Enemies to lovers and sapphic and gothic and novelists? This book was delightful, funny, heartfelt, and such a lovely addition to the Vasti canon.

What a great edition to this fantastic series! This book is a great historical romance with lots of tension and anger and the right amount of non-romance plot! I would've loved to see more of Lydia and Arthur but I loved the foreshadowing of Iris and Selina's brother Will... let's see where that goes next!

I'm nothing if not a Bacon stan.

This is my first run-in with the author, but a sapphic, enemies to lovers romance set in a haunted(?) house? I'm sold.

I couldn't put it down, Cat & Georgiana's romance is engaging, passionate, and so tender; their history, and the way they come together is sweet and I love them together ("Georgie mine"???!!!). It's a good blend of Gothic fiction, contemporary romance, and historical romance that I always want more of (and yearning, always more yearning). I loved the framework of competing novelists, and the hidden story of the history of Renwick house.

Thank you to Netgally, Alexandra Vasti, and St. Martin's Press for the chance to eARC "Ladies in Hating."

I think the idea of this novel was a tough tackle and it is part of why I wanted to read it so badly. Historical and LGBTQIA romance are two subgenres I wish crossed over more and this does prove why. It was flirtatious, fun, and so different from many romances I've read this year. My biggest complaint falls in the pacing, though. This dragged for me. I felt like I struggled with the first half of the book to connect to the characters and story due to the pacing. Once I felt that pick up, though, I really enjoyed it.

'Ladies in Hating' is charming, entertaining, and seductive. It has everything you could ever want from a historical romance. Fantastic characters, splashes of humour, and a gorgeous, haunted manor. Georgina and Cat have incredible chemistry, creating lots of room for romance and connection. They’re both hard on themselves and I loved seeing their growth as they worked through that.

This book is incredibly well set-up to tackle a queer romance in a historical setting. Both women are financially independent, have loving family members, and freedom to move around. Once the story switches over to the mansion, they also get to spend a lot of time together, unchaperoned. From there, the plot is fast paced; and even though there isn’t much intense conflict, there’s always a lot going on. Every chapter kept my interest, and overall, it was a pleasure to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

“To be sure. But one must take into account the not-insignificant fact that ghosts are not real.” “What?” Now Cat looked utterly dumbstruck. “You do not like bats and you don’t believe in ghosts? Are you not a Gothic novelist?” “Of course I am. I am a writer of novels. Book-length works of fiction.”

“Good Lord. Do your readers know of this—this—” Cat seemed at a loss for words for the first time in their acquaintance. “This trickery? This outright fraud?” Her tone was too threaded through with amusement for her remarks to be anything but jest, and so Georgiana said dryly, “The trickery of fiction? Yes, I believe they are aware of it.” 🥰

This is the final book in the Belvoir’s Lending Library, it can totally be read as a stand alone but we met Georgiana in the previous book and I was excited to get her story.

This book had me smiling the whole time. The dialogue is just so delicious.

I was completely charmed by both Cat and Georgiana (& of course Bacon🐶).I love the touch of mystery, with the creepy mansion, the creepy bats and a naughty ghost. I could hardly put this one down.

Please be sure to also read the author’s notes at the end I loved seeing where she drew her inspiration and the parallels with queer history of that period.

Ending this series with this beautiful couple feels right to me, their love was beautiful.

“I promise you, heart of my heart, there is nothing shameful between us. You could not wish for anything that I would not want to give you.”♥️

Thank You to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author Alexandra Vasti for the advanced reading copy, all my opinions are my own.

If you have been looking for a historical, sapphic, enemies to lovers romance, here it is! An adorable entry in the genre, "Ladies in Hating" follows Georgiana and Catriona as they navigate the scandal of being female gothic novelists. Georgiana begins to notice that Cat's novels have too many similar plot points to her own and sets off to find out why. Of course, forced proximity comes into play, hijinks ensue, and Cat, Georgie, and Georgie's dog bacon end up closer than they expected. Additionally, there are family dynamics and class difference at play and these elements round out what could otherwise have been an uninteresting story.

This book ends up being well-rounded and very cute ("Georgie mine" is one of my favorite pet names in a romance novel to date) and the romantic scenes are well written without being particularly explicit. Overall a 4 - 4.25/5. I do think some of the side characters could have been fleshed out more to make them more three-dimensional and keep the story outside of the romantic plot more interesting.

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

I chose this book based on the title, as it made me laugh and the cover looked cute! I’m not much of a romance reader, but I do read a lot of gothic literature, so I couldn’t have picked a better book to start my regency romance journey!

I will admit it took me awhile to get into the story, but once they arrived at Renwick house, I felt much more invested. The pace of the plot also picks up around this time in the book, making it easier for me to follow since I finally got the “I NEED TO KNOW” feeling.

I enjoyed the build up of the relationship and loved to see so much queer joy. To be honest one of my favorite things about this book was actually the authors note at the end. Knowing that so much of this was based on historical realities was really cool.

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot. I’m not sure if regency romance is something I’ll really get into, but I’m glad I got an opportunity to check this one out.

I don’t think Alexandra can write a bad book! Every story I read just tops the one before. This book has romance, mystery, humor, angst, spice, and even a ghost!

If you liked Georgie in the previous Belvoir’s Library books, you will love her even more after this book! And Cat was the perfect companion to her. They played off each other so well and you can feel the love and admiration for each other on every page.

This book was so good. I honestly loved all of the characters. The banter between everyone was great. I loved the mystery that was going on besides the love story, too! Looking forward to reading more from Alexandra Vasti!

An absolute delight—sweet, witty, and completely addictive. Alexandra Vasti has such an effortlessly engaging writing style, balancing humor, romance, and depth in a way that makes her books compulsively readable. This 3rd book in her interconnected standalone series, is a sapphic rivals-to-lovers romance. Georgiana and Cat’s dynamic was so fun to read. There’s tension, banter, and romance. I also loved the focus on family relationships for both of them—it added an extra layer of warmth and depth to the story. There were a few moments where I wished for just a bit more emotional development in certain scenes. But overall, this was such a fun, heartwarming read, and I can’t wait to pick up whatever Alexandra Vasti writes next!

This is the first book I’ve read from this author. I was lucky enough to have snagged an eARC copy of this book from NetGalley.
This was a delightful 1800s sapphic gothic novel.
I enjoyed every moment, from the tiny purse puppy, to the haunted decrepit mansion, it was all a fun time.
Both the FMCs are authors, which is another love for me.
This was a great time, from beginning to end. I loved so many of the characters and I definitely want some of their stories moving forward.

DNF 40%
The first 30% felt like unnecessary fluff just waiting for the story to get started. I was bored just hearing about the weird coincidences and overlap in their writing. I had a hard time differentiating the POVs perhaps could've helped to label the chapters. I think I would've liked it more in first person rather than third I didn't feel that connected to either. I realized I just simply did not care about either of them in the slightest or the possible mystery plot. I was expecting a slow burn enemies to lovers and this just wasn't that.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with this book, I only made it 20% through before I had to give up. I can't pinpoint why I was struggling, I just know I wasn't involved/caring about it. I think it was really well written from a grammatical standpoint and I like the idea of it.

I laughed. I cried. How lucky am I (are we the readers) that Alexandra Vasti has written the final installment of this delightful trilogy as a sapphic romance. The sweetest, most tender, love story. And just beautiful (historically accurate !!) depictions of queer love in the regency era. I can’t wait to reread. Also includes one of my favorite terms of endearment I’ve read: “Georgie mine." Swoon.

I’ve loved everything Vasti has published, and Ladies in Hating takes the cake.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alexandra Vasti is a gifted historical romance writer - this is no exception! A queer romance that still delves into class differences and all it means to be a writer in regency era, with lovely cameos from our favorite characters from the series, Selina and her library!

⭐️: 4.25
🌶️: 2.5

Favorite Quote:

"You saw the future you wanted…and you brought it into being. Despite your fear. Despite the risk. I only followed your light."

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley & St Martin’s Press. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book and share my thoughts!

A sapphic love story between two rival authors in the regency era with a dash of haunting and a hint of missing heir mystery folded into one deliciously entertaining tome!

I haven’t read many historical fictions lately after my rather frustrated attempts with the original Bridgerton source materials. But I’ve been craving a reason to dive back into this genre and this book was the perfect escape.

Georgie is such a strong, intelligent, independent woman who holds all the sins of her father on her shoulders, convincing herself she doesn’t need anyone other than her mother and her dog, Bacon. The layers to her character broke my heart especially as we see them pulled back through Cat’s eyes. At first I found her self sabotaging mantra’s a little repetitive but if you had constantly been told you were a poison to anyone you touched…it would be on repeat to you too, wouldn’t it? Seeing her icy demeanor thaw through the book was lovely especially when she finally is able to find joy in herself.

Cat is such a light one that balances carefree and responsibility in an almost effortless way. The sharp contrast in the two types of families shown in the book really brings home how important it is to be loved and supported by your family (either by blood or by choice). And how having that support allows you to blossom into the person you’re meant to be. I do wish we could have seen a little more of her recklessness or her “too much-ness” other than the few snippets in the attic. But that’s just me being greedy.

The story did start slow for me, but that very well could have just been my headspace at the time I started it. So I won’t hold that against it. I loved the supporting charters especially Martin and Iris and of course Bacon the dog. The different side quests all wove so beautifully into one story and I absolutely loved how complete it felt at the end.

As a point of interest, the author includes a note at the end of how she based her characters off real people during that time period. She clearly did extensive research and I loved learning pieces of queer history along with this story. Because of this, I immediately went and bought the first two books in this series and will impatiently wait for this one to be released to re-read it

Rival gothic novelists (who are secretly obsessed with each other) get locked in a haunted mansion while conducting research for their next books. Can they battle castle ghosts, demons from their pasts, and more importantly their growing feelings for each other? Vasti made this adventure with Lady Georgiana and Cat not only so fun but emotional and heartwarming. And what I always love is the research applied to all of her stories. The author’s notes are so fascinating and I’m always blown away by what details are inspired by true people/places/events in history that I’ve never heard of.

I have recently become addicted to Alexandra Vasti’s historic romances so I was delighted to be gifted an e-ARC from St. Martin’s Press. The pacing felt a bit funny on this one, but the characters are rich and dynamic. The intrigue was a fun twist, and I am hoping we see more of Oliver Fawkes 👀

I loved this book! The premise is not one that you usually see in historical fiction and stayed interesting through the end. The found family aspect of the entire series continues through this book in a satisfying way. I loved Cat’s brother especially.