2.5⭐️ rounded up to 3

This was a fun sapphic twist on regency romance! This book is two sub-genres I typically enjoy, but Ladies in Hating ultimately fell a little flat for me. It took until about 25% before I was engaged in the story. I enjoyed the gothic elements, the mystery, and the rivals to lovers trope -- however it felt like Vasti was attempting to put too many plot devices without fully fleshing them out which is what ultimately made this book fall flat for me.

The rivalry between Lady Darling and Geneva Derosier was a bit anti-climactic, as was the ghost of Renwick. Both elements were really hyped up in the beginning, only for the FMCs to come to terms with their rivalry pretty quickly, and the ghost to never show face. There were a lot of side story elements that felt like I was wandering through chekov's armoury; with some being relevant and others feeling like a throwaway. The pacing was just a bit slow for me for the eventual story payout. I did enjoy some of the sillier -- albeit obvious plot devices, like there being only one bed at the inn, and two idiots in love.

If a character driven plot, with a slower pace is your preference, then this sapphic regency romance may be just up your alley!

I loved everything about this book. I loved all of the characters. I loved the plot twist that I seriously did not see coming. I thoroughly enjoyed what the real plot twist was because it was very unexpected. I really enjoyed the relationship between the two FMC‘s that they had a a shared past that was a bit tumultuous. I was immediately hooked on the two writers publishing similar books and the mystery behind both of their identities. I adored their relationship and spicy scenes. It was really nice to see characters that supported them as authors and their relationship with even when it was frowned upon.

Ladies in Hating. A lovely, gothic sapphic regency romance that brought the tension in more ways than one!

Two rival writers, who have secretly pined for each other for years, end up trapped in a creepy old mansion that may or may not be haunted. It’s all secrets, tension, and stolen glances while they try not to fall in love (and also not get murdered).

This book starts off so quickly! I was immersed in the story so fast. i loved the writing, it still felt really part of the genre while still being approachable enough for a quick one sitting read. 🙌

Both of the characters come from very different backgrounds but they both felt so relatable. I was on pins and needles waiting for that first kiss and the author delivered. The spicy scenes were so well done and I loved the ending.

The horror/gothic elements were so fun and something so different for a book like this! I loved having a few creepy and scary moments in the mansion.

Overall, definitely 4 ⭐️ my only complaint was that it was a little insta lovey for me which typically happens with romances where both of them have pined for years! I like to see a slow build up but other than that it was a lovely book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this one.

Georgiana is a gothic novelist using a pseudonym. She is competing with another gothic novelist who is also writing under a pseudonym. For some reason, their books are eerily similar and Georgiana is determined to find this other novelist and discover how their books keep coming out so similar. She becomes very surprised when this novelist is someone from her past whom she had strong feelings for. This book has romance with a mystery and a bit of childhood trauma sprinkled on top. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a feel good, easy to read, romance!

I did DNF this book @65%, but I think this does have an audience so I still wanted to review! Overall, 2.25 stars based on the majority of the book I read.

To start off, I did LOVE the premise of the book. Sapphic, gothic novelists, regency romance. It had all the right pieces but I fear the execution was where this book fell flat for me. I think Vasti tried to do too many things and not really flesh out many of them to a point that they felt worth including.

There did not feel like a strong through line throughout the book besides Cat and Georgiana's relationship. There were tangents throughout, and as a slower reader this made it difficult to remember all the various points brought into the story. The rivalry that was incredibly hyped up in the beginning of the book was gotten over too quickly in my opinion. By halfway through their rivalry was all but forgotten about it seemed. It also took an incredibly long time to build up to one of the main plot points and mystery of the book -- being in the haunted manor. Between the slow build up, lack of fleshed out mystery with tangents. and quick forgiveness of rivalry, this book just ended up not being for me.

If you like more character-driven stories, regency-era romance and banter, and cozy mysteries this still may be the book for you! While this book was not for me, it is still a cute, light book that I think will attract readers and many will enjoy (and having the cutest cover doesn't hurt).

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan for this book in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a sweet novel! Vasti does a wonderful job of establishing the historical setting, especially through her word choice. Throughout the beginning chapters I was getting a bit bored with the historical setting of the romance, BUT Vasti brings in a mystery right as I was getting bored.

Vasti included the perfect amount of characters to keep the story interesting and the mystery cozy. I loved seeing the accepting friends that were introduced throughout the novel! Historical romance is hit or miss for me, and usually the LGBTQ+ characters will make up for it, and in this novel it did. If you are a fan of Bridgerton, but wish it was more queer, this is the novel for you!

An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t always pick up romance (I only pick up wlw/queer romance) and this was a great easy read, I’m thrilled to have read it in advance! It has everything you'd want out of a lesbian love story: enemies to lovers, only one bed, Gothic novelists, strings of fate and an adorable little dog. The smut scenes were exceptionally hot (albeit a bit short for my taste) and... unique enough to set them apart from other works in this category. The ending felt like it appropriately tied things together, which some romance novels struggle to do, but Vasti did it perfectly, pulling from things in the very beginning that I had forgotten about. All around this is a fantastic novel to read in the fall as things start to get a bit spooky

Thank you SMP for the advanced E-Arc

Witty, warm, and containing some mystery mixed in with the spice, Ladies in Hating was a fun conclusion to the Belvoir library series.

Georgiana and Cat have a history, and, through a few misunderstandings, struggle to be in the same room together, all the while harboring long-standing feelings of attraction for each other. Their backstory was very well developed and helped the reader understand their current passion for each other.

Like her previous novels in this series. She does an excellent job of establishing roles for her characters that surpass the preconceived notions of what women can achieve. I loved that in this book, both women were writers and supporting their families. Something that was likely uncommon during that time.

Vasti writing, as always, is full of swoony declarations, intense pining, and prose that feels romantic without being cheesy. I feel that once again she has mastered the art of letting the reader experience such longing and desire through the characters.

Told in dual POV, I feel that here we gain a really good understanding of the basis for their infatuation, as well as where the rivals' and enemies' feelings originated. I particularly enjoyed the flashback as it allowed me to get to know Georgina better while simultaneously introducing a new character to the series, Cat.

I felt that the last third of the book deviated slightly from the initial plot, and while I enjoyed the mystery aspect, I wish it had been introduced earlier and had been a more driving force for the book. I feel like the first 2/3 were about relationship development, and then suddenly we had this mystery to solve.

I highly recommend reading the author's note, as this book is incredibly well-researched and based on a few historical figures.

Overall, I absolutely adore this book and will continue to read anything Alexandera Vasti writes.

I would recommend this for lovers of pining-filled historical romance and highly romantic sapphic stories.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!!!

I had so much fun reading this book! I don’t think I have read anything else by this offer before, but the cover was super cute and I liked the premise of having two completing authors. I’ve also not read a lot of historical books and that’s just mainly because I struggle with the whole historical genre. That being said, I had a lot of fun with Cat and Georgina.

Alexandra Vasti’s style of writing made it so easy for me to read this book. Everything just seemed to flow and the dialogue was easy and I just really enjoyed the relationship that built between these two.

<i>She felt as carved-out and dangerous as a blade—impossible to get close to, impossible to hold.</i>

Alexandra Vasti is an instant pre-order for me, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC (my first ever!) of Ladies in Hating, the third book in her Belvoir’s Library trilogy, in exchange for an honest review.

While more sapphic historical romances are being published now, it still feels like a rare thing to get to read about sapphic women in one of my favourite genres. As a queer woman who loves reading HR, this book was a breath of fresh air.

Even before diving into Lady Georgiana Cleeve’s story in Ladies in Hating, Vasti has given her readers beautiful queer characters and relationships amongst the secondary characters of the other Belvoir’s Library novels—including Georgiana herself (who is an absolute force to be reckoned with; I could not wait to read her story). Seeing these stories effortlessly interwoven into the first two books was lovely, but getting a full-length, sapphic romance novel—one brimming with longing and heartbreak and love and ghosts and roses that bloom even in winter—went far beyond my expectations.

<i>It is a poor gift, my heart, but it is what I have: Your roses will bloom and bloom and bloom again. My hands in the sun-warmed soil will long for you all the days of my life.</i>

Ladies in Hating is heartbreaking and warm and funny and sexy. It features two devastating, complex heroines each doing what they can to protect and build a future for their families. Georgiana disguises herself from the world under the mask of a cold aristocrat, while all of the ton know her to be the gothic novelist Geneva Desrosiers and shun her for it (even as they devour her novels). Meanwhile, rival writer Lady Darling (AKA Catriona “Cat” Lacey, Georgiana’s first crush) is publishing novels with eerie similarities to Georgiana’s—a fact which Georgiana obsesses over to the point of espionage.

After meeting for the first time as adults, Georgiana and Cat find themselves running into each other relentlessly, until they end up the only guests of a recently reopened, gothic manor in Wiltshire.

Haunted by ghosts (both literally and metaphorically), Georgiana and Cat must decide if they are brave enough to love each other, despite past hurts, and help to heal each other and their families along the way.

I’m trying not to give too much away here, but seriously, if you’re on the fence and you love historical romance (or romance in general), then do yourself a favour and read this book (and all of the Belvoir’s Library books. I’m particularly fond of Earl Crush as well).

As the novel suggests (as well as Vasti’s note at the end of the book), queer people have always found each other, have always done whatever they could to fight back and love and be loved. But many of these stories are still so rarely told (even in fiction), as so many have been intentionally erased from the history books. Ladies in Hating articulates this well:

<i>That was the way of histories, particularly intimate ones. Always they were partial, fragmented, the narrative filled in at the edges.</i>

For those people who had to hide the truth of their hearts from the world, the erasures were even larger. Even more like a wound.

Seriously. Read the book. You won’t regret it.


Also - somebody please confirm: Iris gets a book, right? The “last book in the trilogy” wording has me very concerned about the fact that Iris Dugglesby has yet to get a book because she absolutely needs one. But I’m hoping the “heiress/smuggler” romance Vasti has been teasing recently is about Iris… It has to be, right? Right?

This one fell flat for me, which I didn’t expect after loving Earl Crush. There was A LOT going on, but nothing felt fully developed. I do like that Georgiana was able to reunite with her brothers and finally allowed herself to be close to other people without fear of hurting them, but overall this felt rushed.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc!

It is no secret that I absolutely adore everything Alexandra Vasti writes, and this was no exception at all. This was essentially made for me - Sapphic? Check. Gothic novelists? Check. Forced proximity in a haunted castle? Check.

Vasti's research into Gothic Britain was very very clear throughout this book, and that was much appreciated. I loved that throughout the Belvoir series, we got glimpses of Georgiana, and this book really rounded out her character and filled in all of the gaps we had of her story.

The sex scenes in this were also incredible - they were hot and steeped in pining and genuine caring for each other and I loved the way that both Georgiana and Cat loved each other.

This was delightful all the way through... and I desperately need to know what is going on with Will and Iris.

I absolutely adored this book. The relationship between Georgiana and Cat was so wholesome and sweet. And they're both writers! What could be better? There's mystery, there's a weird mansion, and a garden.

A dynamic rivals to lovers, this sapphic romance hits all the buttons I love in a book!

Thank you so much, Netgalley, for the ARC!

Vasti has done it again - this is a heartfelt, emotional, mysterious, and funny sapphic love story. The dual point of view grounds each character early on, and we're able to see how both women are just the best: they are hardworking, honest, deeply committed people who take care of those they love. While the story sets them up as "enemies to lovers" - they are both actually just lovers with a deep misunderstanding of one another and a lot of painful moments from their shared pasts. And witnessing them work through their problems and learn to trust and love one another was lovely. The otherworldly ghost elements were also such a fun addition and worked so well with the story of these Gothic authors. As usual for a Vasti book, the supporting cast of characters shine - I want and need more stories for so many of these people! This is a beautiful romance novel!

Two novelist have an long ongoing rivalry but then they fight for love. This is a twisty mystery with love and family drama all tied in.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this e-ARC!

I LOVED this book!! Vasti’s research into queerness in gothic Britain is clearly so well done and she is clearly very passionate about the subject. Even though I have been out to my supportive family for around 2 years now, reading a story that has women like me being accepted by their families unconditionally was so heartwarming.

I don’t often seek out very smutty books, but I thought the intimacy in this novel was very well done. Lesbians are so often written as sexless and virtuous in sapphic romances, so seeing the intimacy and sexuality of Georgiana and Cat be discussed into such detail, and multiple times besides, was amazing to see.

Thank you Netgalley and SMP for my advanced copy!

I had such a wonderful time being transported to a gothic time and place with Georgiana and Catriona! This book had everything you could ask for:

- Sapphic romance
- Childhood friends to lovers to enemies
- Forced proximity
- Unsolved mysteries
- Rival gothic novel writers
- Historical fiction
- very cute cover art
- and sweet, sweet tender love and spice

Georgie and Cat's witty banter had me giggling and their chemistry behind doors is *chef's kiss*. For those who know...that mirror scene will stay with me for a while.

I especially appreciated the author's research into queer history in gothic Britain. That really solidified everything for me with how much I appreciated this book -- Alexandria Vasti really brought history to life with this one. I will be reading more of Vasti's book in the future!

Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5/5

I really enjoyed this book! I enjoyed both Georgiana and Cat. Their back stories were complex, but not so complex so as to be hard to follow. I also really liked the setting, side characters, and swoony scenes. Alexandra Vasti never disappoints!

Georgiana and Cat brought the heat! This sapphic romance was amazing!!! The atmosphere of the Manor, the banter of these two and the mystery that ensues. It was all about the vibes!!!! Read this spooky sapphic masterpiece right now!!!

This was a really cute sapphic romance! There was great banter and palpable chemistry between the two main characters. They are obviously obsessed with each other from the beginning and don't do a very good job of hiding it from each other. I enjoyed watching their story unfold. The YEARNING was incredible. The writing is also very cheeky and funny.

There's a murder mystery element that I didn't care about, otherwise a good time!