While all of London is celebrating Napoleon’s surrender, Lady Petra is busy investigating the murder of the matron of an orphanage for girls. She struggles to focus after the discovery that her lover, Duncan, may have been involved in the death of her fiancé three years prior. Added to the mix is a group of radicals planning to violently overthrow the monarchy. With the help of her friends, Petra must find the truth to save lives and her own heart…

This was a fun historical mystery, full of political intrigue, an interesting cast of characters, and multiple suspects.

Petra is smart but fallible, making her relatable. Her friends have their own skills and connections, and never hesitate to jump into the fray. Duncan is loyal and honorable even when under scrutiny for his past deeds. He and cares deeply for Petra, respecting her inquisitiveness instead of balking at her lack of faith. Petra and Duncan’s romance added a dash of heat and tender affection to the story without overtaking it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minortaur Books for the ARC.

This whole series is SUCH a fun read! I recommend both Book 1 and this new installment. If you love Bridgerton, you'll love the antics of Petra and Co. This newest installment, All's Fair in Love and Treachery dives alot into Petra's past and how that is affecting the future. The mystery has alot of twists to it. This book drove away the time change seasonal blues.
Thanks #NetGalley and #St Martin's Press for the ARC.

Picking up right where Act Like a Lady, think Like a Lords cliffhanger ended, were thrown back into Lady Petras world. Knowing now of her lovers involvement in her fiancé's death, were immediately ready to solve another mystery except now the Queen has also requested her assistance on another investigation.

We learnt more about her kate fiancé, Emerson and who he was as a man. Much faster than the first book, and a bit more confusing with extra persons - this is a whirlwind of mystery as both storylines lines are happening at the same time, but a good read nonetheless!

Dear Fellow Reader,

It is that time of year that generally time moves faster than we can imagine. There is so much to do, speeding from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas/Hanukkah. I went to Walgreens a few days before Halloween, and they were setting up Christmas. I’m not ready! With Thanksgiving so late this year, Christmas/Hanukkah will be here quickly.


I find it interesting that Advent Calendars have become a big thing. I can remember years ago looking around forever to find one for my kids. Now it feels like every company has one. There are beer ones, Lego ones, jelly ones, tea ones, and the ever-popular, chocolate ones. Who would have guessed?

This week’s book is a historical mystery with a female sleuth. It is the second in the series. I reviewed the first book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, (https://cecooney.com/2023/11/14/act-like-a-lady-think-like-a-lord-by-celeste-connally/) almost exactly a year ago. This book follows the first as it is a Regency-era mystery. I still do not know if it follows the Recency-era writing style completely.


In All’s Fair in Love and Treachery, we find Lady Petra in a quandary. She has received a note informing her that her lifelong friend and current love, Duncan Shawcross, actually murdered her fiancé and love, Emerson, Viscount of Ingersoll. And Duncan Shawcross has disappeared. How can she confront him about the allegation if she can’t find him? With her mind in a whirl, she decides that she needs to concentrate on the task that Queen Charlotte has given her. The Asylum for Female Orphan’s matron has died, and the Queen wants to know what happened. As Lady Petra starts investigating, she finds that her mission will lead her in the path of her love where she can confront him and then become involved in ferreting out a band of radicals that want to destroy the monarchy.

This story is full of twists and turns, which I think make the story move along quickly and keeps your interest. We are introduced to new characters in this story that help Lady Petra and some who do not help. How can she tell the difference? Was Lady Petra’s love, Emerson, really her love? Was he who she thought he was?

I enjoyed the story. It is an entertaining light read.

In this sequel to 𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲, 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝, Lady Petra finds herself tasked by Queen Charlotte to look into the connection between the death of Mrs. Huxton, the matron of the Asylum for Female Orphans, and the threats against the royal family. The task is a welcomed distraction from some suspicions she has surrounding her friend and now lover Duncan Shawcross. Lady Petra is known for not conforming to societal rules, especially after her fiancé death (which happened in the previous book). As the investigation into the dual mysteries intertwined, Lady Petra’s uses her society standings, her connections/friendships and her cleverness to make leeway in her search for answers.

This was a fun historical mystery with a Bridgerton-esque flair! I really enjoyed how the protagonist, Lady Petra stepped out of the societal expectations of the Regency era. I didn’t find it difficult to dig in to this series, having not read its first novel in the series. There is quite a few characters and many directions taken throughout the novel, which at times got a bit overwhelming. Overall a nice break from my usual genres with a fun and bold protagonist!

Rating: 3.5/5

✵𝖬𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝖲𝗍. 𝖬𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗂𝗇’𝗌 𝖯𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌, 𝖬𝗂𝗇𝗈𝗍𝖺𝗎𝗋 𝖡𝗈𝗈𝗄𝗌 & 𝖭𝖾𝗍𝖦𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗀𝗂𝖿𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖠𝖽𝗏𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋’𝗌 𝖢𝗈𝗉𝗒 𝗂𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝗒 𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗐.✵

All's Fair in Love and Treachery is book two in the Lady Petra Inquires series by Celeste Connally.
I really enjoyed book one Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord.
Which was no surprise that I loved the second book also.
This was exactly what I needed it was fun and interesting. I sat down and read in one day.
Very well written and engaging. If you are a fan of historical fiction, don't pass this one up.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This mystery had all of the action I could have wanted alongside a fun cast of characters. The dynamic between Lady Petra and Duncan is so fantastic and I wish we got to see a little more of it. I really enjoyed that I felt like every page had a purpose in moving one of the plot lines forward or adding to the overall development of the characters. I appreciate that we get a look at how multiple people view Petra and her role in the ton not just her own perspective. I thought there was a great balance between the historical references and language with the overall story. Celeste Connally finds a way to balance serious topics and feminism with more light hearted moments.

I was missing more of the romance between Duncan and Petra, a personal preference to have more romance in a regency book, I felt like there was a bit of an unexpected info dump from a tertiary character that threw off my reading experience at the end.

Lady Petra is back at it again! I loved Celeste Connally’s first book with Lady Petra. She’s an independent woman, in a time where women couldn’t be independent. She’s brash and brazen and doesn’t let anything stop her. I love the character and her motley crew of friends and dogs. This book picks up right where the first one ended and Lady Petra has found herself investigating the murder of the head of a children’s orphanage.

The only reason I’m giving this 4.5 stars instead of 5 is because all of the action takes place in the span of a couple days. I would’ve loved to get more background and have more time for the plot to develop. In the first 24 hours Lady Petra has been given her orders, questioned most of the involved people and gone to a dinner party until 1am.

Overall thank you so much to NetGalley, Celeste Connally and the publisher for this second installment, I can’t wait for the next one!

Set in early 1800 England, this series is rich in suspense and historical mystery.

Lady Petra, friend to the Queen and many high ups in Parliament is asked by the Queen to investigate the death of a matron of the Asylum for Female Orphans.

At the same time the death of her fiance 3 years ago revives and she finds ties to his best friend who is involved with.

A wonderful journey to find out questions with a lot of characters to keep you guessing!

All's Fair in Love and Treachery by Celeste Connally is a frolic through regency London. We meet Lady Petra again directly after the events of the previous book, Act like a Lady, Think like a Lord. This time, Petra has been recruited by Queen Charlotte to help solve a mystery that may or may not be connected to a rebel organization that wants to overthrow the monarchy. As Petra investigates, she must decide who to trust and confront questions that have her rethinking her past. Connally does a great job of keeping the momentum from book one going and this story is just as immersive, mysterious, and fun. I love this series so much. All the stars!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC and to Minotaur Books for the physical and digital ARCs of All’s Fair in Love and Treachery by Celeste Connally. All opinions are my own.

This is book two in the Lady Petra Inquires series. It picks up right where book one (Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord) leaves off. I would recommend reading them in order because you will miss out on some background information, and there will be spoilers for book one if you don’t.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I did book one, but it wasn’t a bad story. I don’t read a lot of mystery books, so I may not be the best judge of whether or not this was a good mystery book.

I found the plot of this story to be confusing at times. I also had a hard time keeping straight all of the new characters. It may be easier reading the physical book than the audio, but the audiobook narrator wasn’t bad. She did a pretty good job differentiating the characters.

There was a bit more romance in this book than the previous book, which I did enjoy. One thing that I did not like as much were some of the secrets that were revealed about characters from the previous book.

Overall, I would say to give this book a try if you enjoyed the first book in this series.

I didn’t read the first book so I feel as though I was at a disadvantage in terms of understanding some of the story line. But regardless of that it was an interesting feminist historical mystery book , the second in the series.

I was quite excited to read this when I heard the description. I was not, unfortunately, aware this was a second book in a series. I must get better at that lol. I feel I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the 1st book, however I do love historical romance, with murder & mystery to boot. A good time. I’ll have to go back & read the first book

ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND TREACHERY is the second book in the Lady Petra Inquires series by Celeste Connally. I loved the first book in the series and was so excited to receive an advance copy of this one. With the first book ending with a teaser, the author picks up right where she left off, which provides for continuity. That said, since it’s been a long time since I read that first book, I had a hard time keeping the characters straight for a while. (Hint, if you can, read these back-to-back or at least read the first one before you start this one.) However, once I figured out the characters, it became easier to follow along. Ms. Connally has created a compelling character in Lady Petra Forsyth. She’s charming, but also an independent woman willing to take on a dangerous mission for her queen. I loved the feminist tone of the book and it worked well with the storyline.

The multi-faceted plot had numerous twists and turns. At times, I didn’t see how they would fit together, but by the conclusion, everything was explained in a highly satisfactory manner. There’s also an element of romance that adds to the appeal and it’s woven into the mystery effortlessly. If you enjoy Regency history mysteries, Ms. Connally has crafted all the elements necessary to love this book!

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As Lady Petra returns in the second book of the series she’s finding her world turned upside down. Her belief that her fiancé’s death three years ago was an accident has been proved wrong, and a mysterious letter names her current love and life long friend as his murderer. As if that’s not enough, the Queen wants her help investigating the suspicious death of the Matron at the girls orphanage. I loved being pulled back in time to Regency England when the end of the long war with Napoleon is near, tea is a vital part of the day, and gossip and squabbles between the aristocracy can reach malicious levels. Lady Petra has a group of strong women she can count on as dear friends to support her and aid in her search for answers. I enjoyed how they had each others backs, keeping secrets and not judging behaviors that ‘proper’ society would frown on. When a plot against the royalty emerges it seems to be entangled with the two murders, the authors use of true historical detail adds to the story.
Definitely a book for those who enjoy the time period, independent and intelligent women who are wanting more rights and a more equal society, and the fun of court gossip and intrigue, descriptions of lovely gowns and delicious teas, with murder and treason thrown in, and don’t forget lovely dogs!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for an advance reader’s copy of the book, it was a lot of fun to read!

Many thanks to @minotaur_books @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the chance to read All's Fair in Love and Treachery, book two in Celeste Connally’s Lady Petra Inquires mystery series–a regency-era mystery series with a feminist spin. Having loved book one (Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord), I was looking forward to getting my hands on book two, and it did not disappoint!

It’s June 21, 1815 in London and the city is celebrating the news of Napoleon’s surrender at Waterloo. Lady Petra, is not celebrating because she has just received a message that indicates
the death of her viscount fiancé three years earlier was no accident. The message goes further to suggest that the man responsible is her handsome, half-Scottish secret paramour Duncan Shawcross. Duncan, though, has left in a hurry with only a cryptic message for Petra. Is he running away from the truth or is something else going on?

Lady Petra can’t focus all her time on this news, though, because a royal assignment from Queen Charlotte has arrived. The Queen has tasked Petra with attending an event at the Asylum for Female Orphans and making inquiries surrounding the death of the orphanage’s matron. The more Lady Petra investigates, the more she begins to see a link between the matron’s death and a group of radicals determined to topple the monarchy.

There is a lot going on in this mystery, and readers will enjoy turning the pages quickly to see what’s related and who is behind it all. Lady Petra is such a wonderfully brave character, with a strong sense of humor. I had a guess as to the resolution of the mystery, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the details and piecing it all together. The time-period details are fascinating (be sure to stay for the author’s note at the end), and the blend of humor and suspense make this an enjoyable read. I am hoping for book three!

After thoroughly enjoying the first book in the series, I was excited to receive an ARC as soon as it became available on NetGalley.

This follow-up captures the same charm and whimsical feel that made the original so memorable, so if you loved those qualities, I think you’ll find this one just as delightful. While I loved the book's vibe, I did encounter a few challenges. Since it’s been a while since I read the first installment, I occasionally got confused with the characters, as they were referred to by different names, which made it tricky to keep track.

The two mystery storylines unfold side by side, and I was really pleased with how the author wrapped everything up at the end. Although I worried I might miss some connections along the way, it all came together nicely in the conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing this digital ARC. All thoughts here are my own, and I’m happy to share my review voluntarily.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. These opinions are my own.

All's Fair in Love and Treachery is book two of the Lady Petra Inquires series. While the mystery here stands alone, understanding who Petra is and what motivates her makes more sense having read the first book. And I wanted a bit more of a refresher on who each of her friends were.

In this novel, Petra is asked by the queen to solve a mystery at an orphanage. But it quickly becomes clear that the case is also tied up with a plot to overthrow the government and end the monarchy. And Petra's love interest may be a suspect.

This is such a great mystery. It kept me guessing throughout, as it took many twists and turns. I loved being right there with Petra, trying to determine which clues led to what conclusions.

And I equally love seeing an incredibly strong and independent woman feature as the star. She doesn't need a man and continues her insistence that marriage isn't her goal. It's so refreshing to see in any time period, and especially when this book is set in the Regency era.

This book was an exciting read. Lady Petra was so detailed in her observations, and I had not expected so many little twists. I'm glad she never gave up when things got tough and was able to figure out how to best act in difficult situations. Her ability to notice things and start building a picture of what was going on was great. Overall, this book was an enjoyable read and the information she learns near the end of the book was quite interesting.

Thanks to the publisher for the e-arc!!

All's Fair in Love and Treachery is the first book I have read written by Celeste Connally. This historical fiction book is a mystery to be sure but not exactly what I would call a cozy mystery. Death from the past, death that happened much more recently, the Queen, and orphans are all a part of this story. Sounds like a lot of characters but not a hard to follow story. A complex plot that stays on target, it is a riveting read.

Lady Petra Forsyth makes a strong, intelligent sleuth, who can find out the truth while saving the monarchy too. If you enjoy stories of women who do what needs to be done in spite of the society rules in which they live you will love All's Fair in Love and Treachery.