A Restless Truth was a great follow-up to A Marvellous Light and gave Maud a chance to step out of Robin's shadow. The murder investigation was interesting and exciting and furthered the overarcing plot of the trilogy. I liked spending more time with Hawthorne and the introduction of his love interest. The romance between Maud and Violet didn't have the same room to breathe as Robin and Edwin's did, but that was because the book was set across a week-long voyage, which isn't enough time for the same kind of romantic resolution as we saw for Robin and Edwin, especially when Violet very reasonably has some high walls protecting her from others. I could see that there needed to be a choice between a tight plot over a short time frame or leaning more into the romance and why Freya Marske seemed to give more to the investigation.

She set a high bar with A Marvellous Light and while A Restless Truth didn't reach it for me, it was still a very enjoyable read and brought a lot to her overall story.

Definitely nothing specifically wrong with this book - a good follow up to the first in the series, and continues the story and the questions brought about by the Last Contract well. But I wasn't as excited by the first book as everyone else seemed to be - a decent story with really, really good sex. This one was a decent story with decent sex that just didn't have the same emotional connection as the first. And I am rating it based on the sex, as that seems to be a massive part of this series (no complaints there).

I think part of the lower rating is that it's essentially the same story as the first book, except with wlw romance and set on a ship, rather than mlm and racing around the English countryside. But hopefully all working towards a much more stormy ending.

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I wasn't very invested in this book from the start but hoped that if I stuck with it, I'd grow to.
Unfortunately that didn't happen, I didn't connect with it at all but I still stuck with it until the end because, although the writing style did not seem to be my thing, it was still well written.

Murder, mystery and romance were what drew me in but around 50% through the book, I felt surprised that there was still another half to go because it felt by that point that it should have been almost finished and about to begin wrapping up, so maybe it should have been around 25% shorter?

There was a few 🔥🌶 scenes and I thought these were written really well, considering Maud is inexperienced. Violet is very patient and thoughtful in this regard and their scenes were flirty and fun.

Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Another fantastic instalment of what is fast becoming one of my favourite series! Loved the relationship between Maud and Violet. Murder, magic and romance what more could you want!!

A Restless Truth is an amazing historical fantasy and the perfect follow up to A Marvellous light. Many Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Picture this- you’re brother is currently in the midst of a magical conspiracy and you want an escape, so you go on a nice new ocean liner.
However the woman your meant to be looking after dies on the first day, and now you have to go inspector cluedo and find out who killed them, whilst being very attracted to an actress on board you have to work with.
The best description I saw of this online- Knives out on the titanic with a F/F love story.

The plot is absolutely sublime. Thrilling, a perfectly paced mystery with a wonderful dash of romance. The pacing was superb and kept me invested throughout. I loved Maud and Violet- even if they did sometimes frustrate me at the start they do develop a great relationship and it was so fun to see it play out. All the side characters were well written.

If you loved the first book, definitely give this a try- same humour and writing style, completely different story to be told.

I so desperately wanted to love this as much as I loved A Marvellous Light and it didn't quit reach the mark. AML was in my top books of 2022 and I had such high hopes for this follow up but I just didn't warm to the characters in the way I did to Robin and Edwin. This definitely doesn't work as a standalone book, you have to have read AML to follow the story and at times I wish Freya had done more to refresh my memory. Will I read the final installment of the trilogy, yes! Bring back Robin please! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

A Restless Truth is a sapphic historical fantasy and the sequel to A Marvellous Light. The story picks up where the first book left off with a focus on Edwin’s younger sister, Maude. I really enjoyed how it continued the overarching plot while also giving Maud (and Violet) her own story and chance to shine! Maud is such an endearing character who really comes into her own, the confident and independent Violet complements her perfectly. I really liked the dynamic between all of the characters, their interactions are often full of humour and heart.

The story features a good dose of murder, mystery and spice. With the whole book taking place on a ship making a transatlantic crproximity and sense if claustrophobia really added a new layer to all of those aspects. I also enjoyed learning more about the magic system established in A Marvellous Light, it’s so unique and lots of fun!

I can’t wait to read the final instalment in the trilogy, A Power Unbound, especially after seeing who the main pairing will be! 👀

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this review in exchange for an honest review.

this was spicy and i enjoyed it so much

loved being back in this world that is quickly becoming one of my favourite fantasy magic universes! i loved maud in the first book, so was a delight to be back with her as the main focus of this sequel, getting her own happy ending. maud and violet (and hawthorn, honestly) were SO much fun as they tried to help maud discover who had killed her elderly charge - who, to maud's eternal frustration, had not divulged WHICH item she owned was the magical artifact maud needed.

like many others i absolutely loved the first book and was worried this wasn't going to live up to that, but i can safely say it did! i did miss edwin & robin a wee bit, but there were enough mentions of them to satisfy my little heart & the joy that was maud and violet was distraction enough. both maud & violet are stubborn, wield their femininity powerfully & are loyal to a fault to those they love.

i think i would have loved it a little more if there was more.. diversity of setting. i am like the last person who will ever willingly board a cruise ship so that might have affected my feelings a little

A good sequel for the first book.
I find it linear with the prior one’s style, would still recommend this series!

Wonderful book. I truly felt this lived up to the first in the series! Full of adventure, and I loved the way the main couple got a HFN rather than a HEA, especially with the MC being so young and inexperienced. Beautifully written, and I absolutely love the magic system of this series. Can't wait for the third book!

This book is follow up A Marvellous Light, A Restless Truth, which I have not read but I will do in the near future.

If you enjoy a good read murder, mystery, that includes magic and is set on the high seas then you are set with this book.

A stunning follow-up to A Marvellous Light, A Restless Truth is the second instalment in The Last Binding series. Full of magic and mayhem, follow Maud as she finds herself at the centre of a murder mystery - her only hope being to solve it before her journey across the Atlantic ends. Just as exciting and fantastical as the first book, this series is perfect for fans of S.A. Chakraborty and V.E. Schwab!

I loved this book SO MUCH that as soon as I finished it the first time, I went back and read it again. Not sure if I've done that since I was a teenager (I'm now 42).

Sapphic magicians. Edwardian style. Seriously hot sex scenes. Murder. Mystery. I devoured it all.

"I know a few fairy tales with truth in them."

A lovely sequel to 'A Marvelous Light' that brings its reader back into the wonderful descriptions and flow of a Victorian magical world.

With a small cast of protagonists that all contrast and compliment each other, as a reader you are routing for their successful the whole way. The main story following Maud and Violet, two characters that carry the story with ease and brings out the emotions of the readers. The side characters also a wonderful addition in adding more humor and curiosity into the story, giving more insight into the larger plot of the series and more questions for the reader to consider.

Alike to 'A Marvelous Light', the story brings scenes with spice - ones that are a little more amped-up than the original.

Greatly looking forward to the next addition to the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for this eARC, I am voluntarily leaving a review.

A Restless Truth didn’t just live up to its predecessor, it blew it out of the water. A Restless Truth is described as “Knives Out meets The Binding “, but personally I would describe it as “Death on The Nile/The Titanic but make it gay with magic”. It has the mysterious death and crime solving of Death on The Nile, minus the limited guest list which is where the similarity to The Titanic comes in. The ship that is the setting for most of the book is large with guests from all classes. Unlike The Titanic, the journey is from America to London rather than the other way and there is no catastrophic event. There is still plenty of danger though! And of course, there is romance, steamy romance…

A Restless Truth continues on from the events of the first book where Robin Blyth and Edwin Courcey found out about a magical conspiracy that affects the entire magical community. The Last Contract, a contract between the fey and the magicians of the British Isles which in the wrong hands threatens the entire British Isles. It was divided into several pieces by the women who found it, for safety. While the boys remain behind in London to handle things from that end, Robin’s sister Maud heads off to America to make contact with one of the women who has a piece of the contract in her possession, Elizabeth Navenby. Maud’s job is to let her know that their secret is out, and that everyone who has a piece is in great danger. It’s deemed safer for Maud to escort Mrs Navenby back to London to ensure that she and her piece of her contract remain safe.

Mrs Navenby is a wonderfully wily old woman who despite her age is determined not to be counted out just yet. She keeps her piece of The Last Contract on her, and refuses to disclose the identity of it to Maud. She will reveal its location when they arrive in London. That’s all well and good, but it becomes a problem when Mrs Navenby is assassinated by the opposition! Maud is trapped on a ship with a killer, no allies and no idea where the hidden piece may be. With only her brother’s visions to guide her, supplied before her mission and with zero context, Maud must use all her wits to stay one step ahead of the perpetrators.

A Marvellous Light was great, and while I expected good (and steamy) things from A Restless Truth, Marske took things to a whole other level with this book. I have to admit I wasn’t that interested in Maud as a character in the first book, but she came into her own in this one and that was entirely the point. At the start she’s a young woman who has never had the chance to do or experience anything. This is her first time being given the chance to experience life and by god does she grab that chance with everything she’s got! There is something so very endearing about her naivety and bashfulness, and the way she navigates through all the new things. Unlike other characters in similar situations that I can recall, Marske stops just short of preventing those endearing qualities from becoming irritating. Maud is just naive and shy enough to be genuine, for it to feel real, and then she begins to learn, to understand what she wants, and likes.

I am talking about the romance and sex scenes, as well as other life experiences. For those who have read A Marvellous Light, you’ll be familiar with Marske’s saucy scenes. Personally I would say that she turned it even further in this one, but I am a bi woman, so naturally this one was more my speed than book one. There are scenes where characters discuss pornography which are absolutely brilliant. They are both racy and comedic, and that is something Marske does so well; interlacing emotions so that one moment you’re feeling one thing and then the next line the tension completely shifts.

Baron Hawthorn, a character that appears in the previous book, is one of Maud’s allies on the ship or should I say, the poor sod that Maud masterly manipulates into helping her. Oh yes, as I said there is much more to our young Maud than what we saw in A Marvellous Light. He was an interesting figure in the first book, and in this one we get to see much more of him, learning more about him as a character. He is juxtaposed with another male character from a completely different background, and along with Violet, that makes the four comrades in arms who investigate Mrs Navenby’s murder. He doesn’t get on with the other man in the group, bickering constantly, but it’s one of those relationships that you’re sure is going to lead onto something else…

I loved the character of Violet for so many reasons. She’s independent, fearless and charismatic, and yet so vulnerable. It wasn’t difficult to see why Maud was impressed with her because I was impressed with her. Watching the two women work together to investigate the murder, and work out where Mrs Navenby hid her piece of the contract, all the while unsure of whether they could trust each other or anyone else on the ship was such a pleasure. I lapped up every single detail of the scenes, from the banter and high jinks to the investigating and the magic.

A Restless Truth was a massive hit for me, combining my favourite genres with incredible world-building and irresistible characters.

Thank you very much to the author and netgalley for the advance copy!
Unfortunately my issues with the first one continued into this one. Mainly the writing style really just didn’t gel with me personally

Wonderfully detailed novel. Magically murder mystery intwined with a brilliant romance. The switching of perspectives was just wonderful and kept the pace going as the story unraveled. Brilliantly crafted with such rich and innovative characters. The storytelling is truly crafted into each line and the power of this story and narrative make for such fun and engaging reading.

This one didn't quite live up to the first book but that's a purely personal belief as I know so many people have rated this 5 stars. Definitely worth reading if it sounds interesting to you.

Holly forking shirtballs. I thought that book one in the series was amazing, I was not prepared for the amount of excitement, drama and shenanigans that "A Restless Truth" would bring. Not only does it have an amazing motley of irritating, beguiling and frankly shameless characters, but it has everything you can wish from a book. Firstly, it's set on a ship. Secondly, there's a murder and a pair of unlikely sleuths. Thirdly there is enough romance and sexual tension to set said ship on fire. There are chases, games, wicked baddies and more. There are even animals, particularly a parrot. I mean, I cannot say a bad word about this book, except that it should be longer. So, all I can do now is to wait for book three and maybe try some charms and spells to help the time to pass quicker.

I didn´t enjoy this book as much as the first one. It was a light fun read but I would have changed some things.