Ladies in Hating

Alexandra Vasti‘s Belvoir’s Library trilogy comes to end with the newly released Ladies in Hating. Set seven years after the first book, it stars Lady Georgiana Cleeve (she was so funny in Ne’er Duke Well!) and Cat Lacey. Both are popular Gothic novelists who publish under pseudonyms (it is the 1820s, after all). Some strange similarities between their books lead to a sort of rivalry, especially when they both turn up at the same manor, intending to use it as inspiration for their next novels. Things get even stranger, though, when they become trapped there… and then find a dead man. Are they in their own Gothic novel? And what of the romantic feelings arising between them despite all the spooky goings-on?

What I Liked:

• Georgiana gets her own HEA! She was absolutely hilarious in the first book, so it was fun to see a bit more of her acting skills here… as well as a deeper look at why she behaves as she does. There’s also some resolution following everything that went down in Ne’er Duke Well.
• Rival novelists. I love books about books, and even more so when it’s not one, but two authors engaging in a bit of competition. Here it’s borne of a slew of strange similarities between their recent novels, plus their desire to use the same location as inspiration for their next books. Maybe one can use bats and ghosts, and the other must use different themes and tropes? One can take inspiration from this part of the mansion, the other from another area?
• Spooky parts! Is this romance about Gothic novelists turning kind of Gothic itself?! Georgiana and Cat are in a possibly haunted mansion, things go bump in the night, there might be a ghost…. Then there are twists and turns involving long-lost relatives and inheritances. I have to say, it’s a little bit Gothic for these two!
• Family ties and queer identity. Both Georgiana and Cat have faced difficulties in their families, albeit for altogether different reasons. Estrangement and disinheritance for one, loss and newfound responsibility for the other. Queer identity and acceptance also come up, and I liked seeing how they navigate what it means to be two women together in a world that might not understand.

Audiobook:

As with the previous books in this series, Mhairi Morrison narrates Ladies in Hating. And as before, she does great voice acting here! She really captures the tone of the story so well, especially the humor and wit. This was a joy to listen to.

Final Thoughts

Ladies in Hating was such an engrossing and sweet read. Georgiana and Cat are so different, despite their common occupation, and I enjoyed seeing them overcome their rivalry to find a happily ever after together. This was a wonderful way to end the Belvoir’s Library trilogy. I liked how each book went into a different side of reading and writing in the Regency era. Though this series is over, I look forward to reading more of Alexandra Vasti’s books! She already has two scheduled for 2026 that I’m excited for.

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

Get the Book

You can buy Ladies in Hating here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti
Series	Belvoir’s Library (#3)
Audiobook Narrator	Mhairi Morrison
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Romance
Setting	England
Number of Pages	352
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	September 23, 2025
Publisher	St. Martin’s Griffin

Official Summary

A pair of Gothic novelists trade rivalry for love in this swoony, steamy, sapphic Regency by USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Vasti.

Celebrated authoress Lady Georgiana Cleeve has achieved fame and fortune. Unfortunately, she’s also acquired an enemy: the enigmatic Lady Darling, whose spine-tingling plots appear to be pulled straight from Georgiana’s own manuscripts. What’s a stubborn, steely writer to do? Unmask her rival, of course.

But unmasking doesn’t go according to plan—because Lady Darling is actually Cat Lacey, the butler’s daughter and object of Georgiana’s very secret, very embarrassing teenage infatuation.

Cat Lacey has spent a decade clawing her family out of poverty. The last thing she needs is to be distracted by the stunning(ly pretentious) Lady Georgiana Cleeve. But Cat can’t seem to escape her infuriatingly beautiful rival—including at the eerie manor where they both plan to set their next books. The plot unexpectedly thickens, however, when the novelists find themselves trapped in the manor together. In between ghostly moans and spectral staff, Cat and Georgiana come face-to-face with real danger: the scorching passion that’s been haunting their rivalry all along.