1st win for this book - the main character is 40+
set in victorian times with mystery and romance - a lovely cozy read for the weekend. I enjoyed this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and Parkerville Press for an e-arc of Lady Avely's Guide to Truth and Magic.

Ok this was a good time! This book is a regency, murder mystery with magic and a slow-burn, second chance romance that had me giggling and smiling quite a few times.

Lady Judith Avely is a widow returning to The Duke of Sargen’s estate looking to make amends for a family secret. Upon her arrival she finds not all is well at the estate as one of the footmen has been murdered and illusions of floating skulls have been seen. What’s someone with the gift of diving the truth to do? Find out what happened of course.

She teams up with the Duke and together they discover the mystery plaguing Sargen estate. Not only are mysteries solved, but alos long ago secrets.

One thing I loved was that Judith is 42 years old! It’s always fun finding books with women over 25, especially seeing how her second chance at love comes about. She is older and has more freedoms as a widow which was interesting to see as we don’t always get to see that side in historical romances.

So if any of this sounds like something you would like to read, I definitely recommend!

PS. I really wish that Judith would get rid of that mob cap though 🤣 iykyk

Lady Judith Avely’s magical gift for divining the truth makes her prodigiously good at lying. To absolve a guilty secret, she travels to the exiled Duke of Sargen’s estate, but the last thing she expects is to run into the duke himself, who is lamentably now even more attractive than in his volatile youth.

This was really fun! Pride and Prejudice meets supernatural mystery. It was well-written and well-plotted.

Some of this book were good, however, the flashbacks felt jarring. A nice bit of humor and mystery, but I found the romance elements on the weak side. Overall, an decent start to a new series. * I received an ARC of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.

Definitely more romance focused than mystery focused. The magic system is not explained well, and for the first half of the book I had troubling following because the main character is vague and her motivations aren't clear. There's definitely potential, but unfortunately this one fell flat for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this regency romp crossed mystery with Gothic vibes and just a smattering of magic. The unrequited love story and mystery kept the story moving along at a good speed, the characters were compelling and well written and the magic system was unique and interesting

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing!

What if the world of Bridgerton collided with a feisty supernatural heroine like Buffy, but also it was Buffy’s mom? This book would be that love child, and I am here for as many of these as the author wants to crank out. So much fun-bring on book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review!

I enjoyed this slightly spooky historical romp! I don't think I fully grasped the finer details of the magical elements of this Regency society but I that's because despite this being the first in a series, it relates to another one of Oaks' series, so perhaps there was the assumption that the reader would be superficially familiar with the world.

I liked Judith and Dacian's relationship, although I do always hate the trope of the intoxicated woman being mad that a man wouldn't sleep with her while intoxicated. I was willing to move past this though, as I did genuinely enjoy the plot and characters. The mystery wasn't amazingly intricate but it was cozy and there were a a couple of turns done well.

The chapter quotes are written from a guide which is seemingly by Judith but she obviously hasn't written yet, and isn't mentioned at all in the book, which I did find slightly confusing and distracting. Additionally, I did find the ending quite frustrating and a bit anticlimactic.

Overall though, I would recommend this if you're looking for a cozy Regency magical mystery. I'm also very intrigued to read about Elinor's exploits!

3 stars.

What a delight! This fantasy is fast paced, with a unique and interesting story. I loved all the characters especially the comedic relief from the mini vampires.

Cute historical mystery. The characters were entertaining and the mystery was intriguing. Mysterious illusions, murder, more.

This book is the start of a new mystery series. It's a cozy Regency mystery with some magic thrown in. I wasn't really very invested in the mystery, and the reveal was just okay. I think it's possible that because it's the first book and the author was setting up the fantasy and magical elements that the mystery might have been overshadowed a bit. However, I did enjoy the magic and the world building. I also liked the will they or won't they romantic relationship and the characters were likable.

So, even though I had a hard time getting into this one, I'm still interested in continuing with the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book is a delightful blend of historical fiction and fantasy, set in England where the aristocracy possesses supernatural abilities. The story follows the female protagonist as she embarks on a journey to her hometown, encountering a haunted house, a murder mystery, and a slow-burn romance with a past love interest. Despite a large cast of characters, each personality is distinct, and the inclusion of quirky tiny vampires adds humor. It's my first introduction to Rosalie Oaks' world, and I'm excited to explore her previous works.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a copy for my honest review.

I’m so glad I read this! A magical, cosy fantasy with major slow burn! A must read for any fantasy lovers.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

2.75 🌟
Although I typically enjoy historical fantasies, this unfortunately fell short for me. I never felt a very strong connection to our main character, which led me to feel overall unsatisfied with the conclusion of this novel.
There were definitely aspects of this novel that I did enjoy. For example, the mystery did keep me the most engaged. There were interesting aspects of this storyline that truly did keep me reading which I am thankful for.

Unfortunately, this just wasn’t the right story for me, but if you enjoy mystery and historical aspects, I recommend this to you!

While I usually enjoy a cozy mystery and a regency romances but this one was so slow that I got bored. I didn't love or hate the FMC and I gave up on the story, sorry. Maybe I should have powered on through and I would have ended up liking it but I have many other books to move on to. Maybe I'll come back some other day.

A wonderful historical fantasy with a mystery that kept me guessing up until the end!

I really enjoyed this story of Lady Avely, a widow in her 40’s, trying to solve the a mysterious murder while also exploring the chance at love with an old flame. There are lots of interesting characters and at one point I suspected everyone. The final reveal was surprising but wrapped up all the little details throughout the story. I can’t wait for the next one! There is also another series focused on Lady Avely's daughter, which you don’t need to have read first to understand and enjoy this book!

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.

I have been provided with a review copy of this title from NetGalley for an impartial review. I was just drawn into this story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. I was so disappointed to turn the last page and I immediately wanted more. I can’t wait to see what's next from this author.

Set in regency England, Judith Avely is a middle aged widow with a magical gift of being able to discern the truth. She has traveled to the Sargenet estate where she unexpectedly encounters the Duke recently back from exile. The story combines a delightful mix of intrigue, secrets, past romances, ghostly apparitions, the paranormal, deceit and loyalty with a continuous theme of magical powers and characters.

The characters are well developed and there is plenty of humour and romance in this well written and engaging story. The historical context is great and the plot is engaging from page one through to the conclusion which nicely proves the setting for the next adventure for Judith and the Duke. Highly recommended.

I quite enjoyed this one, but I think it was a little bit awkwardly paced and the magic wasn't as well utilized as I hoped.

What I liked;

1) The Magic/paranormal makes regency fiction actually enjoyable for me! - I personally tend to find regency pieces quite pedantic and dry. This one is extremely vibrant due to the magic. I enjoyed how Avely never relies too much on her magic to solve problems and Oak doesn't use magic as a quick solution to her issues.

2) The romance is well developed and believable. - I enjoyed how Oaks gave time to allow us to understand precisely where the love came from and how it blossomed. You can tell this lady reads romance, because it's solid gold.

What I didn't like;

1) It took a long time to get going. - I'll be forgiving, given this is the first book in a fresh series (I've not read anything else by her, so I might be wrong here) , and it can be expected that a author might feel the need to spend the first 1/5 setting up the world in a lot of detail. It wasn't enough to make me stop reading, but it definitely contributed for how long it took me to finish this book.

2) The mystery didn't matter as much as I would have hoped. - I went into this book expecting a mystery first, romance second. I got the opposite. It was a good romance though so I'll let her off haha.

Great book Roasline Oaks, Great book.