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danakp's review
4.0
Ok I loved this. Most regency romance tend to be misogynistic to “historical accuracy” but baby this one said “hold my beer.” Loved all the badass women, the plot, the number and depth of characters, and of course the romance. What a fun unexpected surprise this turned out to be. Give me a whole extended universe please.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!
historical_drama_queen's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
graciesbooknook's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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? Yes
4.0
4.5/5⭐️
3/5🌶️
2024 so far has been the year of Regency Era romances for me, and I am loving it! Ne’er Duke Well is unlike any other period romance that I’ve read before. It had an emphasis on women being involved in things that would have been considered scandalous at the time, and I think that the topic was handled really well.
Throughout this book, I loved the different relationships between characters, especially between Peter and Selina / Selina and Peter’s siblings. On this note, I do wish that there had been a bit more information given as to how Peter and Selina had met/how their very initial relationship started. With characters in mind, I also felt as though some of the side characters were two-dimensional and lacked memorable qualities.
I read this book quickly; it only took me about five days from start to finish. It had a fast moving plot that kept me interested, and the spicy scenes were tastefully done. I’m excited for this book to release and to own a physical copy for my personal library. I will definitely recommend this novel for both Regency Era lovers and those wanting to try a new subgenre within romance.
My favorite quote from this book was in the dedication: “To librarians, to booksellers, and to every reader who’s ever handed someone else a boon and said, ‘Try this- I think you’ll love it.’ You change lives.”
My favorite quote apart from the dedication was: “You bring the morning with you. You’re the light, sweetheart. When you walk into a room, I can’t see the shadows. There is nothing in this world that could persuade me to send you away if I thought you wanted me half as much as I want you.”
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to enjoy this advanced reader copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny
eryn_gilbert's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
caitandthelibrary's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Review being withheld as part of the SMP protest.
jessicabeel'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? No
4.0
kaitlyngraced's review against another edition
4.0
Ne'er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti has heart, steam, and a whole lot of hilarity. Our MMC Peter has recently become the Duke of Stanhope, but despite his new station he must petition to be granted guardianship of his precocious half siblings. Our FMC Selina believes the best way to help Peter attain this goal is to arrange his marriage, granting him the air of respectability he needs to win his case. As his courtship of other ladies progresses, Peter and Selina find themselves falling for each other, but shocking secrets may come to light and doom them all.
If this book does one thing well, it's managing a wide cast of characters. Reading it felt like watching an episode of Bridgerton, where countless families all have their own dramas, desires, and secrets. And at the heart of it all is Selina, a puppet master of the ton. Peter is a cinnamon role of a MMC, but we get a shocking amount of depth from his backstory and his ability to connect with all of the women he courts. While I generally wish some of the subplots had been better tidied up, I ~hope~ they've been left hanging for future novels!
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
If this book does one thing well, it's managing a wide cast of characters. Reading it felt like watching an episode of Bridgerton, where countless families all have their own dramas, desires, and secrets. And at the heart of it all is Selina, a puppet master of the ton. Peter is a cinnamon role of a MMC, but we get a shocking amount of depth from his backstory and his ability to connect with all of the women he courts. While I generally wish some of the subplots had been better tidied up, I ~hope~ they've been left hanging for future novels!
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
linyarai's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
4.5
sikensmanicpixiegf's review against another edition
4.75
Oh how I loved this book! I love, love, love historical romances and this book definitely didn't disappoint me. A complete breath of fresh air it was, apart from being enjoyable, funny, and heartwarming.
This solid debut romance features Peter(MMC), who inherits a dukedom despite growing up in Louisiana, and Selina(FMC), who secretly runs an erotic lending library. Selina's solution involves finding Peter a respectable wife to show stability, but she wants to be his perfect match. However, her lending library scandal may cause more issues than it resolves. Then, we see Peter asking Selina for help in obtaining custody of his younger siblings, to whom he is not the automatic guardian.
The chemistry between the two is palpabale, and the book is genuinely funny because I caught myself laughing out loud multiple times!
Peter, I found, to be an amazing male main character, while Selina is a great female main character and I really adored the side characters as well. I was completely hooked in the get go and with these loveable characters, my heart just warmed up really fast. The romance in this book surely I found to be completely endearing. One quote that really stuck with me:
'His voice was steady, his eyes on hers. "You bring the morning with you. You're the light, sweetheart. When you walk into a room, I can't see the shadows. There is nothing in this world that could persuade me to send you away if I thought you wanted me half as much as I want you."'
Although, I wish there was more exploration of how they first met and why they initially liked each other and bonded. There was slight miscommunication issue here but it was handled beautifully so props to the author! I sighed in relief when I saw there was no third act breakup and the conflict was high stakes with a villain to deal with. Alas, all the tension was broken with sweet and funny scenes between the main characters and Peter's younger siblings.
The book is super sexy and perfect for a summer read. The most adorable part of this book was the kids! Kids, who don't overshadow the main relationship??? Another props to the author. Finally, to my dismay, this story concludes with a courtroom drama finale, which is a favorite mini-trope for me actually. I definitely recommend this book for fans of historical romance. By the way, how cute is this cover??? It definitely is a unique one in the historical romance genre and I would love to see more of these type of cover for this genre!
Also, this story has the potential to be expanded into a series, even a multi-generational one. And overall, it was a lovely read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
This solid debut romance features Peter(MMC), who inherits a dukedom despite growing up in Louisiana, and Selina(FMC), who secretly runs an erotic lending library. Selina's solution involves finding Peter a respectable wife to show stability, but she wants to be his perfect match. However, her lending library scandal may cause more issues than it resolves. Then, we see Peter asking Selina for help in obtaining custody of his younger siblings, to whom he is not the automatic guardian.
The chemistry between the two is palpabale, and the book is genuinely funny because I caught myself laughing out loud multiple times!
Peter, I found, to be an amazing male main character, while Selina is a great female main character and I really adored the side characters as well. I was completely hooked in the get go and with these loveable characters, my heart just warmed up really fast. The romance in this book surely I found to be completely endearing. One quote that really stuck with me:
'His voice was steady, his eyes on hers. "You bring the morning with you. You're the light, sweetheart. When you walk into a room, I can't see the shadows. There is nothing in this world that could persuade me to send you away if I thought you wanted me half as much as I want you."'
Although, I wish there was more exploration of how they first met and why they initially liked each other and bonded. There was slight miscommunication issue here but it was handled beautifully so props to the author! I sighed in relief when I saw there was no third act breakup and the conflict was high stakes with a villain to deal with. Alas, all the tension was broken with sweet and funny scenes between the main characters and Peter's younger siblings.
The book is super sexy and perfect for a summer read. The most adorable part of this book was the kids! Kids, who don't overshadow the main relationship??? Another props to the author. Finally, to my dismay, this story concludes with a courtroom drama finale, which is a favorite mini-trope for me actually. I definitely recommend this book for fans of historical romance. By the way, how cute is this cover??? It definitely is a unique one in the historical romance genre and I would love to see more of these type of cover for this genre!
Also, this story has the potential to be expanded into a series, even a multi-generational one. And overall, it was a lovely read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review!