Lady Avely's Guide to Truth and Magic
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A Regency widow shouldn’t be hunting spectres all night.
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.
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.
A lady who can discern lies, the duke who lied to her, and a gothic cosy mystery full of bats, skulls and cocoa.
Lady Avely’s Guide to Truth and Magic features a mid-life heroine, a slow-burn second-chance romance, and a magical version of Regency England.
Series
Featured Series
2 primary books#1 in Matronly Misadventures
Matronly Misadventures is a 2-book series with 2 released primary works first released in 2024 with contributions by Rosalie Oaks. 1 book is still to be released. The next book is scheduled for release on .
Reviews
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An entertaining cozy mystery, cozy fantasy, and slow-burn romance all in one! It was refreshing reading about an attractive matron getting her second chance at romance while re-learning how to be just herself; not mom, not wife, not widow. I felt like I was reading a slower-burn, closed door version of Amanda Quick's historical fantasy romance mysteries. If you like CJ Archer or Deanna Raybourn, you'll be right at home! While this is a spin-off series, you don't have to read the Lady Jewel Diviner to dive into this world. In fact, I've had that book in my TBR for a while and intend to devour it now that I've fallen in love with that heroine's mother.
The interludes were well-done, slowly unfolding a sad romantic past and building the tension in the present. Indeed, this is a very slow-burn. Don't expect anything physical to happen in this book, my guess is we won't get anything until Book 2 or maybe even Book 3. The mystery had twists and turns, and were a good plot device to force the hero and heroine to work together after a long separation.The banter got better as the story moved along and emotional walls broke down between our hero and heroine.
All in all, a fun, cozy, second-chance mystery that promises a satisfying series and I hope a delightful interlude where the slow-burn catches fire.
