The audiobook of the year! I've listened to a lot of audiobooks this year and have greatly enjoyed many of them, but this one instantly stood our from the pack. I was immediately drawn into the story, with the narrator adding greatly to the entertainment value of the novel. I was able to picture the setting and characters in my mind as the novel unfolded. The story itself was fantastic with plenty of intrigue, twist and turns along the way. A large, yet intimate cast of characters had me second-guessing everyone, making the unveiling of who did it a lot of fun. I will purchase this book in paperback to add to my collection and re-read. I highly recommend this title no matter how a reader prefers to digest it.

Oh, my goodness, what a fun listen "All's Fair in Love and Treachery" by Celeste Connally turned out to be.
The plot has so many rabbits to chase it could be confusing at times, but they come together nicely and in a satisfying way. There's all the wonderful things you can expect from a historical romp and mystery, treachery, royal plots, murder, betrayal, wrapped up in a world of high society and manners. The heroine, Petra, is practically asked to save the world, or at least the monarchy and a bunch of orphans, while solving the murder of her viscount fiance'. What a muddle!
Readers of Regency and Victorian mystery will enjoy this, as well as period romance readers who may enjoy lighter fare. The audiobook version has a good narrator (Eilidh Beaton) and I'd gladly listen to her perform other books.

This was a captivating Regency read with likeable characters, solid mysteries, and even a touch of humor that I do enjoy in my mysteries of any time frame. The depiction of the anticipation and celebration of the end of the Napoleonic Wars is both interesting and entertaining, and I do not recall a similar representation in my other books set in this period. Contrary to my general rule, I missed the first book in this series and was concerned that might inhibit my enjoyment of this book. It did not. Certainly, I still recommend starting with the first book in the series, but this book was enjoyable on its own. I like Lady Petra and Duncan as a couple, but do hope the relationship comes out of the shadows. We'll see, and I already look forward to their next adventure.

Eilidh Beaton does an excellent job of bringing these characters to life.

All’s Fair in Love and Treachery is the second book featuring Lady Petra, but I didn’t read the first. I do think I missed out a little by not reading the first. The author did a good job of catching the reader up on the relationships, but a lot of it had to do with wrapping up events from the first book. Petra has discovered her childhood best friend and current lover, Duncan, may have murdered her fiancé’s three years ago. Duncan, of course, leaves before Petra can confront him and she thinks the worst of him Why do women in cozy mysteries always do that? Assume that the man who has always been nothing but honest and caring is actually lying to her and making a fool out of her? In the meantime, Queen Charlotte has asked Petra to look into the death of the matron at the Asylum for Female Orphans. The matron was probably murdered and there may be a connection with a group of radicals who want to tear down the monarchy.

The mystery moves along at a good pace. It’s a bit convoluted but the characters make up for it, and I enjoyed the setting. The regency era is not one I visit often. Petra and her friends are lively and fun and determined. Her romance with Duncan is sweet and I like that he realizes she is not one to be left behind when there’s an adventure.

There are several twists and turns but in the end things are wrapped up nicely. I listened to the audio and the narrator did a good job with the pacing, accents, and distinguishing the characters. I just wish she hadn’t made Petra seem so whiny.

Such a captivating and mysterious story! I love a good sleuth tale and this one is a great read. It definitely gives Enola Holmes vibes to me. I love how women centric it is even though it is set in a time where women weren’t allowed many freedoms! I definitely need to go back and read book 1 now!

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. I enjoyed the audiobook narration.

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

Sabotage, scandal, secrets, seduction. A great follow-up to the first book in the series, this second novel follows lady Petra in her new investigative role as she attempts to unravel two plots in one. Love the twists and turns. Very cute and mild while still keeping things interesting.

If you like a good historical romance mystery, this one is for you! A little spicy, but not much, and very full of wit.

The plot was very fun to follow, and I loved every single character. The antagonist and their crew were a little underdeveloped, but also you could extrapolate some from current events and fill in those blanks.

This book is great for anyone who like Tirzah Price or CJ Archer.

Thank you for the ARC!

A delightful romp of a romance mystery! I made a mistake by not reading book 1, but I enjoyed Petra’s misadventures and the entire cast! I’ll be picking up the other books as they’re available!

The second book in the Lady Petra Inquires series is a clever mystery with a hearty dollop of romance. Lady Petra has her hands full investigating a murder at a girls' orphanage and attempting to foil a treacherous plot against the Queen, while endeavoring to find out the truth about the man she loves. There are hijinks and disguises and all manner of shenanigans. Infused with plenty of historical accuracy, Connally's world building of Regency-era London is very fun indeed, with a diverse array of characters, much banter and copious witticisms. Huzzah!

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.

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 listen to the audiobook narrated by Eilidh Beaton and found myself easily swept away by their narration. Beaton does an excellent job creating voice distinction between a multitude of characters and all the while expressing emotion through her reading. This was an enjoyable mystery to listen to.

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!

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.

*Narration on this audiobook was well done.*

Thank you Celeste Connally, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#Allsfairinloveandtreachery
#celesteconnally
#macmillanaudio
#reluctantreaderreads
#advancedreadercopies
#NetGalley

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. The audio book version was very well done. I loved the choices in the narrators.

Thank you Net Galley ARC

Thank you Netgalley, Celeste Connally and MacMillan Audio.
Typically I find it an absolute breeze to provide feedback on books from the# MacAudio2024 program because they're all so beautifully done. This one is a struggle for me though because while the production and narration was actually wonderful. The book itself though, while compared to a cross between the Bridgertons and an Agatha Christie... fell short for me. I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable or compelling and the story really didn't hold my interest. This one wasn't a winner for me. I'd say 2.5 stars.

All’s Fair in Love and Treachery AUDIO by Celeste Connally is the second in a series featuring Lady Petra 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

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 and the narrator is an instant favorite for me. 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.

This audiobook is narrated by Eilidh Beaton. I've enjoyed books narrated by Eilidh before and hope to in the future. Her voice and tone were perfect for the humorous bits of the story.

I did not read the first book in this series and did not struggle to follow along or keep up with this story much. This follows the adventures of Lady Petra Forsyth and her work for Queen Charlotte. Petra is distantly related to both the royal family and associated members of Parliament. This gives her an inside advantage in her investigations.
There are 2 investigations taking place simultaneously in this book. The assignment from Queen Charlotte regarding the orphanage and the mystery surrounding the death of Petra's beloved late fiancé. The mystery and reveals surrounding Petra's late love, Emerson, and the possible involvement of her new love, Shawcross, are probably richer and more meaningful for readers who've read both books in this series.

This is a fun historical cozy mystery, and I enjoyed Lady Petra's adventures enough to add the first book in this series to my to be read list.

Thank you to Celeste Connally, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

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!