(Content warnings: explicit sexual content, sexism, death, murder, blood)

Murder mystery and sapphic romance on a transatlantic voyage! This book was pretty fun, even if it didn't quite live up to A Marvellous Light for me.

I think it had a lot of similar issues to the previous book (the romance was a little too insta-love, the villains were pretty cartoonish), while also lacking some of the things that I loved in it (we don't really learn much new stuff about the magic system or the hidden magic society, which I found a little disappointing). The plot was also a little slow and lacking suspense - what with the murder mystery and the missing Contract piece! Still, it was pretty enjoyable, and the romance between Maud and Violet was entertaining enough, though I found their characters to be less compelling/relatable than Robin and Edwin.

As for the audiobook, I've got no notes! The narration was well done and matched the characters quite well, imo.

I'll probably pick up the next book, at the very least because I'm super curious if I my guess about who the romance will be about is right 👀

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

As the liner cruises away from America and makes its way towards England. Maud Blyth thinks she's nearly there.
Just one the home straight to England, and to her brother
Robin. Little did she know, murder was in the air.
This story has true murder mystery style. An isolated group, unlikely allies and unknown enemies. Can Maud figure out who the murderer is and where the last piece of the contract is before it's too late? Determined to succeed, Maud takes on the role of lady detective and will turn the whole ship inside out to find what she is looking for. But with no magic against a magical enemy Maud needs as much help as she can get. Enlisting the help of vibrant fallen lady Violet, Maud learns as much about herself as about the mystery.
As always the spiciness of this book gives me whiplash it's just too damn like a Enid Blyton mystery in all the
other scenes. I'm just never expecting it. I definitely enjoyed this one more than A Marvellous Light. I felt much more connected to the characters and immersed in the plot. The twist was cool but I guessed it from the from the third chapter (* I really need to stop doing that!
Big thanks to @blackcrow_pr for sending a me a copy to review

Unfortunately, the audiobook doesn’t show up on my NetGalley shelf, so I was unable to listen to the book. However, having listened to the sample, I’m sure I would have enjoyed it had I been able to access it.

I listen too this on audio and loved the narrator. I really enjoyed the setting of this but very different in tone from the first one. Wasn’t the most satisfying ending but looking forward to the final instalment. 3.5 stars

Maud is entrusted to bring back the second owner of the contract, aboard R.M.S. Lyric, but when the owner ends up dead Maud must spend the next six days investigating her death, recruiting people who could help her and staying alive.

I read the first novel in the series, A Marvellous Light, and found the pace a little slow, although I loved the narrative and the characters; so was very excited for the second installment. In this novel, we meet Robin's sister, Maud, and the love interest and magician Violet, including being re-introduced to lord Hawthorn who only played a small part in the first novel.

I felt the characters of Maud and Violet compliment each other very well and found certain questions I had from the first novel being answered within this one, with the character of Lord Hawthorn; this novel gave me a big change in opinion of this character; which I believe Marske to have done on purpose.

Marske writes with incredible imagination and description I could see each scene in my head and could see this as a TV series. The whole narrative is told over the space of six days aboard R.M.S Lyric which is unique and I would have thought to be difficult but Marske does this very easily and the narrative flows very well.

I slightly criticise the intimate scenes the comment about a fist made me clench rather than find that a turn-on, however, I felt Marske writes these very well and I very much enjoy her writing.

This is a fantastic series and is ideal for anyone who loves magic, suspense, and romance. I look forward to the next installment.

4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2022/11/24/a-restless-truth-the-last-binding-2-by-freya-marske/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Fantasy of Manners Murder Mystery

I had a really good time with this – even though I just discovered that I crashed into the series on the second book – whoops! Anyway, the very least I can say is that you can read this book without having read the first! Although if this is anything to go by I’m sure the first is delightful. This was an entertaining, fantasy of manners with a murder mystery and romance. I actually requested the audio version which was really good – thought I’d just throw that in here in case I forget later. I thought the narration was spot on.

Anyway, Maud Blyth is aboard the R.M.S. Lyric enroute to America accompanying a woman carrying a magical artefact. Unfortunately, when Maud’s companion is murdered she takes measures to uncover the perpetrator and solve the mystery. What could possibly go wrong?

I’m not going to go overboard (pun intended *andsorry*) on the plot but just highlight what worked so well for me.

Firstly, the writing and attention to detail is really good. This isn’t overloaded with descriptions but there’s enough to give a really firm footing and to pull you into the period. I loved the writing, it flows well, the story has legs and the dialogue is witty.

Secondly, I liked Maud a lot, she has a wonderful arc developing emotionally and really finding herself along the way. The other predominant characters are Violet Debenham – who is fantastic, I just loved her. She’s a young woman who ran away from her family’s straitlaced expectations to become an actress in America. She’s inherited some money and is returning to the UK with her family who are determined to latch onto some of that inheritance in any way possible and she loves to be shocking. What a breath of fresh air she was. I also liked Hawthorn who was the steadfast character and the ship’s master, he was roped into all sorts of shenanigans.

Finally the setting. I loved this and felt it worked really well. It felt like everyone was in really close quarters with each other on an almost constant basis. There’s not much room to maneuver and no way of escape although lots of secret places to hide. There’s an almost claustrophobic feel. The author throws in some perfectly quirky and strange asides such as the strange menagerie that’s travelling on board, ghosts and even a seance. We spend much of the voyage with the first class passengers all eyeing each other nervously and the baddies finally show their hand ramping up the tension.

In terms of criticisms. I don’t really have much. I loved that there was magic included but didn’t really get much of a feel for the dynamics which I blame on myself for not having reading book 1. There’s an almost over-the-top-Agatha-Christie-Vaudevillian feel to the story with the criminals being overblown caricatures but to be fair, I enjoyed the overall feel and thought it played into the cosy mystery elements Let’s just be honest – a gritty police drama this is not.

This is a fast paced, sometimes steamy, quite often funny, beautifully written cosy (I guess you could call it a locked room) mystery story with endearing characters, a lovely romance and a menagerie of craziness. Talking parrots, racy scenes and an overall charm that I was really taken with.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

This was a fun one. While it is listed as the second book in the Last Binding series this can easily be read as a standalone as there is only a tiny bit of overlap with book one. It follows a whole cast of new characters with only small referenced to Robin and Edward from book one. It also does have nods back to the previous mystery but also I feel can stand alone as well.

This time we follow Maud Blyth who is the sister of Robin the main Character from book one, but for me this had a much more classic mystery feel. The locked room aspect of being on an ocean liner travelling from America to London was really fun to me. It kept the setting and number of characters tight so this meant that we really got to know a lot about our main pair Maud and Violet. I liked the way the mystery built and played out. There were many well plotted red herrings some really fun hijinks and overall I really liked to outcome.

I also liked the use of magic in this book. With mostly unmagical characters when magic did play into the plot I thought it was done so with real emphasis and purpose. It wasn’t just thrown around or used to solve little problems but instead built into larger more detailed plans to help catch the killer.

I also enjoyed the romance between Maud and Violet. While it did fall foul of a lot of stereotypes which did make me roll my eyes a little, I do think overall we ended up with a nice romantic story. The sex scenes were varied and intimate though did lack a little of the lust and passion that was found in book one. However, I thought the development and outcome of Maud and Violet’s relationship was a lot more measured and realistic. I found it easy to route for them but loved that they were not a perfect instalove couple.

Overall I thought this was a really enjoyable read and cannot wait to read more about this world and what might happen next in the lives of these groups of characters in the next book. I was very fortunate to be gifted both a physical copy but also the audiobook version. The audio narration was a real pleasure to listen to. Narrated by Aysha Kala, the voices of the characters were distinct and it was very clear which character was talking. The pacing of her voice was clear and she really brought the story to life.

I really enjoyed this! A queer historical, magical whodunnit!

Fun adventure with quite a lot of steamy moment and some fantastic female characters! Maud and Violet were so good . Strong , sexy and funny.

I didn’t realise it was a serious so was a bit confused by the magic system but have bought the first book so will catch up!

A fantastic follow up to A Marvellous Light, in fact I may have liked the story more because the magic system was already established and in place. Well-built characters and relationships, and cleverly linking story elements together without being repetitive or exposition-heavy. Maud Blythe is a force of nature.

Quite a bit more explicit than I remember the first being, so that's worth knowing for when recommending it to readers!

A Restless Truth is a stellar follow-up to A Marvellous Light, which absolutely stole my heart. Marske's talented character writing continues to shine here, with fully-realised protagonists and side-characters alike, and the romance she unspools is tender, believable, and magnetic. There's some wonderfully inventive extensions of the magic system, all beautifully coherent with AML, and the mystery contained within this book is a lot of fun, with some twistiness that pleasantly surprised me. All that said, it didn't enchant me in quite the same way as as AML did- perhaps it was the ship-setting, which I found a little claustrophobic? But with as notorious as "Book Twos," in a trilogy are for having a drop in quality, ART is an incredible feat and feels every bit the worthy succesor. Maud and Violet in particular are so three-dimensional, loveable, and entertaining- and if you're considering listening to the audiobook, I would urge you not to hesitate. The reader's performance is quite wonderful and you will love Violet's shifting accent.

I discuss this book in more detail in an upcoming episode of The Hidden Bookcase. This review will be updated with a link to that episode when it is available.

I did not love this as much as I did the first novel, but I still really enjoyed the story and the characters.  I found the first few chapters particularly good, very intriguing and I was hooked straight away.  Unfortunately, I did lose a little interest in the middle, where the plot seemed to meander a little, but overall it was an entertaining story and I look forward to book 3.

Just like the first one in the series, A Restless Truth has been a marvelous read.
The mix of historical romance, magic, and Freya Marske's writing is definitely a winning one.

I'll be back for more <3

I LOVE these books! Honestly, A Marvellous Light was brilliant, and now this one comes along and might be even better?! Very excited for number three at this rate 👏

I won’t give away any of the mystery going on, but Maud is every bit as wonderful a main character as Robin was, but Violet Debenham might be even better - beautiful, fearless, sexy and scandalous! I loved their pairing and also think it’s pretty obvious reading this one which pair will take the lead in book three and I’m also very much here for that.

These books are just such fun - basically like the cosiest cosy mystery, but with magic and bucketloads of hot queer sex. And this one did not hold back at all on the sexy bits, in fact there were whole chapters dedicated to it which gave me the satisfaction of feeling like I was reading some high brow smut 🤣

If you haven’t picked this series up yet, what are you waiting for?! A total joy 💗

I really liked this one, I can’t wait for the conclusion! Loved the first one and enjoyed this one too.
Freya Marske has a great way of combining magic, historical fiction and queer writing all together, I love the way she writes, love the plots and the twists and turns and just an overall enjoyable read!

YES TO ALL OF THIS, YES!

I have been so incredibly excited to read Freya Marske's new book since reading A Marvellous Light when it just came out, but I set my expectations far too low. This book is exciting, romantic, darling and spicy in al the best ways. While I did miss some of the characters from A Marvellous Light. this was a lovely way to continue to the story and I cannot wait to see what happens next in Marske's world.

Loved this one. I enjoyed getting to know Maud better and I found her to be a really likable character. I loved the setting too, murder mystery on a cruise with added magic was really entertaining. And then with Mauds own self discovery on top I thought it was just a great combination of storyline which worked well together. 4.5 stars.

This was my first ever audiobook and it was such an awesome experience! The narrator was brilliant and I felt completely immersed into Marske’s world.

I am finding it hard to find the words to describe what an experience this book was.
This was a beautifully sapphic and magical read, set out on a mission to find 3 magical items to save the British isles. A murder mystery leads to Maud and Violet meeting, which stems off the start of exquisite banter, intricate friendship and emotional scenes.

A restless Truth maintains the beautiful prose and character development seen in A Marvelous Light, whilst extending the overall mystery and building upon the magical system that is so unique and original. Safe to say I adored ‘A Marvelous Light’, and was super happy to see some elements of Robin and Edwin in this story!

The explicit scenes were *marvelous*… WLW win in this book. Violet Debenham is a wonderfully mischevious and rebellious woman, she brings out and compliments Maud’s personality and character all throughout- helping her gain courage in her sexuality and standing up for herself.

Lord Hawthorne was an epic character to introduce, with a lot of bone-dry sarcasm and ‘the dad that tags along to everything’ vibes.
I had no issue keeping up with the new characters and plot points, Marske does an excellent job of working them in sync of each-other.

Needless to say, I cannot wait for the 3rd. This was deliciously gay.

In the second book in the Last Binding trilogy, Maud Blythe finds herself on the RMS Lyric, returning to England from New York. Her reason for going is because of her brother, Robin, and the cause to protect magic in the British Isles. It should be an easy trip back.

Expect when she discovers a dead body, a bad-mouthed parrot, missing silver and jewels. She, also, meets the beautiful stranger, Violet Debenham - a magician, an actress, a scandal, a siren - all the things Maud should fear and yet, desires. As the two grow closer, they have only six days to untangle a conspiracy and solve a murder, all of which started generations ago...

When I first read A Marvellous Light last year, I didn't know it was the start of a series. Once my brain finally twigged this detail, I was so happy as I really enjoyed myself. I said, at the time, there was a quality to it that I instantly warmed to and connected to. Plus, I enjoyed the characters and I spent most of the book, shouting at the two leads - Robin and Edwin - to "JUST KISS, YOU MORONS!"

So, as you can guess, I had hopes with Restless Truth. I wanted this to be good and up to the high standard that A Marvellous Light held. And Restless Truth was up to that standard and, dare I say it, I think I enjoyed this one eversoslightly more...

It's always a risky move for an author to change the protagonists in a series. Even the author admitted it herself. But Maud and Violet were so different and refreshing compared to Robin and Edwin that it did work. And to see their relationship grow very quickly (this book takes place over a six day period and we don't know where book three is going to take our little band of merry troublemakers) to friendships, sexual desires and possible something much deeper was a delight.

Plus, we had really interesting side-characters (Hawthorne was only in a chapter or two in Marvellous Light and he's stuck on the boat and forced to help Maud and Violet so we see him a lot and OH! I want a book about him. And Ross, a new character who acts as a sparring partner against Hawthorne was refreshing and bought a lot of humour).

I think it was the characters that made his for me. I just fell for Maud's stubbornness and yet her devotion to Robin, Violet's mischief and cunning, Hawthorn's arrogance and yet his desire to care and Ross... well, being Ross.

This adds a little more background to the mystery of the Last Contract. Not much, but enough to make me concerned that book three might do a bit of info-dumping rather than give us the action and romance readers desperate for. I, also, had moments where I felt elements were a little to neat (but then, I like things to be a little untidy so I'll let that slide).

But this was a delicious sequel, and I am excited/nervous to see how the last book in the trilogy goes and how it ends... maybe a reread of A Marvellous Light is in order...

My thanks to Macmillan U.K. Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘A Restless Truth’ by Freya Marske. The audiobook is narrated by Aysha Kala.

This is Book 2 in The Last Binding series of historical fantasy romances set in an alternative Edwardian Britain. This novel takes place at sea on board the RMS Lyric, a White Star ocean liner, making the New York to Southampton crossing. On board is Maud Blyth, the sister of Robin, the young baronet who was a central character in ‘A Marvellous Light’. As a result of this being a continuous story, I will only give a few details to avoid spoilers for both books.

In order to assist her beloved older brother to unravel a magical conspiracy, Maud has travelled to the USA and has volunteered to serve as travelling companion to Mrs. Navenby, an elderly lady who is the custodian of a powerful magical object. Unfortunately, on the first night out, Mrs. Navenby is found dead in her cabin and a number of her personal items are missing.

While this outwardly appears a natural death, Maud is not convinced. She then meets the vivacious heiress Violet Debenham, who is also returning home to England. Violet had defied her place in society, moved to New York where she became an actress and stage magician. Violet seems to delight in courting scandal. She and Maud are very different personalities.

Maud distrusts Violet though is also drawn to her. Maud and Violet work together with a few others to unmask the murderer and retrieve the magical object, its exact appearance unknown as Mrs. Navenby did not reveal this.

‘A Restless Truth’ proved a quite entertaining historical fantasy. It does get spicy in places, which was of less interest to me than the magical and mystery aspects of the story. However, I felt that Freya Marske wrote these scenes well, even if they did seem to go on for a long time and effected the pacing somewhat.

With respect to the audiobook, Aysha Kala is an experienced audiobook narrator with a clear, lyrical voice. I have enjoyed her reading of a number of previous titles.

Overall, I found ‘A Fearless Truth’ a strong second book in a series that has a well realised magical system, interesting storyline, and engaging, diverse characters. I look forward to Book 3, ‘A Power Unbound’, listed for publication in November 2023.

First I need to say: Both narrators of these books are incredible, they’re doing a brilliant job! I can absolutely recommend reading this series via audio!

So, A marvellous light has been one of my top 10 books of last year. Instant 5 star read, already read it twice and absolutely loved it.
A mix of historical fiction / queer romance / magical murder mystery was the combination I didn’t know I needed, but 100% did.
Edwin is my son and needs to be protected at all costs. And my sweet himbo Robin, he’s like a labrador, you can’t not love him.
So I was extremely sad when I saw that this next book wouldn’t be following them. I loved these idiots so much!!!
Switching MCs in the middle of an ongoing story is always a risky business.
But I need not have feared, because this book was amazing!
I was hoping a little that this book would be following Miss Morrissy, because she was a fierce queen in book 1 and I fell head over heels in love with her.
But Maud was a great protagonist too and it made a lot of sense to pick her for the next part of the story!

After finding (and loosing) the first part of the contract, our little group of misfits is set out to find the other parts to keep them away from the bad guys.
Maud wants to help too, since Robin did so much for her. So she heads to America to find one of the other woman involved. But she’s not the only one looking for her…
This whole books takes place on the ship back to England, including magical combat, a whole zoo, hot bisexual singers and not only one murder. Oh, there’s also our beloved dickhead Hawthorn, who I somehow came to like?!
I loved Maud, she was very stubborn and stood up for herself against anyone and anything! She was a great protagonist and always up for a surprise.
I also loved Violet, the amount of independent, strong willed woman in this series is everything we need from historical fiction.
I also loved the side characters, especially Ross. He made this book the most fun and I am crossing my fingers the next book will be about him!
The only thing I have to criticise about this book: a whole book taking place in one single setting simply isn’t too gripping for me. It takes place over only three days, but it somehow felt much longer to me. I would have wished to see a little of Maud in America!