Wednesday, November 8, 2023

ARC Review: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord

Author:
Celeste Connally
Series: Lady Petra Inquires
Publication: Minotaur Books (November 14, 2023)

Description: Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie in Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, a dazzling first entry in a captivating new Regency-era mystery series with a feminist spin from Celeste Connally.

London, 1815. Lady Petra Forsyth, daughter of the Earl of Holbrook, has made a shocking proclamation. After losing her beloved fiancé in an accident three years earlier, she announces in front of London’s loosest lips that she will never marry. A woman of independent means―and rather independent ways―Petra sees no reason to cede her wealth and freedom to any man now that the love of her life is gone. Instead, she plans to continue enjoying the best of society without any expectations.

But when ballroom gossip suggests that a longtime friend has died of a fit due to her “melancholia” while in the care of a questionable physician, Petra vows to use her status to dig deeper―uncovering a private asylum where men pay to have their wives and daughters locked away, or worse. Just as Petra has reason to believe her friend is alive, a shocking murder proves more danger is afoot than she thought. And the more determined Lady Petra becomes in uncovering the truth, the more her own headstrong actions and desire for independence are used against her, putting her own freedom―and possibly her life―in jeopardy.

My Thoughts: Lady Petra Forsyth declared herself a spinster after the accidental death of her fiancé. However, London in 1815 isn't the best place for that declaration. Disgruntled men, especially her uncle who resents her control of her own money, are outraged. But Lady Petra has an advantage many of her fellow female society ladies do not: she has independent means. 

When she learns that a friend of hers has passed away, she's surprised and even more surprised that the lady's husband is carrying on with no signs of grief. She is even more surprised when she meets one of the lady's dismissed servants who states that she was still alive after her husband declared her dead and buried. 

As Petra looks into things, she finds herself the victim of a number of "accidents" but, with the help of some friends including a boy she grew up with but separated from at the time of her fiancé's death, Lady Petra unravels a plot to put inconvenient ladies into an insane asylum. 

This was an engaging story that introduces an intriguing character in Lady Petra.

Favorite Quote:
Lord Potsford's eyes looked like those of a startled bullfrog in the way they suddenly bulged outward. And the redness on his face increased fivefold. The sight caused gooseflesh to pop up on her arms at Potsford's physical response to her question.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

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