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A review by rjordan19
Ne'er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: soon in, the end of chapter 1
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, six months later
Format: I listened to the audiobook version from my library (Hoopla) though I did receive an advanced reader copy through NetGalley (but sucked and didn’t read it in time for publication haha)
Why I chose this book: I loved Vasti’s Halifax series and couldn’t wait for a longer novel!
Should I read in order?
This is the first in the Belvoir’s Library but there is brief mention of the Halifax characters.
Basic plot:
Selina helps Peter stay respectable and find a worthy wife to gain custody of his siblings.
Give this a try if you want:
- Regency – 1815
- American hero (Louisianian), English heroine pairing
- Duke hero
- pets in the story – the hero’s siblings have a cat
- children in the story – the hero is fighting for guardianship
- heroine runs a naughty circulating library
- compromised heroine
- matching making
- mid to higher steam – 4ish full scenes
Ages:
- heroine is 23, hero is 29
First line: (Taken from audio, might be butchered)
Peter suspected the project was doomed.
My thoughts:
I actually thought I wasn’t going to like this one! 😆 I saw a few people say they weren’t in love and then I heard there were kids...and I put off the ARC. But I grabbed it on audio and listened and just adored it!
First of all, I thought this narrator was fantastic – Mhairi Morrison. I really adored her narration and thought she did so well with both mains and I loved her southern accent for Peter.
It took me a little bit to get into this book, but soon in I was finding so many of my favorite tropes – a matchmaking aspect, longing from the hero, and adding a compromised heroine I was totally in love. I loved the heroine and her naughty library. I loved Peter and his zeal for life and his siblings and what’s right in the world. I loved them together! The banter was so cute and playful and their longing and spiral towards each other was just swoony. The steam was perfection. Super, super sweet. I felt the love in this one – a believable HEA that just felt true 😍
Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 4
Average rating: 5 stars
Favorite book: In Which Matilda Halifax Learns the Value of Restraint
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
- parental death
- sibling death
- hero is a ‘radical abolitionist’ and slavery is discussed
- toxic parenting (hero’s father) – he is abusive and abandons his family in need
- childhood illness happens on page
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:
Safe sex: Hero pulls out
Hows the consent? It’s good
Pregnancy/children in story? (Please note this is the best to my memory/note taking. If you see something I missed please feel free to message!) The hero has younger siblings that he is trying to get custody of so children are a plot point and characters in the story. I can’t recall if there is talk about wanting children together – I want to say there might have been a thought here or there but it’s not a major plot point at all. (Sorry I’m writing my review quite a bit after I finished the book!)
Chapter 10 – kisses
Chapters 13 – kisses
Chapter 14 – 🔥kisses, fingering for her
He groaned again. “You-that’s-God, I have to-”
His pelvis rocked, and she recognized suddenly the hard line of his arousal pressing into the soft flesh of her hip. Oh. Oh.
Chapter 17 – 🔥oral for her, wall sex
“To hell with it,” he said. “To hell with the bedroom.” And then he looked up and met her gaze, his eyes dazed and wild, his mouth curving into a grin. “Lean back. I’ve got you.”
Chapter 19 – 🔥mutual masturbation
“Selina,” he said hoarsely. “I have to touch you.”
A dark thrill rose in her. Unhurried, was he? Always so easy, so slow and teasing. Two could play at that game.
“No,” she said. “But you may touch yourself.”
Chapter 24 – 🔥bath sex
“Stand up.” His voice came out low, harsh with demand.
When she stood, water cascaded down her body. He wanted to follow each rivulet with his hands, his mouth, his tongue.
He took her hips between his hands and urged her out of the bath, then pressed her down to sit on the ledge. Water pooled on the floor around their feet. He knelt between her thighs, and the water soaked his trousers, his knees pressing into the slippery marble.
TOTAL CHAPTERS: 29 (plus an epilogue)
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: soon in, the end of chapter 1
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, six months later
Format: I listened to the audiobook version from my library (Hoopla) though I did receive an advanced reader copy through NetGalley (but sucked and didn’t read it in time for publication haha)
Why I chose this book: I loved Vasti’s Halifax series and couldn’t wait for a longer novel!
Should I read in order?
This is the first in the Belvoir’s Library but there is brief mention of the Halifax characters.
Basic plot:
Selina helps Peter stay respectable and find a worthy wife to gain custody of his siblings.
Give this a try if you want:
- Regency – 1815
- American hero (Louisianian), English heroine pairing
- Duke hero
- pets in the story – the hero’s siblings have a cat
- children in the story – the hero is fighting for guardianship
- heroine runs a naughty circulating library
- compromised heroine
- matching making
- mid to higher steam – 4ish full scenes
Ages:
- heroine is 23, hero is 29
First line: (Taken from audio, might be butchered)
Peter suspected the project was doomed.
My thoughts:
I actually thought I wasn’t going to like this one! 😆 I saw a few people say they weren’t in love and then I heard there were kids...and I put off the ARC. But I grabbed it on audio and listened and just adored it!
First of all, I thought this narrator was fantastic – Mhairi Morrison. I really adored her narration and thought she did so well with both mains and I loved her southern accent for Peter.
It took me a little bit to get into this book, but soon in I was finding so many of my favorite tropes – a matchmaking aspect, longing from the hero, and adding a compromised heroine I was totally in love. I loved the heroine and her naughty library. I loved Peter and his zeal for life and his siblings and what’s right in the world. I loved them together! The banter was so cute and playful and their longing and spiral towards each other was just swoony. The steam was perfection. Super, super sweet. I felt the love in this one – a believable HEA that just felt true 😍
Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: 4
Average rating: 5 stars
Favorite book: In Which Matilda Halifax Learns the Value of Restraint
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
- parental death
- sibling death
- hero is a ‘radical abolitionist’ and slavery is discussed
- toxic parenting (hero’s father) – he is abusive and abandons his family in need
- childhood illness happens on page
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:
Safe sex:
Hows the consent?
Pregnancy/children in story? (Please note this is the best to my memory/note taking. If you see something I missed please feel free to message!)
Chapter 10 – kisses
Chapters 13 – kisses
Chapter 14 – 🔥kisses, fingering for her
He groaned again. “You-that’s-God, I have to-”
His pelvis rocked, and she recognized suddenly the hard line of his arousal pressing into the soft flesh of her hip. Oh. Oh.
Chapter 17 – 🔥oral for her, wall sex
“To hell with it,” he said. “To hell with the bedroom.” And then he looked up and met her gaze, his eyes dazed and wild, his mouth curving into a grin. “Lean back. I’ve got you.”
Chapter 19 – 🔥mutual masturbation
“Selina,” he said hoarsely. “I have to touch you.”
A dark thrill rose in her. Unhurried, was he? Always so easy, so slow and teasing. Two could play at that game.
“No,” she said. “But you may touch yourself.”
Chapter 24 – 🔥bath sex
“Stand up.” His voice came out low, harsh with demand.
When she stood, water cascaded down her body. He wanted to follow each rivulet with his hands, his mouth, his tongue.
He took her hips between his hands and urged her out of the bath, then pressed her down to sit on the ledge. Water pooled on the floor around their feet. He knelt between her thighs, and the water soaked his trousers, his knees pressing into the slippery marble.
TOTAL CHAPTERS: 29 (plus an epilogue)