A nobleman must work with a dashing soldier to save his sister from a mystical bargain gone awry in this swoon-worthy romance from the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material . “The utterly enchanting second installment of Alexis Hall’s Mortal Follies series brings back all the magic, both literal and figurative, that readers expect. . . . It’s another rousing success from Hall.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review) 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. . . . “The utterly enchanting second installment of Alexis Hall’s Mortal Follies series brings back all the magic, both literal and figurative, that readers expect . . . It’s another rousing success from Hall.” — Publishers Weekly , starred review “Fairy mischief descends on Regency England once again. [With] a clever framework for the story’s balance of levity and gravity . . . [and] thanks to piles of rich detail, mythological references, and interactions with the Other Court . . . [ Confounding Oaths is] a queer and fantastical romance that enchants in more ways than one.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review Alexis Hall is the USA Today bestselling author of many novels, including Mortal Follies, Husband Material, A Lady for a Duke, Something Fabulous, and Boyfriend Material , which was named one of the best books of the year by O: The Oprah Magazine , Entertainment Weekly , and The Washington Post . Alexis is a three-time Lambda Literary Award nominee. Chapter One I first encountered Mr. Caesar during the unfortunate business with his cousin that had begun with her losing her clothes at a ball and ended with her sacrificing a British peer to an ancient goddess, f***ing a disgraced noblewoman, and developing a lifelong aversion to marchpane, not necessarily in that order. In the near year that had followed, I had been observing that lady’s friends and family closely in case they should prove likewise diverting, but, thus far, they had not. Mr. Caesar in particular had proven deeply tedious. His studies for the bar had languished somewhat (and were about to begin languishing rather more for reasons you will soon discover), and he was spending the majority of his time at various London institutions that catered to a certain sort of gentleman with a certain sort of interest. This latter point you may think would grab my attention, but I am not mortal and I am not so prurient in my outlook that mere sodomy arrests me. Indeed I would probably have given up on Mr. Caesar as a prospect entirely had he not, at a ball hosted by the Vicomte de Loux, punched a fellow guest in the jaw. The blow in question would not land until later in the evening, but I mention it now in case you, like me, find balls in general rather dull unless something unexpected is happening and might, therefore, put the book down in disgust were it not for the reassurance that in a few short pages you will be able to watch an irritating man get smacked in the teeth by a slightly less irritating man whose teeth-smacking skills—if we are honest between ourselves—leave a great deal to be desired. I begin my tale in earnest, then, clinging in the shape of a woodlouse to the ceiling of a carriage whose occupants, in descending order of age, were Mr. Caesar, his friend Miss Bickle, and his two sisters, Miss Caesar and Miss Anne. We are starting early partly to build tension ahead of the much-anticipated teeth-punching, and partly because I am given to understan