Special thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very sweet and fun. The premise lended itself to a good beach read. While fun, I don’t particularly think this book particularly stood out to me. The characters and tone of the overall story had a sort of been there done that feel to me, but it was overall still enjoyable

This book was everything I was hoping for - spooky, gothic, funny, sexy, and entirely entertaining. I loved it!

The blurb does make it seem like these rivals to lovers would be at this mansion majority of the time with the focus on them butting heads, but it's actually a lot more to it than that. There is a great atmospheric gothic setting at the mansion and notes of mystery while also adding in some humor. I don't know how historically accurate anything is, and I frankly don't care, I like historical romances for the general feel of the time, and I think that was captured well enough.

I do wish we stayed in the rivals element for a lot longer, they resolved their issue quite early, and their banter is wonderful during that time.

I liked both characters and felt like they both had great depth and growth. Everything seemed like it moved at a consistent pace too.

i love a regency era setting so much and i thought that that aspect of this story was done really well. unfortunately, the plot of this ended up feeling messy to me. the first ~ 45% felt like such a good mix tension between our two main characters along with a fun little mystery. after the halfway mark however, it really went downhill for me. after this point, it felt like there were too many things going on. i was also disappointed that we just completely dropped the plot point that both of our FMCs were authors. i wish we could’ve gotten seen more of this aspect and of their growing relationship.

overall i did still enjoy my time reading this book and found myself loving a lot of little quotes throughout. some of my favs:

“What devil-deal had the woman struck, that all the light should worship her so?”

“You have the kindest instincts. The way you see things…”

“But you were like a torch - so brilliant and ardent in your vision of the future that everyone who knew you believed in it too.”

cute and interesting author’s note talking about queerness in regency england at the end too!!

thank you netgalley and st. martin’s press for the advanced reader copy

I had a lot of life events intervene during the time I read this book so it took me FOREVER, which usually makes me love a book less than I would have if I had read it in a few consecutive days, so I wanted to qualify/preface my review with that.

I was so excited to read a sapphic historical and although it took me a long time to get fully invested in Cat and Georgiana’s romance, by the end I loved their love—and it was HOT.

Perhaps I wasn’t immediately invested because I realized I am not a huge enemies/rivals to lovers fan (is that an abominable hot take?) or perhaps because this book is the third in a series. Usually with histrom, I’m able to jump into any entry in a series without worry, but here, it felt like I was missing some key scenes and context to get the full picture of Georgiana and her relationship anxiety. Instead, I felt like I was being told things I wanted to be shown.

By the half to two-thirds point though, I came to completely adore Cat and the way she drew Georgie out. I also felt like Cat’s worry about being with a woman who wasn’t okay with owning their love in the light of day was so lovely, painful, and true. Their private scenes were tender and beautiful and again, HOT. I also loved the author’s note at the end giving us more information and details on the real life queer women who inspired parts of the book! I’d happily recommend this to anyone looking for a sapphic historical romance 💘

I had so much fun with this book!! Thought it was a great representation of female gothic novelists and queer love, especially for the time period it’s based in. Absolutely adored the characters and their backstories. The addition of Renwick Manor created a beautiful and haunting vibe, and the ending was lovely and satisfying

3.5 stars

the perfect book to finish right at the start of pride month!!

Georgiana and Cat’s love story was simply lovely. At times, it did not even feeling like I was reading. Their story effortlessly flowed off the page to appear as a literal movie in my mind. Genuinely felt like I was watching a season of Bridgerton (just with more supernatural-esque themes). I am particularly attached to Georgiana. Seeing her work through her insecurities to live the life she wants was so heartwarming. Cat supporting her and encouraging her through her fears made me weep. And don’t even get me started on Georgiana’s family omg. Seeing them reunite with so much love and tenderness was perfection.

I think the only thing that missed for me were the variety of plot lines or really twists. Sometimes it felt like there were just too many moving parts that were all drawing away from each other as opposed to working together smoothly like they should have. For example, Georgie and Cat are Gothic novelists who apparently are writing very similar things and this starts a misunderstood rivalry between the two and a culminating love story. Straight to the point, right? Well now they both are staying at this supposedly haunted estate for work on their novels but there’s danger afoot? murderer or ghost, who knows? Okay well I can get behind that. But then it goes further and now their solicitor may be behind the danger? and now Cat’s brother is missing but he’s actually a duke’s son and the solicitor isn’t a bad guy but still seems sketchy honestly. It just felt like too much and not enough explanation for each moving part. Nothing really connected very well until the end and even then it didn’t feel very satisfactory. However, Cat and Georgiana make it worth it. Their love was truly the connecting factor and I positively adore them.

I do want to note that I had no idea this book was a third installment in a series of sort of books entitled “Belvoir’s Library” which may add to my confusion at all of the moving parts and characters. I understand that if I had read the two previous novels I may feel more connected to the side characters and various other plot lines. Take Selina for example, while she’s not in this book very often she does operate the library the series is named after and is the main character of the first novel (one I am very excited to read mind you).

Overall, I am a sucker for a historical romance especially when we add a little mystery or supernatural element to it. I also adored the Author’s Note at the end with detailed historical knowledge that connects to our characters and setting. I love a good fact!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC! I had such a lovely time with this one and can’t wait to read the others!

I am so sad that this is the last book in the Belvoir Library series! They have all been silly flirty delights and this one was no different. This book features rival authoresses, a haunted gothic manor, and a dog named Bacon. What more could I ask for?
I love historical romance, I love books about book people, and I love sapphic romance. I am the target audience for this book, so I am not surprised that I loved it. I cannot wait to own a physical copy of this book and recommend it to all my friends.

Alexandra Vasti delivers another funny, heartfelt, and beautifully suspenseful story! I loved the characters and Georgiana’s growth is especially moving, plus the romance with Cat is full of chemistry and emotional depth. The gothic mansion setting adds a perfect creepy flair and the saucy moments were fun. This book is a love letter to queer joy, found family, and forgiveness and it is definitely worth picking up!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an eArc of Ladies in Hating!

I wish I could live in the Belvoir's Library series forever! This was a fun addition and I loved seeing Georgiana's growth from our first introduction to her in Ne'er Duke Well. It's impossible not to love Cat. My one complaint was that I felt Georgiana reverting back to her insecurities multiple times a bit repetitive and wished she had more confidence in herself and Cat. But overall a great read and I will definitely be preordering this.

Ladies in Hating is a clever and well-written queer Regency romance which neatly wraps up the Belvoir’s Library trilogy.

Ladies in Hating, a new novel by Alexandra Vasti, was one of my most anticipated books of 2025. When I realized that I could request an advanced reader copy of this book as a Read Now title on Netgalley, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read it early.

Ladies in Hating is set about seven years after Ne’er Duke Well, the first book in the Belvoir’s library trilogy. This book follows Lady Georgiana Cleeve and her childhood friend turned teenage crush Catriona Lacey as they unravel mysteries relevant to both of their pasts, pen their own respective Gothic novels, and resolve a years-long family estrangement on Georgiana’s family’s part, in addition to neatly wrapping up their stories and those of the characters we initially met throughout the course of Ne’er Duke Well and Earl Crush. Resolving all these matters as it does, Ladies in Hating is a fitting end to Alexandra Vasti‘s first full length trilogy of romance novels.

I am a big fan of Alexandra Vasti‘s novellas and novels, so it likely comes as no surprise that I also loved Ladies in Hating. Vasti’s subtle humour and detailed characterization work is threaded throughout the book and forms a strong spine in which our main characters apply themselves to solving the mystery of not only the similarities in their published novels, but also to paternity questions, long-lost jewelry belonging to a queer couple of many years earlier, and a haunted Gothic manor house. I also really enjoyed Georgiana‘s journey to reconciling the immense guilt she feels over her cruel father‘s reaction to finding out she was a Gothic novelist, and how that revelation impacted Belvoir’s library and Selina’s life when the revelation initially came out, as well as the impact it had on Georgiana’s decision to isolate herself from her family going forward, in order to protect her brothers' prospects. It is immensely satisfying how Vasti resolves all of these threads in the course of the book; she treats family revelations with the same respect as romantic ones, which makes the characters feel well-rounded and the world fully fleshed-out in a way many romance novels ignore in favour of prioritizing one single romantic storyline.

Lastly, at the very end of Ladies in Hating, I enjoyed finding out in the author’s note that the outlines of this novel are not only grounded in historical fact, but they are much more so than I would have anticipated. I love that the novel highlights that queer people like Georgiana and Catriona not only existed throughout history, but that Alexandra Vasti has taken the time here to engage with the past and she presents these stories in a terribly romantic and entertaining light in this novel. Academic treatments for the lives of queer people in this time period are wonderful to have, but the integration of these kinds of stories into well-written romance novels like this one will bring these stories to more people‘s attention, and that is wonderful to see.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing this book for review consideration; all opinions above are my own.

ladies in hating - arc review
Lady Georgina Cleeve has worked very hard to become a known author and to amass the fame and fortune that has provided for her and her mother, which is why Georgina takes it extra personally when Lady Darling, another author, begins publishing novels that seem to be pulled right out of her own manuscripts. With a plan to unmask her and confront the author, Georgina’s plan quickly falls through when she discovers Lady Darling to be none other than Cat Lacey, the object of her teenage infatuation. enter the eerie manor where both novelists plan to set their upcoming books where the novelists now found themselves trapped and in between the spectral staff of this haunted manor.

i really enjoyed Georgina and her witty approach towards most things, including ( and maybe especially? ) Cat Lacey. i also really appreciated that while this was a secret identity trope, it wasn’t one that was drawn out or dragged on for the sake of tropes sake. the haunted mansion setting for a romance was much different than anything else i had read, but i did find i enjoyed it more than i thought i would.

tropes and things
- sapphic regency romance
- rivals to lovers
- dual pov
- lady jane meets haunted mansion vibes

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Ladies in Hating—a sapphic, second-chance historical romance with a deliciously gothic twist.

Getting trapped in a haunted manor with a rival gothic novelist might be my new favorite trope. This one felt slower and more intimate than some of Alexandra Vasti’s other books, but in a way that really worked for the story and characters.

The chemistry between the Lady Georgiana and Cat is undeniable, and I loved seeing their tension unravel against the eerie backdrop of the manor. As always, Vasti does a beautiful job connecting characters across her series as well. Fingers crossed Iris gets her moment soon!

Overall, this was a moody, romantic, and layered read that stayed with me long after I finished. Perfect for fans of gothic settings, historical fiction, and heartfelt LGBTQ love stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

That said, I really couldn't get into this title. DNF about 10-15% in.

This was quite a cute book with an interesting and original plot! I read this without reading the other books in the series and could follow along perfectly fine. I hadn’t read this author before but I really like her writing style, so I’ll be going back to read her other books! A very cute, short sapphic regency read.

🌈Queer rep: FF main couple, lesbian main characters. Mention of a bi man, and an MM couple.

My first Vasti novel, and it didn’t feel like I missed out on not reading the rest of the Belvoir’s Library series. Really loved the backdrops the scenes took place and how Vasti made the MCs feel quite familiar despite this being a historical romance. Looking forward to reading more!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Griffin, and Alexandra Vasti for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the mystery and pacing of this story. The characters and the plot kept me hooked and made it an easy read. The end felt like it slowed down but for the most part it was a fun story that I really liked. The romance was sweet and slow. It had the third act breakup that I’m not a fan of but other than that it was a good book. 3.75 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

Spooky, sapphic yearning? Those are three of my absolute favorite words so I obviously adored Ladies in Hating.
“It’s difficult. To believe that you deserve happiness when the world would tell you that you do not.”

I am a bit of a scaredy cat, so this is the level of spook I can handle. Nice ghosts who just want to be in love? A beautiful but dilapidated estate home? A childhood crush turned forbidden lover with JUST ONE BED?

Georgina is a testament to the work it takes to heal from an emotionally abusive family environment. Cat reminds us that queer joy has ALWAYS EXISTED despite….ya know. *gestures vaguely to the world*

Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti is out September 23, 2025. Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the eArc!

I liked this book but I think it was my least favorite of this series so far. I really liked the two main characters and their relationship but the rest of the plot felt a little too chaotic for me - maybe because I’m not quite a big gothic reader?

I'm not sure how it happened but I've recently read quite a bit of queer romance and this one was probably my favorite. Vasti just has a way of creating fun characters and stories with plots that just pull you in.

From the unmasking of Georgie's gothic novel rival and the history they share to the time spent in an old decrepit (possibly haunted) manor to the family and found family relationships... I just enjoyed it all so much!

Thank you for the opportunity to read early!