Finalist 2017 Readers' Favorite Awards
Two cousins. A dark family secret. A looming rebellion.
In Regency England, a mysterious inheritance draws Prudence Fairfeather and Lady Josephine Weston out of candlelit ballrooms and into the shadows of insurrection. A newcomer to London society, Prudence longs for the enchantment of love and instead finds real magic in her late mother's ring. But power brings peril, and strange mishaps culminate in an assassin's bullet. Ensnared by the web of a malevolent socialite, Prudence forsakes romance to fight for her freedom.
Josephine fears an eternity of confined country life until rampaging trolls, a gang of drunken vigilantes, and a flirtatious officer bring her all the adventure she craves. Compelled by birthright to take up arms, she embraces her newfound, unladylike abilities to shield her loved ones from harm.
As danger drives a wedge through their friendship, Josephine and Prudence must face their magical legacy and the enemy who will kill to control them.
CC Aune's ramblings have led her through 49 states, nine of which she has called home, plus a fair number of countries. She has been a journalist and a contributor for the companion book to PBS's 2000 series In Search of Our Ancestors. Currently, she directs the blog One Year of Letters, which explores the internal landscape of writers. The Ill-Kept Oath is her debut novel.
“C.C. Aune captured the tone of the time period perfectly from the prose to the dialogue. It helped bring me into the time of the story, which allowed for a better understanding of Josephine and Prudence. It's not a crazy idea now to marry for love, but wanting to do that in 1819 showed how headstrong Prudence is, which made me like her from the start. Josephine is also an independent woman who doesn't let her cousin Edward push her around, and even goes about trying to reclaim the house from him, and learning to fence. There's several fantasy elements to it, but it's subdued, and instead the story is driven by the characters. The Ill-Kept Oath is charming, delightful, with some romance, humor, and adventure. I didn't want it to end!” —Liz Konkel, Reader’s Favorite
"C. C. Aune 's work beautifully captures Jane Austen's England in a gossamer net of magic and intrigue." —A.M. Justice
“Aune skillfully knitted together the Regency and fantasy genres,creating an enchanting hybrid that contains the intrigues of London society and the mystery of emerging, strange unexplained powers." —The Critiquing Chemist
"[T]he characters that Aune has breathed life into are colorful and real." —The Ghastly Grimoire
"To say that I loved this book would likely be one of the greatest understatements that I have ever made." —The Well-Read Pirate Queen
