Maud Blyth would describe her life as rather bland and boring. But that all changes when she gets roped into helping her brother Robin and his partner, Edwin's cause to help save the magic that runs through the British Isles. She's certainly ready for an adventure, she just didn't see it starting off with finding the dead body of the woman she was travelling with. Maud swiftly starts her own investigation, knowing there is more to the death than the police on the ship suspect and she quickly finds herself working with Violet Debenham, magician & actress who is sure to make a scandal at every turn. The more time they spend together, the more Maud feels drawn to Violet and, along with a pair of bizarre accomplices, they start to look into who exactly may have killed Maud's travelling companion. With danger lurking and a ship full of loathsome, aristocratic suspects to delve through, Maud and Violet are going to have to work together to solve a murder and untangle a conspiracy that began generations before them.

I ADORED A Marvellous Light when I read it last year. It was the perfect romantasy, with enough adventure, conspiracy and magic to keep me throughout entertained, so I went into this book with super high expectations and it exceeded every single one. Everything about this book just screamed more, more romance, more danger, more magic and excitement and I thoroughly enjoyed following Maud and Violet on their dangerous, entertaining and seriously steamy journey.

Maud was one of my favourite side characters from the first book, so when I heard that we would be following her story in A Restless Truth I was over the moon. She is a woman with many many layers, someone whose upbringing should have made her jaded, loathsome like the aristocrats she investigates through the story, but instead she rallied against her parents upbringing and became headstrong, resilient, kind, especially to those in need, and someone who is more than willing to ruin their reputation if it is for the greater good. Alongside Maud we have Violet Debenham, a girl who sullied herself and her reputation then fled to America. Violet is someone who never truly gives herself a way, a true performer always playing the character she feels will get her through the situation at hand. But Maud isn't one for disguises, and the more time they spend together, the more Maud starts breaking away at the carefully constructed wall Violet has set around herself.

Thanks to the story being set on a ship, we are limited in our side characters, but this doesn't stop Marske from pulling some absolute gems out to entertain us. My favourite of our side characters was without a doubt, Lord Hawthorn. He was a character we got a limited view of in the first book, but he plays a much larger roll in this thanks to Maud's unflinching and determined manner in asking for his help. His scenes with Violet and Maud were certainly entertaining, only sometimes of serious nature and most of the time had be laughing out loud, whilst also giving us a better insight into his character and background... I'm calling it now, he has to be the MC of the next book and I will be sorely disappointed if not.

If you're looking for a regency story that gives off big knives out vibes, brings all the drama and frolicking entertainment whilst giving you plenty of the more steamy scenes... well then look no further. Marske manages to make being stuck on a cruise ship (my worst nightmare) with murderers, magicians and people pretending to be something their not seem fun, as well as down right hilarious in parts. It's tongue in cheek, as well as tongue in other places that are sure to make you blush and she makes it incredibly easy for your to devour the story... seriously though, she brings the steam in this one so for those with a more sensitive constitution you may want to beware. She takes the magic system for A Marvellous Light and gives us a much better understanding of it, as well as giving us insights into how other countries and cultures use and focus their own forms of magic, which is something I would love to delve into a little more in future books.

Have I talked about the romance yet? Because boy was this romance just brilliantly portrayed. One one side we have Maud, innocent, unspoiled Maud who blushes at the mere thought of saying fuck, never mind taking part in the act. And on the other we have Violet, Violet who ruined her reputation at an early age and has done nothing to try and fix it since. You would think it would be the typical, seasoned lover takes the innocent under their wing to teach them all their deprived ways... and boy would you be wrong. Maud may have never taken part in the act herself, but she is no innocent and I loved the way Marske flipped the power balance with these two. Giving Maud the majority of the power, with none of the experience. It made their scenes infinitely more steamy and sexy and I couldn't get enough. And while the sex was great, it was the emotions that surrounded it, the slow surrendering to each other, opening up and letting each other in that made it truly special.

Ok, I think this has to be one my longest romantasy reviews, but that's because these books are just SO MUCH more than simple romantasy. Marske certainly doesn't skimp on the romance side, but with A Restless Truth also gave us a tongue in cheek murder mystery with a bizarre and yet adorable group of investigator's, and a further insight into her world, magic as well as more history into the overarching theme throughout her series. I am desperate to get my hands on the next book and cannot wait to see my faves back in action.

A great second book in the series. A wonderful mix of romance, magic and sea faring fun. A must read.

I can't provide a full review of this as I didn't realise it was the second of a duology - and I got about 10% in and ended up going to order the first one to make sure I could give this one the most appreciation possible!

This was a whirlwind of an adventure from start to finish with so many twists I got whiplash.

I much preferred this to the first, purely because I am much more interested in sapphic fiction, but I have to say the magic system has intrigued me from book one.

It was great to see characters from the first book, such as Hawthorn, take a much bigger role in this book and you actually grow to like him.

Maud is a delight throughout and Violet is just the best.

Lots of mystery, magic and mayhem, plus a fantastic build up between Maud and Violet make this a brilliant and exciting book.

I'm so sad that I only found this book average! I really wanted to love it but I just didn't feel connected to the characters or invested in the romance or even really in the mystery. I think some of it might have to do with the short time span the book covers, but other than that I can't really put my finger on it. With that said, I did really enjoy Marke's writing style once again and, of course, the spicy scenes were a hit. Definitely recommend this for anyone looking for something a little different to mix up their reading!

Overall i enjoyed the boom more than the first book. Even though it was way more interesting, i would say it was slow paced so it was hard to keep my attention for too long. I loved the characters especially maud and all her character development.
All in all a good murder mystery

A Restless Truth is a great sequel, if you enjoyed A Marvellous Light then it's definitely worth continuing with the series!

Maud is such a good character, she goes through a lot of personal growth in this book and there's a real sense of growing up and beginning to discover who she really is rather than who society expects her to be. Following Maud's journey is a great way to continue the story, but I hope we get to see more of Robin and Edwin in the next book now everyone is back on dry land.

Violet is also really interesting, I'm intrigued about her backstory! The side characters, Lord Hawthorn and Ross, in particular, were really good too, everyone felt realistic and had depth.

I did find the pacing was a bit off in this book, the whole story takes place on the ship so there was only so much action that could happen - it left the book feeling generally too long and drawn out at times.

Overall this was a solid sequel that progressed the main plot quite a lot, I definitely want to keep reading this series and find out how everything is going to be resolved!

Second in the trilogy that began with A Marvellous Light, this novel has a very different setting -- the Lyric, a luxury liner sailing from New York to Portsmouth -- but shares some characters, and has the same balance of romance and magical whodunnit. I was very happy to renew my acquaintance with Maud Blyth, sister of the previous novel's protagonist Robin, and Lord Hawthorne, rude and arrogant ex-lover of A Marvellous Light's other protagonist, Edwin. There are new and fascinating characters, too, most notably theatrical performer Violet Davenport, 'a sophisticated scandal-trap of a girl', and Alan Ross, allegedly a journalist or perhaps a writer of advertising copy, who has a hidden agenda, an unexpected talent, and a chip on his shoulder.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review!

I honestly surprised myself with how much I loved this book. I read A Marvellous Light when it came out last year, and I enjoyed it, but it didn't grip me nearly as much as I thought it would. I still decided to give A Restless Truth a chance, mostly because it felt like it had been written for me specifically - a sapphic, historical, closed circle of suspects murder mystery set on a boat? I honestly don't know if I've ever seen a book tick that many of my boxes.
I am SO glad I decided to give it a chance! It made for an incredibly fun read, and I loved everything from the setting to the characters.
The characters especially - the entire cast is SO charming. Maud was lovely in the first book and it was great to actually see her pov and development, as well as seeing her relationsip with her brother from her own perspective. Violet is a delightful love interest, with just the same level of depth and complexity, and falls into some interesting character tropes that I rarely see (well) applied to female characters. And I can't believe I am saying this, but this book genuinely made me feel for Lord Hawthorne. Which brings me to my next point - Alan Ross is my new best friend. I am genuinely going to be su upset if he and Hawthorne aren't the protagonists of book 3.
Overall, A Restless Truth is an absolutely delightful murder mystery/romance, that I absolutely recommend to anyone who is looking for some fun, magical adventures.

I really enjoyed this sequel, it was a great continuation of the series with characters I really enjoyed getting to know. Full of magic, mystery and murder!

I absolutely adored A Marvellous Light (book one on The Last Binding trilogy) so I had high expectations for the sequel. A Restless Truth is a historical fantasy set in Edwardian times. It features a beautifully written queer romance, an intricate magic system and a murder-robbery mystery to solve.

This time we join the incomparable Maud Blyth for an adventure on the high seas. She has agreed to go undercover and help her beloved brother by escorting Lady Elizabeth Navenby, one of the surviving members of The Forsythia Club, on her journey from New York to Southampton on the prestigious Lyric ocean liner.

Mrs Navenby has hidden a mysterious item on board - one of three pieces that combine to create a magical contract. If the three items fall into enemy hands the consequences could threatens the existence of every magician in the British Isles.

When Maud stumbles across poor Mrs Navenby's corpse she must uncover the culprit, find the mysterious item and survive six days trapped on board with a target on her back and a whole plethora of secrets to uncover.

I love the combination of the Agatha Christie style whodunit and salacious romance. This book is surprisingly spicy as we follow Maud exploring her sexuality with Violet, a notorious scarlet who fled drizzly England to chase fame on a New York stage.

I absolutely loved this magical historical romp. This time the book took place within the space of 6 days so I didn't quite experience the same warmth and devotion for the characters this time. Gone were the little tender moments that made my heart flutter. Instead, we thrown into a mix of murder, sex and scandal - not that I'm complaining. It's just a slightly different vibe than I was expecting.

If you loved the first book - A Marvellous Light then this one will delight you as well. Maud taking the stage was amazing and I adore her so much. Following two different mains from the first installment can always be risky, but this one has paid off. Violet was everything you need in the world. I cannot wait to see what the next one has install for us.

The sequel to A Marvellous Light, the first book in The Last Binding trilogy, is set on an ocean liner travelling from America to Great Britain. This time Robin’s sister Maud is in the spotlight, she’s working ‘undercover’ trying to find the second piece of “the Contract”. [“The Contract” is a fae artifact made up of three magical items that allow the user to syphon magic from other magicians.] That’s why she’s accompanying an elderly lady, and her rather rude parrot, who supposedly has this second piece. But before Maud can find out anything, the elderly lady is killed using magic.

It’s clear that Maud needs help solving this ‘locked room mystery’. Fortunately for her Lord Hawthorne is aboard and grudgingly agrees to help her. She makes further allies in Violet Debenham, a magician and actress who’s wreathed in scandal, as well as the young writer Ross, who carries a suitcase of scandalous material. The group has to find out where the piece of the contract is hidden while also trying to avoid attracting the attention of the murderous magicians hiding among the passengers.

I truly enjoyed this LGBTQ+ historical fantasy/mystery/romance. It was a real page turner and, although I solved the mystery of where and what the second piece of the Contract was fairly early on, I enjoyed how the four amateur detectives puzzled it all out. Tiny note at the end: the cover is gorgeous!

While it doesn't quite live up to the first book, I still enjoyed the second instalment of this series. I loved the expanded worldbuilding as it gave us the backstory of the women who found the last contract and some more magical surprises. It's a fun boat mystery that really shines when all the allies are together trying to solve it. The addition of the prickly Hawthorn to this group was great and I can't wait to see him in more of the series.

However, the stakes never seem to hit the heights of the first. The book even says that a lot of this is Maud wanting an adventure to prove herself to her brother and it's not until the end that we get any real sense of danger. The villains aren't as intimating either. Most of them are simply lackeys sent by the villain of the first book. The one truly sinister villain doesn't feature for long though I enjoyed them when they were around..

I received an audiobook proof in exchange for an honest review.

I totally adored A Marvellous Light when I read it last year and I was very excited by the possibility of a sapphic addition to the series. A Restless Truth is pretty much exactly what I wanted it to be - a magical murder mystery with no shortage of sapphic yearning - I am delighted.
Maud and Violet, our protagonists, brought me great joy and I really appreciated seeing a realistic take on this kind of whirlwind romance, the way things end up very much intrigued me and I'll be interested to see if things continue or if we're leaving these characters behind? But for those wondering if the romance holds up to book one I would say it certainly does! I liked the duality of the coming of age/self discovery story that Maud has and Violet's struggles with emotional vulnerability. It's a classic romance pairing in some ways but Marske makes it feel fresh.
The plot aside from the romance was also great - and I say that as a person who has read/consumed many a murder mystery in my time. The magical spin on things made it extra entertaining. I will say that I think it is well worth doing a reread of book one particularly if you don't have a good memory of the meta plot but honestly it's a good book to reread so it's a win-win. If you don't have time to reread the book will catch you up enough.
I'll for sure be adding this to my 'LGBT+ books of the year' list and I'm excited to recommend this to people until they assure me they are planning on rereading it.
I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Women in modern evening gowns exposed more skin than this in public. Even so: the scandalous and experienced Violet Debenham had stopped talking at the sight of her. A thrill of triumph washed over Maud. [loc. 1781]
Second in the trilogy that began with A Marvellous Light, this novel has a very different setting -- the Lyric, a luxury liner sailing from New York to Portsmouth -- but shares some characters, and has the same balance of romance and magical whodunnit. I was very happy to renew my acquaintance with Maud Blyth, sister of the previous novel's protagonist Robin, and Lord Hawthorne, rude and arrogant ex-lover of A Marvellous Light's other protagonist, Edwin. There are new and fascinating characters, too, most notably theatrical performer Violet Davenport, 'a sophisticated scandal-trap of a girl', and Alan Ross, allegedly a journalist or perhaps a writer of advertising copy, who has a hidden agenda, an unexpected talent, and a chip on his shoulder.

The emotional timbre is quite different to A Marvellous Light, and not only because the focus is on a sapphic relationship rather than a relationship between two men. Maud (who refuses to lie) and Violet (who is always performing) have a spikier relationship than Robin and Edwin, and the dynamic is … not what one might expect. Maud may be naive, but she exhibits considerable backbone, and sophisticated Violet (ruthlessly suppressing her own mistakes) has a lot to learn from her.

There are a number of excellent older women with agency, though poor Mrs Navenby gets a rather raw deal: the same might be said for her parrot, Dorian, who is an African Grey. (I'm ashamed to say it took me a while to spot the literary reference). I’m intrigued by Alan Ross, not least because he’s one of several non-WASP characters who confront the unthinking privilege of Maud, Hawthorne et al: and I’m very much looking forward to discovering more about Lord Hawthorne, who’s much more likeable here than in A Marvellous Light, and who I believe will be one of the protagonists of the trilogy’s conclusion.

Plenty of (sometimes literally) steamy sex scenes, charming descriptions of Edwardian fashion, pornography readings, advancement of the ‘Last Contract’ series arc, and some genuine peril complete the package. Eager to see how this will all be resolved in Marske’s next book!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review. UK Publication Date is 10th November.

This is a great read, digested it in one sitting! Such an easy book to follow, and did not want to put it down!

This is the second book in the Last Binding series and is definitely a sequel novel. There are many references to people and events in the previous book and I don’t think that you would be able to follow this one properly without having read A Marvellous Light.
I was really pleased when I found out that Maud was going to be the main protagonist in this book but for some reason, it didn’t grab my interest in the same way that the first book did. I loved Maud’s character and the plot but my interest definitely trailed off at the halfway mark. I found the character of Violet difficult to like and I’m afraid that the lengthy lovemaking scenes really put me off. I don’t really enjoy explicit sex scenes in any of my books but I guess that’s probably just my age!
I did like the introduction of Ross and the way that his character developed through the novel. I will be interested to see how the series wraps up as I’m sure he will feature in the third book together with Lord Hawthorne.
The magic system continues to intrigue me and I like the almost mythological element to the story line but I just didn’t like it as much as the first book in the series.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I knew that the sequel of A Marvellous Light didn’t include our beloved Edwin and Robin, so I was super tense when I started this. Well, all good - I’m officially in love with Maud.
It’s clear that in between the two stories, Maud was filled in with everything that happened to his brother in book one, and she has been made acquainted with the whole mission of tracking down the last pieces of the magic contract. While on board a transatlantic ship between New York and Southampton, Maud joins forces with Violet, the new main character introduced in this sequel, to find a lost item and a murderer.

Now, this book is how other reviews described it - Knives Out on a ship. From my perspective, the story was less engaging and thrilling than the first book. I couldn’t help but missed a lot Edwin and Robin. In the first book we had the opportunity to deep dive into Edwin’s past and we got to know in full his sharp and troubled personality. Violet was less of a prominent character, the writer let Violet’s past speak for itself but I failed to feel for her or understand her motivations completely. Maud was a rollercoaster of emotions, a tornado, and such a fierce character full of surprises, which I quickly fell in love with.

In A Restless Truth, we have lots of secondary characters who get involved in one way or another with the murder mystery unfolding during the trip. We have the pleasure to meet again Lord Hawthorne, and then they get help from a thief and reporter, Ross (pause: I shipped them a lot, I wouldn't mind a third book all about them). And here’s the problem I had with this book. Both Hawthorne and Ross were fully involved with the investigation and a massive part of the plot, but they were both discarded at the end, and while the overall conclusion of the story was a bit unsatisfying, their whereabouts unclear. The most important thing, I was completely transfixed by Hawthorne, so much that I didn’t care about Violet. Hawthorne, as we find out, has so much to say and there is more to his tragic story that we don’t know (again, I want a book all about Hawthorne, please!!).

The best feature of this sequel is how Marske successfully manages to expand even more the world-building and the magic system of this world. However, it was not detailed like in the first book. Marske’s writing is always brilliant and flawless, and she is a mastermind of steamy scenes involving magic, and I loved how she developed the relationship between Maud and Violet.
Even if I enjoyed this one slightly less, I am still obsessed with this world and with the majority of its characters, I can’t wait to hear more about the third book!

AMAZING!

I am head over heels in love with this series, and for me this book matched up to the excellence of the first one.

In the second book of the Last Binding trilogy, we follow Robin's sister Maud on her journey back from America to retrieve another part of the last contract from another member of the Forsythe Club, Mrs Navenby. When Mrs Navenby is murdered, six days of detective work in collaboration with music-hall magician turned heiress Violet, Lord Hawthorn, and journalist Alan Ross.

I absolutely adored the set up for this book - a murder mystery on a White Star line ship with a big splash of magical conspiracy and a steamy sapphic romance ticks every box for me. Plus with Freya Marske's incredible prose, witty dialogue and ability to create characters I fall in love with, I just knew this was going to be the book for me.

I am praying on my hands and knees that the next book follows Hawthorn & Ross - I've grown super fond of them and Hawthorn is fast becoming my favourite character.

This series feels like the exact combination of things that makes it feel like it was specifically written for me, and I'm so excited to keep reading.

Thank you Netgalley and Panmacmillan/Tor for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.