Goodness, this was so much fun! How I didn't pick up this book sooner, I'll never know. It had all the elements that I love in a story: Regency era romance, a cozy mystery, a touch of magic, and witty clever banter. And so much chocolate! What an absolute delight.
To start, I absolutely LOVE that we have a heroine who is "of a certain age," as she would probably say. She's reached 40, is a widow, and now that her children are grown, has decided that she is basically ready to sit on the shelf and ready to collect dust. It's such a joy to read about characters who are my own age, yet still have so many adventures to share and stories to tell. Lady Avely's mission is to tie up some of her late husband's loose ends and settle down in her new estate in peace. But circumstances have her suddenly thrust into the presence of a long-lost love, the Duke of Sargent, and he needs her help, and her magical abilities to Discern the Truth, to solve a mysterious death at his manor.
This is the slowest of slow burns between Judith and Dacien, as this is such a tale of Regency manners and circumstances, and their romance often plays second fiddle to the mystery they must solve. They also have to contend with a large cast of supporting characters in their vampirii, Dacien's relatives, and the staff of the manor, who are all delightfully and annoyingly always in their way. Judith is a mix of independent, yet anxious, and she makes for a formidable heroine. And Dacien is swoon-worthy and mysterious as her Duke. The story is a clever mix of Regency-era romance, gothic mystery, and whimsical magic. There's a little something for everyone here, and it really is beautifully written and well-paced. I'm looking forward to reading more as the series progresses, and to not be so delinquent with keeping up with them!

Lady Avely's Guide to Truth and Magic by Rosalie Oaks is a delightful and witty historical fantasy novel that follows the adventures of Lady Judith Avely, a young woman with a unique magical gift for divining the truth. Judith's gift makes her prodigiously good at lying, which she uses to her advantage as she travels to the exiled Duke of Sargen's estate to absolve a guilty secret. However, she does not expect to run into the duke himself, who is now even more attractive than in his volatile youth. The duke has his own concerns: he has returned home to a haunted house, with skulls floating about and a footman apparently bashed by a book. Such vulgar circumstances are best avoided, but the duke needs Judith's unique talents to help uncover the culprit - even if it might put her in the sights of a killer. With the help of a tiny vampiric acquaintance and a continuous supply of drinking chocolate, Judith should be able to solve the uncanny mystery...if only the duke will stop making improper remarks about her mobcaps. Oaks' writing is sharp and witty, and she creates a wonderfully immersive world full of magic and mystery. The characters are well-developed and engaging, and the plot is full of twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very end. Lady Avely's Guide to Truth and Magic is a highly recommended read for fans of historical fantasy and paranormal romance.

Such an incredible book I couldn’t stop reading! The story line was very intriguing and kept me captivated the whole time. I cannot wait for the second book to come out and will be reading it immediately when it is released! If you are looking for a new series to start I believe this should be on your list.

Oh Lady Avely. You threw some wild twists and turns in there. First, let me say this lovely book grew on me. It took a minute to really get wheels but when it did! It did. The second chance at love, magic, and little family secrets. It’s a slow burn but worth it. I wish there had been a little more explaining of the powers, and maybe tiny illustration of the vampiri but loved it. I’m excited for the second book, talk about a cliffhanger

Lady Avely travels to the Duke of Sargen's estate, haunted by the events of the past and determined to fix a past slight to absolve her guilty conscience. While on her way there, she learns that a footman has been murdered and strange things have been happening all over the estate. The Duke enlists her help to solve the murder and the mysterious happenings, as a Truth Diviner, she can hear falsehoods when they are spoken.

This is the first book in the Matronly Misadventures series, however, Oaks' The Lady Diviner series is set in this same universe, following Lady Avely's daughter Elinor. While I would not say that you need to read The Lady Diviner books in order to read the Matronly Misadventures, there were several times in the story where references were made that had me feeling like I had missed a prior book. I wish the magic system had been expanded upon a bit more, as I found it very interesting and unique, and at times it felt like the narrative assumed that I already had the base knowledge of how it worked. I definitely will be picking up The Lady Diviner series in the future, I want to read more of this fascinating world!

'Lady Avely's Guide to Truth and Magic' is a fun enjoyable read following Lady Avely as she gets embroiled in a murder mystery while trying to form a new friendship, and perhaps rekindle an old flame.

The story starts slowly, but picks up enough momentum after the first half for an engaging end. The slow start might just be because of the writing style where the characters muse on people and events that the readers don't know of yet (which I don't really like), and are only revealed later in flashbacks. Other than that, Rosalie Oaks' writing is easy to read with enough homour.

The world-building is just Regency England with some basic magic, though there are some hints thrown in about some rare complexities in the magic system. Again, this might just be because this is the first book by Oaks that I read and the people who enjoyed her earlier series set in the same world might appreciate this one better. We understand Judith and Dacian, the lead characters, quite well by the end of the book, but don't see any serious character arcs for them. There might be more development on these two fronts in the next installment, however!

Thanks to NetGalley, Parkerville Press and Rosalie Oaks for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The rating is 2 1/2 stars, rounded up to 3 stars as the book on the whole is a fun and light read.

[Half a star for the premise and the whole book; 1/4 star for the writing; 3/4 star for the story; Half a star for the characters; Half a star for the world-building - Two and a half stars in total.]

A gothic murder mystery romance with a bit of fantasy thrown in. What a mixture! I loved that the characters were older and that it involved a dual timeline. The romance was good but I felt the fantasy could have been a bit more involved. A bit slow a times, but not a bad read.

I was given this ARC in exchange for my honest review! This is my first book by Rosalie Oaks and I was super excited. Her usual historical fiction and aesthetic of books is very appealing. I'm definitely interested in reading more, especially since this is the first of the Matronly Misadventures series. This book has a unique take on magic systems and I've never seen one written like this. There's magic, a tiny bit of romance and mystery. The three perfect ingredients for a book. The gothic and early English feel is very nice and the addition of hot chocolate is quite cozy. I usually don't like books with older middle aged characters but Judith was definitely an exception. This book has a lot of underlying humor that I found myself giggling and laughing at. I loved the little vampire buddies especially Wooten. It isn't required to read the previous books to understand this one but I definitely will continue the series and circle back to read the others. It ended on an interesting cliffhanger so I need the next book immediately. It is a very slow burn with no actual spice written. Overall this book was enjoyable and a fun read. I definitely recommend if you like magic, mystery and a little bit of a historical feel.

I’m settling on a 3.5 star rating for this book, because while it was quite interesting and different from other books I’ve read, I felt all the while that there was something missing. I think it could have used a little bit more romance sprinkled in, jut to add more depth to the story. The last 20% or so were the best part in my opinion and the ending left me feeling like I needed to continue on with this series. I don’t think I has ever read a cozy mystery before, but I think I’ll start adding some to my TBR after reading this book. It was quite a fun read overall.

Thank you, NetGalley and Parkerville Press, for the opportunity to read this delightful title in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! This was a super fun and engaging, alt-Regency Era mystery/adventure with romance, magic, and wit. It was a quick read (just a few hours), and I definitely wanted more at the end.

I'm excited to read more from this author!

I was glad to see the combination of one of my favorite eras of historical fiction, the Regency era, combined with mystery, gothic elements (I love a spine-tingling gothic!) and a touch of fantasy.

I found the first part of the book rather hard going, due to the fact that none of the fantasy world terminology the author used was explained. I had to figure out what the terms and the characters inhabiting her universe meant as I went along, which was sometimes easier than others. The second half went a little better, after I had come to realize what each different magical quality entailed and how it fit into the story.

One highly distracting thing, for me, was the lack of historical accuracy in terms of the correct form of address. Time and again, the characters referred to the marchioness by her title, rather than “my lady”, which would have been the correct form of address when speaking to someone of this title in conversation. Everyone at this level of society would have known that, at this time. The equivalent would be calling Queen Elizabeth “”Queen”, rather than “Your Highness”, or simply, “Ma’am”.

I thought the gothic touches were fun and lent some excitement and tension to the story. Overall, needed some polishing and editing to help with pacing and accuracy.

Think Bridgerton-esque romance meets murder mystery with fantasy elements.
We follow Judith Avelys time at the Dukes manor. A time filled with secrets, illegitimate children, love affairs and old memories. The memories of what could have been and lingering regrets between Judith and the Duke

Judith herself possesses the gift of discernment. A gift that's particularly good when it comes to help solving the murder of a footman.

While I found the book enjoyable overall, the ending left me wanting more. I craved a deeper exploration of the relationship between Judith and the Duke.

Despite this, Lady Avelys' Guide to Truth and Magic offers a captivating glimpse into a world teeming with hidden truths, forbidden desires, and fantasy elements that I'll look forward to explore.
3.5 stars
I received this arc through NetGalley but all opinions are my own

Lady Avely's Guide to Truth and Magic by Rosalie Oaks is a charming read that provides a delightful perspective of an older protagonist. Lady Avely shows that life doesn’t end after marriage and raising children. In fact, you may find yourself involved in a murder mystery once you become an empty nester!

In my opinion, the book is slow-paced, but it is filled with moments that will bring a smile to your face - especially the interactions between Lady Avely and Duke Dacian. If you enjoy an extremely slow burn that isn’t spicy heavy, then you’ll enjoy savoring each page of this book over a cup of cocoa.

The book is predominantly a regency piece, with hints of magic and vampires (shoutout to Marigold and her lady bats! 🦇). While I anticipated a more significant role for magic in the narrative, this aspect seemed somewhat lacking and it could have a little bit more world building.

Overall, this was a fun read, but it wasn’t it for me.

I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

This is a spin off series which I did not realize prior to reading it but don’t think it matters and can be read as standalone.

This is a historical romance with fantastical elements, with mystery to solve! This was so fun and cozy to read but definitely low stakes and slow burn romance.

Still a beautiful story with a lovable fmc.

This regency fantasy/mystery novel is a blend of Downton Abbey and Charmed.

At times a little too cluttered with side characters, this lightweight read was easily finished in an hour.

Rated down for the cliff-hanger which literally saw the book end mid-sentence.

Overall, an okay read.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in return for my honest review.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read this ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op.

I absolutely couldn't put this book down. Many times I'm turned off by novels that have to establish a complicated world of magic in order for the reader to understand what's going on. Oakes seamlessly creates a world in which reality exists along with a secret society of mostly aristocrats who possess Gifts. The information is provided along the way -- so as not overwhelm or bore the reader. I loved that.

As any good novel should include, there were several stories at work. This story was both a mystery and a love story (past and present). It was so well written that the flashbacks didn't interrupt the flow of the present story and only added wonderful tension to the characters. Of course, there's also the "who done it" tension of the current murder mystery which makes everyone a suspect, The writing is so fluid and the plot is so fast paced, that the reader doesn't get too caught up in red herrings (which is why I'm usually not a fan of reading mysteries).

It's refreshing for a regency novel to be about a midlife heroine -- who has her own desires and sense of purpose - as well as still be considered attractive and not silly or insignificant.. Lady Averly (Judith)and the Duke's (Dacian) chemistry is fantastic and their dialogue is filled with witty banter as well as sexual tension.

My only annoyance was the cliffhanger ending! I can't wait for the second novel in this series.

The cozy genre is quite hit or miss for me. While I appreciate everything this book was doing, I think it wasn't for me.
What I liked the most was seeing middle-aged protagonists. Especially, with this novel set in the (alternative) Regency Era. I also enjoyed the flashbacks and how nuanced the love life of our heroine was.
I wish we had more worldbuilding. We do get quite a lot info around the powers but not much about the vampiri and the bonds.
I also wasn't a fan of the ending. I'm not one to be mad about cliffhangers, but this one didn't sit right with me.

I had finished reading this book last night and I can confidently say it's one of the best books I read from this genre. Oftentimes I do not enjoy mixing fantasy with romance, even though I love both genres on their own, however, this book was different. I think the fantasy element was very interesting, and while the magic system remains mysterious even after I finished the book, I personally think it makes it better. The romance was well developed, I could see why the characters are attracted to each other and they had a great banter. The mystery wasn't that predictable, although I did figure out most of it a few pages before it was finally resolved but I don't see it as a flaw. Another nice touch was each chapter having a title which isn't as common in books these days so I really appreciated it. The book ends on a cliffhanger and I will surely reach for the sequel. Overall, I give it a 4/5 stars.


A big thank you to the publisher for providing me with an arc via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The characters were cute and it was easy to read it gave me middle age book kind of writing style, There will definitely be people who love this book.

I stumbled over Lady Avely's Guide to Truth and Magic, and while the synopsis did not immediately draw me in, the mention of a widow did. I am pleased to say I was not dissapointed.

Lady Avely's Guide is a cozy mystery fantasy that focuses on of course Lady Avely or rather Judith. Our lady is a widow. And I was pleased to find that she was not a widow of 25 as you sometimes find. She was married for quite some time and has adult children. I always love to get some more elderly mc's.

I found the setting interesting. It is a regency historical setting. But with a widow that is travelling across the country on her own and stays with an 'old' friend. The world here knows that some have magical abbilities. Like the duke has his claws and Judith can sense lies. But there are more kinds of abilities like illusions. And apparently there is an organization in the government that takes on these kind of people to work for them. One of them was Judith's deceased husband. Then there are these tiny vampire creatures who are kind of ridiculous but somehow seem to work.

I felt for Judith, and while I do think some of her 'bad luck' in the past was of her own making, I understand her fretting and worrying about meeting the duke again and about his present inclinations. This is a second chance romance and despite that they had something before she got married to someone else, I feel like she was happy with her husband to a point. Though the flashbacks were very helpful in understanding what had happened between her and the duke.

I would have loved more depth on the government employs people with magical abbilities but I can forgive it as it was not important for what happened in this book. And I could understand everything just fine. I also didn't realize when I picked this one up that there is a whole series surrounding her daughter already out there.

Overal I thought this was a really good start to a series and introduction to these characters. I really want to read the next one as I am not happy with where they left it at...