A review by bottleblondebookworm
Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

An anxious heiress and a Scottish earl go on a regency road trip to find a catfishing brother and maybe find love along the way! 

 

I love Vasti’s work, and when I saw the blurb for Earl Crush I was immediately on board! Vasti puts a fresh spin on the classic histrom with an accumulation of our favorite tropes! Epistolary romance but she’s actually being catfished? A carriage road trip. Quick, kiss me, someone is coming! A marriage of convince but are they actually married? A burly Scottish earl but he’s basically a cinnamon roll and a nerd. An heiress that has debilitating anxiety and is a secret radical. House parties and secrets and spies, oh my! Nosy servants that are actually found family and a dog named Sir Francis Bacon that is the true hero of this series. Also, stampeding zebras. Yeah, that’s right, zebras. 

 

Lydia captured my attention when she was introduced in Ne’er Duke Well, and I was so excited for her story! Lydia has anxiety that has kept her from being a diamond of the ton, even though she’s an heiress, but she hasn’t let it stop her from writing radical pamphlets for Belvoir’s Library. And she doesn’t let it stop her from approaching the Earl of Strathrannoch to propose a marriage of convenience after years of exchanging letters. Unfortunately, Arthur, said earl, has no idea who she is! Lydia’s growth over the course of the book was beautiful. She has anxiety but it doesn’t keep her from living her life and going after what she wants. Arthur is such a supportive partner, even if he’s a bit of a bonehead at points, and supports Lydia in a gentle, encouraging way. He has his own struggles and doesn’t believe he’s worthy of Lydia or family or his title, but he’s able to work through it with some help from his secretary and stable master (insert found family). I also enjoyed getting more Georgiana, seeing her true personality come through is such a treat, and I can’t wait for her book! 

 

Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary arc. All opinions are my own.