Ladies in Hating

INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER!

Named Best Romance of 2025 by Amazon, Kirkus, Chicago Public Library, and more . . .
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.

“I’m obsessed with this book.” – Ashley Herring Blake, USA Today bestselling author of
Delilah Green Doesn’t Care

“Alexandra Vasti’s Ladies in Hating . . . marks her as a star of historical romance.” – Shelf
Awareness

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Published Sep 23, 2025

352 pages

Average rating: 6.9

15 RATINGS

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eidipop

Feb 19, 2026

8/10 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. What I thought would be a lighthearted sapphic rom com gave me more than I thought with so much yearning, emotion, and deep romance. Two gothic authors under nom de plume’s exploring a haunted manor and ghosts is just the icing on the cake. The banter between Cat and Georgiana and watching their chemistry blossom from rivals to lovers was so much fun as well. All of Vasti’s works are so charming to read when there is so much tension between such lovable characters. I will always stay tuned for Vasti’s books!

Gias_BookHaven

Dec 30, 2025

5.5/10 stars

Not sure why it's called Ladies in Hating to be honest. Georgiana and Cat have tension in the beginning from their complicated past and the intricate likeness of their published works. But the driving tension of the story really came from Georgiana's self doubt, insecurities and self-blame. Throughout the whole story the "hating" came from her character turning every downfall, trouble or issues as being the fault of her presence or existence.

With Cat, she was more invested in taking care of her brother and being able to continue her writing career. So with the "tension" debunked, I found Ladies in Hating didn't match the hype I have been hearing about the book.

I became more eager to find out about the secrets of the possibly haunted manor. <spoiler>And I really, really, really wish they were actually trapped there for more than five seconds</spoiler> It does fit the pining, longing sapphics in 19th century England perfectly. So readers who lean more towards sapphic historical romances with a touch of mystery books, Ladies in Hating will be a good pick.

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