"Confounding Oaths" by Alexis Hall. A big thanks to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is a mix of Regency romance with a touch of fairy tale magic, bringing to mind the charm of both Jane Austen and Bridgerton. Some how it all works. Admittedly, I'm not big into regency stories but this was a fun readm

Following the adventures of John Caesar, who's set on helping his sister Mary through the marriage market, the story quickly becomes an crazy mix of fey bargains and sacrificial magic. Teaming up with Captain Orestes James, John navigates a world full of humor, charm, and unexpected romance. Their dynamic is sweetly developed, making their relationship something you find yourself invested in.

One of the highlights of the book is its inclusivity and diversity, which felt refreshing and genuine. The characters are easy to love, and Hall's witty, engaging writing style made it a joy to read. The low-stakes drama and the charmingly funny narrative had me smiling and chuckling throughout.

Miss Bickle was amazing- i wanted more of her. The setting, reminiscent of a fairy tale with Regency-era elegance, was both unique and mesmerizing.

If you're a fan of historical romance, cozy fantasy, or simply love a good story with inclusive and diverse characters, "Confounding Oaths" is a must-read. It takes the beloved elements of classic romance and adds a sprinkle of fairy tale magic, making it an easy and enjoyable read

I read this during Pride month and absolutely loved it. While I explicitly focus on Queer and LGBTQIA+ books during Pride month, don't forget to read queer all year.

Well, here we have it folks, my second “meh” for this series. I had some issues with the first installment of this series, and they were all present in this one as well, with the added frustration of how much the narrator started to grate on me by the second half of the book! This is a somewhat dark story about young ladies getting involved with the Faerie Courts narrated by the mischievous, funny, and totally unbiased Robin Goodfellow. Oh and there was also a romance in there but don’t worry there isn’t too much page space dedicated to that bit… I was engaged for the first half, but past that point I started to be less and less amused by Robin’s antics, I found the fairy machinations more confusing than I think they needed to me, the romance was dull, there were some scenes where the narrative split to follow two groups and that got old fast. Frankly, I was bored. I think this book tried to do too much and the result is that it just wasn’t as good as this authors other works, which I generally love.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, for providing me with a copy of the ebook in exchange for this honest review!!

Firstly, a huge thank you to the publisher, the author, Alexis Hall, and NetGalley for the digital ARC copy of Confounding Oaths which I had the privilege of reading. I will also be posting my review to Goodreads and Amazon. I thought this was such a cute and sweet novel that reminded me of Jane Austen and other Regency Era romance favorites. Both this and the stunning cover are why I initially requested a copy, but was pleasantly surprised by how much I found myself enjoying the writing style and character development in a way that added so much to the story. The humor was also on point! Miss Bickle is the cutest <3 I want more from her story! I would love a Miss Bickle novella, perhaps?!

John, our main character, is determined to help his sister, Mary, successfully navigate the marriage market, despite their nontraditional background and other challenges they face along the way. The siblings’ parents share in this wish for Mary, and John knows that hooking Mary up will make room for him to go back to living a life of leisure. But Mary is a little boy-crazy and finds herself in a predicament, to say the least!
To save Mary, John teams up with Captain Orestes James, a hero of Wellington’s armies. Together, they face the dangers of fey bargains and sacrificial magic, adding on a little to the genre in terms of layers of fantasy. Though John is familiar with casual relationships with soldiers, he finds himself unexpectedly drawn to the captain.

I liked the diversity of the characters as well and the inclusion of more different types of relationships, and the narrator’s voice and tone is just so funny and charming. The low stakes were fun and sweet, and left me smiling and “awww-ing” out loud. I would recommend this to anyone who likes historical romance, cozy romance, fae fiction, cozy fantasy, LGBT tales, family stories, Jane Austen, Bridgerton, etc. Confounding Oaths took one of my favorite genres and added a little spice!

I gave this one a couple chapters, but it's just not for me. I found the style of the narration a little purple/saccharine for my tastes and the anachronisms (although clearly intentional) were not my favorite. "Avidreaderdom" was unfortunately an eye-roller for me.

Maybe if I was in the mood for a more whimsical read!

Grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-copy of this book!

Regrettably, this book did not resonate with me. Despite not having read “Mortal Follies,” I wasn’t lost, though the world-building was almost nonexistent in this sequel. If immersive settings are your thing, I’d suggest starting with “Mortal Follies.” Otherwise, you might manage just fine starting here.

The humor missed the mark for me. The narrator’s style felt overly gimmicky, and the satirical tone didn’t evoke any laughs. Moreover, Mr. John Caesar, the protagonist, was exceptionally bland. Even the narrator hinted at his dullness. His sisters, Mary and Anne, were far more engaging characters with interesting narratives, but John… he was a drag.

Humor seems to be the key attraction here, so if you haven’t read “Mortal Follies” and are contemplating this one, read the first few chapters to see if the humor aligns with your taste.

Ultimately, I struggled to get into this book. The writing style and point of view were odd, leaving me puzzled about the story’s direction. I had to set it aside as I couldn’t connect with the characters or the plot, which was disappointing since I was looking forward to a queer historical romance with magical elements.

I just adore Puck's narration. I loved it in Mortal Follies, so when I saw Confounding Oaths was available to read early, I jumped at the chance. I love a good comedy of manners, something that Alexis Hall excels at. Confounding Oaths was just as funny and just as compelling as Mortal Follies, and I desperately hope we will be getting future installments in this series.

Confounding Oaths follows John Caesar, a side character introduced in Mortal Follies. At the beginning of Confounding Oaths, John finds himself in a bit of hot water, and is rescued by a man called Captain James. What follows is an adventure chock full of silly shenanigans and excellent romantic chemistry between the leads. The book isn't just comedy and romance, however, and it doesn't shy away from some darker themes and attitudes that were common during the Regency period, specifically racism and homophobia. I thought these themes were handled well and added a layer of complexity to the novel that took it from good fun, to excellent.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Ballantine for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

may i just say THE COVER? how whimsical and stunning kudos to the artist

confounding oaths i would say leans more fantasy than romance. the narration makes for a very unique stylization and i have yet to come to a conclusion on my feelings. at times i liked it, at times i didn't? very niche but those who will love it will consume it wholeheartedly! i do wish the romance had more depth and emotion as i felt very disconnected from the story. the aesthetics within this book were amazing and as with any historical fiction i love to discover the setting as if i’m indiana jones ε(´｡•᎑•`)っ

thank you alexis hall and netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reader's copy of the book. I really enjoyed this book. I love Alexis Hall and this one is just another one that is fun to read. I liked this one more than Mortal Follies though I can't quite explain why. I love the continuation of Robin Goodfellow as the narrator. I'm truly intrigued at the threads of another story that have been hinted at in this book. Captain Orestes James is one of my new favorite characters and I love him. I will be suggesting this book to all of my reader friends and purchasing it for myself. I can't wait for the next.

I had hoped that my bad first impression of the narrator and story would be proved wrong the further into the book I read. Alas, I was wrong. The narrator remained annoying and tedious throughout the whole story. The characters themselves were alright and maybe if the book had been written from the POV of the main characters I might have enjoyed the story more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Loved Mortal Follies so was very excited for this and it was very fun! I don’t think it is as good as Nortal Follies but I still really enjoyed it. It has so much of everything and is just a wild fun cozy fantasy times - would have liked more love story and romance but will be adding to our library!

This one gets a 4.5 out of 5.

I really enjoyed this book. It's not as good as Mortal Follies, but it is pretty damn good. The whole concept of these books is part of what I love about them so much. They're written as stories being told to us by the being sometimes known as Robin Goodfellow, who has a very distinct voice that and sense of humor that I find hilarious. It's just as funny in this book as the last.

(I have to take a small digression here to talk about how talented Alexis Hall is. I've read several books from them so far and have enjoyed them all, but I admire especially the fact that they can write different genres and time periods with such skill. I know that other authors can do this too, but a book like this, written in such a distinctive style, using language common to the age, and keeping to historical accuracy as much as any book about old gods and fae roaming England in 1815 can... I read a lot of books, and I consider this sort of writing to be a true accomplishment, especially when you can do something so stylized AND make great characters and a compelling story? Amazing)

The setting is Regency England, but with fairies and old gods still roaming the land and exerting influence on various groups of people as much as the Christian God does (sometimes even more depending on the people). With this setting and narrator I think I'd enjoy just about any story.

This book focuses on John Caesar, my least favorite side character from the first book (whose main job was to be nonsensically suspicious after the point where it was all that sensible to be so, and then to try to convince his friend to abandon the woman she loved to her horrible fate; he does at least acknowledge in this book that he was incorrect). He punches a military officer for insulting his sister at a party and is then rescued by Captain James from getting a beating by that officer's hired muscle. This incident, along with the events inside the ball itself, kick off a whole series of adventures.

The story was just as action packed and compelling as the last one. It had the same mix of eclectic characters, mortal danger, dangerous magic, awful rich people, horrible English social rules, and adventure as the last. There's a lot going on, but the author juggles it all in a way where I didn't think anything was lost and the various storylines were all given their due.

John and his sisters are half Black (his mother was the daughter of an Earl and married an abolitionist freedman), and while most people aren't going to say it to their face, they're all keenly aware of how they're just barely accepted by "polite" society. The book wrestles with questions of what it means to be beautiful, what "wanting the best" for your family really means or should mean (especially in a society so bound to convention and rules as Regency England), and whether one should tie oneself into knots to try to be part of a society that may not ever fully accept you.

I thought all the returning characters were just as much fun as the first time, and I thought the new characters introduced (in particular the Irregulars, Captain James's enlisted men companions and friends) are a lot of fun. Maelys and Lady Georgiana return for a few appearances (including one that seems to be setting them up for a bit of a journey in the next book if there is one), i'd actually have liked to see more of them, honestly, and of course... Miss Bickle is there.

Allow me to say that I love Miss Bickle. In particular, the whole subplot with her running a club for fans of the anonymous lady author of Sense and Sensibility, including her own set of terminology for they write is delightful. But she's also an important part of several plot incidents. I only wish she'd been in the book more, and I really hope that there's a third book that focuses on her finally getting the sweeping, epic love story she's been after this whole time.

The reason that this didn't rate as highly for me is that, while I recognize that John grew as a person, and I sympathize with him and the struggles he faces within his society in basically every aspect of his life and who he wants to be (as a gentleman, as a son, as a sibling, as a lover), I just don't find his story as compelling as, specifically, his sister's. I liked his romance with Captain James, who is also Black and also treated like he doesn't belong by his "social betters". His story arc was satisfying, just not as interesting as some of the others in the book.

Anyway, I don't want to say too much, as I don't want to spoil anything (I think a book like this benefits from going in without knowing where all the twists and turns are) but suffice to say I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it. Though you could probably read it as a standalone, it would help to read Mortal Follies first.

This second book in the world of 1800s England with Robin Goodfellow as narrator was even more fun than the first, Mortal Follies. I love the dynamic of the Caesar family and the social commentary threaded through the plot about race and class. Because I love A Midsummer Night's Dream, I enjoyed all the allusions to that play and the world of Faerie. The M-M love story is perhaps secondary to the adventure plot of Miss Caesar's predicament, but it is lovely all the same. This book sucked me in and was a really fun read!
I would recommend this to readers who enjoy a humorous fantasy adventure.

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

This was a really fun historical, cozy fantasy. You’ve got fairy shenanigans, girls being turned to glass, Jane Austen fanfic, cult-y soldiers making sacrifices to gods, a motley crew of Irregulars and of course a love story. Wish we got a little more of the love story, but I really liked following this group of characters- hope they pop up again in the next book!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-copy of this book!

Unfortunately, this book was very much not for me. I never read Mortal Follies and, while I wasn't necessarily ever confused, I can say that there is little to no world building in this volume. So, if that is important to you, I would advise reading Moral Follies first, otherwise, you should be fine just jumping into this installment. Also, the humor just did not work for me. The narrator was quite gimmicky and most of the humor seemed to lean more toward satire, but I just never found it funny.
Lastly, Mr. John Caesar was so incredibly dull. Even the narrator thought he was dull. I don't know why he was chosen to be the lead. I actually found both of his sisters, Mary and Anne, interesting. I liked them both as characters and their stories, but John... ugh... what a bore.
I feel like the humor is the main draw of this book. So, if you haven't read Mortal Follies and are considering giving this a read, I recommend just reading the first couple chapters to see if you vibe with the humor.

Confounding Oaths is a lovely book about family, identity, and the things we do for the people we love.

The Positives:
1. The cast of characters is incredibly diverse, which is quite refreshing for a regency era story. None of the characters felt tokenized to me, which is always a nice surprise.
2. I thought the narrator was hilarious, snarky, and overall a unique extra element to the plot. He could be a bit unreliable at times, which I thought added depth to the story. I do think some people will find the narrator to be a negative since he is a bit unusual, but for me personally I thought it was great.
3. I enjoyed how the story incorporated fantasy elements such as the fae into regency England. It didn’t feel overly whimsical, leaning more magical realism and less high fantasy. I found this added to the world rather than distracting from it.
4. The main romance of the book was pretty nice. I enjoyed how the characters had to learn how to be themselves within the relationship, rather than changing themselves for each other. It felt very sweet and cautious.

The Negative:
1. I do think at times it felt like the racism and homophobia of the plot was a bit romanticized. I think the author showcased some heavy elements within the plot, including blatant hate crimes. However, it tended to feel like these were only happening to get the reader to the next point in the romance plot rather than because the discrimination plot mattered itself. The book ended in a “and they all learned to love themselves” kind of way, which just felt a bit simplified to me.

Who I Think Should Read This:
Anyone who enjoys diverse regency stories, fans of Bridgerton, people who like snarky and unreliable narrators, and people looking for a low fantasy story.

4.75/5 stars

This book is a sequel to Mortal Follies. It has the same narrator and framing mechanism as the first one and if you didn’t like it then, you probably won’t like it now. I didn’t like it then but was willing to give it a second try. I liked this book more but still would have liked it more without the framing mechanism. However, I liked the characters a lot more in this one and Mr. Caesar, his parents and his two teen sisters are fun to read about. Mr. Caesar care deeply around the people around him and that is nice to see. The romance is very secondary and why I rounded down on 3.5 stars as it is hard to see it develop in the book. This is framed a Cinderella retelling with the fae being horrible and “cursing” Mary, Caesar’s sister. There are some very nicely done messages on race and class throughout, but some are a little direct if you prefer your books to let the reader figure things out for themselves more. All in all, a delightful read and others seem to find Robin less annoying and subtracting from the story so readers who liked the first one are likely to like this one too.

This book was everything I could have asked for in a follow up story. Robin, our narrator and storyteller, does such a great job observing those of the ton and selecting the best group to follow for maximum story effect.

The younger Mr. Caesar’s story was by far my favorite of the two. Now..with that being said I plea to the author to have Miss Lizzie Bickles have her own story!

There was love, murder, deception, magic, a lot of glass, and even more enchanting stories from my favorite character Lizzie!

For fans of the Bridgerton books who wish it had queer and poc rep!

I haven’t read Mortal Follies but i liked Boyfriend and Husband Material so I was looking forward to Hall’s foray into the fantasy genre and it definitely lived up to my expectations. Robin’s narration was entertaining and witty, but i did find that his constant asides slowed down the plot at some points. I enjoyed the banter between the characters and the progression of John and Orestes’ relationship. I actually didn’t mind that the romance took a backseat to the rest of the plot—it felt more like a fantasy-first story about family, class, and societal expectations. Overall, a fun light read and I would probably read the sequel centered around Ms. Bickle because she was my favorite character.

Thank you Del Rey/Random House, NetGalley, and Alexis Hall for this eARC!

First off, let's just admire this cover. Absolutely stunning. I'd frame that on a wall, if I could.

Second, Miss Bickle is lovely. Worth the read for just that, if we're being honest.

This book is every bit ridiculous and whimsical as one might except from Alexis Hall. If you've come for that, you certainly won't be disappointed. Fans of the first book in this series are likely to enjoy this second installment as well. The characters are so flawed and charming, they often feel real as you're reading them come alive on the page.

The book isn't without flaws, but what it lacks in some areas, Confounding Oaths greatly makes up for in others. The pacing drags a tad, but the plot is engaging! I'm a great sucker for any humorous romp through something fantastical, and have found myself satisfied beyond a doubt.