Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

Having read the first two books in this series, I was thrilled to receive an ARC of this book. This is a great historical mystery series. I absolutely love the idea of Queen Charlotte and the Prince Regent holding a cooking contest. 🎂 🥮 Loved Petra's poor chef thinking a blind competition meant they would blind her if she lost.

My only complaint- not enough scenes with Petra and Duncan. He was barely in the book. Not that having a love interest is that important to the book, but after building the relationship up after the first two books, for him to barely even be in the book? He is there, but not that much. To the point if this was made into a movie, there would be no problem cutting his part entirely.

This was a great book, though! The plot and characters are great. I also love in historical novels when authors include a section talking about what parts are true to life and what are not.

Definitely would recommend this!

I think a baking contest held in 1815 would be stressful enough, even without the availability of today’s mod cons. Add in that the Queen and the Prince Regent will be there, and that a famous chef is murdered by persons unknown, and this is the recipe for a most unusual bake-off.

Lady Petra Forsyth will do her best to save the day. She’s had experience as an amateur detective: although this author is new to me, “Revenge, Served Royal” is actually the third book in the Lady Petra Inquires series.

I enjoyed reading the details about the conduct of the baking competition, interspersed with the progress of the murder investigation. Lady Petra has skills! I enjoyed seeing her in action.

Although I wish I’d read the preceding two books before reading this one, it did seem to stand alone well. I recommend “Revenge, Served Royal.”

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review.

Murder during a baking-off competition at Windsor Castle - where high society is gathered to celebrate the King and Queen's 54th wedding anniversary - is the setting for Celeste Connally's Revenge, Served Royal. Set in Regency England, Lady Petra is independent, smart and fun. A quick read,

Although this is the third installment in the Lady Petra Forsyth mystery series, it is my first read by this author. Plenty of backstory is included, so I had no problem starting the series here. The writing is crisp, with engaging characters, some bad behavior and a fast-moving twisting plot that winds up a bit too fast / conveniently for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC. Revenge, Served Royal would be a terrific beach read.

Windsor Castle, baked goods, and the chefs who invented them made for a well-researched regency murder mystery.

If you enjoy the 1815 lifestyle, you will love this novel.

Lady Petra Forsythe is one of five people Queen Charlotte has chosen to be a judge in a bake contest to choose who is the best chef. A murder adds another layer to the plot.

Overall, a well-executed novel.

Lady Petra Forsyth is off to Windsor Castle for a week of entertainment. Queen Charlotte has summoned the Upper 10000 for a patisserie contest, along with lectures and sporting demonstrations. Cooks from several upper crust families will compete to create the very best desserts known. They will be judged by Lady Petra and several other members of the aristocracy. However, Petra discovers a friend of hers kneeling beside the body of the former royal chef, and is horrified to think her friend could kill anyone. As she investigates, she uncovers more than she ever wanted to know about the life of Sir Rufus Pomeroy, who was in the process of writing a scandal laden tome about the lives of the people in whose kitchens he worked for many years, including the Royal Family. Lady Petra cannot permit anything to besmirch the reputation of the royals. A spritely and enjoyable read, this is the third in this charming series

Everyone who is anyone in Victorian England has been invited to celebrate the King and Queens anniversary at Windsor Castle. Unfortunately, on the 2nd day the most famous chef in the country is murdered and Petra and her friend must jump into detective mode. Wonderful details, characters and story

See my full review at http://michelleardillo.com/2025/08/22/book-review-revenge-served-royal-a-mystery-lady-petra-inquires-3-by-celeste-connally/

Revenge, Served Royal is a great continuation of the series! I think that Lady Petra has become even more comfortable with who she is and how she wants to live her life.

In this book we get several of the characters seen in previous books mixed with a royal baking competition. There is also action, intrigue, friendship, family, romance, attempted murder, and the threat of scandals.

I can’t wait for book 4!

I have to be honest: I’m not a big fan of cooking competitions. But when they’re combined with historical whodunnits, well… it verges on downright irresistible! In this, Celeste Connally’s latest mystery, Lady Petra Forsyth and other members of the ton are invited to a patisserie contest for the best bakers around. Before a single morsel of yumminess can be consumed, however, there’s a murder—but not via food! Yet. How will Lady Petra track down the culprits and not be a victim herself? If you’re a fan of cooking competitions, you’ll like this book. If you’re a fan of historical mysteries, you’ll like this book. What does it come down to? Tasty reading! You’ll like this book!
#RevengeServedRoyal #NetGalley

Lady Petra Forsyth is one of a panel of judges at a baking competition being held at Windsor Castle. She’s favored by the royal court for previously saving the life of Prince Frederick. Now she’s to attend a royal invite from the Queen wherein the Prince Regent would be present. Their former royal chef, Sir Rufus Pomeroy, would be in attendance as well. Petra knew him from when he’d worked for her parents. He’d gone on to work for their majesties before retiring to write cookery books. Even his publisher would attend the festivities. But when Sir Rufus ends up dead, more sinister overtones surface among the various lords and ladies who are present. An intriguing setting, royalty, a solid whodunit and baked desserts enhance this suspenseful mystery. A delectable read!

In the Author's Note, Connally mentions how she managed to make herself smile every chapter, and you. can. tell! For me, this installment was the best of the series so far.

It took me a little while to warm up to Lady Petra, book 1's subject matter wasn't my cup of tea, but books 2 and 3 have me loving her as much as (if not more than) Duncan.

This time around we have a Murder, She Wrote meets The Great British Bake Off all in Windsor Castle while Queen Charlotte (and the prince regent) was reigning. They are hosting a week of festivities, and Petra's chef has been invited to the bake-off competition, but they aren't even there a full day before someone is murdered and of course the person closest to the body is assumed the guilty party.

Petra, her friends, her aunt, and her dog, and a few unlikely allies all come together to determine what really happened and what proof (if any) might be hidden in a ginormous castle.

But what really shines through is the fun that the author had with this one, the story had an excellent pace and while the whodunit was a little bit obvious, it unfolded in a great way.

Strongest entry in the series yet.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for this book.

A fun mystery set in Regency England with a baking contest, badly behaved aristocrats, and bodies piling up. This version of Regency England seems to owe much to the Bridgerton TV version of Regency England. My advice to readers is to enjoy the mystery and lively characters and not spend too much time thinking about whether something is or isn't historically accurate or likely. The ending felt a bit rushed with a lot of information suddenly coming to light. Somewhere between three and four stars for me so rounding up. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the eARC.

It's the Great British Bake-Off circa 1815 and Lady Petra is asked to be a judge. Famous chef and cookbook author Rufus Pomeroy is found dead the morning of the first judging. His valet is accused of the crime, but the valet insists he heard Pomeroy arguing with at least six people the morning of his death. One of those people was Petra's Aunt Ophelia and the other was the Prince Regent. Along with her paramour Duncan, Lady Petra solves the crime. Another excellent addition to this series.

This is my first time reading anything by Celeste Connally so I haven't read the other two Lady Petra books but I am fairly sure that they are just as wonderful as this one. Petra is absolutely a treasure at what she does and she manages to keep her cool no matter how intense the mystery is. I am sure fans who have read the other books in this series will appreciate this new installment when it comes out!

I enjoyed this book and its twists. I found the writing lively and the mystery itself engaging. I do think some parts dragged a little and/or were confusing. I also feel that there is a bit too much with the physical chemistry between Duncan and Petra, but overall, I recommend this book and am grateful for the opportunity to read it. I look forward to more Lady Petra Inquires stories in the future!

I had so much fun with this one. The mix of romance and intrigue was exactly what I wanted .The plot is fast paced and kept me engaged. I'd definitely recommend them if you're a fan of mysteries or historical fiction!

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Revenge, Served Royal delivers everything I love about this series: Regency charm, a cleverly plotted mystery, and Lady Petra at her detective best. Setting the murder at Windsor Castle during a royal baking contest is pure genius—the cozy atmosphere perfectly balances the darker intrigue.
Connally effortlessly weaves together a puzzling whodunit with warm relationships, romance, and even dogs wandering the castle halls. The characters feel like cherished friends, and the mystery kept me guessing until the end.

I really wanted to like this book and gave it several tries, but I just couldn’t get into it. I’m so sorry—I couldn’t finish it. Whether it was the pacing, the writing style, or the characters, something just didn’t click for me. It might not have been the right fit for me personally, but others may enjoy it more.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

Lady Petra Forsyth is back again to solve another mysterious death. Attending a baking contest being held by the Queen at Windsor Castle, Sir Rufus Pomeroy is murdered, now Lady Petra must use her sleuthing skills to solve the murder. Lady Petra's time is spent juggling the commitments of being a judge of the contest, staying within the societal norms while and trying to narrow down the list of suspects.

This is an enjoyable mystery. The character of Lady Petra is slightly scandalous in this age, where women are to be more submissive and demure but that is part of what makes the book enjoyable. Lady Petra willingness to step outside the bounds of society and determination to solve the murder adds to the plot. The mystery itself is engaging and the list of suspects keeps you guessing until the end. Very entertaining, don't miss the second adventure of Lady Petra.

I was intrigued by the description of this book in being a mix of historical fiction and mystery. It also mentioned this took place while there is a baking competition going on. All of that sounded like fun so I requested the book. However, I never did sink fully into this book. I could tell that by jumping into this series at book 3 that I missed some assumed knowledge of the characters and dynamics between them. It was described, but it's harder to absorb that way versus having been reading from book one. So while you can jump in like I did, you will feel some loss because of it.

I also understand that when I am reading historical fiction that if you really showed the mindset of that timeframe it would feel so antiquated and backwards that it could be frustrating. The ethics and morays have progressed too far from the time period. However, the characters behaved and acted in ways that were way too modern to even feel synchronous with historical fiction. I think you have to go into this more as fiction set in a fictional alternate past history or be able to put aside this as historical fiction.

Sadly, all of this kept me from fully engaging the way I had hoped. However, there are plenty of great reviews showing that these quibbles were not an issue for most.