. Thanks for the early read - this was a treat :)

Lady Georgiana Cleeve is determined to uncover the identity of the author writing under the pseudonym ‘Lady Darling’ as many of their works share similarities that Georgiana is convinced are more than coincidence. Little does she know, this discovery will lead her on a journey of adventure, desire, suspense, and ultimately culminate with falling in love.

I loved everything about this novel! The writing style, the plot, the side characters, the pup Bacon, little strife once past the enemies-to-lovers hurdle, and the love and acceptance shining throughout. There were virtually no grammatical errors, the story was very well written, and I enjoyed the slow burn aspect.

While there was some spice in the novel, I would have enjoyed a bit more, but that is the only thing I would change! Amazing novel!

Lady Georgiana has achieved fame and fortune in her writing career but she’s also gained an energy. Lady Darling who’s manuscripts are eerily similar to her own. She’s determined to unmask her rival until she finds out it’s her old childhood crush hiding behind the pseudonym. The plot thickens when the two get stuck in a spooky manor together. Cat has overcome a lot and won’t back down from a challenge and neither is Georgiana.

I’m really enjoying this series! Vastis historical novels are a good mix between romance and mystery and they can be read as stand-alone too.

Cat and Georgiana are strong characters with a lot of depth and drive. All things I love to see in my fmcs. I love them together, couple goals!

It took me awhile to get into this one but the back half is very strong. The haunted manor and drama really kicked up the pace.

Read this if you like
🩷Historical romance
🌹Rivals to lovers
🫶🏼Sapphic romance
✨Found family

I loved this book. I always felt like regency romances were intriguing but also just ever so slightly lacking. I was glad I read them, but I was also never fully satisfied afterwards.

...it was bc it wasn't about WOMEN pining over each other (cue the bisexual national anthem). This romance was absolutely delicious.

I also have mad respect for the author describing a panic attack so well. My girl Georgiana has TRAUMA and I thought it was depicted beautifully. Especially when it connected the love interest.

Spicy, romantic, and heart-filling--I plan to be a MENACE when this book releases on September 23 this year!

DNF
I'll start out by saying I don't think this book was for me. I made it about 40% through before I decided I just really didn't care for the story. I didn't mesh with the writing style which was written like an older novel which drew me out of the story trying to understand what was going on. There was also far too much internal monologue going on for me and not a ton of character interactions. I did love how it had lesbian representation. But also. How were their books EXACTLY the same when they hadn't even read each other's stories. That's a fishy coincidence. Overall, it just wasn't for me and I wasn't connected to the story at all unfortunately.

Ladies In Hating is pitched as rival gothic novelists stuck in a mansion but I would have loved to see more rivalry. That said, I really Georgiana and Cat, both individually and together. My main issue with this book was the pacing— the beginning was a little slow but picked up momentum when I reached 60%. Overall, I found the story enjoyable and would recommend this to lovers of historical fiction.

Thank you so much SMP for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so cute and exactly what I needed. I loved the enemies to lovers ARC, the mystery, and the banter. The tension between Cat and Georgiana simmered on the page. This was perfect for fans of Olivia Atwater and Emma Alban. I need more victorian sapphics, please!

Ladies in Hating is the third in an adorably, romantic regency series but can standalone. Our two MCs are unknowingly rivals that happen upon similar if not the same plot points and plot twists and upon a chance meeting, realize they are childhood friends. The not-super-slow build to lovers is absolutely worth the wait. I’m going to be thinking about and recommending this book for a long time.
My sole complaint is the overuse of the word ‘erotic’. It was EVERYWHERE or at least it felt like it. It didn’t always take me out of the story except for the one time I believe it was on the page more than once.
Other than that, I can’t tell you enough how eager I am to physically own this book. Truly A TREASURE.