Ne'er Duke Well

January 19, 2024

DEBUT Orderly, proper, on-top-of-it-all Lady Selina Ravenscroft has much to do. She must organize most of the ton, there are plenty of matchmaking duties to undertake, letters to her grieving brother to write--and erotic novels to order for her clandestine, anonymous, and very popular circulating library for women. When Peter Kent, the new, and a bit bumbling, Duke of Stanhope returns to London from New Orleans, she is happy to correspond about him, but less inclined to be involved with him--until he turns to her for help. He needs aid with his young siblings--both keeping them in line (his sister in particular is heading directly to the scandal pages by way of jail), helping them feel loved, and gaining custody of them to start with. Good thing Selina knows everyone and how to solve everything--but she cannot seem to fix the problem of her own heart, which she begins to lose to the endearing duke. VERDICT Vasti deftly builds a lovely world to set her story, full of endearing characters to cheer for, born and found families, plenty of good feeling, and details of libraries, book covers, and catalogues.--Neal Wyatt

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 6, 2024
An American in London pairs with a seemingly respectable lady with a licentious secret in the captivating first Belvoir’s Library Regency from Vasti (the Halifax Hellions series). New Orleans native Peter Kent never expected to inherit a British dukedom, but now that he has, he’s determined to use the position to care for his recently discovered young half siblings. Kent faces some hurdles to becoming their guardian, however, due to his foreign status and outspoken views on abolition. Kent turns to his only ally, the esteemed Lady Selina Ravenscroft, to improve his standing in British society and find a suitable wife. Selina quickly realizes that she herself is the best candidate for the marriage of convenience—but she has a secret: she is the purveyor of a clandestine library of pornographic literature to enlighten and titillate her fellow society women. If the truth comes out, it could destroy both her and Kent’s reputations and snuff out their burgeoning mutual attraction. The plot feels fresh and exciting with tension and tenderness stemming from Selina’s dual identity and Kent’s dedication to his tween siblings. As hot as it is heartfelt, this will have historical romance fans hooked. Agent Jessica Alvarez, Bookends Literary.

June 15, 2024
An American duke tangles with an erotic bookseller disguised as a proper English lady. Though he was born and raised in New Orleans, Peter Kent has unexpectedly become the Duke of Stanhope. He's enjoyed getting a chance to lecture his new peers in the House of Lords about the urgent necessity of abolishing slavery in all British colonies, but he still longs for his old life. When he learns that his father had two unacknowledged illegitimate children--12-year-old Lu and 10-year-old Freddie--he sees a chance to use his new authority for something positive, but he's told that if he wants to become their legal guardian, it would help to be married to an "impeccable" lady. Enter Lady Selina Ravenscroft--not to marry, but to be his matchmaker. She can't possibly marry him, no matter how attractive she finds him, because her secrets would ruin his reputation even further. First, she's the secret power behind Belvoir's Library, "the most popular circulating library in England." And as if a lady earning money from trade isn't bad enough, Belvoir's has a popular underground business putting out seditious and salacious publications, including those included in the Venus catalog, a ladies-only collection with a "combination of radical philosophy, erotic memoirs, and titillating novels." Unfortunately, Selina's attempts at matchmaking fail when she and Peter, their burgeoning attraction getting the better of them, are caught in an indiscreet moment. Though their hasty marriage gets off to a steamy start, Selina's secrets are suddenly on the verge of being made public, and their coupling might need to end as quickly as it began. Using wit and a bookish, rom-com sensibility, Vasti has built a charming new Regency series around Belvoir's Library. And spicy, too--though Selina's a virgin when she marries Peter, she's also an erotica fangirl, and all their intimate scenes would be right at home in Belvoir's Venus catalog. Though the plot is uneven in places, the genuine humor and solid character development will keep readers turning the pages. A sparkling launch to a promising new Regency series set at a woman-run library.

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