Review: Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti

I received this book via the publisher St. Martin's Griffin. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Ne'er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on 2024-07-23
Length: 345 pages
Reviewing eARC from the publisher St. Martin's Griffin
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2024, 2024 COYER Unwind

In this steamy Regency romp, Lady Selina is determined to find the Duke of Stanhope the perfect wife—the only problem is she's starting to think that might be her.

Peter Kent—newly inherited Duke of Stanhope and recently of New Orleans, Louisiana—must become respectable. Between his radical politics and the time he interrupted a minor royal wedding with a flock of sheep—not his fault!—he’s developed a scandalous reputation at odds with his goal of becoming guardian to his half siblings. For help, he turns to the cleverest and most managing woman of his acquaintance, Lady Selina Ravenscroft.

Selina is society’s most proper debutante, save one tiny secret: she runs an erotic circulating library for women. When Peter asks for her help, she suggests courtship and marriage to a lady of unimpeachable reputation. (Which is to say, definitely not herself.)

But matchmaking doesn’t go according to plan. Peter’s siblings run rampant on Bond Street. Selina ends up in the Serpentine. And worst of all, the scorching chemistry between Peter and Selina proves impossible to resist. For the disreputable duke and his unpredictable matchmaker, falling in love just might be the ultimate scandal.

Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti is a regency romance about a young woman determined to help a newly inherited duke gain custody of his half-siblings by finding him a wife. Lady Selina Ravenscroft is a cunning, well-respected woman of the ton. Raised by her elder brother when their parents passed, Selina knows all to well what it feels like to be a parentless child. When Peter Kent requests advice on how to secure his siblings under his guardianship, Selina is determined to make it happen. With only a few weeks until he goes before the courts, he needs help cleaning up his reputation and what better way to show he’s matured than through marriage.

I really enjoyed this story. Selina is smart and hiding secrets of her own, namely owning a library that circulates books for women to educate them about sexual matters. This played a larger role in the book that I first believed it would. When Selina hatches the marriage plan to help Peter, she makes a list of women she believes he’d get along with well and would elevate his reputation. She, of course, leaves herself off because if news of the library being hers comes to light it could create an even bigger scandal.

While I liked Selina, I loved Peter. He is down-to-earth, what you see is what you get kind of guy. He isn’t afraid to speak his mind, and his abolitionist ideas are new, pushing the boundaries. I like that even though he didn’t know he had siblings until he inherited the dukedom that he loves them already. Not only loves them, but he wants them. He wants to raise them and give them everything they need and want. How can you not love that?

The plot was really two-fold following Selina’s harebrained marriage plan, her library, and the budding romance between the two Selina and Peter. Peter liked Selina before her idea, and I believe would have asked her to marry him when he was ready. Selina respected Peter because of his love for his siblings, but put herself out of the running to be his because of her scandalous library. I like how the author built their friendship as a foundation for the romance.

Overall, I really enjoyed Ne’er Duke Well. It was easy to root for Selina and Peter. I also loved Peter’s siblings and other side characters who were all fleshed out fully. While I didn’t mention that in my review, it really helped to build the world and added depth to Selina and Peter. If you are a fan of regency romance, I highly recommend it.

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