Welcome to British Isles Friday! British Isles Friday is a weekly event for sharing all things British and Irish — reviews, photos, opinions, trip reports, guides, links, resources, personal stories, interviews, and research posts. Join us each Friday to link your British and Irish themed content and to see what others have to share. The link list is at the bottom of this post. Pour a cup of tea or lift a pint and join our link party!

Last week, I reflected on the 75th anniversary of the Turing Test and what it means in the present moment. Tina enjoyed Vanishing Cornwall, a nonfiction book by Daphne Du Maurier about a part of England that she loved.

Book: Confounding Oaths by Alexis Hall
Genre: Historical fantasy romance
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication date: 2024

Source: E-book borrowed from the library

Summary: Confounding Oaths is the second story in the series that began with Mortal Follies. We were introduced to a friend group of three people in Mortal Follies — Miss Maelys Mitchelmore, Mr. John Caesar, and Miss Lysistrata Bickle.

Mr. Caesar gets himself in a spot of bother by punching a major who insulted his sister. When the major and his lackeys ambush John, who is a lover not a fighter, a handsome soldier comes to his rescue.

Meanwhile, John’s sister makes a bargain with a passing fairy who grants the wish to make her beautiful. She undeniably succeeds, but the fragile and cold beauty of glass has its down sides.

John, with the help of his old friends and the new ones who are loyal to the handsome soldier, must figure a way out of both of these human world and supernatural predicaments.

Thoughts: I’m embarrassed that I completely missed the references to A Midsummer Night’s Dream when I read Mortal Follies earlier this year. Obviously, it didn’t wreck my enjoyment, but this world is so much more fun when you recognize the Shakespeare connection.

Fortunately, I saw a production of the play this summer, so I’m now much more prepared to understand the allusions.

There’s no word on the author’s website about when or if we’ll get a third novel in this series. I’m hoping for a love story for Miss Lysistrata Bickle who is the daffiest of the three friends. She longs for more adventure, so it would be great to see her desire fulfilled.

Appeal: Some of Alexis Hall’s books are formatted in a traditional romance way. These are not. Our narrator doesn’t seem to like the name “Puck” but that’s the moniker that feels most familiar. Between the narrator’s humorous disdain for humans and the ridiculousness of the events, Confounding Oaths is a terrific choice if you’re looking for a novel to provide fun and distraction.