#BookReview: LADY AVELY’S GUIDE TO LIES AND CHARMS by Rosalie Oaks @rosalieoaks

Publication: 15th December 2024 – Parkerville Press

A lady shouldn’t be seen to incite a duel… but Judith wasn’t even there when it happened.

Lady Avely doesn’t know what infuriates her more: that someone used her image to provoke the Duke of Sargen into killing a man, or that the duke actually believed it was her trysting in the maze that night.

Now she and the duke must concoct their own subterfuge to shake out the culprit. Otherwise, Dacian might be arrested for murder, or worse, the shadowy guardians of the Musing might inflict their own cruel punishment for the misuse of his Gift. Judith will need her most respectable mobcap, and unfortunately, the duke will need a false moustache.

With Judith’s ability to detect lies and Dacian’s now carefully contained power, they set out to uncover the truth – but their own hearts make them easy to manipulate. Facing a master of deception, as well as the duke’s renewed determination to win her, Judith will need a stiff drink of chocolate and the help of her cheerful, tiny vampiri companion before she can find her way out of the deadly tangle…

Can Judith and Dacian unmask the killer before more blood is shed? And how many different ways can one disguise a duke?

AMAZON

WATERSTONES

​​Lady Avely’s Guide to Lies and Charms is such a fun read. There is a mystery to solve, magic involved and vampiri companions, there is slow-burn romance with the two protagonists trying to admit their feelings for each other,  all in the beautiful setting of Regency England.

In a world where people have magic, the two protagonists, Dacian, the Duke of Sargen, and Lady Judith Avely, are trying to solve a murder that, nine years earlier, had sent Dacian to exile. During a party, in a fit of jealousy, Dacian used magic to kill Lord Garvey under the illusion that he was seducing Judith, the woman he’s always loved. After nine years abroad, Dacian is back and together with Judith, a stubborn and helpful young man, fake moustaches, and two (sometimes) reluctant vampiri, he travels in search of the truth to a country house that may be haunted and that hosts two suspicious and irritable servants, a recluse matron, and a suggestible young woman. Who wanted Lord Garvey dead? Or did the killer want to get rid of Dacian by forcing him into exile?

Lady Avely’s Guide to Lies and Charms is the second book in the Matronly Misadventures series, but it can be easily read as a stand alone. The plot is intriguing and engaging and I loved Rosalie Oaks’ writing style and how she masterfully manages to merge together fantasy, history, romance, and mystery. The characters are fun and well-developed and I enjoyed the witty banter between them. The story ends with a cliffhanger that left me curious about what’s next and I am also looking forward to starting on the Lady Diviner series, which features some of the same characters.

A huge thank you to Parkerville Press and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.

Rosalie Oaks writes cozy novels set in a magical Regency England, full of manners, mystery, and the occasional outrageous breach of propriety.

As a child, she loved conducting home-made theatre productions with her three younger brothers. Now she directs her characters instead, but like her brothers, they don’t always do what she says.

While writing, Rosalie consumes vast quantities of tea and chocolate, and steadfastly ignores the housework.

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