I had some issues with this book. I can't pin-point exactly what is is. I had to DNF, it could be the narrator. I've read that the audiobook is better than reading it, but sometimes I have issues with books that have a slow start. This one does. Another is the characters, there were too many. I ended up having to DNF, I hate doing that! Maybe the ebook would be better for me?

This was a super fun read and my 1st by Celeste Connally but is definitely not going to be my last! I absolutely love that Lady Petra is smashing the patriarchy and kicking ass in her own way! And solving crimes along the way! I can't wait to see what she gets up to in the next book and where her relationship with her life-long best friend goes! I don't think she's out of the love game quite yet!

Lady Petra Forsyth, who lost her fiance in an accident, has decided never to marry again. This is quite a shock to society in London, 1815. But Petra has made up her mind to enjoy her life and freedom as best she can without her love, even while having to take on the mocking title of "spinster." But when women around Petra start disappearing, she discovers something shocking. Men are paying to have their daughters and wives put into an asylum, for crimes such as feeling sad, speaking their minds, or being too independent. The asylum is run by a cruel and dangerous man. Lady Petra, who dares to ride astride instead of sidesaddle and possesses her own fortune, is in danger as well. Can she stop this man for good?

This is a compelling mashup of mystery, romance, and thriller, and a look at how few rights women had at that time. Lady Petra is a strong, determined woman who is not easily fooled. Duncan Shawcross, her former childhood friend, is a great foil to Petra's character, and their misunderstandings fuel the plot in many ways. The villain in this story is oh, so evil, as are the men who help him. The first 25 percent of the book moves a little slowly for me, but then the pace picks up dramatically and the action doesn't stop until the end.

I listened to the audiobook version, which is well narrated by Eilidh Beaton.

This is a strong look at the harsh treatment of women, even women of means, in early 1800s London. It will transport you to that time and take you on an adventure with a memorable main character.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I ended up DNF’ing at 55%. The story and mystery just weren’t grabbing my attention. And I wasn’t feeling attached to any of the characters.

The narration was very well done, and almost had me finishing, but the story itself just wasn’t enough to keep my attention.

When Lady Petra’s betrothed dies shortly before their wedding, she vows that she will never again entertain the idea of marriage, a shocking proclamation for a young woman in Regency England, even one of independent means. She refuses to stop socializing – and to accept news of a friend’s death from melancholia, which she decides to investigate.

This is the author’s first novel, and it was a good one. Although I struggle with the limitations put on women in that era (not to mention the whole servant issue), I get that it’s historically accurate. I listened to the audio of the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. The narrator was very good, and I will look for more of her work.

I really liked Lady Petra and her unwillingness to let others coerce her into doing things that are out of character for her. Her father and her maid were great characters as well, giving her free rein of her own life, but some of the other characters in the book were just plain despicable.

Once the story got going, the primary plot line gave me chills, knowing how easily it could have been accomplished. I figured out what was going on – and who was behind it – relatively early in the book, but I still liked following along to see how everything would work out. I truly hope this is the first book of a series, because I’d like to read more about Lady Petra, her friends, and her adventures.

Wow, what a captivating book. There were a lot of characters in this story and some of the names were hard to keep straight on the audio version of this book but I think it would be much easier reading it. The story takes place in historic England and starts similar to a typical romance type novel with a heroine who is very headstrong for the time. It quickly gets very interesting from a mystery standpoint and there are many twists and turns in the book. It was very hard to stop listening to this book and I listened to this over two days time.

Some parts really touched on mental health and mistreatment of others. Some were sheer suspense. I found it hard to sit still while listening to those more intense parts. The narrator did an excellent job with voices and characters. I would highly recommend to anyone who likes audio books!

Act Like a Lady Think Like a Lord AUDIO by Celeste Connally is a very entertaining book featuring a young woman of the ton (Regency) who is determined to become a spinster. She had lost her betrothed several years before and none of the gentlemen she met seemed to fill his spot. Lady Petra Forsythe has her own fortune, thanks to her dead mother, so she had no need to settle. We open to find her disapproving uncle, Lord Allington, has arrived for his visit, early. He didn’t approve of her and didn’t hesitate to express his displeasure. She wouldn’t put up with it and so accepted an invitation to a ball in town, hosted by the Duchess of Hillmorton. Surely that would be a good enough excuse to flee. Once at the ball she received the disturbing news that her friend, Lady Milford had died. She saw a footman she knew who used to work for Lady Milford and he hadn’t heard the news, indeed had just seen the lady on the street two days previous. Another disconcerting event was the return of her childhood friend, Duncan Shawcross, who had been on the continent for three years and had never answered even one letter. When she kept her appointment to meet the footman the next day at the park, she found him dead. And who should appear but Shawcross. He was a comforting presence. Thus began their investigation of some strange things happening to women in the ton.

Petra was a strong character, not so different from her peers in many ways, and not without good friends. She was headstrong and independent, but her widowed father had raised her that way. She loved thoroughly and hated just a thoroughly. Duncan was a strong man with good sensibilities, and knew Petra well, so well, he believed what others believed to be her ramblings.
The characters were interesting and the plot was quite good and not at all unbelievable as shipping a wife one had grown tired off off to an asylum was quite common. It was a good story. Highly entertaining!

The narrator is Eilidh Beaton who was a bit difficult to adjust to in the beginning, but quickly became Lady Petra and did an amazing job. She dealt with other characters well, and lent authenticity to the character with her accent.

I was invited to listen to a free e-AUDIO of Act Like a Lady Think Like a Lord by MacMillan Audio, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #MacMillanAudio #CelesteConnally #ActLikeALadyThinkLikeALord

After her fiancé dies weeks before their wedding, Lady Petra Forsyth declares that she will never get married. Petra uses this newfound freedom to proudly use her title to mingle with the elite without being tied to a man. Life is going well for Petra until a rumor about the death of a friend reaches her. Petra uses her status to gain access to information about her friend and her alleged death. She discovers a private asylum where husbands and fathers are sending women they no longer wish to “deal” with, claiming they are going mad. Petra is on the verge of piecing the mystery together and potentially uncovering the fact that her friend is not dead, when her own independence and sanity becomes jeopardized. This audiobook is perfect for mystery lovers!

Eilidh Beaton has narrated nearly 200 audiobooks. Beaton provides a variety of voices that enhance the listening experience and bring the characters of this story to life.

The audiobook was much better than reading the book. As others have mentioned this book had slow start, and too many characters as well.

It did end with a sweet romance or did it? I look forward to the series continuing but hopefully future books are slightly faster paced, little bit more romance and contained to relevant characters.

After her fiancé's untimely death, Lady Petra Forsyth vows to remain unmarried and independent, announcing such in a public setting. When she hears that a friend died, she investigates and discovers a sinister world where men confine their wives and daughters. As Petra seeks justice, her own quest for freedom becomes jeopardized by her headstrong actions.
I am always eager for a Regency mystery with unlikely investigators. I knew going in that this would have strong feminist leanings, but I wasn’t expecting just how much “Men are evil” there would be. It seemed every gentleman she knew was a horrible person.

There were many times where I felt like the author didn’t know this time period at all. A few examples include: an illegitimate child would not inherit a title over the legitimate son. Even if a lady declares her intention not to marry (and I have no idea why she would), it doesn’t mean she is suddenly free to do whatever she wants. A point was added for having stays and not corsets. Same point was then deducted for stating that stays bunch a chemise and causes discomfort. An ill-fitting pair of stays might, but you cannot convince that an Earl's daughter wouldn't have undergarments tailored to her exact measurements.

For the most part, I was just frustrated with the story. The inaccuracies kept taking me out of the story. I was annoyed with the constant referral to sex, even if it wasn’t detailed. There was a rushed out of nowhere romance plot at the end and then a hint at the sequel. However, I am not interested enough to continue with the series. The narrator did an alright job with the material, though her voice was not my favorite.

I definitely did not enjoy it. Readers who have less knowledge of the time period might enjoy it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord.

I am loathe to call this book fun because a lot of the content was disturbing but I would call it enjoyable. It’s a feminist whodunnit, murder mystery set against the backdrop of Regency England.

When Lady Petra Forsyth discovers her friend has passed away but the story isn’t quite adding up she finds herself on a dangerous and winding search for the truth.

Petra is impetuous, headstrong and somewhat naive. She has strong convictions and the best intentions but does seem to step in it quite a lot. It makes her both very likeable and somewhat infuriating to read.

Some of the villainous men in this book made my skin crawl. And I have to say the way they were written and how the narrator presented it was both my favourite element but also had me cringing, squirming and feeling sick to my stomach. I normally love a villain but it was nice in this case to have not one but quite a few characters that it was easy to hate.

This book is to be the start of a mystery series, where it seems we will be facing a new villain each book. But because of the way this book ended it looks like we will also see an overarching storyline that connects throughout.

I must confess that I haven’t read many murder mysteries, but this series is one I will be following.

This started out as what I thought would be a promising light hearted cozy mystery.
It changed.
Dark subject matter - 1800s women’s mental health & well being and the men who use manipulate people’s suspicions around it.
While not what I expected, definitely still interested to see where this story would lead.

Lost interest about 90 minutes to the end.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord had me entertained from the beginning. The story is about Petra, who is an independent woman beyond her time. She is progressive in a more oppressive time. I enjoyed the narrator (Eilidh Beaton) very much. Her accent helped set me in 1700s England. I will recommend this audio book to all who enjoy listening to a romance/mystery book. Thank you for this ALC.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord is a historical mystery by Celeste Connally.
Petra Forsyth has recently declared that she will not remarry after the death of her betrothed. This sends shock waves through her social group. Petra has her own money and has no need for a husband. However, this have been strange lately between the sudden death of a close friend, and the return of her childhood best friend who left on bad terms. Petra is trying to figure out what is accounting for the strange behavior going around and what she can do to stop it.
This was delightful. The narration was great. The characters were really interesting and I can't wait for the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced eaudio copy of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord.

This audio was a tad slow for me, but it was a good story with a good narrator. It will definitely find fans in both the romance and mystery genre. People looking for bridgerton like reads, but a little more light-hearted will find a lot to love here.

DNF at 4%.

I am so incredibly bored. There is a long drawn out beginning which as too much explanation about who these people are and doesn't suck me into any emotions. It felt very standoffish.

I received this as an audiobook advanced reader copy but I cannot continue. Yawn.

This was a bit of a slow start for me, but I really started to enjoy it about a third of the way through when the mystery began to unfold. I have read so many historical romance books that I expected that from the description and cover, but this book gave me a good respite from the genre. Lady Petra is your quintessential progressive female lead in an old-fashioned society, but that's exactly what gets her into trouble. I devoured the last third of the book to see just how she was going to get her out the whole mess, only to see a hint of what might be the next mystery in the epilogue. Looking forward to the next installment!

I loved this book! I am not a huge regency romance reader, so I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this. What I got was a strong, extremely likable main character and a thrilling murder mystery. It truly went in a direction I never expected and kept me on the edge of my seat. And that cliffhanger!!! The audio production was fantastic, and I loved the clarity of the narrator.

“Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord” by Celeste Connally is a fun whodunnit set against the backdrop of London high society. The story features Lady Petra, a self-appointed spinster and strong female character ahead of her time (a feminist born in the wrong era). Petra believes something fishy is afoot around the “ton” after her dear friend mysteriously dies. This leads Petra to begin investigating and unraveling something far more sinister than she could have ever imagined.

Although “Act Like a Lady…” was an entertaining, fun and lighthearted mystery, there was nothing unique about the storyline. The book was very slow to start, with the first 15 chapters confusing and providing information that did not seem pertinent to the plot. Character development was a highlight in this book, although I would have enjoyed more development around Petra and Duncan’s relationship. There was no romance in this story which, given the underlying theme of men and society dismissing and treating women as the lesser sex, I understand why Connally did not go down that route.

This was a solid 3-star book as it was entertaining, lighthearted, and featured a strong female protagonist. I listened to the audiobook version of this story and Eilidh Beaton did a wonderful job narrating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Regency Era Mystery with a touch of romantic suspense!

Lady Petra Forsyth, lost her fiancé and has declared herself a spinster. She is perfectly content riding horses and being independent. She’s got an inheritance and doesn’t need a man.
The first 20% of the book is an intro to the characters and nothing much happens in terms of plot. The author is setting up the scene and my understanding is that this will be the first book of a series so it makes sense to have a long introduction. Push through and you will get to the juicy bits!
Gossip spreads about a Lady who has died under a physician’s care and Petra investigates through a series of friends and conversations. She is the first on the scene of a murder in the midst of this investigation which adds to the suspense.
Her uncle, maid, father and best friend are crucial characters to this story.