ida_reads_77 's review for:

Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti

4.5

adventurous mysterious reflective 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: Yes

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Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti is a nineteenth-century sapphic romance about two Gothic novelists. It has paranormal elements around a haunted mansion and a ghost, which I wasn't expecting, but I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and the almost thriller vibes as more unexplainable things happened in the house. 

I love both characters, and their personalities were so clear and captivating. The romance was a slow burn, and it was excellently done. I found this book unique in its setting, characters, and romantic encounters, which is very hard to achieve with all the slow-burn romances being published nowadays. Recommended for anyone searching for a unique sapphic romance with a historical setting.

I wished to have more of the haunted mansion or novelist writing in the plot. When were they writing while all of these huge events were happening? How did they track their writing ideas? How did they hide their writing from the public? How did the mansion emerge in their novels? But the book covered a lot  mystery, romance, thriller, family, etc. – and it would be hard to fit any more in.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Alexandra Vasti for this ARC!

4.5 stars