5⭐️. When they talk about lush settings in literature, I
think they mean this rose garden. Like, this one specifically. Romantic and eery. Dangerous for the lovers and the living alike.

Throughout this dreamy gothic romance, the feeling I had as a reader was “expectation/anticipation” (feelings that so closely mirror the fear and anxiety at the heart of any ghost story worth its salt).

I am appropriately haunted by Renwick House. Even now, weeks after reading this ARC. You can tell every detail was thought out and served the narrative. Cat and Georgie’s story could not have been told anywhere else. From a reader’s perspective, the looming gothic and spectral undertones throughout Ladies and Hating have us holding our breath (for different reasons than our heroines) but making us a part of the story in a real way. As if every door opened by Cat or Georgie — or every page turned by me — might unearth a ghost or secret of this residence none of us are prepared for. I love this dynamic reading experience and it’s not an exaggeration to compare the feeling to Wuthering Heights or Edith Wharton’s ghost stories (Mr Jones, anyone?)

And yet, Ladies in Hating also reminds us that the gothic novel is always about more than fear.

Cat and Georgie don’t really fear ghosts or even a dead body in the garden (perhaps, though, they do have a care for the rogue bat). Rather, they fear not being accepted - for who they love, for their writing.

As with any good historical romance, Vasti delivers a slow burn between Cat and Georgiana, their chemistry ever sizzling beneath the surface.

As with any GREAT historical romance, it’s so much more than that. These two are so beautifully and painfully similar - not just in their profession, interests, and their deep commitment to family, but in the ways their pride threatens their joy, and the matching hard exteriors that mask two of the most vulnerable heroines I’ve ever read.

Another magical read from Vasti. Bravo.

Thank you to Alexandra Vasti & SMP for this amazing ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶.5/5

🐕 Period Sapphic Romance
🌹 Delicious Banter
🐕 Ghosts
🌹 A well placed thigh
🐕 A dog named Sir Bacon
🌹 Longing
🐕 Friends to enemies to lovers
🌹 Gentleman Jack vibes

This was cute. If you're into period romances with a little bit of ghost stories and mystery you'll enjoy "Ladies in Hating". The sapphic romance was fun and fiesty with our main characters growing up together, separating, and becoming rivals, and the tension was delicious during their rivalry. The banter was written appropriately for the time period and had me giggling. Cat is more secure in her desires than Georgiana and it was a pleasure watching their characters develop.

I think the romance aspect of the book got lost at times and there were portions that struggled to hold my attention. Overall it was a good read and had some laugh out loud and swoon worthy moments.

As always, a great read from Alexandra Vasti. Delightful, cozy, full of tension and deep feelings with thoughtful but honest commentary on the time. Honestly, I was kicking my feet. The characters are well thought out, the plot wasn´t complex (and I am a plot driven reader) but it was entertaining and I didn´t double think it while reading. Good enough to read in a sitting. Cements her status as a must read author for me.

This was SUCH a charming enemies=to-lovers mystery romance! The Regency vibes and rival authors were such a fun mashup, the voice was so charming and playful and perfectly understated, and the themes about women's agency at the time were pitch perfect. I loved it—can't wait to read more by Vasti!

Received as an ARC read, thank you so much!

I absolutely loved the creepy setting of the manor, and the first plot point of the mystery of who the FMCs rival was. I fell in love with Catriona and Georgiana’s story and interconnected lives.

I wish the plot point of the mansion didn’t fall off for the second portion of the book, my only complaint!

I had high hopes for this story, as it included many facets I typically enjoy (and hello, look at that gorgeous cover!), however, it fell a bit flat for me.

Georgiana and Cat were set up as rivals at the beginning, but their conflict was resolved rather quickly and was primarily one-sided. I absolutely loved the fiery banter between them early on and would have liked to see that dynamic continue throughout the story. Despite that, there was some lovely dialogue between them that was very emotional.

Plot-wise, there seemed to be too much going on. While the story had several interconnected threads, none of them felt fully developed, despite the overall slow pacing.

That said, it was a low-angst read with some heartfelt moments. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC!

A deliciously witty and richly romantic romp through the shadows of Regency England, Alexandra Vasti’s latest offers readers a beguiling blend of gothic intrigue, literary rivalry, and slow-burn sapphic yearning.

Lady Georgiana Cleeve is every inch the esteemed authoress, sharp-tongued, high-society, and used to being the cleverest person in the room. That is, until her newest literary nemesis, the elusive Lady Darling, begins publishing chillingly similar tales. But what starts as a mission to expose a plagiarist quickly unravels into something far more intoxicating when Georgiana discovers her rival is none other than Cat Lacey, the butler’s daughter and a ghost from her blushing youth.

Vasti excels at crafting characters whose sparring is as delicious as their chemistry. Cat is all grit and simmering ambition, a heroine forged in hardship, while Georgiana hides vulnerability behind aristocratic hauteur. Their banter crackles with tension, and when the pair find themselves sequestered in a possibly haunted manor, the novel takes full advantage of its gothic trappings: creaking halls, vanishing servants, and a supernatural atmosphere that heightens every stolen glance and near-touch.

What truly elevates the novel is its unabashed embrace of romance in all its messy, tender glory. Vasti doesn’t just write steam; she writes ache, desire laced with regret, hope, and hard-earned trust. The result is both a swoony page-turner and a deft meditation on class, ambition, and the transformative power of storytelling.

A hauntingly good time, clever, passionate, and brimming with charm.

This may be random, but I think you'll like this if you like Disney's Haunted Mansion. Haha.

While gothic undertones aren’t usually my go-to, I couldn’t resist picking up Ladies in Hating based on the stunning cover and the promise of historical sapphic romance, and I’m so glad I did.

At first, I found it difficult to connect with Georgiana Cleeve. Her dialogue felt cold and distant, even though we were inside her head. The dual POV definitely helped round out the story, and I found Cat Lacey far easier to empathize with. Her vulnerability and grounded nature made her feel immediately relatable. I will admit their shared history felt a bit thin at first, like the weight Georgiana gave it didn’t quite match the details on the page, but the emotional payoff by the end Spectacular.

The last third of the novel completely swept me away. The mystery elements finally locked into place, the slow-burn tension between Georgiana and Cat reached a beautiful emotional crescendo, and the HEA had me audibly crying on my plane home from London. It was that satisfying. Even Georgiana’s dog, Bacon, plays a key role in the suspenseful climax, and I loved that little touch.

Despite some initial confusion in the plot and difficulty connecting to Georgiana early on, this ended up being a really satisfying and emotionally rich story. The historical queer rep, slow-burn romance, and final act absolutely won me over.

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

I also didn't realize I was coming into a trilogy and now I feel like I need to go back and catch up. This is a cute, easy, quick read YA romance. I enjoyed it once it picked up.

This was fun. I liked it more than I thought I would. Regency era is new to me, but I was very interested with the haunted house aspect and of course the romance!

I adored the gothic writers subplot a lot. I just love reading about writers (of any genres!) this was paced very well which made it easy and fun to get through.

This is another book from Alexandra that I loved.

Lady Georgiana Cleeve is a celebrated author, which she has worked hard for several years to achieve. At the beginning of the book, it appears that another female author, Lady Darling, is stealing some of Georgiana’s ideas and characters.

What is Georgiana to do, other than blow the woman’s cover?

When she attempts to do so, this ends in disaster, as Lady Darling is none other than Cat Lacey, the daughter of Georgiana’s butler. The Laceys had left Georgiana’s home years ago, but she and Cat remember each other.

When the two women end up at a spooky old manor in the countryside, where they both plan to set their next novels, the truth needs to come to light once and for all about their novels and their feelings for each other.

This was another fun book from Alexandra. Like all her books it was well written and amusing. The characters are charming and the plotline is well done.

Many thanks to Alexandra, NetGalley, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a review

I picked this book without realizing it was the third book in a trilogy and I liked it so much that I absolutely will be reading the first 2 books in this universe.

This book went from oh so sweet kicking my feet because I love it so much to steamy spice I'm a little embarrassed to be reading this in public please don't read over my shoulder. The yearning was felt but not drawn out. The relationship felt realistic and satisfying.

I especially loved that there was also a little mystery at the heart of the story, I kept saying "just one more chapter" a lot.

Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Alexandra Vasti has done it again. This novel has humor, love, frustration, acceptance, and incredibly detailed world building. It was everything I didn't know I needed in a queer gothic historical romance and it's easily my favorite of the Belvoir’s Library trilogy.

I love when a romance is written by an author who knows what they’re doing. This was delightful. The right balance of romance, adventure/plot, character work and historical writing. The tone is both energetic, romantic and pining while maintaining the atmosphere and the story. I am considering reading the other books in this series.

Georgiana and Cat are rivals Gothic novelists (although the rivalry doesn’t last for long), who end up at the same haunted castle as they try to make sense of their situations. Georgiana had a teenage crush on Cat (I wish we had been given a little more details about it) and a lot of guilt regarding everything that has happened since.

Their dynamic is great, the have the right amount of tension/rivalry mixed with attraction and their past crush makes it more believable.

I love how the author’s note detailed the references to queer history I caught when reading and it subverted my fear that this story would have felt disconnected from queer history.

Ladies in Hating is a sapphic historical romance that is beautifully told. The characters have great tension and real depth to the concerns/issues that they are facing. I appreciated the historical facts that were sprinkled in the novel. The settings in which the novel takes place were well described. The plot was well structured with good pacing. I found Alexandra Vasti’s writing to be easy to read, funny and at times thought provoking. This was a fun and quick read.

I enjoyed the author’s note at the end that illuminated on the history that inspired parts of the novel as well. I love the fact that stories like these are so readily available now, that instead of just viewing LGTBQ+ as a modern development we are able to say this is in our history.

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

In truth, I had a harder time getting into Georgiana's story than I expected. Her character is so mysterious through the first two books in the Belvoir's Library series. I loved the versatility of her personality between the baffling, air-headed debutante to the resourceful detective in Scotland and I loved the outright defiance of her independence. So I was confused on why I struggled to latch quicker onto her narrative. In truth, I think there might be a little too hyper fixation on her the similarities between her and Lady Darling's works. My anxiety was triggered trying to puzzle through that mystery and it detracted from the romance plot line.

The romantic intrigue between the two authoress' is the core heart of the story. Do not confuse my review. I love this story. I love the representation and I love the parallels to documented history. However, there was so MUCH that could have been amplified "Ladies in Hating". I wanted WAY more ghost encounters, I wanted to have more context to Luna's & Sophia's life. The mysterious murder! Cannot believe that was callously ignored for chapters and then put to bed with a few short sentences of dialogue. Ambrose, Percy, Edith! They all needed a bit more than they got. I'm INVESTED.

Not to deviate too far from my point, but also the author's note mentions that this is the finale in the Belvoir's series. That is unacceptable. Iris has been patiently waiting through THREE books. What about her and Will??? Utterly unacceptable.

My point it, I'm invested in this world. I love the women. I love the context and color Vasti's author's note brings to her universe. I am here for more of it whenever she's ready.

This was such a good book. I love a little mystery with my romance, and this definitely did both super well. The gothic Bridgerton vibes had me sucked in from chapter one and the romance kept me blushing. I came for the cute cover and fun. Title, ate it up in a day, and will definitely check out this authors other books!❤️

After my request for this sapphic regency romp was fulfilled, I was quick to read the first two books of Belvoir’s Library in preparation for this read. While regency era romance is not my usual go-to, I was drawn to this series and all three books have been absolute delights! The third installment is the first queer romance and, as a bisexual reader, I loved how seamlessly it fits with the first two. As cliche as it sounds, love is love!!! Regency romance is synonymous with yearning and this book has no exceptions. Georgiana and Cat’s relationship builds from their past to their present in a beautiful way. If you love books about books, sapphic love, regency vibes, and both cheeky and steamy writing, read this. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for access to this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very cute, low stakes, historical romance. It was a bit too slow paced for me personally, but it is very cozy and sweet. The mysterious/supernatural elements added to the story for me because the romance felt a bit slow to start. Overall, I enjoyed the cute, flirty banter and I always appreciate happy queer historical romances. This will definitely be a hit with a lot of my fellow romance girlies!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an E-Arc!!

WOW! This story was so good, I loved every second of it. There wasn’t a dull moment in my eyes when it comes to the plot. The queer representation is immaculate and I never have loved a book as much as I love this one.