The Regency period is always a popular choice for fiction. We see it with fiction à la Jane Austen-inspired books, we see it with romance à la Bridgerton. However, we do not see it that often in mysteries. I was very excited to see a new Regency mystery series pop up on NetGalley, as you might imagine. And luckily for all of us, it did not disappoint in any way! We have Book Bite: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally this week.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC and an Advanced Listening Copy in exchange for an honest review.
Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, Celeste Connally
When Lady Petra Forsyth’s fiancé and soulmate dies just weeks ahead of their wedding, she makes the shocking proclamation—in front of London’s loosest lips—that she will never remarry. A woman of independent means, Petra sees no reason to cede her wealth and freedom to any man now that the love of her life has passed, nor does she intend to become confined to her country home. Instead, she uses her title to gain access to elite spaces and enjoy the best of society without expectations.
But when ballroom gossip suggests that a longtime friend has died of “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 Lady Petra has reason to believe her friend is not dead, but a prisoner, her own headstrong actions and thirst for independence are used to put her own freedom in jeopardy.
Why You Should Read This…
This book has been pitched as Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie, and I think that that is fairly accurate. It is not solely a romance or a mystery but a blending of the two and it pays off in the best way, as it feels like a very complete story.
The mystery was so well-developed. Oftentimes these cross-genre novels feel lacking in one genre (or both) but I think that neither the mystery nor the romance was sacrificed. This is not a simple mystery easily solved when the heroine has a bit of time away from her suitor but rather a full-blown mystery with several twists and turns that I was not expecting.
I will say, Petra is absolutely a modern feminist in her takes. In that way, it is not period accurate but I think that the book would have felt severely lacking had she had Regency-accurate views on women. (There most definitely were rare women with what we would now call modern views on feminism, but the emphasis is on rare.) All in all, Petra had me rooting for her from start to finish!
Eilidh Beaton’s narration was sublime from start to finish!
Is Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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