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The Mortal Follies #2
by Alexis Hall
A nobleman must work with a dashing soldier to save his sister from a mystical bargain gone awry in this swoon-worthy romance from the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material.
It is the year 1815, and Mr. John Caesar is determined to help his sister, Mary, successfully navigate the marriage mart. A high-stakes endeavor at the best of times, this task is made slightly more difficult by his family's nontraditional background, the pernicious whims of the ton, and the ever-present complication of living in a world full of scheming fairies and capricious gods.
Despite all that, John knows that his parents wish to see his sister comfortably settled. He also knows that the sooner he sees Mary's future secured, the sooner he can get his own wish—returning to an aristocratic life of leisure. And as for Mary? Sweet, sensitive Mary just wishes gentlemen would pay as much attention to her as they do to her younger sister.
When Mary's all-too-literal wish puts her squarely in the sights of a malicious fairy godmother, John sets out to save her. This choice throws him into the path of Captain Orestes James—the handsome up-from-the-ranks hero of Wellington's armies—and his ragtag band of misfits. Together, John and the captain will venture into a vicious world of fey bargains and sacrificial magic as they draw ever closer to rescuing Mary—and to each other.
While John is no stranger to casual dalliances with soldiers, until now he's never expected one to last—or wanted one to. He and the captain come from different worlds, and even if Orestes feels the same, John knows there's no point in wishing for something more between them.
After all, John has learned firsthand that getting what you wish for can be a dangerous thing...
"Hall admirably expands his examination of Regency England's strictures to include a discussion of race: both protagonists are mixed-race and their frequent, frank conversations about the limitations and cruelty of British society feel authentic and integral to the plot rather than a stilted checking of boxes. Cameos from the heroines of book one will delight returning fans, but this can easily be read as a standalone. It's another rousing success from Hall." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Fairy mischief descends on Regency England once again. [With] a clever framework for the story's balance of levity and gravity ... [and] thanks to piles of rich detail, mythological references, and interactions with the Other Court ... [Confounding Oaths is] a queer and fantastical romance that enchants in more ways than one." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
This information about Confounding Oaths was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Alexis Hall is the USA Today bestselling author of many novels, including Mortal Follies, Husband Material, A Lady for a Duke, Something Fabulous, and Boyfriend Material, which was named one of the best books of the year by O: The Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and The Washington Post. Alexis is a three-time Lambda Literary Award nominee.
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