Ne’er Duke Well

Several months ago, when Alexandra Vasti announced her debut novel, I was so excited to read it. Ne’er Duke Well is out now, and it is a delight. It has matchmaking, a marriage of convenience, a secret (scandalous) library, and two kids in need of a home. This is the first in the Belvoir’s Library trilogy, and I already can’t wait to read the next installment.

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Review

Ne’er Duke Well follows an American-born duke, Peter, who just arrived in England two years ago. Upon learning of his two younger half-siblings, both orphaned, he intends to gain official custody of them. Too bad his reputation isn’t the greatest; he’s radical and tends to draw a lot of attention to himself! His small family is at risk of being permanently split apart, unless he can somehow convince the judges that he’ll be a caring and stable guardian. For help he turns to his friend Selina, and she comes up with a plan to have him court and marry a woman with a spotless reputation. Not her, though: She has some secrets lurking behind closed doors! And yet Peter wants only her. Can they have it all? Or would being together be too great a risk to Peter’s young siblings?

This book jumps into the main action pretty quickly; maybe it was built up in the author’s previous novellas? (I haven’t read them yet, but those characters are referenced in Ne’er Duke Well.) I found myself trying to get up to speed in the first couple of chapters, but once I did, I fell in love with these characters and their story.

Selina and Peter are both likable. Peter is easy-going and accidentally causes scandal wherever he goes, affable and charming, yet with radical political stances (at least for the time). He’s an outsider, having been born and raised in New Orleans with no likelihood of ever becoming a duke, and yet here he is. Selina is clever and endlessly helpful to anyone who needs it. She secretly runs a library offering erotic literature, something that would surely destroy her reputation and that of her brother, himself a duke. The secondary characters, too, are fun to read. From Peter’s younger half-siblings to the women he’s instructed to court, they all spring from the pages.

There are a few tropes in here—matchmaking, marriage of convenience—that feel reinvigorated and original. I was pleasantly surprised at how swiftly certain things moved along, opening up the story for more twists and fun along the way.

Ne’er Duke Well is generally a ton of fun, but it also delves into some more serious topics. There’s a health scare later in the book, bringing back Peter’s trauma over the loss of his brother back in New Orleans. There’s also discussion of women’s undeserved ignorance around sex and Selina’s determination to give women more knowledge and power in that regard. Bravo to both Selina and Peter for the positive ways they’re each trying to improve their world!

Final Thoughts

From start to finish, Ne’er Duke Well is a delightful and engaging romance. It’s a joyous read with substance, and I am exited to continue the series. The next book in the Belvoir’s Library trilogy, Earl Crush, comes out on January 21, 2025. It stars Selina’s friend Lydia and a Scottish Earl, and I can’t wait to read it!

Get the Book

You can buy Ne’er Duke Well here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti
Series	Belvoir’s Library (#1)
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Romance
Setting	England
Number of Pages	352
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	July 23, 2024
Publisher	St. Martin’s Griffin

Official Summary

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.