Rosalie Oaks, January 2021; Book 1 in the Lady Diviner Series
I came across this book while browsing Reedsy Discovery. Captivated by the cover, I read Rosaline Ross’ great review and bought the book so I could read about a tiny little spinster vampire or vampiri. I’m not familiar with that term, and honestly it doesn’t matter – because I loved this Regency England vampire / smuggling / love story. Kudos to reviewer Rosaline Ross for the review that made me want to read more.
Miss Avely, who has the magical gift of sensing when precious stones are nearby (you know – a Jewel Diviner), has removed herself from London Society to a borrowed home in Devon, with her mother and her brother Peregrine. The jewel divining had gotten her into a bit of a sticky wicket, and leaving town was the family’s best option.
By page ten, Elinor has met her vampiri and the two are well on their way to forging a partnership of mutual aid and protection. The little bloodsucker, Miss Alfreda Zooth, is not the only magical creature in Devon, as it turns out. Intrigue, smuggling, magic, and scandal ensue (well, the scandal had already occurred), and as in every English Regency novel, sparks soon fly between Elinor and the dashing nobleman who was instrumental in her retreat from London.
Oaks has mastered the art of telling her spirited and unconventional tale in a most conventional Regency setting. I was sad that the book had to end – but the good news is that if you sign up for the author’s newsletter you get access to a free prequel novella that tells the story of the garden party that led to Elinor’s departure from London. Even more good news is that Book 2 of the series, called The Moira Pearls, was released earlier this month (February 2021).
You can find this lovely book on Amazon – the Kindle edition is $3.99 – or if you have Kindle Unlimited you can read it free of charge. The links to the prequel novella as well as other titles in the series are available at the end of the book.
Five stars, defnitely.