It's an exciting story but not easy to follow with all the twisting and overlapping of two investigations. I'm still not sure why Lady Petra is not given all the information necessary for her investigation. And Petra is guilty at least once of TSTL syndrome (too stupid to live). Hopefully she'll be smarter next time. If Duncan wasn't so busy hiding what he's up to maybe combining forces sooner would have resulted in a faster resolution and fewer bruises. Oh well. I'll be interested to see how their next adventure works out.

Everyone she cares about is concealing truths from her

Lady Petra Forsyth, on the heels of her recent success in sleuthing, was just starting to open her heart to love after the loss of her fiancé Emerson three years earlier. She is devastated when she finds writings indicating that not only was Emerson’s death not an accident, as she had been led to believe, but that he was murdered….by none other than Duncan Shawcross, her childhood friend and current lover. Worse still, Duncan seems to have disappeared, possibly on one of his secret assignments but perhaps just to avoid being confronted by Petra’s accusations. When her godmother the Duchess of Hillmorton and Queen Charlotte request Petra’s help in finding the truth behind the recent murder of Mrs. Huxton, matron of the Asylum for Female Orphans, she is more than eager to accept (hoping to get her mind off of Duncan’s apparent betrayal). That the matron’s murder may be connected to a plot to kill members of the Royal Family in pursuit of making Britain a republic makes the matter even more compelling. Petra will need the help of many in her circle to find the truth, including Duncan himself. A runaway orphan, an inheritance gone astray, and the possible connection between the current plots and what happened years earlier….the stakes could not be higher, and Petra is putting not just herself but those she loves in jeopardy.
In this second installment in the Regency-era Lady Petra Inquires series, the feisty young amateur sleuth who is not afraid to buck the conventions of the era (and fortunately has both the financial resources and influential friends to support her) is thrown for a loop by the thought that Duncan is not the rakish but honorable man she believed him to be. She’s also finding that several of her friends are being less than forthcoming about their own actions, to her dismay. All of that has to be set aside if she is going to fulfill the wishes of the Duchess and the Queen and help protect the monarchy and its supporters from those who seek to use violence to affect change. She’s impulsive (overly so, at times) but determined, and the more she probes into the past the more clarity she finds regarding certain earlier happenings and current matters as well. Duncan pops in and out as he investigates his own missions, and it is unclear for a while as to whether he is on the side of good or bad. Characters from the previous tale including street urchin Teddy, Petra’s closest friend Lady Caroline and apothecarist Frances Bardwell and others are on hand to aid in Petra’s investigation and contribute their own talents to the cause. This is an enjoyable and fast-paced tale likely to appeal both to readers of authors like Anne Perry, Stephanie Barron and Rhys Bowen and to fans of shows like Bridgerton and Downton Abbey. My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaurs Books for allowing me early access to this sprightly tale of long buried secrets that force their way to the surface.

Book review: 3.5/5 ⭐️
Genre: regency murder mystery
Themes: murder, political reform, inheritance
📖 Read if you like: Miss Austen Investigates, Sticks and Scones, A Lady’s Guide to Scandal

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book, which was released this week!

This was a cozy murder mystery in regency era England where a band of rebels seeks to overthrown the monarchy. These anarchists, known as the Bellowers seek much needed reforms, but are willing to use violence to achieve those aims. Amidst this rising insurgency, the head matron of a girls orphanage has been brutally murdered and quite possibly our heroine’s late fiancee. It is up to our investigators to determine if all these events are related and who is pulling the strings on this well thought out plan.

An unlikely troop of the aristocracy and shop owners form our circle of friends and undercover investigators. Working for the Queen, Lady Petra has been assigned to the murder of one Mrs. Huxley on the same day that she was informed her oldest friend and current lover may have killed her finacee. Said lover named Duncan Shawcross, is the illegitimate son of a marquis and favourite of his grandmother, a duchess who is a close friend with the Queen. An undercover agent working for the Queen’s men, he is attempting to root out this plot in the shadows and stop the threat to the monarchy while also keeping Lady Petra from harm.

This was a cozy mystery that reminded me of Bridgerton, but with some modernity. Women are allowed to take liberties akin to men in premarital relations, independent women of means can be more than ornamental, and friendships form across the class divide. Even though I could spot the villain early on in the novel, it was well thought out and had multiple intertwining plots on the go. The amateur sleuthing was accompanied by some ruffians to create an air of danger making for a very enjoyable read.

This is part of a series and while I think reading the first book would help understand how various characters know each other and the bond and trust that exists there, it is not necessary to appreciate this book. When my mind has been distracted and I have had difficulty focusing, I found this book to be a balm. A little of that regency romance intertwined with a mystery made for an engaging and lighthearted read.

For fans of Agatha Christie style mysteries and those with a partiality to the regency era.

All's Fair in Love and Treachery masterfully blends Regency romance, intricate mystery, and political intrigue into a thrilling tale that’s both elegant and pulse-pounding. Celeste Connally has delivered a story with all the wit and charm of Bridgerton paired with the clever twists of Agatha Christie.

Lady Petra Forsyth is a standout heroine—intelligent, fiercely independent, and unwaveringly loyal to her mission. Connally does a brilliant job weaving Petra's personal heartbreak into a larger tapestry of danger and deception. The dual mysteries of her fiancé's murder and the orphanage matron’s suspicious death keep the reader on edge, while the looming threat against the monarchy adds a layer of high-stakes drama.

The setting is richly described, capturing the bustling streets of London during Waterloo celebrations and the darker corners of society where conspiracies brew. Duncan Shawcross, the enigmatic and dashing paramour, adds romantic tension, though his disappearance left me yearning for more resolution in their relationship.

The novel shines in its feminist undertones and social commentary, particularly in Petra’s determination to protect vulnerable orphaned girls. While the narrative occasionally feels overpacked with plot threads, Connally’s sharp prose and deft pacing ensure an engaging read.

Perfect for fans of historical mysteries with strong female leads, All's Fair in Love and Treachery is an enthralling addition to the Regency-era mystery genre. Lady Petra Forsyth is a character you’ll want to follow on many more adventures!

Lady Petra is tasked with investigating a death at a London orphanage, uncovering a radical plot to overthrow the monarchy. Her investigation intertwines with her search for her vanished lover, leading to a race against time to prevent disaster.

This book is the second in a series best read in order.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Perfect for fans of Bridgerton and Agatha Christie! I have found that I am in a bit of a renaissance with reigniting my love for mysteries and Lady Petra does not disappoint. I flew through the first book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, and I am glad that I dove into the first book before reading All’s Fair in Love and Treachery. Definitely read the first book, because you will miss out on a decent amount of backstory!
All’s Fair in Love and Treachery was such a fun and fast paced romantic mystery that made it nearly impossible to put down. The creative aspect that Celeste Connally adds to bringing historical events and characters to life made the story that much more engaging because I felt as invested in the problems and concerns of the time period as the fictional characters did.
I highly recommend this mystery series and I cannot wait to see what Lady Petra and the gang get into next!

Lady Petra Forsyth is back in this Regency-era mystery, and this time she is engaged in a race against time to uncover a plot against the British monarchy on the eve of Napoleon’s surrender at Waterloo. Wild celebrations engulf London, making her task even more difficult. Accompanied by a dedicated group of friends, not the mention her lover, the dashing Duncan Shawcross, Lady Perta must also contend with the shocking news that the death of her fiancé may not have been accidental - and that the culprit may be someone very close to her. Historically accurate and fictionally fulfilling, this is a sold read.

All's Fair in Love and Treachery
AQ Mystery

By: Celeste Connally

Publish Date: November 12, 2024

Publisher: St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books

Historical Fiction/Mystery and Thrillers

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I would like to thank both NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review this book

Book Review:

This is the second book in a series. I didn't realize it until I started reading it. With that being said the author did a pretty good job with some back story and you are able to figure what happened in the first book. I did give this book 3 stars. It was a little slow throughout and I didn't want to pick it up. Once I did pick it up, I found that the reading went well. This book takes place in England and is about Earls and Royals. There is a band a rebels who want to take down the royals so they can have a democracy and have more of a say it what happens to them. Petra is asked to look into a death that happened at the girl's orphanage. She is also dealing with the knowledge that her current fling may have killed her intended. I enjoyed the friendships in this book and how no matter what they back each other up. They need to work fast to get the rebels before they attack the Prince. I enjoyed the adventures and the friendships.

ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND TREACHERY by Celeste Connally

How delightful to jump into a different time and fictional problems, with witty word play, admirable and complex characters, and the promise of fair solutions! This book is a grand adventure, royalty, rebellion, the anticipated victory over Napoleon, mystery, intrigue, and romance . . . and very good dogs. It’s wickedly complex, but the strands come together beautifully.
I found it a perfect escape from very real problems, and Petra a worthy role model for facing what must be faced.

I adored Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, book 1 in the Lady Petra Inquires series, so I was excited to pick up the second installment.

Unfortunately, I didn’t love this quite as much as the first book. It still features Lady Petra as the smart and sassy FMC along with her many friends who we met in the first book, including childhood friend and current love interest Duncan Shawcross. Oh, and there are adorable dogs that are a great crime fighting duo and I still loved young Teddy.

In this installment, Lady Petra is called into action when the Queen asks her to investigate the murder of the matron at an all-girls orphanage where illegitimate children of the wealthy are trained to go into service. Along the way, Petra runs afoul of a group of violent reformists bent on overthrowing the Queen.

I did enjoy the time period and setting as well as the strong female protagonist, including Petra’s friends, which highlighted positive and underestimated attributes of women across class and status. However, the story dragged in parts for me and I found the miscommunication and distrust early on between Petra and Ducan to be annoying at times.

Things did pick up in the second half as Petra closes in on the murderer and helps put an end to the reformists. The ending was sweet and satisfying with no real cliffhanger this time.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, so I was excited to dive into the sequel and while it didn’t quite live up to the first one for me, I still had fun with it. Lady Petra Forsyth is, as always, a delightful character, and I loved the blend of charm and mystery. The setting—post-Waterloo London—is rich with tension and intrigue, and Petra’s investigation into the death of the orphanage matron definitely kept me hooked. The historical details and the atmosphere were spot-on, and of course, I’m a sucker for a book with dogs playing a part in the story!

That said, I found the pacing a little uneven. The first half of the book felt like it dragged on for a while—nothing really major seemed to happen, and I had to push myself through a few chapters to stay engaged. Things definitely picked up in the second half, and the twists were clever, but I don’t think I was as shocked by the reveals as I was hoping for.

I had a good time with this, but it didn’t have the same spark as the first book. If you’re into historical mysteries with strong, witty heroines, I’d still recommend it, but I’m hoping the next book gives us a little more excitement—and more of Duncan!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Such a brilliant book!! The hallmark of a great story is how much it keeps you turning the pages and then finding that bit of self-control to pump the brakes so that it can be savored. All’s Fair in Love and Treachery was that very book.

While it could be read as a standalone, why would you ever want to? These books and these characters are worth every single minute! I adored Lady Petra Forsyth and gang of badass women.

There is a mystery afoot that is quite tangled and necessitates the part of your brain that wants to slow down and enjoy this ride. The author does an amazing job of planting the red herrings. So much so, they will leave you agog at her plotting wizardry!

There is romance with a delightfully medium level of spice. The talk about their own lovers between dear friends, Ladies Petra and Caroline is unabashedly bawdy and positive. Though the relationship between Lady Petra and Mr. Duncan Shawcross is at times challenging bc of all that is happening, they are a perfect match in all the things that matter. At some moments, I wanted more of them.

I know that Lady Petra has more mysteries to solve and I cannot not wait to read them all! Meanwhile, I am going to dive back in and give All’s Fair in Love and Treachery another go.

Lady Petra Forsyth returns with another mystery and this time around she’s taking a more active role in her investigation!

At the dawn of Napoleon’s surrender at Waterloo, Lady Petra has been tasked by the queen to investigate the mysterious murder of the headmistress at The Asylum for Female Orphans. With a possible connection to a plot on the Queen’s life, Lady Petra makes this a top priority and jumps into the case with both feet!

This is a follow up to last year’s Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, and I found that it remedies all the issues I had with the first book. All's Fair in Love and Treachery is a focussed historical mystery without the extra romance and historical fiction plots muddying up the storyline. With this zeroed in focus, you really get to see Lady Petra’s investigation skills develop and improve as she actively unravels this mystery.

That being said, like any good historical mystery there’s still an element of romance and we do get to see her paramour, Duncan plenty in this story. This time around he backs up Petra and boosts her story line instead of being a distraction.

I’m glad I picked up the second book after being on the fence from book one. I will definitely be looking out for Lady Petra’s next adventure/mystery!

In this follow up, we follow lady Petra as she works to help solve a murder of a matron of an Orphanage at the behest of Queen Charlotte. This mystery is further complicated as it becomes part of another more dangerous plot to overthrow the monarchy in the wake of winning the Napoleonic wars. In this second book, we learn more about our characters and their histories and it was just fun as the first!

All’s Fair in Love and Treachery AUDIO by Celeste Connally is the second in a series featuring Lady Petra Forsythe as a self-described sleuth who finds answers but often gets in the way of others as she does so. Queen Charlotte has asked Lady Petra to make inquiries regarding the suspicious death of an orphanage’s matron. So, Lady Petra, unable to refuse, starts asking questions and observes and gets herself tangled up in more than she can handle. Her current lover, Duncan Shawcross, is nowhere to be found but is looking more and more guilty of high crimes, including the death of her betrothed three years earlier. He tells her to trust him but she knows she will be unable to do so without proof. It all gets quite complicated.

Petra is a wonderful character: bright, clever, and beautiful. Duncan is a government agent and as we are all aware, oft times they cannot be trusted. There appears to be a plot to overthrow the monarchy. And something is going to happen during the three-day celebration following winning of the war with Napoleon. Things are hectic and many people believe they know more than they do, which does nothing but complicate things. Someone tells Petra some unpleasant things about her dead betrothed and that adds fuel to her fire. An exciting listen, full of twists and turns and red herrings. With the current popularity of the Regency time period, it is the perfect read.

Eilidh Beaton is the narrator and she makes Lady Petra sound like a valley girl, which is not entirely a bad thing. The audio version is excellent, holding the listener’s attention for many enjoyable hours. I read and listened both and believe I prefer listening, which is not always the case for me.

I was invited to read All’s Fair in Love and Treachery by St Martin’s Press and to listen by MacMillan Audio. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #MacmillanAudio #CelesteConnally #EilidhBeaton #AllsFairInLoveAndTreachery

I really enjoyed this second book where we follow Lady Petra as she works to uncover another mystery. I felt the plot was well developed and the twists were not at all what I was expecting, but I liked how they tied into the first novel.

Title: All’s Fair in Love and Treachery
By: Celeste Connally
Pub. Date: November 12, 2024

Summary:
Lady Petra has been rocked by startling news: her lover has disappeared, and her husband's death may have occurred under circumstances different from what she initially believed. At the same time, Queen Charlotte has firmly instructed Lady Petra to look into the mysterious death of the matron at the local orphanage. As Lady Petra begins her investigation, she uncovers a handful of potential suspects. However, as the truth begins to unfold, she is stunned by the unexpected revelations surrounding her lover. Will she uncover the truth?

Review:
I had hoped this could be enjoyed as a standalone novel, like some books in a series, but it actually starts by picking up the cliffhanger from the first book. Since the characters were unfamiliar to me, it was challenging to piece together who was who and what was happening. I’d recommend reading the first novel—maybe even re-reading it if it’s been a while—to refresh your memory on the characters. Going into this book without prior knowledge of the first one doesn’t work well for these particular characters. I found the two separate mysteries a bit confusing. However, the ending was written in a way I personally preferred. If you enjoyed the first novel and like this author’s style, I’d say it’s worth continuing the series.

Thank you Celeste Connally, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#Allsfairinloveandtreachery
#celesteconnally
#stmartinspress
#reluctantreaderreads
#advancedreadercopies
#NetGalley

Hello! Firstly, thank you very much to Netgalley for an ARC of All's Fair in Love and Treachery. I really appreciate having had the opportunity to read this second book in the series. I did not read the first, but I do not think it is necessary to have read these books in sequence. However, that said, after having read Book 2, I do want to go back and read Book 1. While All's Fair in Love and Treachery took a few chapters to 'get going,' I was fully engaged and engrossed after that. I think Lady Petra is a very clever heroine, and I really love Duncan. He reminds me of the old-time swashbuckler with derring-do thrown in for some good measure. I think the interaction and chemistry with Lady Petra and Duncan are perfect, and the backdrop of the mystery only adds to the allure of the novel. I definitely recommend All's Fair in Love and Treachery. Thank you! :)

This book was cute, and I liked the characters. I was so disappointed when the murder was discovered... ( I don't want to give it away) because I really liked that character. The relationship between the FMC and MMC was adorable. Overall, I liked this book, but I was hoping for something a little more. It was cute and cozy kind of read.

Thank you Net Galley ARC

If you, like me, haven't read book one (Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord), I think you'll be okay starting here. Lady Petra is a solid character whose relationship to the world she inhabits is established; none of the frequent, and to me off-putting, Regency trope of "marriage or bust" that all the Bridgerton books reinforce so very fully. It's been a long time since the best Regency writer of all time, Georgette Heyer, poured her champagne prose into the flutes that served my readerly soul. Author Connally does not sit that high in my writers' tier list. To be fair, there are almost no other writers that high in my estimation, in genre or out. This unpleasant trope is present in Heyer's writing but is borne up from the yeasty sludge of my twenty-first centurion's disapproval by the prose it's crafted in.

The comparison to Dame Agatha is apt. The puzzle to be solved here had faint echoes of Death in the Clouds, one of her strange 1930s Poirots. If you've read it, you know what the thrust of this book will be. The preservation and/or restoration of Ma'at is the matter of all mysteries, so the ultimate resolution of the story is a foregone conclusion. Which mystery requiring Lady Petra's attention, personal or "professional," will be the one that knits a rent in the social fabric?

The accustomed repurposing of class-based access and modern storytelling's need for a female character to have agency unthinkable in the time period of the story is done deftly here. In part this is due to Lady Petra's age and status as a not-quite widow, but still suitably linked to a male authority figure that it needn't be discussed or thought about...a dead-in-the-war fiancé is a useful device in this world. Her current love interest can be elided from public suspicion because he knew her in childhood, so their connection can be acceptably explained away without the need to resort to scandal. As he is both absent in flesh and central in fact to the submystery in the book, this is a fact much traded on.

Any book set in historical times has a hurdle to leap in the way it handles the realities of its time period versus the narrative needs of a twenty-first century novel. Lady Petra lusts after Duncan, who's hunkiness is permaybehaps over-established, but in private, as would be the case for women of the era who are not Lady Caroline Lamb. Lady Petra's freedom to act due to her distant connection to Queen Charlotte feels a bit overly modern but needs must when the plot-devils drive.

They drive hard in here, with a lot of characters doing a lot of things they oughtn't to do. The ideas of the story are complex, possibly convoluted, and center on the way the world is changing due to the recently-completed Napoleonic wars that have organized English society for decades. At war's end, there is little appetite for going back to the way things were for anyone disadvantaged in that earlier day. The cork's out of the bottle. Now how does society change?

Lady Petra and her fellows are figuring it out. There is a lot of upheaval to come, as history tells us, but this book is set when the shapes of the upheavers are still shadowy. The change that is inevitable in any highly unequal society is as yet unformed but its energy is very much present in every detail Lady Petra uncovers on the Queen's errand. It was fun piecing together the next few years from what happens in the story's present...a big reason I enjoy the historical-mystery genre when it's well done. Plus: doggos!

I needed this kind of escape now. If you're in need of a series that makes story-sense, and is in hailing distance of historical sense, here's you a choice worthy of your time and treasure.