The Sapphire Library

Lady Diviner #3

by Rosalie Oaks

Magics, murder, and mermaid tears…

An uncivilised vampiri has stolen the Moria Pearls, and Miss Elinor Avely and her tiny companion, Aldreda, are determined to chase the rascal to London – despite warnings to keep Elinor’s Gift a secret, and the perturbing news that a royal advisor is dead.

As the ladies investigate, they have other problems to occupy them. Elinor is unsure if she will be welcomed back into high society, and worse, Beresford is being a bit too overbearing in his attempts to protect her. Meanwhile Perry seems to have his own romantic troubles, this time with the devastatingly gorgeous Jaq.

Then a vampiri goes missing, and Elinor’s inquisitiveness leads her closer to a killer. This time, it might take all her friends’ ingenuity to save her from death.

Who killed the royal advisor? What is the Sapphire Library? And who would like mermaid tears with their tea?

Enjoy the third magical book in the Lady Diviner series, set in Regency England with generous servings of magic, manners, and romance.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Magic, Historical, Fiction

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2021

About the author

Rosalie Oaks writes magic and mystery into Regency England, with side servings of jam, jewels, and the occasional naked shapeshifter.

As a child, Rosalie loved conducting home-made theatre productions with her three younger brothers. Now she directs her characters instead, but like her brothers, they don’t always do what she says.

While writing, Rosalie consumes vast quantities of tea and chocolate, and steadfastly ignores the housework.

Join Rosalie’s newsletter to get writing updates, as well as the exclusive prequel novella, A Pendant for Trouble. Find out more at https://rosalieoaks.com

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Magics, murder, and mermaid tears…

An uncivilised vampiri has stolen the Moria Pearls, and Miss Elinor Avely and her tiny companion, Aldreda, are determined to chase the rascal to London – despite warnings to keep Elinor’s Gift a secret, and the perturbing news that a royal advisor is dead.

As the ladies investigate, they have other problems to occupy them. Elinor is unsure if she will be welcomed back into high society, and worse, Beresford is being a bit too overbearing in his attempts to protect her. Meanwhile Perry seems to have his own romantic troubles, this time with the devastatingly gorgeous Jaq.

Then a vampiri goes missing, and Elinor’s inquisitiveness leads her closer to a killer. This time, it might take all her friends’ ingenuity to save her from death.'
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The Sapphire Library is the third book in Rosalie Oaks' The Lady Diviner series, which is a historical mystery series with a supernatural twist.

This book takes us to London in persuit of the Moria Pearls and it is Elinor's first introduction back with the ton since fleeing London in disgrace with her family. But she's coming back to town fully armed with a team of powerful people to surround her and ensure her success.

There are many changes and surprises over the course of this book, and it ends in such an intruiging way. I am incredibly curious to see how this will affect the series going forward. I probably shouldn't say any more though, I don't want to risk any spoilers.

More than anything else though, I am so happy that this is not to be the last book in the series. I am very much looking forward to reading book 4. I recommend this series for a whimsical and witty paranormal mystery.
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I would like to thank the author, Rosalie Oaks, for sharing an eARC of The Sapphire Library with me. This is my honest review.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read in this whimsical series. The action takes place mainly in London but all the characters from the other books are there. Elinor makes a few surprising discoveries about her own family and she and James have come to a better understanding of each other. It also seems like Miss Zooth and Perry are discovering that they each have an attraction to someone else. Romance takes a back seat in this story as the main emphasis is on a murder and who has committed it. Elinor, of course, just has to get involved. Although I enjoyed this book I did feel it was a little complicated at times. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Tansy Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still really loving this series.

[Vivenya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elinor has a gift for magic. She is a diviner, a person who can track things down with a special talent for finding jewels. This time she is returning to London with her family, Miss Zooth and the Beresfords to retrieve the, just found, Moira pearls from a thief. And get involved in a murder case.
After the first two parts of the series have taken place on the coast, this time it’s off to London. In the search for the pearls, a completely unknown world opens up, which further enriches the magic and the characters and allows them to grow. Besides a lot of additional information, there were also interesting new characters and locations to explore.

As before, it was a pleasure to accompany Elinor and Miss Zooth on their adventures. Any additional information is also new for both of them. This gives the reader the opportunity to dive into it alongside them. The supporting characters also get their time and many have grown dear to me.
With the end of the book, I’m really curious to see where the series will develop and what adventures are still waiting for the friends. Can’t wait to read more.

[T. S. Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this one is my favourite so far. As much as I adored Devon, it was a brilliant touch to move the setting to London to breathe freshness into the series in the third instalment. The addition of Aldreda as a View point character was another touch of brilliance, and I thoroughly enjoyed every time we saw the series from her point of view, but still at no point she overshadowed the lovely Elinor, who still shone as brightly as she has in the previous two novels. It was a danger that her relationship with Beresford would become stale, but with the change of scenery, that too remained fresh and interesting.
I can't talk this series up enough, it's a great read, and this novel has one of the best scenes written in the entire series. I won't say which as that will be a great spoiler, but it had my hairs standing on end, and I couldn't put it down.
Again, Perry was my favourite character, and in this book he really got to shine, and the character was developed a lot more than previous. I'm so excited to see where Rosalie Oaks takes his character.

I can't recommend this enough. It's charming, funny and Exciting. A great read for anyone interested in Regency/ cosy mystery/ fantasy.

[Heatherinblack · Rating 3 out of 5]

i already knew what i was going to say at 71% complete

we got all the way to 71% and the solution was nowhere in sight which meant, a sudden solution in a few pages! that drives me nuts! i love character development. but massive changes in the last pages drives me nuts! mystery was so-so. not too obvious. it will be difficult to make these characters more grand than they are at this point though.

[Michelle]

DNF at 71%. I just can’t keep reading about Elinor’s insistence on making bad decisions. She always admits in hindsight that she could’ve done things differently. But I’m 3 books in now and she’s still doing it. It’s not cute any more, Elinor.

I read this series to get more back story about her mother’s book, Lady Avely’s Guide to Truth and Magic, which I enjoyed. Lady Avely has barely been in these books so far. Maybe that’s why I feel the need to fill the gap and scold Elinor as if she were my child.

[June Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read all three of the Lady Diviner series and they are clever, funny and enjoyable. Just the right antidote when you want to switch off from all the bad news that the media seems to be full of! Highly recommend for those who like their fantasy to be fun, not too violent and with a historical setting.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terzo romanzo della serie, sono stata contentissima di notare la grande inclusione e partecipazione di Miss Zooth, il mio personaggio preferito!
Questo volume è pieno di azione e colpi di scena, personaggi vecchi e nuovi, nuove amicizie ed incontri persino col re, e le scene con Jaq e Perry sono assolutamente adorabili.
Continuo ad adorare Miss Zooth, ma anche Beresford non scherza.
Bellissima copertina viola, non vedo l'ora di continuare la serie.

[Kitcatscratch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to give this book 5 stars for sheer enjoyment. It's wonderful to read a light hearted, very witty, often funny book that also manages to develop the characters in fun and interesting ways. I have enjoyed the series so far though I have to admit the h bothered me SLIGHTLY in the 2nd book, The Moria Pearls. Only because I felt she put her loyalty to her vampiri best friend/companion over the H.

The side characters are wonderful and what I appreciate is that though each story centers around a mystery, the author doesn't lose sight of the fact that it is the characters that make the mystery. All of the characters. I have, in the past, read mystery books where at some point the author is almost trying to make a point that the story can stand alone on the strength of the h. Well, guess what? I have yet to find an instance where that goes well.

Here, you have the h's love interest/potential husband material who is wonderful in that he's autocratic, yet understanding, stodgy yet strangely accepting of the supernatural and shall we say, alternative lifestyle happening around him. There's the h's brother Perry whom I simply adore. I love his relationship to the h and how he supports her and eagerly joins in on her adventures. I love his conflicted relationship with the very handsome Selkie Jaq. I love how his sense of propriety is always shocked by the h's vampiri companion Miss Zooth (sometimes bat, sometimes miniature naked woman because yes, the author addresses the complications of changing to and from bat form). The h's and H's respective mothers are great in their bit parts. And the dialogue. I loved how it's established in this book why some of the vampiri have titles such as "dukels" and "lordels." They take on the titles of their companion. So a duke has a dukel vampiri, etc. I think my favorite line of dialogue occurs when Miss Zooth meets the dukel vampiri Pags and thinks "a dukel my footel."

I think this is a great series to read to really perk up your mood which these days (or as most of us can probably say, this past year) has been anything but stellar.

[Corey Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Return to Lady Jewel Diviner with a New, Intriguing Setting

It has been some time since I read the first two Lady Jewel Diviner books, but the story came back to me right away & I was quickly drawn back into the world of Musors, vampiri, & Selkies. In this story, Elinor, Aldreda & co. travel to London for the first time since Elinor fell out in society. Although she is not sure about going back to society, her hand is soon forced by the actions of the "wild" Vampiri Pags, who they met at the end of the previous book. They soon wind up embroiled in a murder mystery involving the high ranking Musors & vampiri surrounding the King (who turns out to be a Musor himself!). I liked that change of pace in this one, as we are introduced to many more vampiri & Musors in high society, whereas in the previous books we had only Aldreda & the Selkies. It was fun to watch the mystery play out & to learn more about how magical society worlds in this version of Regency era London. I found the writing to be just as well done as in previous books, as well as well edited, with no grammatical errors or punctuation issues that I noticed (which is a big deal to me!). As in previous books, there is no cliffhanger, just a satisfying wrap up to the story at hand & seeds planted for what may happen in the next book. I am really glad I picked this series back up & can't wait to dive back in with book 4! Recommended to lovers of Regency era historical fiction with a magic/paranormal twist.

[Candy Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Aldreda Zooth is flying over the Dartmoor moors area looking for Henri's pearls. When another bat flies around her. He is a vampiri like her but he has been here a very long time. He can hardly speak and one of the first things he says there is a musor here. He is not happy and then he goes on to explain the happenings during the revolution to the vampiri and nobles alike. He flies to Elinor and tells them all they are in danger and not to tell anyone what they are. Then he wants an introduction to Aldreda. He is Pagrillard Deponzel, Pags is his nickname. He has lived on horses the decade he lived in the moors.
Then the pearls were stolen, and by Pags. He was taking them to the King. Aldreda had been given the pearls by Henri, her human Companion. She went into a long hibernation, about eighty-four years when Henri died. She could not bare it. The tale keeps unfolding and gets a little more complicated. I just love this series. The characters are simply great and the way they wove the book around the revolution in France, was spellbinding. The description of the furniture the vampiri used, the rooms, and the dances was enthralling. I enjoyed the interaction between Aldreda and Elinor amusing and as friends, they helped each other. She and Beresford being in and kept trying to protect her but she wouldn't let him. Thank you for letting me read this lovely novel.
I received this ARC from

[Korinne Tande · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another delightfully funny book in the Lady Diviner Series. We again meet Elinor whose life is intertwined with a magical cast of characters, including her mother, her brother, vampiris, selkies, and more. The story takes place in old England and the author does a splendid job of writing about what I would consider to be the formalities of the old English rules and behavior integrated with the nuances of magic and murder. The author also includes a number of magically gifted folks, including people who can tell when someone is lying or those who can subtly influence ones thinking and actions. But, as you discover in the story, too much of a good thing can have repercussions. I appreciate the author's sense of humor when describing the various situations in which the "naked" vampiri find themselves when they change from vampiri to human or back to vampiri. This contrasts humorously with the old world courtship expectations between Elinor and the Earl. There are many engaging situations throughout the story along with the murder to solve, stolen jewels to recover, and new relationships to develop. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to be entertained through clever writing, humorous situations, and delightful characters, along with a magical and baffling mystery to solve. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Nad]

Since I've only skimmed this one, I will not rate it, just comment on some things.

Aldreda continues to devolve into the most annoying character in the book and her antagonism with Jaq is getting tiresome. At one point, she accuses Jaq of sharing a drop of mermaid tears with everyone (which he did) - but doesn't mind that every single person in the room eagerly agreed to use the drug (the initial offer for everyone to try it doesn't even come from Jaq himself). Then she constantly pries into Perry's budding romance.

Why the hell do all vampiri titles end in -el? Dukel, lordel, viscountel, your gracel? What madness is this?

In the acknowledgement section the author refers to the Charismatics series by calling it "Victorian fantasy" - when that series not only provides a definite date of its setting but "Edwardian" is literally used in its description. Seeing as the author considers her own series Regency while set in 1804 and having King George III described as "a wise man", I'm somehow not surprised.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book continues with the kind of light hearted mysteries of the previous books. It was enjoyable but the weakest of the series so far.

I didn’t love the change to write this book from two perspectives. In all but a couple of chapters I would have preferred Elinor’s POV to Aldreda’s. I understand it was needed to set up Aldreda’s romance plotline, but her POV felt overused. Also the dual POV’s made parts of the story feel repetitive.

Another thing that confused me was Beresford’s behaviour. He seemed to have a personality transplant in this book. Despite his previous concerns about propriety and Elinor’s less than stellar reputation there are several mentions of him kissing her in public and generally behaving in a way I don’t expect in romance books set in this period. Sure, this is fantasy anyway so the author can take liberties with historical accuracy, but it just doesn’t seem in line with his character given the way he was portrayed in the previous books.

[Jessica Robinson]

The third installment in The Lady Jewel Diviner finds our cast of characters returning to London to reclaim the valuable and magic embued Moria pearls that have been stolen and delivered to the King by a wild, rogue Vampiri. Elinor, Miss Zooth, and Perry find themselves embroiled in further murder mysteries, a power struggle to control the pearls, and the discovery of an entire royal library of magic memory embued sapphires. The Sapphire Library could reveal so much to Elinor about divining and other talents as well, but her involvement may lead to great danger for Elinor and all those she loves and cares for. The world-building grows and evolves and the possibilities for magical abilities and romantic possibilities grow in exciting and tantalizing ways as well. I greatly look forward to learning more about this divine world and our beloved characters in the next installment.

[Linda Lassman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent entry in this series. Unfortunately, I find that I while I am intrigued by the vampiri and the role they play in partnership with the Musors, I just don't find the chapters told from Aldreda's viewpoint to be as interesting. I did appreciate the view of events told from her standpoint and the information she provided to advance the story, and I certainly appreciated that Aldreda is no shrinking violent to be rescued every time adversity was encountered! And I also appreciate that my issues with the character are mine alone and many others won't have my difficulty.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book very much and am excited to learn what happens in Elinor's, Beresford's, and Aldreda's next adventure.

[Emma Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's rare when a fabulous first book is followed by equally fabulous sequels. I understand that most writers feel the need to expand the world, send their characters on wild adventures, throw obstacles in their way, have them break up, argue, get back together and so on but I'm heartbroken. I wish this series could stay lovely and small and domestic and about the banter between the two main characters and Elinor's small magic.

This didn't work for me, the main couple barely speaks for the entire book, we spend time with characters I didn't particularly care about and the plot brings in new perils, not new joys. It's fallen into bigger stakes territory and that's not what I love. I love light and silly and everyday joys and the first book was perfect. Oh well.

[Anna Beste · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lady Diviner Mystery series is a charming tale of likeable characters who unfortunately have to deal with too much murder and high stakes mysteries. Doesn't help that Elinor has no self-control when it comes to finding out the truth even if it breaks every social norm and a few laws along the way. In this book the gang is back in London to see if the pearls are actually safe because they were stolen and brought to the king and to re-enter society after the whole gem debacle. Of course there is a new mystery and murder to solve. Along the way Perry learns a new trick, they find out more about their father, and Miss Zooth meets new vampiri.

[Jacquelyn Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another delightful installment in this cozy, witty supernatural mystery series. You'll get just what you came for - murder, cream tea, and a dangerous conspiracy with royal implications. This time, Oaks dives us a bit more deeply into some of the mysteries of the Musors, enriching her intriguing world-building and promising all sorts of interesting revelations in the future.

But mostly, I enjoyed spending more time with all her characters from the previous two books, as well as meeting some very fun new additions to the cast.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good fun! In this one, Elinor and co. go to London to make sure the Moira Pearls are safe, and end up investigating the murder of one of the King's advisors.

A bit slower to start than the first two books, with the introduction of switching POV between Aldreda and Elinor. The transitions were a bit rough at first, but smoothed out after a few chapters.

I would have loved a Perry or Jaq POV chapter, but their romantic shenanigans still stole the show even as a background event.

Looking forward to the next one!

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much! In this book we get to see more of the world building of the vampiri community and I am here for all the miniature things and resourceful solutions for vampiri accommodation! I also loved the expansion of Gift world building, I won’t say more than that here. This series has become my reliable cozy yet exciting happy place; it’s a safe and reliable world that I love spending time in. Highly recommend the whole series, and this third instalment did not disappoint! I look forward to picking up the fourth book and continuing to follow this new favourite author!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 takes Elinor, Miss Zooth, and Lord Beresford back to London. They’re trying to get their hands on the pearls they found in book 2 that were stolen from them. While there they stumble on another mystery- this time it’s murder.

Another great addition to the series! Oaks has created a fascinating magical world in a Regency setting. In this story, we get more of the Vampiri, a bit of romance and some royal characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this new adventure.

[Stephanie Curran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent installment in a magical series! I really love the characters and the willingness to explore a wide variety of types of relationships. The character development is creative and so well done that I don't have any trouble keeping track of the wide range of human, selkie and vampiri personalities. I highly recommend this series and can't wait to read #4.

[Keke · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so nice to read Aldreda's point of view as a Vampiri and her growing relationship to Pags. Perry was less an annoying brother in this book and more so a moody star crossed lover. What a shock to find out he is a Traveller! And again with the ridiculous way in which they foil the villain! With these dramatics, I was laughing out loud again.

[Verity Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Although this was a fun book, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first two books. The new characters were not as well-drawn or as memorable, and in the end, everything felt rushed toward a conclusion that seemed a little too pat.

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite reading this book in one day, I have to say it didn’t hold my attention as much as the previous two books.

However, I couldn’t work out who was responsible for the unfortunate events that hastened in the book until the very end - and what an ending that was!

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some nice world development in The Sapphire Library and I liked the alternating points of view. The suspense was also well done, though I had a little trouble following the mystery, and I liked the new/more clearly defined romantic relationships.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good story and well written. The main characters are fun, intelligent, and endearing. The plot is easily followed throughout all the twists and turns and the pages flow quickly. I can easily recommend this book and hope you enjoy each of the books in the series as I have.

[Ursula Fricke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me longer than I expected, it just took soooo long to grab my attention. I finally was hooked when Perry discovered his gift, I thought for a while now that he, too, must have one, just didn't have the need to use it. Neatly done.