Ne'er Duke Well

I just finished Ne're Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti and here are my thoughts.

Lady Selina is a bit of a meddler and she has a secret... She supplies ladies with erotic fiction... When the Duke of Stanhope asks her help in finding a wife, she is on the case! Trouble is, the more time they spend together, the more she hopes he starts looking at her....

You had me at steamy regency romance. It was already going to be a top notch read.

Firstly the book has some hilarious elements. I was chuckling at the antics of the kids and I am sure you will be too! I loved Selina! She is my kind of lady! I loved all the interactions between her and the Duke and I couldn't get enough of them as a couple.

This is a debut novel... I know I couldn't believe it myself. The writing was exceptional and everything worked so well together.

There is a lot going on so its a super busy book but I really enjoyed it. If you enjoy quirky and cute regency romances this one will tickle you!

4 stars

Thank you @stmartinspress for my gifted copy.

3.5

4.5/5

That was so fun! I usually love Regency romances and this one wasn't the exception. The writing was clever and fun, the characters amazing, the plot interesting and engaging.

I loved both characters. And I loved the relationship between Silena and Peter. I loved how she tried to get him to marry someone, bu fell for him instead, and how he couldn't even imagine marrying anybody else, not even for a moment. I wish we had more of them - I would have loved a prologue with their first meeting all all the encounters that happened since then that were vaguely referenced in the book. Because at first, it seemed as if the book began in the middle and I missed a huge chunk of the plot or a backstory. I would have loved to see more of when Peter first came to England and met Silena - perhaps a few flashback scenes interwoven into a plot would have explain their relationship and connection beer. But other than that, I enjoyed the book.

I wish we met Will, though. I hoped he would come back at the end of the book to meet Peter. His relationship with Selina was supposedly special, and I get that he was hurt after what happened to his family - though I hoped he would have come back at the end. Perhaps in the next book? I would like him to come back and perhaps become interested in Lydia? I would have loved to see that.

All in all, the book was amazing and I will definitely check out Alexandra Vasti's books.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atlantic Books for proving me with the ARC of this book for my honest review.

It took one novella and one full novel to put Alexandra Vasti on my favorite Regency Romance writers list!

Ne'er Duke Well is full of wonderful characters, strong leads, amazing chemistry (and spice), all wrapped up in an interesting story that surprises by escaping the traditional conflicts in the genre.

This was an absolute delight do read! Funny, light and heartwarming, but most of all, it felt like a refreshing take in the genre. I do hope Alexandra keeps writing in this world because I NEED more of it, desperately.

If you like regency romances, please make sure you give this one a try!

I would like to thank Atlantic Books | Corvus and Netgalley for the for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book is feminist smut about feminists writing smut, and I loved it.

But then again, this was exactly what she wanted Belvoir's to be: an attainable resource for women who would not otherwise have access to knowledge that could change their lives for the better.

I know this isn't funny. But only you would turn up your nose at embroidery and resolve to overturn society in its stead.