After her beloved fiance dies just weeks before the wedding, Lady Petra announces to the ton that she has no intention to marry. She wishes to retain her independence, and is fortunate that an inheritance from her mother will allow her to do so.
Soon Petra learns that a friend who had an unhappy marriage has died, and upon digging deeper, discovers that her husband had placed her in an asylum for the mentally ill. It seems as if several men have had their wives “disappear” in a similar manner. Petra decides to investigate further and expose the quack at the center of a scandal, but suddenly finds her own freedom curtailed.
I read it all in one evening!

As the first book in a new Regency mystery series, this novel comes out swinging. Lady Petra Forsyth is a delight, always up for a challenge or a bit of fun. But it is her compassion and loyalty to her eccentric group of friends, and her defense of all women, that really stand out. There is a tension-filled mystery to be solved, but also a slow burn romance waiting to be realized. And the cliffhanger? Chef's kiss!

A promising premise but doesn't totally deliver. There's a lot of exposition that needs to be turned into action and there's too much - misogyny, institutionalism, homophobia - going on to tackle in one book. But, I think with some good editing, this could really take off. I liked the character of Petra and especially her maid Annie and a mystery romance is fun. It's sort of in the vein of Veronica Speedwell.

oh my gosh this book..... where do I even begin!! with a title like this, I decided to just read it and not read the description, and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. I initially thought it was another rom-com book as a period piece but quite the contrary it was filled with clever society commentary, sprinkled with some love, family dynamics and most importantly: mystery!
I really really enjoyed reading this book, I finished it in about 2 days and I stayed up last night finishing the last chapters, I HAD to learn what was happening, I'm exhausted today but it was so worth it.
Some parts were hard to read, because of the way the men acted, because of how different kinds of people were treated in the book, and also just in general thinking about how it's probably very accurate as to how society must have been back in the 1800s. that being said, A+ for the imagery and descriptions, and even the difficult-to-read parts were very well thought out and excellently written.
I also really enjoyed the overall female empowerment aspect and how most of the women were close-knit and there for each other despite class, origins and if they knew each other or not. The last thing I'll mention without ruining the book is: THAT ENDING HOLY MOLY!!!!!!!!!! I kinda knew there was something there but I didn't want to believe it, and either way, the ending truly SHOCKED me.
10/10 would recommend. Only caveat is: sometimes it's a bit hard to understand some of the dialogues because of the old/regency era English on top of the heavily British words, but I found it fun overall.

Note: Received a free ARC in exchange for a free/unbiased review of the book.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally is a Regency era historical mystery. Set in a time period where women were considered strictly means to get heirs and men controlled everything, this story is of an independent woman. Expected Publication of this book is November 14th, 2023.

Lady Petra Forsyth wants no man to control her. She rides wearing breeches, takes care of her father's books for him, and has declared that she is going to be a spinster. At the same time, she gets distressing news that her friend has passed away. But she also notices that a few men of the ton are behaving strangely. Is something amiss?

I devoured this book. The FMC Petra is not afraid of challenges, is courageous, and in a time when women were just considered property, she is not willing to take it quietly. One thing is that this book starts slowly and is very Sherlock Holmes style, and I loved it. It ends with a cliffhanger, and I really hope that I get the second book soon in my hands!

Thank you, Minotaur Books @minotaur_books and Netgalley, for this book.

2 Stars
One Liner: Ugh!

Lady Petra Forsyth has decided to lead a spinster’s life when her fiancé dies a few weeks before the wedding. With her inheritance to provide for her expenses, Lady Petra has no need for a man or marriage.
When she gets to know that a longtime friend has passed away due to melancholia and a certain questionable physician seems to be involved, Petra wonders if there’s more to it. After all, not many people were informed or even invited to the funeral. Her quest for truth triggers a series of events and puts her life at risk.
The story comes in the third-person POV of Lady Petra.

My Thoughts:
I’m always ready to read a historical mystery or romance. The premise promised some fun and sleuthing, so I was excited to read this one. Unfortunately, the results were below average.
The book does have a few good points, like little Teddy, the street urchin, and Annie, the maid. The Duchess is also cool. Someone you’d want on your side.
However, the not-so-good points outweigh by a large margin.
First, the opening has to be strong enough to hook the reader. Here, we get a bunch of names and lengthy conversations that ‘bring us up to date’ about the FMC.
Second, it’s hard to enjoy a book when the heroine doesn’t appeal to you. That’s my problem here. I could not like Lady Petra despite her being a feminist, LGBT+ ally, and whatever. She’s judgmental, jumps to conclusions, and acts like a typical privileged woman of the ton.
Third, the so-called potential love interest Duncan sounds great in theory. However, he is limited to being a cardboard cutout with zero personality. The chemistry is minus ten. It isn’t even there. Things happen because well... checklist, possibly.
Fourth, the writing is chaotic. I know this is still in the editing stages and is an uncorrected proof, but the book will need major structuring to get rid of the filler content. I also know the book is the first in the series, and some of it is necessary for world-building. However, we don’t need to be introduced to many characters who serve no purpose.
Fifth, the mystery is boring, too. The concept is very good. But once again, the execution doesn’t have it appealing. It’s neither surface level nor detailed, leaving it hanging nowhere. Even the villain doesn’t get more than a couple of scenes to show his villainous side.
Sixth, there’s no denying that the book tries to achieve too much – racism, homophobia, women’s rights, misogyny, sexism, abuse, institutionalization, classism, etc., and a heroine who wants to fight it all. It could have still worked. This doesn’t.
Seventh, there’s a cliffhanger in this one about the FMC’s personal life. Let’s say I couldn’t care less by that point. I tried and failed.

To summarize, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord might appeal to some readers, but it definitely didn’t work for me. Moreover, it even gave me a headache on both days I read it. That doesn’t happen often, so I find it hard to be lenient. Sorry!
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s (Minotaur Books), for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, by Celeste Connally, is a civilized and sometimes pithy, period mystery. Set in the Regency era, c.1815, in England, the story introduces Lady Petra Forsyth, an independent woman and self-avowed spinster. She believes that her choice gives her more freedom and independence than her female peers. When a friend dies under suspicious circumstances, she decides to use her mind and her means to investigate the woman’s untimely death.
The characters are nicely drawn, and Petra is a high-spirited, likeable protagonist. Her defense of abuses and male oppression of women of that era is applaudable and buttresses the plot line. While she has a feminist attitude, Petra also enjoys romance and the company of men, a well-balanced heroine.
This is a well-written mystery involving thought-provoking subject matter of the era, i.e., how women can be literally locked away by more powerful male figures in their lives. The final chapters are suitably exciting as Petra achieves justice for the women, but faces alarming information about her own personal life.
I look forward to the next entry in this entertaining, Regency-era series.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

This book was so lovely! Loved the historical feminist lens and the cast of characters. I was frustrated with the ending, as it felt a bit rushed/sloppy after the climax, but then the last line made me gasp out loud!

I was expecting a cozy and got a little more than I bargained on with this book. It’s light hearted, but touches on some serious subjects. I’m not sure what to think about that last line, though. Obviously more to come…
Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A satisfying mystery with a wide range of characters. The romance was more of a side plot, but it was sweet and satisfying. Based on the blurb, I thought there would be more romance, but then I've never actually watched Bridgerton, so how should I know? This book presents a bleak view of the morality of the Regency upper-class, but I could not help rooting for Lady Petra. As an independently wealthy woman, Lady Petra is determined not to marry and is able to live as she pleases. Petra is smart and capable and she does a wonderful job tracking down clues to solve the mystery of the disappearing women. I really enjoyed the variety of female characters who worked together to help her solve the mystery, along with help from a few good men.

Lady Petra is so bad ass, I loved how even with the times women had to act proper, and married off early and such, she made her own way, she chose her own path after losing her fiancé. I loved that, I felt it like it set the town for the whole book, she is smart and she plays no games. The death of her friend was very suspicious for her, and the way she went after trying to find justice for her was admirable given the times.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

It's like a marriage of a cozy mystery and an historical fiction romance. As the only daughter of an Earl and motherless since a very young age, Lady Petra is a woman before her time. In Regency England, she may dress like a lady but she is headstrong, rides like a man, bristles at the injustice of women being thought of as inferior and as property of men, and opinionated. Lady Petra even goes so far as to declare that she will never marry, such to the dismay of her overbearing uncle. But she is also the adored daughter of her papa, and is kind to others especially those who are lessor stations in life than she. When rumors of ladies begin, alluding to them having fits, and being sent to the country for rest under the care of a nefarious "physician", Lady Petra is alarmed. Sharing her concerns with her childhood friend, Duncan, she is still not sure who she can trust, even him. But Lady Petra's inquisition to the death due to hysteria of her friend, Lady Milford draws ire from some, and her life is put in danger. Will Duncan help her? It is certainly a mystery that has twists and turns and some sinister aspects. But this story is also based on some historical truths as it was common and acceptable practice during that time period where husbands, fathers, brothers, and uncles could have their female family members committed to asylums under the guise of saying that they were crazy or unnatural, especially if they wanted these women to disappear. I loved that this cozy mystery featured a strong protagonist and yet she had a softer side who was still open to romance. As this ends, it leaves you with a thought that her story and Duncan's is not yet complete and is still ready to unfold. I can't wait. Besides, I do have some questions because not all was made clear at the end and wrapped up neatly in a bow, so my hope is there has to be more of the story to be told. Many thanks to #netgalley #actlikealadythinklikealord #celestconnally #stmartinspress for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a well written story that highlights the lack of women's rights in England's Regency era. The main characters are engaging, the plot is compelling, and the villains are truly villainous! My only complaint is some of the actions of some of the characters don't seem true to that character. No spoilers here. Just some of it seemed off. But other than that, the book was very hard to put down!

I love historical fiction, and the mystery aspect of this was great. I was such a fan of Lady Petra and her group of women who were willing to defy some of the norms of the time to seek out the truth. I also very much enjoyed the dynamic between Lady Petra and Mr. Shawcross throughout the book as well. Really hoping for a book 2, the cliff hanger ending made me want to go straight into a second book!

If you like Bridgerton and enjoy a good mystery, you're gonna love Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally. This lush Regency mystery revolves around Petra, a formidable sleuth that knows her place in society but will do whatever needs to be done to uncover the truth. I love her courage and resolve to make her own way in the world, and to help others out along the way.

Lady Petra is outspoken 24 year old who has announced she does not plan to marry. She is impetuous. She learns one of her friends is dead, but the funeral is private. She discovers this isn't true. Who is the mysterious man, Mr. Drysdale who has a private place for women that their husband, father, uncle thinks there is an issue...such as, nerves, moods, flighty, etc. Their relatives just seem to want them out-of-sight or just plain gone [dead!]
Read this complicated adventure of Lady Petra. More to come...

I picked up the book because it had an interesting premise. It's definitely more of a mystery than a romance. After her fiancé died three years ago, Petra announced that she never planned on marrying. With conflicting information about the death of a good friend, Petra is looking to discover the truth. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. For me, the story is slow, not that interesting or memorable. Also, Petra's conversations and actions are of a modern woman rather than a regency one, which pulled me out of the story.

A strong start for a new series set in 1815 England! Lady Petra is an independent and intelligent woman who refuses to be put in a box so when she receives conflicting information about her friend- is she dead or alive- she must investigate. It's a different sort of Regency novel but does hit a familiar theme of women being sent to and locked away in asylums by their husbands or families for their behavior or beliefs. Petra, however, is ahead of her time in both attitude and approach. This has a couple of good twists, a little romance, and ends on if not a cliffhanger, a clear indication that the story will continue. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

This book started out as a standard regency cozy mystery but then it got dark and I loved every minute of it. Just when I thought I couldn’t love it any more, it ends on a cliff hanger that had me squeal in shock. I can’t wait for the sequel!

I was excited by the premise and cover of the book. Cozy mystery meets Regency with a feminist bent? Yes, please.

Unfortunately, though, this one didn’t live up to my expectations. The start was slow to me, and the forward momentum of the story tended to get bogged down by what felt like superfluous details.

The themes covered here and the crimes themselves are ones I’ve seen before in books set in the Regency period, and it doesn’t feel like this story adds anything new to that discussion. The resolution of the book felt a bit rushed as well.

I didn’t feel very attached to any of the characters other than Teddy, the street urchin who provides assistance along the way.

The book isn’t bad; it just didn’t suck me in.

I received an advance copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.