4 ⭐️ | it took me a bit to get into this book, it started picking up a third of the way in and was really hard to put down. Definitely agree that this is for mystery and Bridgerton lovers - it was a nice mix of both. It really took a dark turn, that I wasn’t expected but really liked.

This novel has all that most readers expect from a Regency: carriages, horses, a ball scene, sparks and snarks between the heroine and her love interest. There are few clues in the opening chapter to the Regency-Gothic plot, but get past that and it’s a socially relevant, intriguing tale of women successfully challenging of one of England’s longstanding, deeply inhumane ways of exercising patriarchal power and greed.

Our Heroine is no ingenue but a young woman who has loved and lost. Raised by an indulgent father, left independently wealthy by her late mother, she rides astride, runs the town and country households with the aid of faithful servants, and cherishes her equally unconventional friends. She’s recently announced she intends to never marry. It’s a declaration, we soon learn, that triggers a harsh reaction from her male relatives.

Several feisty female secondary characters band together with Our Heroine to rescue their downtrodden compatriots from controlling spouses and fathers, at similar risk to their own limited freedoms. The plot is inspiring and refreshing, part of the new wave of Regencies that include greater diversity of characters and tackle wider societal problems rather than strictly portraying a predictable heterosexual romance leading to a happily-ever-after

Those flaws in this opening: dialogue and inner monologues are rife with over-flowery language (as is common with neo-Regency novels), setting is generically ‘carriages and balls’ rather than demonstrably Regency, and far too many paragraphs are lost interspersing Our Heroine changing her clothes with clumsily introducing (through inane dialogue with her faithful ladies’ maid) characters we’ll meet later. There’s no way to guess from this opening that you’re entering a tale of human frailty, madhouses, and morals that would not be out of place in a Bronte novel.

Giving it a 3.5

PUBLICATION DAY: November 14, 2023

After losing her soul mate weeks before her wedding, Petra is determined (and has even announced to society) that she will never marry. She has her mother (and a generous inheritance) to thank for the option. But not everyone is content to see her voluntarily single, especially in this period of time. Add in the mysterious death of her friend Gwen and Petra has a lot to deal with. What will she find when she investigates the circumstances around Gwen’s death? And is her future as secure as she hoped?

PROS and CONS:
I really liked this author’s writing style, easy to read and quick to digest. Good variety of characters even if the plot was relatively easy to predict. Ending was a bit of a cliff hanger - maybe a series is in the works?

READ IT?
If you’re into period pieces and can’t get enough Bridgerton - then this one’s for you!

3.5 Stars

What a charming read! this one is for the Bridgerton lovers who love a winsome and intelligent heroine and a whiff of mystery

Think Lisa Kleypas meets Death Comes to Pemberley.

I will easily follow Connally wherever she takes me and I heartily recommended this sparkling and unputdownable new read!

Lady Petra Forsyth has sworn off marriage after the loss of her beloved fiancé who died in a tragic accident. Lady Petra’s mother was a woman ahead of her time and provided her with a sizable inheritance allowing Petra to have the independent life she desires. Petra uses her social status and inheritance to her advantage and enjoys the best society has to offer.

Lady Petra is devastated when she learns that a dear friend, Gwen, died of “melancholia” while in the care of a less than reputable physician. However, gossip soon circulates that Gwen has been spotted in London several times since she reportedly died. Petra begins to investigateo and uncovers a devious plot by the upper class men of London to have their inconvenient wives and daughters locked away. In her efforts to help Gwen and the other women, Petra finds herself in grave danger.

This Regency Era mystery was fast paced and intriguing. Lady Petra is a force to be reckoned with and I enjoyed getting to know her. This novel includes other strong female characters such as Annie, the lady’s maid, and Petra’s godmother, the duchess. Duncan, Lady Petra’s love interest, is an interesting and complex character. Some of the characters and their actions were a bit stereotypical but there are some more modern themes thrown in to balance it out.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord has been described as a combination of Agatha Christie and Bridgerton which is fairly accurate. This story does not have the spice of Bridgerton but the setting is the same and the story lines are similar. Some parts of the story were predictable but there were a few twists thrown in that balanced that out. The way the story wrapped up was perfect and the bombshell thrown in at the very end was shocking.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord is an intriguing mystery and thoughtful commentary on society and the challenges women face. This novel will satisfy all your Regency Era cravings!

Part of what makes this story such fun is how Lady Petra defies convention in so many ways but adheres to social conventions in other ways, trying to strike the right balance. The underlying mystery that she sets out to solve is more complicated and dastardlier than I expected. The story has a great supporting cast; I particularly liked the street urchin, Teddy. The interaction between Petra and Duncan was quite enjoyable. The story has some very witty banter. The story ends with a cliffhanger that could cause quite a bit of drama in a sequel.

I love the beginning of this book!! I will be leaving my full review on the audio ARC I received.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Being a history buff and fan of cozy mysteries, this one intrigued me. I've gotten somewhat away from my reading of Regency romances but the blurb sounded like it might fit into that former favorite genre. We initially meet the free-thinking Lady Petra and Annie, her maid, in the stable. Seems Petra is fond of riding astride, a practice sure to horrify nobility, and she's rushing to change clothing into a respectable riding outfit (think sidesaddle) with Annie's help after the unexpected arrival of her staid uncle. Unfortunately, all their efforts go for naught as he saw her astride and is taking her father, the Earl, to task for it, pretty much demanding Petra marry. Her father, lucky Petra, is also rather forward thinking and supportive of her independence, but her uncle persists. Can one angry relative be enough to force her to marry? Her late mother left her an inheritance free from any one else's management, hence her ability to go her own way, but life in that era isn't easy for females. Actually, as Petra discovers, she only knows the half of it.

The premise was interesting, the idea of women being sent to an asylum simply because they'd become a burden to their husband. True, some have legitimate health/mental issues but, as Petra discovers, it's become a tool of some wealthy men to rid themselves of a difficult, rebellious wife who can't be cowed. Petra, independently wealthy, had announced that she never planned to wed after the death of her first love, begins to investigate. She's fortunate enough not only to have the security of money and her father behind her, but good friends. That includes Annie. And, then there's Duncan. He's a childhood friend, the one who introduced her to the love of her life, in fact, but they'd gradually become distant and even hostile. But, he's back and soon to be part of Petra's life and plans. They're dangerous plans, too, with a bad guy you'll love to hate, but, well, it took the book a long time to get to that point.

Although I grew to like Petra despite her almost too perfect to be true self, only seeming to show her temper to Duncan, I found myself boggled down in what seemed an endless stream of petty details, names and titles and relationships early on. Heck, we even learned a bit about her horses. Back story is important, especially when a new series debuts, but this one nearly lost me when, sigh, not much was going on until around the halfway point of the book. Many of those names and titles I spent some time trying to sort out and make sense of what role they played in the grand scheme of things turned out to play little or no role. The use of names and titles can always be bewildering to those of us not raised where such are common, alas, but perhaps these characters will play a role in future books as this seems designed to be a series. 3.5 rounded to 4 stars.

Despite the slow beginning and build, the ending was quite exciting and showed how determined people can work together to create a better world for others. Was it easy? Of course not. Nor were Petra and her supporters willing to just resolve the big danger. In fact, they seemed to be willing to dole out a bit of revenge, making the ending all the more tasty. Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress - #MinotaurBooks for introducing me to Petra and the world she lives in. The characters and story hooked me enough that I'll be looking forward to seeing what develops...or doesn't develop...between Petra and Duncan.

Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Lord by Celeste Connally is an enjoyable read but not a stand out.

In the beginning of the book we meet Lady Petra who has declared that she is a spinster. The first 50% of the book is slow paced with details on the setting and the characters. The author went a bit overboard with the characters, several of which aren't important to the overall storyline. This made it hard to determine who I should be paying attention to.

In the second half of the book the pace picks up wonderfully. Petra begins solving a mystery and the suspense builds as we narrow down a very creepy bad guy. Once they finally come face to face I wanted more. The villain is very well written and I wanted more scenes between the two and wished they had crossed paths a bit earlier.

Petra is a likable character and a strong female who is ahead of her time. There is a tiny bit of romance in here as well, and I wish there had been more there too. If the author had traded the regency scenes that were overly descriptive for more relationship building between our main cast this book would have been even more enjoyable.

This riveting story transports the reader back into a time when women had very few rights.

It’s 1815 and Lady Petra Forsyth is “a woman with spirit, intellect, great love and abilities.” Just a few days before her marriage to Lord Ingersoll in Suffolk, England, he fell and died. Her heart was broken so she made a decision to become a spinster to enjoy being free of any other man with her rather large inheritance. However, this lifestyle was discouraged by her family and members of the community. It came with a price.

Petra was living ahead of her time with her willingness to be independent from the social norms. When her friend, Gwen, from the village died mysteriously, she wanted to find out what happened. When she heard that Gwen was seen a few days after the funeral, she was further intrigued. Who was telling the truth: Gwen’s husband or the man that just revealed some alarming news?

The beginning was a struggle to figure out which of the many characters were important to follow. However, after a few chapters into the story, everything started to make sense and then it was a fast read. The dialogue and setting made it believable with the times.

It’s definitely a well-thought-out book which makes one think about the struggles of women from this period. I read this in a day and can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in this series.

My thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of November 14, 2023.

I have read and enjoyed a lot of feminist regency romances but I’ve never read a feminism based regency mystery like this one! After declaring that she will remain a spinster after her betrothed’s sudden death, Lady Petra begins to notice that the women that don’t comply with society norms are disappearing and she may be next! The mystery plot line was so interesting and I loved all of the friends Lady Petra leans on along the way! And the romance side plot was a great slow-burn that kept me interested even in the slower points of the mystery plot. And the cliffhanger in the last line of the book was insane! I can’t wait for the next book to find out if it is true!

Thanks to Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book has a very interesting premise (Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie), which initially worked well to pull me in. Once past the initial setup however, the book struggled a bit to deliver on the premise. I found the mystery at the heart of the story to be thinly developed, as the who and why are easy to guess in the first half and revealed near the midpoint. From that point forward, the story moves to a search for justice, This search for justice focuses on issues in a way that felt heavy-handed rather than nuanced. The romance plot was also thinly developed, with no real tension between the characters and little development of their relationship throughout the novel.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord is a slow burn historical mystery with a side plot of romance. The backstory takes about the first 1/3 of the book but it is an atmospheric read once you learn the characters. The mystery is scary from the female perspective in history. I look forward to the series continuing.

Lady Petra Forsyth, daughter of the Earl of Holbrook, is an unconventional woman of the Regency era. who has declared that she does not plan to marry. While her father is unconcerned about this, her Uncle Tobias is scandalized and is convinced she must be insane as a result. That initially doesn't bother Petra, because she is more concerned about the rumor that a dear friend of her has died under questionable circumstances involving a shady physician.. When she starts to investigate, a potential source of information is murdered, and then the plot thickens. There is a fair amount of action and red herrings in this mystery, but on the whole I found that there were too many convenient coincidences of help or answers showing up at just the right time. This could be a fun read, but nothing particularly memorable.

I quite enjoyed this Sherlockesque novel.

After loosing the love of her life, we follow the MC as she uses her status to try and uncover the real truth behind her friends death. The problem? We are in 1815 and women are meant to follow, not lead.

I appreciated the writing style and overall enjoyed the book. Awesome little twists in here and the uncovering of the truth was a fun adventure. It was really slow to start however. It takes quite awhile to get this train rolling and even then it seems to chug along at a leisurely pace. I don’t mind reads like this once every now and again but I do wish it would have picked up speed a little quicker.

This is a feminist historical fiction with Sherlock vibes and an eye into what it was like for women in 1800’s. This book does invoke a few emotions, so that was good. I took off 1 star for pace since I think that could have been done a titch better.

3.25 stars

A Regency featuring an independent and strong-willed female character who has declared herself uninterested in marrying after the tragic death of her fiance.

Strong women are a staple in this genre but I felt this one strayed too far into superimposing modern sensibilities onto the historical setting. I really wondered if Lady Petra would have been allowed to act with such abandon in those times? The sub-plot featuring what men did with their troublesome wives seemed over the top.

And Lady Petra's old childhood friend Duncan -- who clearly we see is her romantic future -- somehow she ends up assuming all kinds of duplicitous behavior of him despite her supposed loyalty as a friend. Finally, I am not a fan of cliffhanger endings and the last sentence in this book is a doozie. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I absolutely loved the ancestry detective series by Celeste Connolly (under a different name), so I was excited to read a new series set in a much different time period, and it did not disappoint!

Petra is a a strong-willed, sharp, and independent woman living in Regency-Era England where those particular attributes are not as appreciated and viewed as unsavory. When society women start to go missing, Petra becomes curious, leading her to investigate.

Connally paints the scene of Petra’s life and times and the characters were believable and relatable. It was hard to not cheer Petra on throughout.

Though it started off a bit slow, once the mystery got rolling, I was hooked.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #MinotaurBooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally is a spectacular Regency mystery. Lady Petra Forsyth has been left an inheritance that allows her the means to care for herself without the need to marry. And after a betrothal that did not pan out, she is determined to live by her own rules. Much to the shock of society, she declares that she will not marry. After the mysterious disappearance of a good friend, Lady Petra endeavors to get to the bottom of things. But she is up against a sinister rogue. Petra new she had become a threat to him, to his newfound wealth and status, to his livelihood. To his ability to subjugate helpless women, to inflict pain upon them, and with absolute impunity. Yes, Petra had a feeling she would not live long to talk about it. He would make certain of it. Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord is a fabulous Regency mystery from the start to the very last line!

Lady Petra Forsyth declared herself a spinster after the accidental death of her fiancé. However, London in 1815 isn't the best place for that declaration. Disgruntled men, especially her uncle who resents her control of her own money, are outraged. But Lady Petra has an advantage many of her fellow female society ladies do not: she has independent means.

When she learns that a friend of hers has passed away, she's surprised and even more surprised that the lady's husband is carrying on with no signs of grief. She is even more surprised when she meets one of the lady's dismissed servants who states that she was still alive after her husband declared her dead and buried.

As Petra looks into things, she finds herself the victim of a number of "accidents" but, with the help of some friends including a boy she grew up with but separated from at the time of her fiancé's death, Lady Petra unravels a plot to put inconvenient ladies into an insane asylum.

This was an engaging story that introduces an intriguing character in Lady Petra.

A witty, charming murder mystery with a fierce FMC. I liked the prose and overarching message of women taking charge and leaving societal norms behind.