Matronly Misadventures Series by Rosalie Oaks

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... moreA 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. less

A lady shouldn’t be seen to incite a duel… but Judith wasn’t even there when it happened.Lady Avely doesn’t know what infuriates her more: that someone used her image to provoke the Duke of Sargen into killing a man, or that the duke actually believed it was her trysting in the maze that night.Now she and the duke must concoct their own subterfuge to shake out the culprit... moreA lady shouldn’t be seen to incite a duel… but Judith wasn’t even there when it happened.Lady Avely doesn’t know what infuriates her more: that someone used her image to provoke the Duke of Sargen into killing a man, or that the duke actually believed it was her trysting in the maze that night.Now she and the duke must concoct their own subterfuge to shake out the culprit. Otherwise, Dacian might be arrested for murder, or worse, the shadowy guardians of the Musing might inflict their own cruel punishment for the misuse of his Gift. Judith will need her most respectable mobcap, and unfortunately, the duke will need a false moustache. With Judith’s ability to detect lies and Dacian’s now carefully contained power, they set out to uncover the truth - but their own hearts make them easy to manipulate. Facing a master of deception, as well as the duke’s renewed determination to win her, Judith will need a stiff drink of chocolate and the help of her cheerful, tiny vampiri companion before she can find her way out of the deadly tangle…Can Judith and Dacian unmask the killer before more blood is shed? And how many different ways can one disguise a duke?The Matronly Misadventures feature a mid-life heroine in a slow-burn, second-chance romance (with a duke who has waited long enough), set in a magical version of Regency England. less

Book 3 in the Matronly Misadventures.