This is an intriguing beginning to a new Regency Era mystery series. I thought Petra and her companions were interesting and the mystery held my attention. However, the book made me realize something about myself—asylums, gaslighting, and forcing healthy people into “treatment” are serious triggers for me. I still managed to finish the book, but I’ll admit it was a bit of a struggle due to my own person hang-ups. To be clear, these things are not portrayed in a positive light in the story. I just didn’t enjoy reading about those circumstances in detail. If you are okay reading about these situations, then I would still recommend the book. It sheds light on an ugly piece of history that is often swept under the rug.

While this book took a minute to get into, once it got going it was nonstop and the twists were engaging. The writing was well done and I enjoyed the characters.

If you’re looking for a historical mystery with a feminist bent, then this is one you may like! The adventures of the protagonist, Petra, to uncover the mystery kept me engaged, especially the latter 50% of the book which I read in one sitting (even though it was not a mystery in the sense of not knowing who was the guilty party, but rather a mystery in the sense of how would Petra bring him to justice). Just a note that there is very little romance and a cliffhanger at the end. I loved the side characters of Annie, Frances, and Teddy. I liked seeing all the representation included.

Billed as a mishmash between Bridgerton and Agatha Christie, I immediately jumped at the chance to read Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord. I thought the premise of the mystery was both intriguing and infuriating, and I thoroughly enjoyed the feminist stance Lady Petra had taken with her father's support. I do wish that the spice level was more amped up like Bridgerton and not closed-door. I also wanted more banter between Lady Petra and Duncan... there was clearly tension, but I needed a little more to feel the chemistry.

3.5 stars rounded up as I see the real potential in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord is the first novel in a new Regency mystery/romance series of Celeste Connally. I was excited to give this book a try because I love mysteries and Regency romance. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the comparison to Agatha Christie & Bridgerton too apt. It’s not really a romance, and I kept thinking this book was taking place in the Victorian era rather than Regency. In fact, I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had taken place then. I realize the author was not striving for historical accuracy, but it grated on my sensibilities that there were so many things that didn’t fit with the era.

Main character Lady Petra reads more like a modern feminist than a Regency lady and is the champion of all things liberal. She strives to protect her friend with a gay husband, and a man she just met who is also gay. She’s a crusader for female rights, a bluestocking, and frequently flouts the rules of Society. After the tragic death of her fiancé, she vows never to marry.

When her friend supposedly dies and then a male servant who seems to know about her death winds up murdered, Petra takes it upon herself to investigate. What she discovers leads her to a private asylum where women were frequently falsely imprisoned. She relies on her maid, a cute street urchin named Teddy, and her old friend Duncan to assist in the investigation.

As she infuriates the local men of the ton and increasingly her own uncle, she’s in danger of finding out just what happened to her friend. She also finds herself in an enemies to lovers relationship with her estranged childhood friend Duncan, who was also the best friend of her deceased fiancé.

As mentioned before, I really think the author did herself a disservice by not having this set in the Victorian era. I think an apt comparison would be the famed PBS series Miss Scarlet and the Duke or one of Deanna Raybourn’s Victorian novels. The plot was interesting, and kept my attention, but its resolution seemed a bit rushed and hard to believe. The romance seemed to almost come out of nowhere with hardly any build up. Because we’re reading from Petra’s POV, Duncan’s character seemed underdeveloped and the chemistry between them was there but not explored enough to make a romantic relationship at this stage plausible. I honestly think it would have been better to have a more slow build romance.

The story was intriguing and it definitely ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Readers should be warned that this is not a cozy mystery. There’s a semi-open door love scene, mentions of characters walking around nude, some infrequent swearing, sexual innuendo and promiscuity, crass descriptions of sex, and an interrupted sexual rendezvous with a gay couple. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author and publisher. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.

Lady Petra is a member of society who goes against the norms for the times. Whether it's riding her father's racehorses western style or speaking her mind, she goes against the grain for what is acceptable behavior for young women in the early 1800'.s When her fiancee suffers a fatal fall, Petra vows to remain a spinster. Thanks to her mother's will, she is provided with funds that are in her name, and those funds would remain in her name even if she were to marry. As some of the.female members of the ton begin to disappear to the countryside to be "cured" of their supposed ailments, Petra becomes suspicious that they are are just being shifted out of sight at their husband's convenience. Petra is determined to get to the bottom of what's going on, even though she puts herself in danger in the process. Enter a handsome childhood friend to help her along, and a subtle romance underlies the story.

Don't let the title of this fool you; while appropriate as this nails Petra's personality, this books is heavy on the mystery and much lighter on the Regency romance. This is the first in the mystery series of Lady Petra - I look forward to reading more! Out now, pick up at your favorite bookseller! Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this one; all opinions are my own.

I’m always on the lookout for more historical mystery series. So when I was offered an egalley of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, my interest was piqued. Unfortunately, I did not find it to be quite the “delightful feminist romp” that was promised.

The story is told in third person, past tense from POV of Lady Petra: an aristocratic lady who pisses off the ton with her declaration that she will never marry. Unfortunately, Petra, came across as notably shallow and petty particularly in the beginning of the story. She spent her time gossiping and judging. And she was so petty about her grudge against her childhood friend. Overall, she acted like a spoiled brat. So while I empathized with Petra’s struggles to gain control over her life, I did not like her. And the story started out slowly introducing many characters. So I had trouble engaging with the story in the beginning.

Then there was the potential love interest, Duncan: the aforementioned childhood friend who has suddenly reappeared in Petra’s life. His character had potential, but he had zero character development.

The murder ended up not being the focus of the book. It was just a catalyst for other events, and this really did not feel like a whodunit. Plus the synopsis gives a lot away.

Rather than the murder mystery, the main focus of the story is the lack of women’s rights. But classism, homophobia, domestic violence, and racism were also touched upon (in a “let’s cram every social injustice into the story” kind of way). Despite Petra being a judgmental product of her times in so many ways, she was anachronistically forward-thinking and supportive of all discriminated groups. While her fight against the patriarchy was understandable, it simply was not believable that someone that sheltered and self-centered would be so caring and supportive of so many causes.

I have to admit that part of my lack of enjoyment was that I felt the advertised story did not match the reality. I expected more of a Cozy Mystery. And while the murder (and lack of blood and gore) matched up with what you typically find in a Cozy, the violence against women was much more prevalent. The misogyny in this book was fairly suffocating. And while it was historically accurate that women had no rights and could easily be forced into insane asylums by the men in their lives, it made this a depressing story overall. I’m going to add content warnings for sexism, domestic violence, drugging and kidnapping, forced institutionalizing, torture, sexual assault, homophobia, gaslighting, mental illness, and torture/sadism. While this was by no means the most graphic descriptions I’ve read, it was still far more violent that I expect in a Cozy Mystery.

This story also did not feel empowering since so much of the story focused on women being powerless. I did not feel like the ending offset the amount of seemingly hopeless misogyny that dominated most of the book. Though the story started off with Petra’s declaration never to marry, she did so in a naïve way with no expectations of the repercussions – showing again how spoiled and guileless she was. The titular phrase of “act like a lady, think like a lord” did not appear until much farther into the book. And her declaration of that intent was ridiculously short-lived and unsuccessful.

The ending felt rushed. There was the clichéd villain monologue followed by an overly speedy, overly neat wrap-up. It wrapped so easily and cleanly that it felt like it invalidated all of the struggles that came before. Nevertheless, up until the very end, I was going to give this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. But then Connally threw a bunch of stuff into the epilogue that ruined it. First there were changes between characters that had no development, happened off page, and were explained away in a couple of flat sentences. Then there was the “twist” thrown into the epilogue. It was painfully obvious that it was only thrown in there to provide conflict for the next book – which is a gimmick I absolutely abhor. So that instantly bumped my rating down to 3 stars. It was exactly the sort of lazy, cheap copout that drives me nuts.

The bottom line is that the book is fine but not particularly memorable or enjoyable for me. I will just have to keep searching for my next enjoyable mystery series.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 2 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Great start to a new mystery series set in the Regency era in England, combining mystery with social history. Lady Petra is able to declare her independence, due to an inheritance. After her fiancée died, and her childhood friend, Duncan, is not talking to her, Petra is not interested in becoming a possession of a man, but still attends the balls and listens to the gossip. When she hears her close friend, Gwen has died, Petra becomes suspicious as she realizes a threat to many in her circle by a questionable doctor. There are many twists, chases, murders and more as I was not able to put down the book. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord
By Celeste Connally

This book is a Regency-era mystery. It introduces Lady Petra Forsyth, a self-proclaimed spinster. Lady Petra is a member of the ton, British high society. As such she must follow the dictates imposed by said society on women. They are treated almost as chattel, their father's/husband's possessions, with no recourse.

In this story – the first in a series – Petra comes upon information that various gentlemen of the ton are having their female relatives taken way to Fairwinds – ostensibly an asylum for the treatment of hysteria and madness in women. Fairwinds in run by Luca Drysdale, an evil and sadistic man with a terrible past.

The story here is entertaining, the various characters – from highborn friends to maids and women in business – are believable. You will find yourself rooting for them to succeed. They are the forerunners of the feminist movement!

There is a hook here at the end which indicates that Lady Petra and company will be appearing again in further volumes. I look forward to another lighthearted romp in the future.

In a Nutshell: Would have worked much better had the ladies in the story didn’t assume “act like a lady” meant “gossip all day long” and “think like a lord” stood for “judge everyone else for what they look like and what they wear and what they do…” This had great potential but the characters sullied my experience.

Story Synopsis:
Suffolk, 1815. After Lady Petra’s beloved fiancé dies just a few weeks before their upcoming nuptials, she is left heartbroken. Even now, three years later, she isn’t interested in marrying anyone else. So she declares, before the elite of London, that she intends to stay unmarried because, as a woman of independent means, she has no need of a husband to support her lifestyle.
During a ball, she discovers that a close friend has passed away two weeks back under mysterious circumstances. But just some minutes later, another person tells her that the friend was spotted just a few days ago. Lady Petra realises that one advantage of being an elite spinster is that she can poke her nose into the mystery and dig out the truth. So that’s exactly what she does.
The story comes to us in Petra’s third person perspective.


Imagine you, an introvert, have entered a party where you know no one. You join the nearest group of friendly-looking ladies, hoping to join in their animated conversation. But you simply don’t get a chance to do so, because the ladies just don’t shut up. On and on and on they talk, remarking on other people’s appearances and relationships and scandals and businesses, until your head starts spinning trying to make sense of the who’s and what’s of the conversation, and wondering what the heck you are doing there.

That was my experience for most of the first half of the book, with me being in the introvert’s shoes. The initial 30-35% is nothing but an extended gossip session with tons of names being dropped and no sign of a concrete plot. The story then incorporates a bit of action, but the gossip doesn’t stop. Rather, the tittle-tattle is present all the way till the end; it only dips and rises in quantum.

Lady Petra is the expected star of the show. This means that she is the best at whatever she sets out to do, no matter how poor her decision-making and how annoying her habit of jumping to conclusions. She acts as opinionated and adamant as she wants to, but no other character can do so without being subject to whispers and rumours. The most irritating aspect of her personality, to me, was her condescending attitude towards those “inferior” to her social station. This might have been accurate to the era, but the way it was written didn’t endear Petra to me, all the more as she didn’t even realise how patronising she sounded. Her second annoying trait was her habit of judging every character by their physical appearance and anatomical attributes, or lack thereof.

Most of the other wealthy women characters have fixed roles to play – either victim or blabbermouth or privileged snoot. The poorer women are stuck as stereotypical maids and housekeepers. The book does the greatest disservice to its male characters, most of whom have only to drink and interact with Petra and talk about women “spreading their legs”. Almost every character is flat, and the ones with a little depth are mostly unlikeable. There is a ‘romance” but it is barely there, which would have made me happy in normal circumstances had the romantic interest not been sketched in such a lacklustre manner.

Gauging such a book on its historical accuracy is not fair as these kind of historical mysteries provide a partially feminist twist to reality. This, I’ll accept as a good writing choice. However, when a character is shown as conservative, the inaccuracies stand out. For instance, if a lady has discovered a dead body and is quite shocked, and her childhood friend suddenly arrives at the scene, the first thing he would do as a gentleman is to steer her away from the body and allay her fears, not stand there and discuss the various stab wounds and figure out who could be behind the attack. It is a challenge not to roll the eyes at such scenes.

What I did like about the book is the theme. Or maybe I should say ‘themes’, because it does attempt to fit in a lot - gender discrimination, women’s rights, queer rights, domestic abuse, racial discrimination, class discrimination, wealth bias,... (Debut novel, so yes, again we have the infamous ‘kitchen sink syndrome’.) Let’s just say, the intent was good.

I also liked the ‘mystery”, though its on-page execution was silly towards the end. It is impossible for me to accept that a potential villain would just stand in front of his next victim and give an extended infodump of his modus operandi and his plans. At the same time, the final resolution seems quite rushed.

Lastly, I wish the person who wrote the blurb had some self-control. Most of the plot is revealed there, including a major chunk of the mystery. What’s the point of reading a mystery novel if the reveal is in the blurb itself?

The series is titled “Lady Petra Inquires”, but practically, Lady Petra gossips, judges, accuses, and still comes out on top of everything. Officially, this is supposed to be a “Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie…, a dazzling first entry in a terrific new Regency-era mystery series with a feminist spin.” Mentioning Agatha Christie here has to be a joke of the highest order. And simply having a historical setting doesn’t make a book “Bridgerton”! How is a romcom series being compared to a mystery?

This is the first of a planned series. Most of the plot threads come to a conclusion without cliffhangers. What little is left untied is too trivial to be worrisome. Of course, it goes without saying that my journey with this series end right at the starting point. If you are a more forgiving soul or is someone who enjoys salacious gossip-mongering in fiction (or reality), kindly do give this a try.

2.5 stars, rounding down because the grace marks are only for the narrator.

My thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the DRC of “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This delightful story addresses an historic wrong against women, that of committing them to an asylum if they did not obey the societal rules and father/husband/older male relative or “guardian demands. Our protagonist takes on this outrage and exposes this travesty. This is a fast moving story that was hard to put down. Great writing and great balance of narrative and dialogue.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of Act Like a Lady, Think Like A Lord by Celeste Connally. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

This novel was a fun story that combined adventure, romance, and mystery tropes into one big Regency salad. Lady Petra Forsyth was an interesting heroine who made her own way. Was she sometimes annoying and a know-it-all all? Yes. But I think that will be the thing that attracts readers to this book. Anyone who likes their leading ladies to be similar to Jane Austen's Emma will enjoy the story. I give it 3.5/5 stars.

Regency female sleuth and self-proclaimed spinster aka lady-of-means
For a book with a slow start this story became a page-turner. By chapter 20 I could not put this book down. Lady Petra Forsyth, 24yo daughter of the Earl of Holbrook has vociferously told the ton that she will not marry! This news thrills the high society gossip mongers. After Petra lost the love of her life, Emerson to a fall at Duncan’s house where they secretly met for intimacy, she has no interest in marriage. As her mother left her with her own money besides a dowry, Petra chooses to do what she loves more than anything else, sleuthing. Oh, but when she finds out that a dear friend of hers, Lady Gwen has died but her former footman had seen her since that news, Petra can’t help herself. Did Gwen die? If not, where is she? And why is her husband not so very upset?
All along her former childhood playmate and confidant, 25yo Duncan Shawcross, illegitimate son of Marquess of Langford has been there to help her. After the death of Emerson, his good friend and Petra’s fiancé, Duncan left London. Now, three years later he has returned to make amends with Petra and to proclaim his feelings. Maybe? Surprise at the end. If you like mystery and scary predicaments with no explicit scenes, you may want to try this book. Entertaining and often gripping. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

Act like a lady, think like a lord is a regency era “cozy.,” a mash-up of genres. Lady Petra is declares that she will not marry -just don’t call her a “spinster” and ends up spending time investigating a murder of someone close to her. Through her investigation, Petra reveals more about the gender politics of the era.

A clever concept and a strong main character. the plot lost me, however, at times and I find myself zoning out. All in all, many people who enjoy cozies or era mysteries will enjoy this one however.

Overall I enjoyed this book, and it kept me reading. I liked the feminist twist, and that the main character Lady Petra is open minded, especially to those of different class or sexuality than her.

I liked the mystery, and the cliffhanger at the end,

At times I skimmed this book, as the plot meandered at bit. But overall, this book was well written.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review.

ACT LIKE A LADY, THINK LIKE A LORD by Celeste Connally and narrated by Eilidh Beaton is a mash up of Regency era cozy mystery.

This story introduces Petra Forsythia 1815 London as a singular woman who has chosen a path far outside the common expectations. Rejecting the term "spinster" for its negative connotations, Petra has nonetheless embraced the status and declared her intention not to marry. She is drawn into a mystery of the death of a friend and uncovers much more than she bargained for, but not without putting her own freedom at risk.

I was really excited to read what was billed as "Brigerton meets Agatha Christie." I also read the synopsis, which told the first 2/3rds of the story (not the synopsis I just gave). I was unfortunately disappointed in my expectations and the spoiler synopsis. If I had simply seen it as a Regency mystery, I would have been better situated to enjoy this one. AG is a major comparison, and it is hard to match. This was not a twisty whodunit at all. It was a social critique about feminism in the early 1800's with a serial killer in a cozy format.

The audio was done well. I think she did a good job with the various characters and I was easily able to keep everyone separate.

I really think this story could have hit me better without the synopsis. As it was with what I had, my experience with this story was a ⭐⭐⭐. I think if you don't read the given synopsis and go into it with less of a whodunit expectation, it could be better. I did have both the digital and audio, which is usually a win for me, but unfortunately, I kept waiting for something different.

Thank you to @netgalley @macmillan.audio & @minotaur_books for this book in both formats and for letting me share my thoughts. This was published on November 14th, so if it sounds like it would be a win for you, please go check it out!

This sounded like it would be a nice historical mystery beginner. I am sorry to say that I didn't really like it. I didn't like the characters. I didn't feel like the period was represented accurately. I didn't like the way this opener ended. I didn't like the wishy washy way the MC brooded with the thoughts in her mind and jumped to all kinds of conclusions. I guessed the murderer as soon as he was introduced. There were no redeeming twists in the mystery. This book just didn't work for me. I almost didn't finish but I skimmed through the last bit, wanting to see if it ended any better than I thought it would. Nope.

1815

Lady Petra Forsyth, 24, spends her days exercising her horses. She is the daughter of the Earl of Holbrook. Sadly, her mother died not long after Petra was born leaving her father to raise her and her governesses to educate her. Her fiancé died shortly before their wedding leaving Petra to proclaim that she will remain a spinster much to the chagrin of her odious uncle, Lord Allington. However, Petra is free to do as she wishes because her mother left her an inheritance that only she can touch.

Growing up, her playmate was Mr. Duncan Shawcross spending their time riding horses and enjoying the fresh air. However, shortly before he was to the leave for the continent, they had a terrible argument. That was 3 years ago and while Petra wrote and apologized, he did not respond.

Petra has arrived in London to attend a ball given by a Duchess friend. There, she sees Duncan again who is chilly to her. She also learns of the sudden death of an old friend. She is shocked as she was told that the woman had a fit and passed away. But when a footman claims to have seen the woman just a couple days ago, she is determined to find out exactly what the situation is.

This book was fairly good. The plot was interesting but my biggest complaint is that it is so wordy. Goodness, every move, every thought is written down. That took so much away for me. A lot of editing needed here.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is the first in a series of regency-era mysteries.

When Lady Petra Forsyth, self-declared spinster, discovers that her friend has unexpectedly died, she cannot believe it. As Lady Petra learns more information about her friend’s untimely death, she begins to question what really happened and who else has fallen victim to “melancholia”.

This one ended up being ok for me. The synopsis gives away what is really happening, so I didn’t include all of it in my description. I recommend reading it without reading the synopsis.

I enjoyed that the MC is an independent woman for this era and she uses her position to help uncover the clues.

There were times when conversations were occurring and I felt like I was missing something. It was as if I started reading in the middle of the series and missed prior books.

There is a touch of romance but it is not the main focus of the book.

If you are a fan of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple then you should check it out

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a joy to read and I can't wait to read upcoming books in this series! Historical fiction along with mystery and Regency era society is a win-win-win! Lady Petra Forsyth, in the year 1815, is a woman before her times in her desire to be independent and thus self-labeling herself as a spinster. Unheard of in the Regency era and society! Her desire to see women treated more justly leads her directly into a mystery as she discovers that a dear friend had been suffering from melancholia and had suddenly died. As snips of conversations at a gala are overheard, and a footman gives her information that she feels needs investigating, she is thrust into intrigue, danger, and murder as she tries to discover what is happening to the wives of some very questionable Lords! And exactly who is this Dr. Drysdale that seems to be involved?? Along the way she is reluctantly reunited with Mr. Duncan Shawcross, a friend from her youth, who she feels left her to travel when she needed him the most. Peripheral characters add much to the story in both their friendships to Lady Petra and those with ulterior motives. All leads to a storyline that keeps the reader invested in the outcome....to the very last page....which is a cliffhanger that could change the trajectory of her life.. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #ActLikeALadyThinkLikeALord