What an absolute delight this book was! This book has it all. The setting is historical, but with a fantasy/paranormal element.. The aristocracy in England has supernatural abilities - the ability to detect lies, exceptional strength, great memory, etc. Partnering with tiny vampires can help them manage their abilities, which sometimes leave them exhausted and "bemused" (drunk). Our main characters all have abilities, but some of their servants do as well.

The story opens with the female main character traveling to find someone connected to her dead husband. This trip will take her back to where she grew up and she's not expecting to be recognized, but of course she is, which is why we have such an interesting story here. On top of there being a haunted house and a murder, we get a slow burn, second-chance romance between the female main character and a man she was in love with before she got married. They wind up sleuthing together and she constantly questions whether she should let herself become involved with the man or run in the other direction.

The story moves quickly and despite there being a long list of characters, the different personalities are distinct. The tiny vampires are ridiculous and funny.

You don't need to be familiar with the author's other series, which follows the main character's daughter. This is my first taste of the world Rosalie Oaks has created, but I'll be circling back to read those earlier books.

I was given early access in exchange for an honest review.

This is my new favourite genre! Witchery historical whodunnit! I'm struggling to define this book. Featuring Judith as our wonderfully mature heroine and Dacien, our sometime surly Duke as the dubious hero. There are supernatural doings at Sargenet and Judith finds herself investigating a murder. There is more than one string to this book and I thoroughly enjoyed untangling them.. Judith is a joy and I can't wait to find out more about her. The mystery element was well written with a decent plot. Overall a great cosy mystery worth 5 stars.

Thank you so much to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for an ARC of Lady Avely's Guide to Truth and Magic in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5

Lady Avely's Guide to Truth and Magic has a unique energy, which I would describe as a blend of Downton Abbey and Sabrina the Teenage Witch (the Melissa Joan Hart version), with some Shakespearean elements. If you enjoy cozy mysteries with spooky twists, then it's definitely worth checking out.

The only thing I wish for is more scenes between Dacian and Judith. I found myself eagerly anticipating their conversations throughout the book. I hope that in the upcoming installments, we'll see more of their interactions.

Romance, mystery, betrayal, yearning, intrigue, and magic!

We follow Judith as she journeys to Sargenet, an estate very near to where she grew up, on a mission to set certain sensitive matters to right. She finds that strange and disturbing occurrences have been happening recently, prompting the Duke of Sargent, Dacian, to return after a long absence. Judith and Dacian have undeniable chemistry burdened with heavy choices from their pasts that have kept them apart.

Rosalie Oaks weaves a creative and enticing murder mystery laced with magic. Despite a potentially heavy subject, it is actually not a dark book! The overall atmosphere is cozy, with some outright hilarious moments. It's a delight to read of two mature characters reflecting on the paths laid out by their youthful choices while forging ahead with their current adventures. I loved following along with Judith's rationale as she tries to solve the murder. I think I suspected each character of being the murderer at least once!

The magic system is unique and interesting; it is integrated in a way that blends fantasy with reality. It still feels like a historical fiction with the addition of some little vampires running around.

Consider me hooked; I'm chomping at the bit to read the next book!

Lady Judith Avely travels to the estate of the Duke of Sargen on urgent business. with one of the members of his staff. She is hoping he will not be there, because the two of them have a past, and she is not eager to reacquaint herself with him, but luck is not on her side. In fact, he has just 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......

This mystery was so much fun. I loved all of the characters. It was like taking a novel from the Jane Austen era, and mashing it up with the supernatural and fantasy elements to create un-put-downable book that kept me laughing with all of the crazy antics. There were two mysteries to solve - who committed the murder, and who was casting all of the skeleton/blood dripping/decapitated mice glamours all over the castle and grounds. Was it one person, or two separate people? It kept me guessing until all was revealed, and the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. If you enjoy a good mystery, then you definitely need to check this one out.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is my first book by Rosalie Oaks and I enjoyed it a lot. If you like books with a mix of english countryside and slow burn romance with an added cozy mystery, than this is for you!

We follow Lady Avely (Judith) as she helps the Duke of Sargen (Dacian) with a presumed haunted house and a mysterious murder. Both characters are in their 40s which added a different element.

This book was well written and I was intrigued by the story, the author kept me guessing until the end. The mystery aspect was quite well done, with lots of twists and turns. I am still unsure about some aspects of the magic system, it wasn’t explained in depth and is a bit vague, potentially on purpose? In my opinion, this did not take away from the overall story.

This is part of an ongoing series and ends on a cliffhanger. I am interested in reading Lady Avely’s next adventure.

Thank you to the publisher, Parkerville Press for the ARC through NetGalley. My review is my honest opinion on this book ✨

Set in the magical underbelly of England this lovely book follows Lady Avely on her quest to solve a murder at a Dukes home. Filled with twists and turns that leave you gasping, while the sizzling tension leaves you blushing, this book is quickly one of my favourites.
All the characters have their own charm and personality with the mystery gripping me the entire way through, the ending left me wanting for more. I will definitely be buying this book when it comes out!

Such a fun world, with interesting talents and imaginative uses thereof, as well as a wonderful main character in Lady Avely. I loved stepping into her story at this stage in her life, as a matron of 40 with adult children and a complicated history. I look forward to further adventures!

3.75 stars

This book feels a bit like a 1999 Toyota corolla. Is it a masterpiece? No, but it got me there and felt super solid and dependable. A great mix of regency romance and cozy mystery. I blow through this book and would say if you like Soulless or Amelia Peabody vibes and want something familiar and comforting in style this is the book for you.. I would definitely read the next one.

I think more books should feature older heroes, because it leads to some fun new perspectives and wonderful jokes about mobcaps. There was great romantic tension between the leads, BUT I think it is important to note that the tension is not resolved by the end of the book. There is no spice or kiss and a cliff-hanger for the next one. The lack of payoff on the build was a real let down for me, but I can understand what the author has in mind, definitely good for readers to know going in though.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book.

I uploaded my review to Goodreads. I will upload it to Amazon on the day of publication.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Rosalie Oaks for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Lady Avely's Guide to Truth and Magic coming out February 16, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I love Regency and cozy mysteries. I think this book was a perfect blend of Regency romance and cozy mystery. The writing was fun I really loved that Judith was an older heroine. I think it made her a little more mature, and she knew more about the world. However, there were some ways that she was naïve. I think she had made some mistakes in her past, but I think they were good experiences in the end. The few misunderstandings weren’t my favorite. I would’ve liked to see that handled a different way, or with more of an explanation of why they made the choices they made. It was a little slow to begin with, but I think things really picked up halfway through the book and I loved it! Judging by the ending, it sounds like this will be a series. I am definitely interested in checking out more books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Regency, romance and cozy mysteries!

Such fun!
I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy fantasy mystery set in the Regency period.
As a recent empty nester, I immediately connected to Judith, a widow on her own after her children are grown.

“She smiled to herself. Wasn’t it usually the children who were keen to flee the nest? Yet it was a calming sensation to realise that here she had no one to worry about except herself; no household to oversee, no youthful dramas to untangle, no scandal to scotch.”

I also really enjoyed her banter with the charismatic and handsome Duke and I was absolutely rooting for their second chance romance. I especially liked Judith's truth divining magic and how it played into the mystery. Add in some interesting secondary characters, Vampiri companions and some lovely gothic skulls dripping blood and you’ve got a great story!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy. This is my honest review.

This book transports you to a world of mystery, fantasy and romance, combining all these elements in a captivating way. It is in this book that we follow the story of a woman who finds a second chance at love while rediscovering her own identity, freeing herself from roles.
It is one of those books to read over a cup of coffee or hot tea.
This book has romance, mystery and I can't wait to see how it all unfolds.

This is a cozy historical romance fantasy book about a woman with the ability to discern lies. When she hears about the duke of Sargens house being haunted she goes to investigate what is really happening there. She believes the duke to be out of the country but she soon realizes he has returned home to solve the mystery of his haunted house and a murder. They work together to find out the truth while she also tries to fight her feelings for the duke who is a known rake. The duke makes his feelings known and just hopes that lady avely will return them.

I like that this book is about a woman in her 40’s who had a happy marriage because that is less heard of in historical romance books. I wish there was more heated tension between the main characters but It is a slow burn romance ,which I also like, and the book ends on a slight cliffhanger so there is more to come. The magical world is also interesting and different from other fantasies I’ve read. It overall was an enjoyable and quick read.

Thanks netgalley for the ARC I look forward to seeing where book 2 leads.

I'm a bit late to the party. This is my first book by Rosalie Oaks, and I have some catching up to do. This is the the spinoff series, that takes place after the FMC's daughter's series - The Lady Jewel Diviner. Always a delight to experience great writing. Lady Judith has is helping solve a murder that takes place in the household of her former love interest from 23 years ago. Duke Dacian is very swoony. Judith and Dacian both have vampiri, which from how I picture it in my mind - are like familiars. The vampiri - Marigold and Wooten steal the show.

This is a very, VERY SLOW burn romance. On the level of the old 80s TV show moonlighting, or Deanna Raybourn's Veronica and Stoker.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.

This is a regency fantasy romance murder mystery. I promise it actually makes sense all together.

Lady Avely is duty bound to return to her hometown. She is hoping to squeeze in-and-out without anyone the wiser; particularly, the man who broke her heart over twenty years ago.

But with murder and mayhem abound, the Duke needs her ear for the truth to solve what or who is haunting his estate.

That is a very simplified explanation of the premise without spoiling literally anything. There is a magic system, but it isn’t super prevalent and very loosely explained. The important magic for the story is that the FMC can hear when someone lies. I found the magic in general to be fine, if a little bit loose. We never really understand where the magic originally came from, and the rules that guide the magic are also just sorta there.

Bemusement is a part of magic that is barely explained. It is just sort of an accepted fact of magic use.

I liked this story. It was fast and fun. I actually somehow didn’t guess who did it, and I was surprised by the outcome. I think the whodonit aspect was well done.

The romance was nice. Very cute. I really wanted the two characters together, even if I feel like their initial separation was kind of unbelievable.

The low point for the book is worldbuilding, which isn’t a huge deal to me. I’m not super big on tons of lore and extra explanation. I’m fine with a just vibes kinda thing, but even I noticed the lack of worldbuilding.

Overall, I had a fun time. It does end in a BIG FAT CLIFFHANGER, which was a bummer. But I guess I will just impatiently wait for book two.

3.75/5 stars

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for a review. While I appreciate the opportunity, it has no bearing on the content of my review.

This book was so funny and interesting! Lady Judith had me adoring her from the first chapter. This was such a cozy book full of mystery, skulls, and chocolate, and I loved it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Parkerville Press for the arc!
Pub date: 2/16/24