NE'RE DUKE WELL.

NE'RE DUKE WELL by ALEXANDRA VASTI.

Genre ... Historical Romance 

Publication Date ... 1st August 2024

Publisher ... Atlantic Books, Corvus Imprint 

Estimated Page Count ... 400

Standalone Novel

Publishers Content Warning ... This book contains discussion of childhood illness and death of a sibling as well as references to slavery and domestic violence. There is also one use of a slur for sex workers (uttered by a villain!).

Order Link ... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1805461362

STRATAGEM FOR THE RESTORATION OF RESPECTABILITY TO THE DUKE OF STANHOPE:

Step 1: Find perfect wife Step 2: Save reputation from ruin Step 3: Do not, at any cost, fall in love with Selina Ravenscroft Peter Kent, newly inherited Duke of Stanhope, has developed quite the scandalous reputation - which must be overturned if he is to win the guardianship of his young half siblings. For help he turns to Lady Selina Ravenscroft, society's most proper debutante (save one tiny secret...). She suggests courtship and marriage to a lady of unimpeachable character - which due to the aforementioned secret is definitely not Selina herself.

But her matchmaking goes awry when the scorching chemistry between them proves impossible to resist. For the disreputable duke and his unpredictable matchmaker, falling in love might just be the ultimate scandal...

Not my usual kind of read I admit but there were several things about Ne'er Dukes Well, namely mention of scandalous reputations, unimpeachable characters {or lack there of}, unpredictable matchmakers and ultimate scandals, that if not exactly screamed, certainly rather loudly shouted "read me".
As it turns out just what the doctor ordered at this moment in time; a book that I didn't really have to think about; a book that at times was unexpectedly funny; a book in which the dramatics thankfully {how can I put it} weren't as 'over the top' {?} as, in my admittedly limited experience of this genre, they generally are.
Beginning with Peter King, the newly inherited Duke of Stanhope, trying to ensure he gets guardianship of his half siblings; two illegitimate children never acknowledged by his father, an aspect of the story which to my mind rather disappointingly overshadowed the rest of the story to the point that by the latter part of the book it had become the sole focus and only driving force.
I loved that in Selina, 'society's most proper debutante', we have a good, strong female lead who operates a library filled with books that should have any lady of good breeding swooning. There is genuine sexual chemistry between her and the aforementioned Peter though I could just as well have done without the 'steamy' sex scenes, one of which, depending on your perspective, was just the other side of steamy/sizzling.
Ultimately, not a huge reader of rom-coms and historical romances to begin with, when I do read them I want them to be just that and as Ne'er Duke Well begins several years after Peter and Selina first met I kind of felt a bit robbed that I'd missed out on all of the romance of the two meeting and what first attracted one to the other. Still, hey-ho I had fun conjuring up all of the possibilities ... and I suppose there was all of the angst of just why they couldn't/shouldn't be together.
 

Alexandra Vasti loves coffee, beignets, and books, in no particular order. She is the author of the Halifax Hellions series. In between writing swoony Regency romances with hijinks and heart, she teaches British and Caribbean literature in New Orleans.

Social Media Links ... @CorvusBooks https://x.com/CorvusBooks @AlexandraVasti https://x.com/AlexandraVasti
With thanks to Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for organising a paper copy. One of several bloggers participating in the Blog Tour of this book, agree or disagree with me, all opinions are my own; no financial compensation was asked for nor given; threats of violence towards my favourite teddy bear went unheeded as did promises of chocolate.

Share the love by following their blog.
Take a few minutes to check out their newest post and leaving a comment, you’ll instantly put a smile on their face.
Share on FaceBook, X, Pinterest, and other social media sites, it shows that you care about their work and want others to enjoy it too!
The next time you see their post pop up on your feed, hit the like button, leave a comment, or even share it with your followers. It’ll defiantly make their day.