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.

Gothic sapphic romance… check yes! One thing about me is I love historical romance… especially gothic so this book about two “rival” gothic romance authors was right up my alley. I haven’t read the other books in the series so I might have missed some buildup between the 2 main characters but I loved getting bits and pieces into their backstory. The banter was exquisite and the romance felt real and raw. I also enjoyed all the secondary characters and the family dynamics. I’m a sucker for a good reunion scene and this book did not disappoint with that! The story also had a mystery element in the background which I really enjoyed. I love reading a romance novel that has an intriguing side plot that adds value to the characters. I ended up really enjoying this and I am eager to now go read the first 2 books in this trilogy to learn more about the characters mentioned.

A bonus thing to mention is the authors note in the back. I loved that the author included the real life inspiration to the characters and scenes in the book. It’s always fascinating and hopeful to hear about queer romances in historical time periods.

This sapphic historical romance by Alexandra Vasti was absolutely delightful. Two women, writing under pen names, who actually knew each other in childhood, falling in love while also solving a mystery? What more could you ask for. I had a great time reading this and am definitely going to pick up the other books in this set of interconnected standalones.

When a book called “Ladies in Hating” catches my eye and includes an eye-candy cover and lesbian ladies going from enemies to lovers, you better believe it’s going to get a five star review from me.
It’s simply a given at this point.
Does this make me extremely simple-minded and easily pleased purely because a book includes lesbians? Yes.
And I am not ashamed of this fact.
Anyway.
Our book follows both Georgiana and Catherine, gothic novelists in a publishing war against each other. When Georgiana begins to notice striking similarities between her and her rivals stories, she sets out to discover the truth, finding love, paranormal happenings, and an interesting mystery in the meanwhile.
Yes. This book isn’t just about lesbians.
It has ghosts. And mystery.
It deserves 10 stars, I swear.
But, in order to appear as though I am not this shallow, I do want to say that this book did have some issues.
The same situations and problem were brought up repeatedly to keep Cat and Georgiana apart. They made zero sense and had already been resolved at least ten times before. I thought we were done with it, but it reared its head yet again. It got to be extremely annoying and repetitive.
But this book does have some amazing world-building and spooky moments that really pulled me in! I love gothic novels and the fact that this romance included a smidge of it made me appreciate it all the more!
The characters were also extremely likable and laugh-out-loud funny. Especially Cat! She has my heart. Side characters were sometimes one-dimensional, but that’s something that didn’t bother me as much as I thought it might.
Probably because I was too busy enjoying the lesbian spice…
However, I did notice how messy the storyline got at times. There were so many side plots that got to be very confusing to follow. But, thankfully, that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of this story at all!
So, if you’re looking for a lesbian romance with tender moments, likable characters, and some yummy spice, you’ll love Ladies in Hating!

Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti is a wonderfully written rivals-to-lovers story about authors Lady Georgiana Cleeve and Cat Lacey. The two cannot seem to escape each other, even bumping into the other at an eerie manor that is to be the inspiration for their next novels.

This was our first Alexandra Vasti novel and it was beautiful. The characters are well fleshed-out and the scenery is inspiring. There isn't too much of a plot, which is a highlight of the book. To tell a character-driven novel is not an easy feat, but Vasti handles it extremely well.

I enjoyed this overall. I love this series, and Alexandra Vasti’s writing is always superb: witty, fun, and her ability to write tension is unmatched. This felt like a love letter to gothic novelists and to the people who had to find and hold onto love despite the rules of their time.

This book had so many elements that should’ve worked perfectly for me: regency lesbians, haunted houses, forced proximity, and rivals to lovers. But in execution, it didn’t quite land the way I’d hoped. The "rivals" dynamic was resolved super early (like 30% in) and it even gave a touch of insta-love (which I typically hate). After that, the rest of the book leaned more into mystery and ghost hunting, and I felt a little shortchanged on the tension I was promised.

Plot wise, things moved slowly after that shift, and the characters lacked a bit of development for me. I wasn’t fully sold on some of the emotional beats, and I wish the rivals to lovers arc had been drawn out more. That being said, Vasti’s writing is still a joy, her prose is clever and her stories are always engaging.

So, while this one didn’t quite hit the same high as others in the series, it was still a fun read. I’ll absolutely keep reading whatever she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC.

ive been saving this one specifically to dive into during pride month, i was very excited (i mean beauitful cover, sapphic, hidden identity… amazing) BUT unfortunately found out very fast this book is not for me unfortunately. i had the hardest time getting into it and found myself very bored.

I honestly had a difficult time reading this. There was a steep learning curve at the beginning with the type of language used that I was not familiar with. I like the concept and think some people would enjoy it, but it was not for me.

This was cute! I loved the chemistry between Georgiana and Cat. And that the reasons their works were so common was because of the way that they grew up. Cat teasing Georgiana and flirting was so cute. I liked how Cat was able to take the reins because she had more experience, and she gave Georgiana room to explore. Calling her Georgie mine was really sweet.

The gothic house setting was cool, and I did like how it tied into Jem and York in the end.

I did find myself becoming a little bored towards the end of the book, but I did like how everything was wrapped up and that Georgena reconnected with her brothers.

And do I sense another little set up between Iris and Selina's brother, in the future?

All in all, I thought this was a sweet sapphic romance with a lot of giggle and swoon moments.

Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti is the perfect rivals-to-lovers historical romance for readers who want the ultimate gothic crumbling (haunted?) castle settings for their sapphic swoonworthy romances.

I loved Vast’s previous two books in this series so much – Earl Crush and Ne’er Duke Well. So my expectations were high for the sapphic sequel.

This book dives perfectly into the world of gothic novelists in the Victorian era, which I absolutely loved. Cat and Georgiana are both novelists who keep publishing suspiciously similar books. They end up at the same crumbling castle-like mansion to research their next novel, and plenty of hijinks ensue. There’s creepy atmosphere but also simmering sexual tension, all with Vasti’s signature sense of fun.

I absolutely loved it!

Lady Georgiana Cleeve, (not-so-anymore) secret gothic novelist, has a problem. A recent new novelist, "Lady Darling" has been anticipating elements of her books before they are published, which can only be the result of espionage or something (it's something). So she sets off with the intrepid Iris Duggleby (give Vasti a contract to write her book you cowards!) and discovers that Lady Darling is none other than Cat Lacey, daughter of the former family butler and unknowing recipient of Georgiana's intense teen-age yearnings. Unfortunately their reunion does not go smoothly, as Georgiana throws around a lot of accusations, and Cat gets her hackles up and strikes back. "Your fixation upon me is entirely one-sided."

Like gothic novels of yore, this one has ghosts, both of the woo woo variety and of the past shames and regrets that haunt many of our characters. Cat is haunted Peak Eldest Daughter guilt - of the lean years after her father died, and whether her brother little Jem was marked by their hunger and poverty. That Jem both didn't have a chance to have a carefree childhood, and that he's not taking life seriously enough. That in a blink all her efforts at building a life could be wrung out. Georgiana is also haunted, by the ghost of her abusive father and the repercussions on Cat's family and others from his actions, and the damage, real and perceived her unmasking as a gothic novelist caused her family. At the first hint of the way her reputation could hurt her brothers' future, "Georgiana had cut them off, a merciless slide of steel against the taproot of their family. She had done it to protect them. And she'd been right." Right maybe, but also she and her mother are isolated from her brothers, separated by Georgiana's fears.

Soon Cat and Georgiana have real ghosts to contend with as well as metaphorical ones, because for Gothic Romance Reasons they are at the same haunted mansion getting source material for their respective books. Vasti is superlative at settings, and there is no place better than a haunted mansion for this to shine, be it a terrifying housekeeper, bats rising up upon an initial approach, or "a single dark red petal broke free from the vine just above the plaque and floated, strange and slow, all the way to the ground."

You know what else Vasti excels at? Writing the emotional and physical aspects of relationships. Cat and Georgiana show such care and consideration (and red hot attraction) for each other, and Vasti has them negotiate their respective pasts and differences well. There were a few declarations in here that just made me swoon, as well as an inordinate amount of people getting distracted by an errant touch or a scent or freckle. Whew!

Vasti weaves a complicated plot with a gothic amount of intrigue and hauntings and side wanderings all together in a satisfying skein at the end. Her side characters are so fully realized and compelling, I was dying for chapters more on the various family relationships and their evolution, but only because these characters made me want to see more of their lives, we can tell by the final pages the work that has been done off-page to get them where they need to go.

This book is less ha ha funny romance with madcap adventures of the previous in the series, and more having to overcome undue guilt and shame to feel worthy of an HEA. "And then she tried - with less success - to make herself stop thinking about ghosts and Cat and the familiar haunting of her own past." The writing, however, is typical Vasti, polished and beautiful, "the words landed like a feather. Like a knife." Just an evocative and stunning romance, anchored by a steady universe of family and friends in a haunted setting. Who could ask for anything more?

True MVP of the book is of course Bacon, the world's goodest dog.

3.75/5 rounded up to 4

Historical sapphic romance!!! I haven't read the other two books in the series but I had no problem diving straight into the world with this one.

They're rival novelists writing about Gothic mysteries?? Secret identities???? Say less!
I adore everyone in this book, like I want to smooch them all!! That said, I did find the initial antagonism between Georgiana and Cat a bit contrived or grating. I understand the dilemma but wow they really snipped at each other HARD. I also understood Georgiana's fear about ruining everything she touched but it felt somewhat forced, in that she kept telling us and *telling us* that this was true, but it only felt like maybe one or two incidences where she could say that was true.

LOVED the whole thing with Renwick House and how it came full circle in the end, and the sudden twist in the mystery of everything around the 65% mark actually got me more interested in the plot progression. There was a point around the 40-50% mark where I was really struggling to continue, but the extra plot twist gave me a new burst of interest.

I loved the resolution of everything and the sweetest HEA epilogue. Finishing the book had me giggling with happiness.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC!

alexandra vasti wrote a rivals to lovers sapphic regency romance and literally everyone in the entire world stood up and applauded

one star off for the paranormal stuff mostly cause i was confused but otherwise a bop!

I feel so blessed to have received an ARC of this novel, because I completely loved it! The backstories of the characters were fleshed out, the dynamic between the love interests made sense and the romance progressed at a believable pace (not to mention when it steamed up, so did my glasses!), not to mention the mystery complete with a surprise hint of the supernatural! I even found the author's portrayal of the dog to be endearing and lifelike. At no point in the story was I even remotely bored, and in the end I closed the cover with a smile on my face. Five stars all day long, and I'll be eagerly looking out for the next release.

This was my first Alexandra Vasti book and I truly did enjoy it.

I liked how the main characters were witty, funny, smart and snarky. Some of their exchanges really made me laugh and I loved their banter. Unfortunately, the overall story didn't really keep me hooked, but I still enjoyed reading this book and will recommend for anyone in search of a romance with a mystery plot.

Ladies in Hating was a really fun sapphic historical. Alexandra Vasti did a great job at writing believable tension, awkwardness, and yearning between Cat and Georgiana, two gothic novelists who knew each other in the past, but have no idea the other belong to their respective nom de plume. I loved the Gothic mansion shenanigans and mystery woven into the story. Overall this was a great read.

Ladies in Hating was so cute and fun! I LOVED the banter and rivalry between Georgie and Cat, and ate this up!!

Rating : 4.5⭐

😻 Delightful regency era sapphic romance !!

I didn't expect it to be that well-rounded of a story, with queer historical fiction developed, diverse family dynamics to navigate and a mystery or two to solve.

The writing was good, not too dark or too light. The MCs were each interesting in their own right and their chemistry was excellent !! One of them has a personality flaw that made me roll my eyes a few times, but it didn't detract me from loving the ensemble. Part of that is due to the side characters that were particularly nuanced for the amount of time they appeared on the page. They enriched the story quite a lot.

At the end of the book, read the author's note for snippets of their real-life inspirations. It's also in there that I learned that this is the 3rd book in a trilogy... 😹 (I'm adding the others to my TBR as soon as I'm done writing this.)

*I'm by no means a romance expert : SFF is where I live. The change of genre is relaxing to me and a story is a story is a story anyway.☺️

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. 🙂‍↕️