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.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alexandra Vasti, and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I just had to request this one for three reasons: the beautiful cover, it's sapphic, and it’s about gothic authors. I’m glad I was accepted to read this book early. I adored both of the characters Georgiana and Cat. I can’t forget Bacon, the Georgiana's dog. I think a few things were missing. I wanted more information on what their books were going to be about. Also, just seeing them spend more time together. Specifically, when they were in the Gothic manor. I wanted a bit more of the Gothic vibes. I look forward to reading another book by Alexandra Vasti. I highly recommend it!

Ladies in Hating was a fun and witty read! The characters were bold, and the story had just the right mix of humor and sharp commentary. It kept me entertained the whole way through, with some unexpected twists along the way. A clever, enjoyable book that I’d definitely recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Ladies in Hating is set in Regency Era Britain where Georgiana is a Gothic author who is set on finding out the identity of her rival author. They then get stuck in a haunted house together and have to find away to work together while also trying to keep their feelings to each other.

I LOVED this book way more than I thought I was going too as I don’t read a lot of contemporary romance but this is the second contemporary romance I’ve read this month that’s set in the regency era and I really enjoyed both of them but I liked this one more because of the lesbians 😂

<spoiler>This book made my laugh, it made me frustrated and it made me cry. The yearning from both Georgie and Cat was great. I really loved seeing how Georgie had always been infatuated with cat and her trying to not be infatuated with her in preset was so cute. I will say Georgie’s insecurity about getting the people who are close to her hurt was frustrating cause as the reader I can see that that’s not true, but having Cat be the one to get her to believe in herself was really fantastic. And I am beyond happy that these two lesbians get the happy ending that they deserve and I was sobbing at the end . <\spoiler>


Thank you to St. Martins Press via NetGalley for the advanced digital copy. All thoughts are my own.

Alexandra Vasti does it again!

I loved the first two books in this series so naturally I jumped at the opportunity to read this ARC as well. The author has this incredible voice when she writes that brings the characters to life and has you really rooting for them. Which is why I didn’t even care what the book was even about when I signed up, but to find out it was a sapphic love story between two gothic fiction writers? Sign me up all over again!!

Georgiana and Cat’s (and Bacon’s - sorry he’s the star of the show for me) story was so wonderful to read. A rivals to lovers story will always be one of my favourites, but the element of the story that stood out the most for me was the familial element. As much as I enjoyed seeing the love story bloom, the parts with Georgiana and her mother as well as Cat and her brother Jem were my favourites to read. It goes to show that devotion is a beautiful thing regardless if it’s romantic, familial, or platonic.

I highly recommend this series as well as anything else Vasti writes - past, present, or future!

This was fun, delightful and heartwarming! A pleasure to read--I really enjoyed the developing relationship and how swoonworthy it was !!

I really enjoyed this book! Georgiana was an enigma in the first two books in the series, and she's a truly fleshed out character in this book. Cat is the definition of "first daughter." This is a perfect, kinda spooky, Halloween read. I also want to give a CW for off-page sexual assault, as I was not expecting that.

I really hope Will's book is next! He deserves some happiness.

I loved every page of this book, and I was really intrigued by the Author’s Note at the end. I will definitely read more of her books

This is probably my favorite thus far of Vasti’s full length novels. I loved the gothic romance subplot and the first part of the book especially.

I was a little disappointed when the setting changed, but I still really enjoyed this book and will definitely read more from Vasti.

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

A sapphic regency romance revolving around two gothic novelists AND a haunted manor is included too? Sign me immediately up!

Our story starts with Georgiana Cleeve, a very popular author, who finds several similarities between her stories and the stories of another author named "Lady Darling." When Georgiana acts as an amateur sleuth, she finds out Lady Darling turns out to be Catriona Lacey, the daughter of a butler who used to work for Georgiana's family before Georgiana's father kicked them out, and she also happens to be Georgie's teen crush. The two of them soon and unknowingly end up in a manor together to find inspirations for a new book, before becoming stuck inside.

For context, I haven't had the pleasure of reading the first two novels in the Belvoir's Library Trilogy. With the writing style, I did find it difficult many times to differentiate between Cat's thoughts and dialogue versus Georgie's, but generally the story flowed alright to be a standalone. I really enjoyed the banter between our two main characters, the side characters and their roles in the story, and especially Sir Francis Bacon. I also really appreciate how Alexandra Vasti includes real tidbits of history and explains them at the end of the book. There were a few times I felt slightly unengaged from the story but overall it was a nice read and I'd definitely recommend it to my friends who like historical romances.

ARC Review: Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti
Pub Date: September 23, 2025

Here's what you need to know about this book: It's a rival authors to lovers sapphic regency romance where they accidentally get trapped in a maybe haunted manor and it is perfect to me.

Alexandra Vasti is absolutely an auto read author for me - I feel so lucky when I get to read one of her books early so when I got this in winter and it didn't publish until September, I knew there was no way I could wait to read it. And OH MY GOD was it everything I wanted plus so much more. I highlighted so many quotes and goodness gracious, I already cannot wait to reread. The mixture of humor, pining, and just downright swoon? Absolute perfection!! Have I convinced you to read it yet? Here let me give you a few of the quotes I highlighted:

"You cannot possibly imagine how long and how desperately I have wanted you"
"For half my life, when I have looked upon the stars in the sky, all I have seen is the shape of your smile"
"I don't want the world, I only want you"

SEE?!?!

Also I have to take a moment to acknowledge Alexandra's author notes which are always on point. This one in particular talks about how queer people absolutely existed in Regency England and how a poem from the time argues that queer desire is natural and queer people should be treated with respect and dignity. To which Alexandra notes: "Two hundred years later, we are still arguing for the same". Just...yeah. I've thought a lot about this in the past months/years and I often reflect on how incredibly grateful I am for romance books (queer ones in particular) for helping me figure out more about myself and how we have to continue to fight for the good in this sea of literal shit.

This review is certainly less coherent and that's truly because I love this book so much that I don't know how to put it into words.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I absolutely loved how cute this story was! I haven’t read much romance lately, and this book came as a delightful surprise. It was light, refreshing, and filled with comedic moments that had me laughing out loud. The enemies-to-lovers trope added an exciting layer to the narrative, making the characters’ journey even more enjoyable.

Plus, the setting was fantastic! With its amazing gothic mansions and eerie hauntings, the atmosphere contributed a unique charm to the story. It created an intriguing backdrop that kept me captivated from start to finish.

What I particularly appreciated was the focus on LGBTQ+ romance, making it both inclusive and relatable. This story truly checked all the boxes for me: a charming romance, vibrant characters, and a touch of humor—all wrapped up in a wonderfully spooky package! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and heartwarming read.

Five Stars! The premise of rival sapphic novelists falling in love drew me in, and the book delivered on the promise of the premise.

This book was my favorite of the Belvoir’s Library trilogy — Vasti really blew me away with this one. Not only do we get to see a deeper, more emotional side to a character that has been on the sidelines in the previous two books, but we also get to experience such a sweet, satisfying love story. (With a gothic mansion, ghosts, a murder, bats, and the best dog ever)
This story is really a story of love winning out over fear, and the happily ever after is so satisfying!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. My review is honest and left voluntarily

A sapphic historical romance novel with rival Gothic novelists.. need I say more! This was an utter delight with great characters and an interesting plot! Flew through this!