In the Shadow of a Hoax

Fareview Fairytale, Book 2

By: Maci Aurora

Narrated by: Bridget Bordeaux, Jake Bordeaux

Tarley Fareview, idealistic and stubborn, does what she can to support herself in spite of an unjust Kaloma law that says she's beholden to a man's keeping. When she defends herself after being harassed by a man, she is forced to flee into the woods disguised as a boy. She happens upon a dying man and must decide if she will risk her life to save him. Unable to walk away, Tarley chooses to intervene and saves the stranger, only little does she know that by doing so, she’s risking the heart she promised herself she’d never give to anyone.

When the Crown Prince of Jast, Lachlan Nikolas—forced by his father to attend treaty negotiations with the kingdom of Kaloma in disguise—is attacked, his horse bolts, and they both careen over a cliff, falling into a raging river and their untimely deaths. Only, miracle of miracles, Lachlan doesn’t perish and instead is given a second chance at life, but at a price. When he wakes, he’s not only been stripped of his clothes but also his identity. Saved by a strange woman, Lachlan is forced to reinvent himself, open his heart to discover the truth about worthiness, and discover what it means to sacrifice oneself for true love.

©2023 Cami L Nihipali (P)2025 Cami L Nihipali

I do really like Tarley!

I really like Tarley. This isn’t as off the wall as book one but we see a continuation of the sisters and Tarley is the main character. Ari continues to come through as her relationship develops but all of this book is set in one world. It’s a fun adventure with a girl who just wants to be herself and needs the time with nature to reset. After an altercation send her to the woods out of necessity she doesn’t expect a half dead man to wash up on shore. Her conscience won’t allow her to leave him, nursing him back to begins an adventure I don’t think she is ready for. This tale is full of mistaken identities, backwards thinking, secrets and villains with a healthy dose of heat.

Narrators do a great job with giving each character its own personality and inflecting emotions so you feel them down to your toes.