Okay, maybe an unpopular opinion, but I don’t usually reach for Bridgerton-style period romances…even when queer. But the romantic, Gentleman Jack-meets-gothic-literary-rom-com vibes had this genre-jumping mood reader hooked from page one.

Full disclosure: I didn’t read Vasti’s first two books in the Belvoir’s library series, so I went in with zero emotional attachment to the characters — and honestly, it didn’t matter one bit. I immediately fell for these awkward, literary, goth girlies and their deliciously slow-burn, will-they-won’t-they foemance (And when they finally did? I was very pleasantly surprised by the sapphic steaminess of it all.)

I did yearn for just a little more eerie manor exploration (even more hidden passageways, paranormal rose gardens and homo ghost rumors please!), but honestly, the swoony romance and sweet, neatly wrapped-up ending left me feeling all cozy, content and ready for Soft & Subtle Spooky September. (Which is my cozy/ witchy/ gothic reading transition before heading into straight up eerie/ scary af - horror October.)

5 out of 5. Highly recommend preordering now for your Soft and Subtle Spooky September read…already ordered mine - the cover art is just too pink and too cute to pass up!

( 2.5 )

All of my stars given was for the relationship between Cat and Georgina. Seeing their love was refreshing in a regency era, one that is usually dominated by manly men and dainty women. Their banter was playful and interesting.

The plot began with the two of them being rival gothic authors. I liked the idea that they had similar stories because they had similar experiences. However, from there, the plot just went haywire. I couldn’t bring myself to care to understand the plot once there was a murder and a mystery that they ignored to make love to only bring it back in the end.

I also found out this is the third of a series which is on me for not researching but, maybe I would’ve been more invested if I had known this. I’m usually a huge fan of any books set in regency era, and I didn’t hate this one! I just couldn’t get into it unfortunately.

Lovely writing by the author Alexandra Vasti. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for an ARC! The atmosphere of this book was cozy and gothic – the best combination. Dueling authors, second chances, haunted mysterious mansions, and a dog named Bacon? This book truly has come of my favorite things. The pacing of this book was just right. I enjoyed the alternating POV between our lead characters, Georgiana and Catriona. The little verse at the beginning of each chapter added a fun element for the reader.

One of my favorite elements of this book is the inner dialogue of these characters. They’re clever, insecure, silly, and trying so hard not to drool over each other. My only criticism (which prevented this from being 5 stars) is the selling of the romance. Georgiana has been in love with Catriona for years, since their childhood. When they are reunited years later, Georgiana finds her feelings are easily reignited, if they had ever truly simmered in the first place. However, Catriona was not harboring feelings for years in the same way. I thought that the intensity of Catriona’s feelings for Georgiana came on a bit too fast; I wasn’t totally convinced. Catriona is so patient, however, with Georgiana’s feelings and insecurities, that it did not prevent me from enjoying this and rooting for them.

I will definitely be picking up a copy to add to my shelf when this is released in the fall – it would be perfect to re-read when the weather turns cold and the fog rolls in.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for the eArc in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a cute book, I liked it! It definitely was not what I was expecting in the best way! I love romance novels, but this was a new type of novel for me.

I enjoyed both Cat and Georgiana’s banter throughout the book! They both kept each other on their toes, and it was adorable. They were both such complex characters, but it was great to see their growth throughout the book. Towards the end, they were able to start trusting each other more and could admit they liked each other. I loved the slow burn and the buildup of their romance. While it might be a slow burn, there is quite a lot of spice! There is a ton of tension between them, and it turns into more than lust.

I loved the mystery aspect of the novel. I wasn’t expecting it, but I liked the way that Cat and Georgiana worked together to try and solve it. I loved how it all fit together so well in the end.

I really liked the writing in this book and the pacing as well. I felt like the pacing worked well because nothing felt like it lasted too long. There were moments in the book where I was laughing so much, and other moments where I felt for what the characters in the story were going through.

Overall, I really liked this novel and would recommend it!

Omg!! I loved this book! I have never read anything by this author before but when I saw Ladies in hating was a sapphic historical romance about two rival authors I knew I had to read it. This book was so sweet and also heartbreaking at the same time. I laughed, I cried and I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend to anyone who loves historical romance and WLW.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s Griffin for the ARC of this book.

I am not usually a reader of historical romances but the love and understanding that bloomed between Georgiana and Catriona was too good to pass up. I loved reading about these independent and head strong ladies every step of the way they took to each other. I look forward to reading more works of Alexandra Vasti.

An enjoyable gothic romp. Mystery, banter, sapphic rivals-to-lovers, a ghost(?), even a duke! This story follows two rival gothic novelists (Cat & Georgie) on a journey to find each other and family. The rivals to lovers portion happened early in the book, but there was still a bit of story left to figure out more about Jem and for family reconnection. Overall it was a fun and cozy read and I enjoyed it! Thanks for the opportunity to read the ARC.

This was so fun and silly. I'll definitely be pre-ordering this one. I love the rise in popularity of queer regency novels.

Not my favorite of Vasti's writing but the banter was classic Vasti and I loved the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers of it all. I also thought Vasti's exploration of a romance across different classes was well done.

A romantic and deliciously gothic story of two rival authors falling in love—and averting disaster. Lady Georgiana Cleeve writes wildly popular gothic novels under a pseudonym, although she revealed her identity rather dramatically earlier in the series. But she’s noticed strange similarities between her novels and those by another author, Lady Darling, and as the similarities grow she gets increasingly anxious about discovering who keeps stealing her ideas and putting a stop to it. But when she discovers the true identity of Lady Darling, she’s shocked to discover it’s a woman she’d longed for in her past.

I loved their confrontations and bickering, and their obvious growing attraction to one another. Once they both find themselves staying at a decrepit but formerly glorious gothic mansion for inspiration, they discover even more how much they do actually care for one another. There are some excellent surprises and twists as you read, making this a delightful and mysterious romance that I’ll recommend widely.

Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti said if you're a woman author in regency England, hold my beer; I'm going to have a better love story than you. Vasti's writing is really fantastic. She focuses on painting the picture, with the reminders of queer history being all around even if it's closeted. She uses words that prior till reading, I didn't know. This not only helped me to learn more words but were detailed strokes on the painting. A solid sapphic romance set in the realities of queerness being unacceptable in society. I'm just kidding, but seriously I enjoyed the growth and development between the two main characters, Cat & Georgie.

Georgie was disowned by her father because she was a writer. They both knew each other back in the day but neither knew that the other wrote. So when Georgie began to be annoyed by another author stealing her work she begins to track down who on this world it could be. Figuring out who it is, Georgie is upset. However, her solicitor suggest that she goes back near her home estate to an abandoned estate for inspiration for her next book.

Cat has worked her entire adult life writing to provide for her brother after her father passed. Cat is running out of steam. She has plenty of cash to quit her part time job to focus on her writing, when her solicitor suggests that she goes to an abandoned estate for her next book. She jumps at the opportunity growing up in the area the estate was always a mystery.

The Estate has been rumored to be haunted for years. So when a bump in the night scares the writers, they go seeking answers. While they don't find the answers to the bump in the night, they do find many many more questions while researching for their books, bringing both Cat and Georgie closer together.

Thank you to Alexandra Vasti and St. Martin's Press for allowing me access to an ARC copy from Netgalley.

If you’re interested in Gentleman Jack and Bridgerton, I believe this book is for you! Overall, I rate this book a 3.5. When scrolling through the site, I was intrigued by the cover, description, and the title (all fantastic!). The premise sounded awesome, but the plot and the writing style lost me. The synopsis had advertised it as a rivalry, but I felt like it was false; the story had begun as such, but upon the first encounter, they were smitten. I felt that the rivalry was non-existent. Similarly, upon realizing their adoration for each other, the relationship went insanely fast. I would like to highlight that there are major aspects of previous yearning, but I thought it was lackluster. I want to preface that the disinterest is less because of the book, but more from me. I hadn’t realized it was part of a series. Additionally, I thought the historical vocabulary was weak, which others may completely disagree with me. I recommend giving it a try, no harm in it! The books build up an interesting story and multiple characters and storylines. Not only that, who doesn’t love sapphic representation and happiness :)

Georgiana Cleeve spent her first Seasons out deterring suitors by feigning feathers between her ears, an entertaining ruse she aptly sold to hide her clandestine gig as a gothic novelist. Her books have been well-received over the years, but success is not without consequence, as it seems there’s a copycat on her heels. Seeking new inspiration, Georgiana and her loyal pooch, Sir Francis Bacon, journey to a haunted mansion, only to find her literary rival (and childhood crush) already in residence.

When Catriona Lacey isn’t baking pies or nagging her little brother, she’s penning gothic novels under the nom de plume ‘Lady Darling.’ As it turns out, her father once served as the butler to Georgiana’s family, so the rivals have shared history from which to pluck that also explains the similarities in their prose.

Our ladies in hating table their feud as they’re swept up in paranormal activity, bird-infestations, Bacon’s debauchery, and unrequited desire. They admirably banter around temptation, but sapphic lust wins out with a rose garden canoodle that evolves into some steamy bathtub lingus. There’s a robbery and a corpse that may or may not be linked, a matchmaking solicitor, and a hot Duke who hates being rich. We’re spared a dramatic third act break-up, which was a welcome reprieve, and allowed the personal and romantic journeys to shine.

This is the 3rd and last of the Belvoir’s series, which I wholeheartedly loved for myriad reasons, not least of which is the absurd knowledge I came away with from each book. Did you know that pigs scream? How fun!

Ladies in Hating was an absolutely amazing read filled with so much beautiful writing. It was giving sapphic gothic writers with the same childhood. it was just a really wonderful almost bridgerton-esque vibe. Loved.

ARC Review
This is a 2.75 rounded up to 3⭐️

A Sapphic rivals to lovers regency romance between two gothic novelists.

This is my first novel by this author.
I was drawn in by the title, cover and summary.
and while it turned out to be an ok novel, it didn’t blow me away.
I felt that the rivals to lovers took place way too quickly and the issue of their novels being really similar was never resolved once the romance started.
While this was cute I didn’t find it complete satisfying due to pacing as well as a very mild plot.
All in all while it was a fine read it was not for me.

I'm just obsessed with this book! Cat and Georgie were such entertaining characters, and the entire plot was so much fun that it consumed all my thoughts even when I had to stop reading to attend to real-life things. Despite it being the third book in a series, it was a standalone, which was great for me since I didn't realize it was part of a series when I started reading. I'll be going back and reading the first two Belvoir's Library books ASAP now because of how much I enjoyed immersing myself in this world!

I loved the slight mystery and the fact that any communication problems were sorted out relatively quickly throughout this book. I loved the family dynamics and the clear character growth and development. I loved that the story went to places I didn't expect, although, admittedly, I love to go into a story not trying to predict where it might take me. I'd recommend Ladies in Hating to anyone who enjoys sapphic romances in historical settings, particularly those involving rival Gothic novelists.

DNF'd at 44%

For a book title "Ladies in Hating", there was a severe lack of hatred. The romance happened way too fast and it made me lose interest since my favorite parts of romance books are the yearning and tension. I was really disappointed in this book.

This book strikes the perfect balance between lighthearted romance and actual character depth; it’s an easy read without the characters or plot becoming boring or predictable. Exactly the kind of sapphic fiction we need in the world right now!!

Alexandra Vasti never misses! She's done it again with LADIES IN HATING. A sapphic historical romance about rival gothic novelists with soo much yearning and banter and spice that are the trademarks of Vasti's writing. I loved the gothic mansion setting and mystery alongside the romance, as well as the exploration of queer love in historical times. Highly recommend!

Two authors whose books keep ending up with the same dark plotlines are forced to spend time together in a haunted house. A spicy enemies to lovers story ensues. Underneath all the animosity lies a romantic tension they may not be able to resist. An interesting read for sure. Thank you St. Martin's Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.