Book Description 

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. . . .

My Review 

I’ve been a big fan of Alexis Hall’s books for years. I especially enjoyed his historical fantasy Mortal Follies, so I was thrilled to see that he had written a sequel. Protagonist John appeared as a secondary character in the first book, but you don’t necessarily have to read the first book in order to understand this one. 

As was the case with the first book, Puck– yes, that Puck– returns as narrator. The conceit is that he has fallen out of favor with Oberon and he is recounting fantastic tales to an audience comprised of we the readers. 

While a great deal happens over the course of the novel, it can be summed up in one sentence: the characters get mixed up with magic with unexpected outcomes and they must work together to set things right. 

Ostensibly, John is the protagonist, but our intrepid narrator focuses on anyone and anything that catches his notice, sometimes even flitting between two events happening at the same time, so readers receive a much fuller picture than had this story unfolded from a fixed perspective narrator or even dual points of view. Our narrator is even gracious enough to provide commentary on the proceedings. The characters are well rounded and versatile. 

There is a romance of sorts between John and the handsome Captain James, but I don’t know that I would characterize this as a romance novel because the romance is not the focus of the plot. Once again, we return to an alternate Regency England where the faerie world often bleeds into the real world. You have to be careful of what you wish for and never trust a faerie.  

I would absolutely recommend Confounding Oaths. This is a rollicking adventure with a great narrator. Hall blends issues of race and class and injustice into a tale of a curse that needs to be reversed. I am hoping that this is not the last time we experience this fascinating alternate world because I can’t get enough of it! 

I received a digital ARC of this book from Ballantine/NetGalley.