Welcome friend! I met Lady Petra last year in Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord almost to date and it was such a fun time that I was excited to read the next book in the series, All’s Fair in Love and Treachery.
Celeste Connally | Goodreads | Lady Petra Inquires #2
Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie in this dazzling next installment in a captivating Regency-era mystery series with a feminist spin.
21 June, 1815. London may be cheering the news of Napoleon’s surrender at Waterloo, but Lady Petra Forsyth has little to celebrate after discovering that the death of her viscount fiancé three years earlier was no accident. Instead, it was murder, and the man responsible is her handsome, half-Scottish secret paramour Duncan Shawcross—yet the scoundrel has disappeared, leaving only a confusing riddle about long-forgotten memories in his wake.
So what’s a lady to do when she can’t hunt down her traitorous lover? She concentrates on a royal assignment instead. Queen Charlotte has tasked Petra with attending an event at the Asylum for Female Orphans and making inquiries surrounding the death of the orphanage’s matron. What’s more, there may be a link between the matron’s death and a group of radicals with ties to the aristocracy, as evidenced by an intercepted letter.
Then, Petra overhears a nefarious conversation with two other men about a plot to topple the monarchy, set to take place during three days of celebrations currently gripping London.
As the clock counts down and London’s streets teem with revelers, Petra’s nerves are fraying as her past and present collide. Yet while all’s fair in love and war, she can never surrender, especially when more orphaned girls may be in trouble. And to save their lives, the monarchy itself, and even her own heart, Lady Petra must face her fears with the strength of an army of soldiers and fight with the heart of a queen.
All’s Fair in Love and Treachery – Review
True to the last novel, All’s Fair in Love and Treachery transported me back in time to the regency era. The book opens with Petra finding a scandalous note that alludes to her lover having a hand in the murder of her fiance, Emerson. What does not help support his innocence is that Duncan disappears the very night. Petra is shaken to her core but she must see to her commitments and finds herself at Buckingham Palace, having tea with the Queen and her godmother. They want her to use her investigative skills to solve a murder at a girl’s orphanage. Turns out the head matron was murdered and a note was left behind threatening the crown.
All’s Fair in Love and Treachery is set in 1815, exploring the effect of the defeat of Napoleon on London and the opportunity it creates for those opposed to the crown to attack the royalty. At the time, tapestries were widely displayed around London to celebrate Napolean’s defeat. I liked how Celeste Connally used them as a tool for communication by a secret organization looking to overthrow the monarchy. I enjoyed how Petra got intertwined in a plot that connected an orphanage to the rebels. How her ex-fiance ends up being connected to this too was woven really well into the story, and personal histories of many of the characters was important to unravel the intricate connections.
Petra herself is a brilliant sleuth, using lockpicks as her weapon of choice, and being fair in the task she has been assigned, even if it means displeasing one of the people she respects. She has great friends who support her, her dog who is trained to protect her, and Teddy, the young street boy, to help her with tasks she cannot do as a member of the gentry. She understands the limitations on her education since gender was so important back in those days, and is not hesitant to learn and improve now that she is an adult.
She is also human. Emerson’s untimely death three years ago is something she can’t forget and she will not rest until she finds out the truth but her investigation for the Queen must continue too. I liked her confrontation with Duncan and how he approached explaining his innocence. The story masterfully balances the plot with showing society’s perspectives on illegitimate children, the effect on high class families, the secrets people hide and the reasons that might push someone to hate the monarchy.
There is romance, mystery, suspense and sleuthing all set in the regency era so you can imagine balls and etiquette following tea. All’s Fair in Love and Treachery may be read as a standalone so if the plot for this one seems more enticing to you than the first book, I would recommend checking this out! Find it on Goodreads.
Many thanks to Minotaur Books for a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review. Lady Petra Inquires is a series I look forward to and can’t wait for another one.
Check out my review of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord and the interview with Celeste Connally.
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