Lady Avely's Guide to Lies and Charms is the second cozy historical romantasy in the series by Rosalie Oaks. Released 15th Feb 2025, it's 373 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free, along with the first book.
It's always a
joy to find a fresh, engaging, clear voice in a favorite genre. It's
set in the late Regency period with a fantasy/paranormal world element.
Lady Avely is gifted with a "lie detector" ability which makes her quite
useful at unraveling mysteries. There are a number of restrictions and
social and legal mores bound up in the use of magical abilities, and
she's still coming to grips with a recently recognized change in social
status. She's been a widow for more than a decade, with two adult
children, as well as entanglements from her
long ago past history.
There -is- a strong romance element, but it delightfully doesn't overpower either the mystery or magical elements in the very well told story. The third book is due out in 4th quarter 2025. Happily, this second book works well as a standalone, and is a worthwhile sequel to book 1. Definitely one to pick up. It's an indie pub and likely not on most library acquisition lists. It's available independently from retailers as well as the author and would be a great addition for public library acquisition, home use, or a weekend binge/buddy read.
Four stars. A delight. The MCs voice is delightfully modern, and she's not too precious or smug... it's just a fun, escapist read and a solid story.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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