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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!
katmandz's review against another edition
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
unsweetener's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.25
Selina is especially clear as an enterprising, clever, self-appointed spinster in waiting who excels at taking advantage of people's expectations so she can do what she wants. Peter is a friendly half-American accidental Duke with surprise siblings to take care of. Peter needs to look respectable to get custody of said kids, so Selina sets him up to court her smart friends even though she thinks he's hot. She has a scandalous business venture, so in this story it's the heroine worrying about being a liability to her romantic interest.
There was a little bit more telling than showing with the main characters at times, which I think dulled the emotional impact, but the low drama worked well for this story and couple; once they're together, they're very solid and there are no tedious miscommunications dragging out the story. The external conflict was pretty good too, and didn't take up too much space, but sets up lots of possibilities for the future.
This is a great one if you like close-knit families, carefully deployed children, and a quirky friend group. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more about them all.
Very appreciative to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this novel.
There was a little bit more telling than showing with the main characters at times, which I think dulled the emotional impact, but the low drama worked well for this story and couple; once they're together, they're very solid and there are no tedious miscommunications dragging out the story. The external conflict was pretty good too, and didn't take up too much space, but sets up lots of possibilities for the future.
This is a great one if you like close-knit families, carefully deployed children, and a quirky friend group. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more about them all.
Very appreciative to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this novel.
samjowerts's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.0
This was such a fun read. A balance of political intrigue, savvy regency social interactions, romance, and the power of clever women. I love Selina as a character and how she was so authentically herself in a time not built to support strong women. It is refreshing to see women of the regency era portrayed as real, intelligent, well-rounded individuals and the strength of the political movements and social standings of the time.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
delaneyyyw's review
emotional
funny
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? No
4.5
downtown_kb's review
emotional
funny
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
3.5
Peter finds himself newly a duke and seeking the custody of his half sister and brother. Thought of unfavorably by the local courts, Peter worries he will be denied guardianship and goes to his friends for ideas to help his reputation. Lady Selina decides a respectable marriage is the key to getting the guardianship. She then sets out to introduce Peter to her short list of eligible candidates.
This was a low stakes, high fun read and just really sweet. With matchmaking shenanigans and a duke with a competency kink who goes full simp for the intelligent, independent, strong willed Lady Selina. Lady Selina was a great FMC to discover. Peter is so sweet and I love how much he enjoys Selina telling him what to do. He’s just so gone on her.
I appreciated that the formula of this book was not what you typically see these days in romance novels. There’s a lot more depth to these two finding their HEA. And while ultimately it dragged a bit long for me in the second half, I did enjoy how quickly these two realized their true feelings and then worked on building a family together. It was just supremely cozy and of course Alexandra Vasti weaves another clever story.
I desperately want Lydia, Iris and Will’s story now as well as Georgiana. There are so many stories to tell in this world!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!
This was a low stakes, high fun read and just really sweet. With matchmaking shenanigans and a duke with a competency kink who goes full simp for the intelligent, independent, strong willed Lady Selina. Lady Selina was a great FMC to discover. Peter is so sweet and I love how much he enjoys Selina telling him what to do. He’s just so gone on her.
I appreciated that the formula of this book was not what you typically see these days in romance novels. There’s a lot more depth to these two finding their HEA. And while ultimately it dragged a bit long for me in the second half, I did enjoy how quickly these two realized their true feelings and then worked on building a family together. It was just supremely cozy and of course Alexandra Vasti weaves another clever story.
I desperately want Lydia, Iris and Will’s story now as well as Georgiana. There are so many stories to tell in this world!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment and Grief
Minor: Slavery