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kimalah's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Ne’er Duke Well is a treat of a Regency romance. It is lighthearted, sexy, romantic, funny and easy to read. It touches on serious subjects and handles them deftly. The chemistry between the main characters is palpable. There are two orphaned children who are not overwhelmingly precocious or overbearing for a nice change.
I enjoyed my time with Peter, Selina and their friends and family. I’m hoping there are future books to follow.
Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for the advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.
presstev's review
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
super cute little regency romance! peter is such a huge sweetheart and i loved his and selina’s story
lindzmace's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
thank you to netgalley for this arc!
this book is a perfectly sweet and funny low-angst high-reward (what do i mean by that? couldn't tell you) romance. i have finally found an author who does sassy-side-character-children right! selina and peter are both good people, fun people, kind people, etc., etc.
honestly i don't have any complaints, but i feel less feverish about this book than i have about others i have read recently so it's getting 4 stars. and this isn't quite a complaint, but seriously these people sure do love to get down and dirty right after being sobbing messes? good for them, couldn't be me.
extremely enjoyable read, i am so looking forward to more in this series!
this book is a perfectly sweet and funny low-angst high-reward (what do i mean by that? couldn't tell you) romance. i have finally found an author who does sassy-side-character-children right! selina and peter are both good people, fun people, kind people, etc., etc.
honestly i don't have any complaints, but i feel less feverish about this book than i have about others i have read recently so it's getting 4 stars. and this isn't quite a complaint, but seriously these people sure do love to get down and dirty right after being sobbing messes? good for them, couldn't be me.
extremely enjoyable read, i am so looking forward to more in this series!
katemc7's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was my first historical romance in a while and what a delight! This was a lighthearted, fast read with fun characters and a great setting. I am wondering if it will become a series because of everyone we might, but that might just be wishful thinking on my end.
Peter Kent has just been named Duke of Stanhope. he has relocated from New Orleans to England and is on a mission to get custody of his younger brother and son who said father never acknowledged. He has a bit of a problem though because he is creating unintentional scandals. He has a differing opinion from most of the people in the House. He hasn't made any effort to get a wife. He doesn't really get the way of life as a Duke. And to top it off the man who he needs to convince to allow him guardianship doesn't have a fond opinion of Peter at all. Somehow his "friend" Selina Ravenscroft gets wind of this and decides to help him. The same Selina who continue to catch Peter's eye and intrigue him. He is summoned to the Ravencrosft mansion to discuss options and when Selina throws out that Peter needs to get married he immediately think she means to her and he finds himself ok with that. Then she pulls the rug out from under him and says no not her, she will make a list of eligible women for him to court. So Peter goes along with it, and it is one disaster after another.
Selina also finds herself surprised by the possibility of her and Peter getting married but she has a secret. She runs a library in the ton that holds some very salacious material. Material that almost the entire ton of women read! So she she can't marry Peter because that scandal would hurt him in this instance, but they find themselves in a predicament and Selina thinks on her feet and says that Peter is her newly fiance. She is determined to help him get guardianship of his family. Now that she is his wife, she finds herself wanting to explore this HOT chemistry that they can't seem to ignore. One thing leads to another and she realizes that she doesn't want this to be fake anymore. She wants to tell Peter how she really feels, and she hopes that he feels the same.
Like I said, this was a light easy read. I liked the chemistry between Selina and Peter which was almost instantaneous. The spicy scenes were great. I liked the dynamics with his younger siblings. I also liked when some of Peter's past trauma came into play and how Selina and Peter honestly handled it. It helped solidify their feelings for one another and felt genuine. I do hope that this becomes a series- I could see us getting a story about Will, Selina's brother whose heart is broken. As well as Selina's friends that played a part in the beginning of their relationship.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This is my first book by Alexandra that I have read, but it will not be my last.
Peter Kent has just been named Duke of Stanhope. he has relocated from New Orleans to England and is on a mission to get custody of his younger brother and son who said father never acknowledged. He has a bit of a problem though because he is creating unintentional scandals. He has a differing opinion from most of the people in the House. He hasn't made any effort to get a wife. He doesn't really get the way of life as a Duke. And to top it off the man who he needs to convince to allow him guardianship doesn't have a fond opinion of Peter at all. Somehow his "friend" Selina Ravenscroft gets wind of this and decides to help him. The same Selina who continue to catch Peter's eye and intrigue him. He is summoned to the Ravencrosft mansion to discuss options and when Selina throws out that Peter needs to get married he immediately think she means to her and he finds himself ok with that. Then she pulls the rug out from under him and says no not her, she will make a list of eligible women for him to court. So Peter goes along with it, and it is one disaster after another.
Selina also finds herself surprised by the possibility of her and Peter getting married but she has a secret. She runs a library in the ton that holds some very salacious material. Material that almost the entire ton of women read! So she she can't marry Peter because that scandal would hurt him in this instance, but they find themselves in a predicament and Selina thinks on her feet and says that Peter is her newly fiance. She is determined to help him get guardianship of his family. Now that she is his wife, she finds herself wanting to explore this HOT chemistry that they can't seem to ignore. One thing leads to another and she realizes that she doesn't want this to be fake anymore. She wants to tell Peter how she really feels, and she hopes that he feels the same.
Like I said, this was a light easy read. I liked the chemistry between Selina and Peter which was almost instantaneous. The spicy scenes were great. I liked the dynamics with his younger siblings. I also liked when some of Peter's past trauma came into play and how Selina and Peter honestly handled it. It helped solidify their feelings for one another and felt genuine. I do hope that this becomes a series- I could see us getting a story about Will, Selina's brother whose heart is broken. As well as Selina's friends that played a part in the beginning of their relationship.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This is my first book by Alexandra that I have read, but it will not be my last.
1000_books_1000_lives's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
monica4782's review against another edition
4.0
Since Bridgerton I’ve become a huge historical romance fan and this book definitely fulfills this. Peter the reluctant American Duke and Selina the society guru who can fix any society disaster. Their romance was especially spicy when there are two lovable, adventurous main characters. I dare you to not fall in love with Lu and her spunk. This is a well suited couple who have to overcome societal norms and the opinions of the ton and how all of this can negatively impact their future together and individually. When I started this book I had just read a book I really disliked, this book was the prefect palate cleanser.
the_reignited_reader's review
5.0
Ne'er Duke Well
By Alexandra Vasti
ARC Review: Pub. Date July 23, 2024
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️
“𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒚. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒖𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅.”
I don't know what I expected from this book, but it exceeded every possible expectation I may have had. I went in pretty blind. I knew it was a regency romance, and I've never read one before, so I decided to give it a shot. It was FANTASTIC.
Selina is potentially one of my favorite FMCs. She's so smart and witty and not willing to settle for less than she's deserves. She's also protective of the people she loves and will do anything to make sure they are ok. She's completely badass. Her storyline in this book is so empowering and I loved every moment of it.
Peter was a great MMC. He was sweet, thoughtful, a bit mischievous, and surprisingly SPICY! I haven't read regency before so I didn't really know what to expect going into this, but it was 🔥🔥🔥 and I loved it.
The pacing in this book is also different than I expected. It moved really quickly and held my attention the entire time. I absolutely LOVED the direction it took in the third act. Some of the twists were phenomenal. If I didn't require sleep I would behave read bit on one sitting.
There were some other really interesting characters and I'm hoping this is a series because I would love to visit these characters again.
𝑶𝒉 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏. “𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒂. 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”
Read March 21-22, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book.
By Alexandra Vasti
ARC Review: Pub. Date July 23, 2024
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️
“𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒚. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒖𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅.”
I don't know what I expected from this book, but it exceeded every possible expectation I may have had. I went in pretty blind. I knew it was a regency romance, and I've never read one before, so I decided to give it a shot. It was FANTASTIC.
Selina is potentially one of my favorite FMCs. She's so smart and witty and not willing to settle for less than she's deserves. She's also protective of the people she loves and will do anything to make sure they are ok. She's completely badass. Her storyline in this book is so empowering and I loved every moment of it.
Peter was a great MMC. He was sweet, thoughtful, a bit mischievous, and surprisingly SPICY! I haven't read regency before so I didn't really know what to expect going into this, but it was 🔥🔥🔥 and I loved it.
The pacing in this book is also different than I expected. It moved really quickly and held my attention the entire time. I absolutely LOVED the direction it took in the third act. Some of the twists were phenomenal. If I didn't require sleep I would behave read bit on one sitting.
There were some other really interesting characters and I'm hoping this is a series because I would love to visit these characters again.
𝑶𝒉 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏. “𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒂. 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”
Read March 21-22, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book.
thedailykaily's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
"I didn't marry you for that. I didn't want you because you could make me respectable or fix my cursed house or take care of my siblings." He touched the line of her lips with one finger. "I just wanted you."
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. Book releases July 23, 2024
Peter Kent inherited the dukedom of Stanhope when his estranged father died 2 years ago. Since then, he has discovered he has two half-siblings, 12 year old Lucinda "Lu" and 10 year old Freddie and he is trying to obtain guardianship. The problem is, he is a bachelor, he is a bit radical as he was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and is an abolitionist, and his estate has no furniture and minimal staff.
Selina Ravenscroft is the sister of the Duke of Rowland. Similar to Lu and Freddie, Selina and her twin brother were raised by her older brother, which makes her sensitive to her friend Peter's plight. Selina has a huge secret. Two years prior, her twin brother purchased Belvoir Library for Selina, which she's been running. The scandalous thing is, there is a secret Venus catalogue, which educates women in matters of the sexes. If this were to be found out, Selina, would surely be ruined. This is why, when she comes up with the idea for Peter to marry before his siblings' custody hearing in order to make him more likely to obtain guardianship, she believes she couldn't possibly be on the list of potential wives, right?
This book was everything I could want in a romance. The female protagonist is fierce and brilliant. The male protagonist is 100% supportive. Unlike most romances, although there is conflict, there is never the conflict between the love interests or areas of miscommunication, instead the couple works towards resolution of problems together. There was also quite a bit of humor throughout. Overall, the story was well told from beginning to end and I will definitely read more from this author in the future. And oh, I forgot to mention, some of the books mentioned on the Venus catalog are actual books that were published in the 1700s.
-regency romance
-dual POV
-3rd person POV
-friends to lovers
-marriage of convenience
-steamy 4/5
shagdalen's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
amshofner's review against another edition
4.0
This lighthearted historical romance will appeal to people who enjoy the “I'm going to set you up with someone else only we're falling for each other” trope.
I liked this book a lot. It immersed me into the story quickly. I do love characters in my historicals who buck traditions and conventions. And that was both characters: Peter, the American Duke (whose father was English), and Selina, who ran a library with a special selection of books to help women learn more about the world (specifically sex).
I liked this book a lot. It immersed me into the story quickly. I do love characters in my historicals who buck traditions and conventions. And that was both characters: Peter, the American Duke (whose father was English), and Selina, who ran a library with a special selection of books to help women learn more about the world (specifically sex).
It was pretty obvious right from the beginning that Peter and Selina were meant for each other, even as she was trying to set him up with others. (The others weren't bad! I hope they get their own HEAs!) It's just that the two obviously complemented each other. Peter helped Selina embrace her bold, confident side. He thought what she had accomplished with her library was amazing and supported it, even when she was afraid of the scandal it would cause. For Peter, Selina is instrumental in helping him get custody of this half siblings. But she also loves him through the difficult times, and makes the house a home and generally brings comfort and love and order into his world.
One note for people who like strong time period historicals: I had no sense of what time this was set in until specific years were mentioned.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy; this is my honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy; this is my honest review.