I enjoyed this women’s fiction, historical mystery. I did however feel a bit like I was thrown into relationships with characters without backstory and then expected to understand the character interactions.

# Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord
# 2/14/2024 ~ 2/16/2024
# 3.0 / 5.0

DNF

I’m sure that this is a very lovely book, but I don’t think it is for me personally. Hence why I will not be giving this a rating. I think there is more telling rather than showing and I was getting all of the characters confused because of how many names were thrown at me. I would love to come back to this when I am in a better mindset!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was a pretty good historical mystery. I thought it was going to be a romance when I picked it up but was pleasantly surprised that that wasn't the focus. I loved going through each step of solving the crime with the main character.

What a fun start to a (hopefully!) series, with a plot twist at the end I never saw coming. Come for the romance, stay for the mystery!

super well written time period cozy mystery i really thought it was very fun. thank you netgalley for the arc

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally is a fun and quirky novel. This book is set in the English countryside of d 1815. It is a fun adventure that is atypical of ladies of the time. Readers of historical fiction should really enjoy this book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Lady Petra Forsyth has decided she shall never marry…and announces it to the ton. This is a shocking proclamation in Regency London, but Petra’s beloved fiancé has died and she has chosen to remain single. She is independently wealthy and sees no need to cede her personal freedom or her money to anyone else. Neither does she choose to remain in seclusion at her country estate, but plans to enjoy society in London.

Petra learns a friend Gwen has died and when she begins to ask questions, she’s told Gwen suffered from “melancholia” and was under the care of a come-lately doctor. Her staff was fired and she was removed to an asylum. Petra becomes suspicious when she encounters one of Gwen’s former footmen and he tells her he’s seen Gwen…alive and in London.

As the mystery unfolds and it appears more women who have disappeared have been under the care of the same doctor, Petra discovers Gwen is indeed alive, but the footman is murdered before he can give Petra any more information. It seems men of status are paying the doctor to free themselves of troublesome women in their lives.

This first in a Regency-era mystery series is a great start. There are multi-faceted characters, a challenging threat to our protagonist, high stakes for Petra and a hint of romance.

I loved this Regency-era, feminist novel where we meet Petra, a lady of the ton who has no care for the conventions of women of her time and a penchant for discovering the wiles of her fellow society members. There's mystery, intrigue, wit, and banter, and an absolutely excellent cliffhanger thats got me crossing my fingers for a sequel! For fans of Bridgerton with a Sherlock twist! 4.5/5

I always love a historical mystery, and ACT LIKE A LADY, THINK LIKE A LORD is no exception! Thefeminist twist is always a nice edition to any historic book, and Connally didn't make the female character's empowerment feel inauthentic or out of place. I enjoyed the plot and the cliffhanger, as well as the early 1800's setting. I liked Petra, and her outspoken nature, though sometimes she could be a little out of pocket (but perhaps that's personal preference). Her backstory is compelling, as is the evil the villain is perpetuating, which kept me reading. Overall, I feel like this is a strong work from Connally, and I would pick up more of her work! Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

Very .entertaining.
Characters were interesting, challenging
and crafted in a good setting.
It showed how women were striving to
be part of a man’s world leading them into
the world of being declared unfit then sent
away. But things will change.
I volunteered to read Act Like a Lady, Think
Like a Lord. because reminded me of very
younger years.
Thanks to Net Gallery for the opportunity.
My opinion is voluntary and my own.

Thank you Minotaur and NetGalley for the eARC of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord! All opinions in this review are my own.

I was drawn to this book because of the comparison to Brigerton mixed with Agatha Christie. While I don't completely agree with this pairing, I did enjoy Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord.

At first, I found the beginning to be too dialogue-heavy and hard to get into. However, I loved the main character at Petra and once I got into the story, I really enjoyed the mystery. I'm looking forward to book two!

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord is the first Lady Petra historical mystery by Celeste Connally. Released 14th Nov 2023 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out from the same publisher in 3rd quarter 2024. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a very well written engagingly constructed mystery with an intelligent female protagonist set in the Regency era. There's a fair bit of period-accurate misogyny, skullduggery, and the disposal of "inconvenient women" which will raise any modern reader's hackles. Protagonist Petra is a woman of means who has eschewed marriage after the loss of her fiancé, so she has time and resources to investigate when her friend goes missing.

Most of the positive portrayals in the book are female, and there are precious few redeeming qualities in most of the men in the book. There's also a slow-burn romance angle, so readers who enjoy some romance with their historical mysteries will enjoy that aspect.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 11 hours 15 minutes and is capably narrated by Eilidh Beaton. She has a clear, light, upbeat voice - not RP English, and quite modern sounding, but not distractingly so. She does a good job delineating the characters and it's not difficult to keep them straight during the read. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

The first of a continuing series, the sequel is due to be released by Minotaur in 4th quarter 2024.

Four stars. This would be a good choice for public library acquisition, gifting, home library, as well as a solid recommendation for a mystery bookclub discussion.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for allowing me to read and review Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord
A Mystery on NetGalley.

Published: 11/14/23

Stars: 3.5

I restarted the book three times. You decide -- I struggled the first 20% of the book, really struggled to stay focused. Was this my head space or the author's writing? Out of no where a story evolved, and I was interested. From roughly 20% on I was not bored. As far as characters went, I actually only liked two; Timmy and Duncan -- their roles made sense to me.

The time period is a rough one for me with the language, the expectations of women, and the roles of men in conjunction with societal classes and open abuse. I need to constantly remind myself this is London, Regency, 1800s, Charles is not the Prince of Wales era. It isn't natural and requires a lot of focus on my part.

I did go on to enjoy the book as a whole, albeit I never found an actual story.

If you know the time period, you probably will love this.

I really enjoyed this one. Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie is the perfect way to describe this. I would definitely read the rest of this becomes a series.

Really wanted to like this and just…didn’t. Pacing was off, character development was kind of all over the place, and too much showing and not enough telling for me. It also weirdly felt like a sequel and not a book one? So many references that felt like calls to other books and one zillion characters that it felt like we should have been introduced to already…

I would definitely still try this author again but will hope for a better editor for her next book!

A fun mystery for fans of Regency-era romances that have been modernized (think, more Bridgerton than Pride and Prejudice). The main character, Lady Petra Forsyth, is headstrong and vivid, a good fit for those who have enjoyed Evie Dunmore's books. While the pacing and historical detail were sometimes thrown off by random interjections, an enjoyable read overall.

I have been provided with a review copy of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord from NetGalley for an impartial review. Oh my gosh this story was just epic. I just couldn’t put this story down and I was just captivated by everything that was taking place. The author truly outdid herself with this story. This story just had my emotions all over the place and I am so sad to see this book end. I just can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of response to St. Martin's Press for the racist, Islamophobic, and queerphobic comments made by one of their employees I cannot review this title.

I tried holding off on sending this "review" to give SMP time to do the right thing in response to this boycott, but I can't have this continuing to hurt my feedback ratio when it's out of my control.

I have nothing against this author who has no control over their imprint's actions, and am upset that SMP would rather hurt their own credibility and authors rather than take accountability.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord is a delightful historical story with mystery and romantic undertones. I found this novel to have Bridget Jones Diary feels as well as Pride and Prejudice vibes. While this book touches on some very serious subjects, the overall tone is lighthearted and cozy.

In 1815, Lady Petra Forsyth is a feisty and forward woman who declared herself to be spinster in an effort to maintain her independence. When Petra goes to London to avoid her awful and controlling uncle, she encounters, Duncan Shawcross, her long-time childhood friend with whom she shares romantic tension. Petra discovers her good friend is missing and her friend's husband is telling everyone she is dead. Soon, Petra is investigating other prominent women that have suddenly vanished from London society.
Overall, I loved this book and hope it becomes a series.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. I will post reviews on post this review on Goodreads, Bookbub, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally is the first in a new regency-era mystery series featuring Lady Petra Forsyth. When Lady Petra's fiance suddenly died, she decided that she would stay single for the rest of her life. And then she comes across a mystery that is affecting many of her friends--a private asylum where men pay to have their wives and daughters locked away. As she works to help free her friends, she ends up in trouble herself. This was a quick read, but there were a lot of extraneous details. I'm curious about the second book in the series, since this story ended with a bit of a cliffhanger. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.