This historical fiction mystery with a sprinkling of romance. Lady Petra is determined to find out what happened to her friend and goes on a sleuthing missing using her new found freedom as a "widow" after her beloved fiance dies.

If you know me at all, you know that I’m not a huge historical fiction fan. I enjoy the genre sometimes, but it’s not easy. For the first half of this book, I was really not enjoying it at all. Things were moving so slowly, and it felt like I was reading pages and pages of a whole lot of nothing.

Fortunately (in this case anyway), I almost always finish the books that I start. I’m so glad that I kept reading this one because it got SO much better!

The story takes an interesting twist when an asylum for women is uncovered by Petra, the main character. Men pay to have their wives/sisters/daughters taken away to this asylum, often for no reason at all. Things got pretty intense, and you know we love a badass heroine!

The real miracle here is that I actually want to pick up the next book in the series, thanks to a jaw-dropping cliffhanger ending.

So there you have it. Overall, this one was a rollercoaster for me. I started off really hating the story, only to end up enjoying it and being interested enough to try the next book.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for my gifted copy!

Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Lord by Celeste Connally
This memoir-style book offers a candid and sometimes raw perspective on navigating identity and culture. Connally’s voice is authentic and engaging, though the narrative occasionally feels uneven. A thought-provoking read for those interested in personal journeys.

I’ve tried this book so many times and can’t get past the first chapter. Very confusing language and slow.

Thank you in advance to Celeste Connaly and NetGalley for providing this eArc. This review is submitted voluntarily.

I cannot say that I was overly thrilled with this book. While I prefer not to leave negative feedback, I want to be honest. I decided to DNF (did not finish) the book. Since I have it downloaded, I hope to give it another try when I have more time. Sometimes, you just need to be in the right frame of mind. I will leave this review for now and plan to revisit this book in the future.

I read Celeste Connally’s book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord this weekend and it did NOT disappoint!

It has so many of the things I like in a mystery:
📖 historical
📖 Strong female lead
📖 great friends
📖 a love interest
📖 an intriguing mystery with a satisfying conclusion

And this one has DOGS!!! 🐕

Lady Petra is a great character. Her fiancé passed away suddenly and she announced that she would not get married and would be a spinster. Of course, it’s the Regency period so this is BIG NEWS. How dare a young woman not hand over her money, property, body and souls to a man?!?!?! Thankfully, Petra has people who support her.
Except there are some in Society who don’t like Petra and they don’t like other women who dare to be independent and they keep disappearing, with friends told that the woman has died.
Petra takes it upon herself to start investigating when she learns that a dear friend may not actually be dead and she is helped with her bestie and her estranged friend, Duncan Shawcross.

If you like the Veronica Speedwell series, the Wrexford and Sloane series, and other historicals with a mystery, try this book. I hope you like it!

This one had a slow start in getting to the mystery. I almost DNF’d and then the mystery showed up, so I kept going. Taking place in the early 1800s, there were many parts of higher society that I knew about from previous study. The mystery includes typical treatment of women for that time period, and some of this was predictable. I liked the outcome, but I am not sure if I will continue with the series.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* I loved reading this! one of my favorite type of cozy mystery! loved the characters and would love to read more from this author

2.5 stars

Whose terrible idea was that last line?! I was all set to give this 3 stars and declare it 'fine' until I read that. I feel baited and misled -- it definitely killed what little interest I may have had in exploring more of this series.

While the book tries to explore a very interesting concept for the time, it doesn't do a good job. The pacing drags in the beginning! I skimmed so much and didn't miss anything. Once the action picks up, it moves at a better pace but almost too fast? There isn't enough time for key moments to breathe and settle.

There's no real mystery to this. It's very easy to see where the plot is going and to know who to trust and who not to. The characters are caricature-ish, too. I want to like Petra but she's naive and gives off a "not-like-the-other-girls" energy that makes it hard to connect with her.

I would've liked to see this topic and this social commentary explored in a deeper, more nuanced fashion. As it stands, I didn't enjoy much of this.

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This book was not for me. After reading 3/4, I abandoned it. . .I do not enjoy women-in-jeopardy books, either historical or current time frames.
I felt the book was slow to develop, and decided to put my energy into my ever expanding TBR list.
The author did a good job of describing the social mores of the times, the clothing, the lavish mansions.
My opinion of this book reflect my own tastes--I feel that many who enjoy period pieces will find this a good book.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced e-copy of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally.

For fans of Downton Abbey and Bridgerton, this story takes the reader back to the early 1800s to rub elbows with royal society and solve a murder or two. Lady Petra Forsyth, daughter of the Earl of Holbrook, has declared her intent to never marry after losing her fiancé in a tragic accident three years earlier, Petra is independently wealthy and sees no reason to give up her money or her freedom to a man who could never capture her heart like her betrothed. She continues to accept social invitations among her friends, but has made it very clear she does wish to entertain a man’s affections. It is at one such societal engagement that Petra discovers one of her longtime friends has died as a result of a fit due to “female melancholia.” As she begins to inquire about the death and why no one notified her as to her friend’s passing, she discovers the connection between a physician and several high society families. When Petra launches an investigation and discovers her friend’ might actually be alive, she finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery that could result in her being the next victim of a dark conspiracy to keep certain independent societal women out of the way.

The “bad” men in this book are cringy and creepy and their treatment of women made me infuriated, so it was easy to cheer for our heroine as she went down the rabbit hole of the secret side of society. Petra is spunky and resourceful and is clearly not the spinster as the society of that time period would like to paint her. It is hard to imagine how little women were valued during this time period., however, Connally is quite descriptive about this.

Overall, I enjoyed this first book in the Lady Petra Inquiries series and am looking forward to reading the next installment, All's Fair in Love and Treachery.

This was not your average Regency romance. The main character, Petra, decides to remain unmarried after losing her fiance. Not long after, she receives the devastating news that she also lost her best friend Gwen. But the circumstances around Gwen's "illness" are quite suspect. As Petra tries to uncover the truth, she finds more than she bargained for!

Petra is a strong and interesting character and this was an intriguing story.

I took a long break from NetGalley and did not post many reviews before leaving, but I did want to come back and say I thoroughly enjoyed Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord. Thank you for the opportunity to review this, Im sorry it took so long!

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally is a captivating historical romance featuring a strong, independent heroine, Lady Petra Forsyth. After the sudden death of her fiancé, Petra declares she will never remarry and chooses to live life on her own terms, using her wealth and title to enjoy the best of Regency London without societal expectations.

When gossip suggests a friend died under suspicious circumstances at the hands of a questionable physician, Petra sets out to uncover the truth, discovering a sinister private asylum where women are locked away by their families. As Petra’s investigation deepens, her own independence is threatened, putting her freedom at risk.

Connally blends a compelling mystery (the last twist? Did not see that coming) with a romance that takes a backseat to Petra’s journey of self-discovery and empowerment. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a twist on the classic Regency Era novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I love a strong female lead. I would consider this a "potato chip" read: you start with one chapter and suddenly you've read twelve. There was good chemistry between the characters, the plot was worth reading, and the dialogue was quippy and enjoyable. I will seek more books by this author.

This book is definitely for cozy mystery fans who enjoy reading about the Regency era.

It wasn't my cup of tea, but I can see the the appeal of the story. I thoroughly liked the main character, Lady Petra Forsyth. A strong woman who is not willing to follow the social conventions a woman was supposed to during the time period. I can get behind that!

I really enjoyed this first entry into the Lady Petra Inquires series. I adore the character of Lady Petra, a young woman who in this time (early 1800s) decides not to marry so she can retain ownership of her property. She gets involved in a messy mystery involving other ladies who for one reason or another are sent to an asylum. Really fun characters and great dialog. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an e-copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

I like it for the most part (feminist Regency era novel) even though I find some parts hard to get into. It made me not want to buy the upcoming books with my own money unless it's available from the library.

I had such a great time reading this book! Historical mysteries are always enjoyable, and when you add in gender politics, of a lady stepping out of the bounds that society puts her in, yeah, that's so great! I really enjoyed Lady's Petra's story, and I'm glad that this is a series!

I can totally understand Lady Petra's decision not to marry, she has the means to not need a man to depend on-it's more the societal expectations, and given that her fiancé died, she doesn't have a reason to get married.

The idea of an asylum that women were sent to, because they were inconvenient, that was enough to boil my blood. The power structure that enabled something like that, I'm glad it's gone. We're still not at equality yet, but it's much better than it used to be.

Watching Petra investigate, finding out what happened to her friend, and what was going on with this murder, I loved it! She was clever, and the mystery was well-crafted, and between the mystery and the writing, I was hooked until the end!

This was such a great read, and I can't wait to see where the series goes!

This book just didn’t work for me. I found it to be a bit to pick me in how it described the ladies acting.