Thank you SMP for the advanced E-Arc
Witty, warm, and containing some mystery mixed in with the spice, Ladies in Hating was a fun conclusion to the Belvoir library series.
Georgiana and Cat have a history, and, through a few misunderstandings, struggle to be in the same room together, all the while harboring long-standing feelings of attraction for each other. Their backstory was very well developed and helped the reader understand their current passion for each other.
Like her previous novels in this series. She does an excellent job of establishing roles for her characters that surpass the preconceived notions of what women can achieve. I loved that in this book, both women were writers and supporting their families. Something that was likely uncommon during that time.
Vasti writing, as always, is full of swoony declarations, intense pining, and prose that feels romantic without being cheesy. I feel that once again she has mastered the art of letting the reader experience such longing and desire through the characters.
Told in dual POV, I feel that here we gain a really good understanding of the basis for their infatuation, as well as where the rivals’ and enemies’ feelings originated. I particularly enjoyed the flashback as it allowed me to get to know Georgina better while simultaneously introducing a new character to the series, Cat.
I felt that the last third of the book deviated slightly from the initial plot, and while I enjoyed the mystery aspect, I wish it had been introduced earlier and had been a more driving force for the book. I feel like the first 2/3 were about relationship development, and then suddenly we had this mystery to solve.
I highly recommend reading the author’s note, as this book is incredibly well-researched and based on a few historical figures.
Overall, I absolutely adore this book and will continue to read anything Alexandera Vasti writes.
I would recommend this for lovers of pining-filled historical romance and highly romantic sapphic stories.
