I enjoyed meeting Lady Petra and Duncan, the real love of her life. Her fiance Emerson Ingersoll was murdered, three years later she discovers this in a brutal fashion, blaming her lifelong friend, and the man she deeply loves Duncan, in the midst of trying to discover one murder, she is tasked with solving another, a request given by the Queen no less. In the midst of all of this we have the defeat at Waterloo and the celebrations that occured in London during this time period. A very entertaining story, well researched, and one I think you might enjoy.
I highly recommend. Thank you #Netgalley #MinatourBooks
carolintallahassee

3.5
I don't know. This seems like the kind of thing that is specifically designed for one of my reading moods, but I never seem to catch it at the right time. It's, you know, fine.

I’m a new enthusiast of Regency era mysteries and this one was a winner! Compelling mystery and great fun, I didn’t feel lost having not read the first on the series and I will certainly go back and read it. Such fun!!

I enjoyed this latest offering in the Lady Petra Inquiries series. I'm looking forward to the next offering.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy.

The story of a woman who loses her love only to be saved and then betrayed. It's a good story and had exciting plot lines but it did tend to drag a bit in the middle and I didn't find myself pushing to finish as much as I would have liked. The characters were well developed but I just couldn't get into the story line.

For fans of Bridgerton and Agatha Raisin, this cozy mystery set in Regency London, while the final battle with Napoleon is playing out, is such fun! It follows Lady Petra Forsythe, an early feminist of the noble class, who has some very forward-thinking ideas. When the matron of a home for orphan girls is found murdered, the Queen asks Lady Petra to find the killer. Meanwhile, her paramour, the dashing but very mysterious Duncan Shawcross, has disappeared, leaving some very difficult questions in his wake.

This mystery was such fun to read. The action moved quickly and the characters were colorful. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to St. Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance review copy.

All is Fair in Love and Treachery is a Modern Regency mystery. Lady Petra is an unconventional aristocratic lady and because of her family connections, she can get away with it.
She discovers her lover was involved with her fiancé’s death. She is asked by Queen Charlotte to investigate the matron’s death at an orphanage. It is non-stop action! In spite of the modern air (I am a more traditional Regency reader) I do like Lady Petra and her friends. It is a very enjoyable book and it was an interesting mystery.

All’s Fair in Love and Treachery picks up right were left off from the first book - Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord. I love when books pick up right where left off. I throughly enjoyed the first book and couldn’t wait for the second (it was a long wait and well worth it).
In the second installment, you find out how her fiancé, Emerson actually died, Shawcross’ true familial lines. AND a plot to kill the queen. As far as intrigue goes in regency-era, this book is filled with it. Sometimes there is a lull in the writing, but overall I was entertained by the sequel. I’m looking forward to the next installment! Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh I do like Lady Petra. She is on a mission for the queen. There has been a death at the orphanage. Her fiancé was found dead years ago and she has an affair going on. I like her friendships and how they help each other. The window transparency idea is a cleaver one. It would have been a good way for everyone to see them by just walking by a house. I like all the side stories that pull together to make this a book not to miss.

Having adored the first book in the series, I immediately requested the ARC when it became available on NetGalley.

It holds all the same charm and whimsy of the first book, so if you enjoyed the first for those reasons then I highly recommend this follow-up. The characters are delightful and I'm always going to be a fan when dogs are present as characters themselves!

While the vibes of the book were excellent, I struggled with this book overall. Perhaps because it has been quite some time since I read the first book, I was having a hard time trying to keep all the people straight. They used different names (first, last, or title) and I kept getting confused about who were who.

The two mystery plotlines ran concurrently throughout the book, and I found the ending satisfying in how the author wrapped it all up with a bow. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't "get it" having been confused for a good portion of the book, but it came together very well at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a digital advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

All's Fair in Love and Treachery by Celeste Connally is a complex follow up to her first book of the series, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord.
In this installment, Connally continues to follow the (mis)adventures of Lady Petra, with misunderstandings both current and past playing a large roll in the storyline. While the plot line of a threat to the royal family and a secretive organization out to do them harm is interesting, the story gets off to a somewhat slow start; so much so that some readers may give up before the book truly takes off.
But take off it does, with intricately woven threads coming together to provide a surprising solution.
The book is well-written and full of clearly well-researched historical points of interest.
Thank you for the ARC of #AllsFairinLoveandTreachery to #NetGalley.

"All's Fair in Love and Treachery"' is the second book in Celeste Connally's Lady Petra series — something I didn't realize when I asked for the ARC. I found it difficult to follow initially but decided to just roll with it. As others have noted, it's a complex plot with many characters and subplots, and I might have enjoyed it more if I had started with book 1 in the series — nevertheless, the ending is clever; the author mixes romance and intrigue, along with a lot of period detail that makes for interesting reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book. It was a bit convoluted for me throughout the story, and there were asides that didn't need to be included or at least not harped on from my perspective, but overall, I did enjoy the mystery and revisiting these characters. The book is fun and lively but also serious and makes social commentary, like book one did. The ending is very sweet and ties everything together nicely.

Another fantastic story by Celeste Connally. All the favorite characters from her first book return with a double murder to solve along with saving the monarchy from an insurrection that is being planned to occur during events near the end of the Napoleonic wars. It moves fast and there are lots of surprises. Hoping for another book in the series.

For Fans Of: Dianne Freeman & Sherry Thomas
Avail: Nov 12
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: 👑Regency Mystery
Violence: 🪓
Spice: 🔥

Synopsis: Sequel to 2023’s Regency-set Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord. Lady Petra reels as she learns her fiancé’s death 3 years earlier was not an accident, but murder. Could the culprit really be her new love, Duncan? Before she can confront him, he disappears leaving a cryptic message behind. In need of distraction, she agrees to assist the queen by looking into the suspicious death of an orphanage matron.

Thoughts: The novel intertwines the death of Petra’s fiancé with an orphanage matron’s murder & a violent political plot. While layering 3 seemingly unrelated mysteries could lead to confusion is less deft hands, Connally weaves a pleasingly complex tapestry in this tightly plotted sequel. Setting the story amid fascinating history lends verisimilitude to the fiction. Like the 1st, the focus on women’s rights especially engages. As a seasoned arm-chair detective, I picked up on a few of the clever twists, but there are many more I did not anticipate. The author’s storytelling prowess extends to excellent characterization. While all spark with life, her women—each unique in her own way—radiate wit & strength. Connally also provides a delightful romantic sub-plot that tip toes up to the closed-door line, giving a toe-curling bit of spice in an otherwise clean storyline.

New to the series? Check of my review of book 1: https://www.instagram.com/p/C71nqOnMGpT/

3.5⭐️| definitely not as good as the first book. It dragged for awhile and seemed like nothing of importance was happening until like 75% of the way through. It was clever how it all tied together in the end but wasn’t that surprising. I kinda just felt like meh okay that’s happening I guess.

While I don't think this was a bad book, it truly was difficult for me to immerse myself in because of a combination of so many scenes that felt stagnant, and the conflicts/mysteries were not particularly gripping. By nature, this type of mystery is better served being a secondary aspect of a book rather than being at the forefront because it lacks any real gravity or urgency (maybe due to the tone of the writing rather than the events themselves), but that might just be me preferring historical romances.

I will be withholding this review from social media and other outlets because of the St. Martin's Press boycott.

I liked this book. I found that I enjoyed it more than I did the first one. I'm not sure if it was because I was familiar with the characters now, but I think it was more likely due to a more interesting and well developed plot.

I didn’t realize this was the second book in a series, I honestly was just to ecstatic by the description and book cover, I skimmed over that part 😂 but I will give an in depth review when I purchase the first book and read it for more information!

What I can say is I loved the story, finding out different secrets and who had a plan to take down the Queen. I love anything historical so it was easy for me to escape within the stories setting.

I *did* like this - as I liked the first one in this series - but the truth is that I got a bit confused about characters and plot points. I'm chalking this up to a me thing - I was having a rough week and my ability to concentrate/focus was pretty limited. I definitely still enjoyed the writing and the continued character development of Lady Petra, I think I just couldn't keep up with the secondary characters and the various mystery plots. They all tied together quite satisfyingly in the end, though, and my weird blip here won't keep me from reading more from Connally in the future. I'm a big fan of these Regency mysteries with a bit of romance, and I think this series is doing that particular subgenre very well.