Celeste ConnallyCritiques

Petra and her former childhood friend Duncan join forces in this novel to investigate the strange disappearances of some of Petra's friends in this Regency send up. Since Petra's fiance, and Duncan's best friend, passed away unexpectedly right before the wedding, she has declared her intention to remain single, yet her uncle seems intent upon matching her up with potential husbands. Schemes abound as her own family members turn to scurrilous persons and pursuits to convince Petra to abandon her single-mindedness and her sleuthing, which can land her in deep trouble.

Readers who enjoy a Regency mystery might like this read, especially if they enjoy a lot of detail in plot and characters. There is a cliff hanger ending to this novel.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Verity Bright is my standard for all period novels. I really love that writing team that created the Eleanor Swift cozy mystery novels which are set in the early 20th century. Having just discovered Celeste Connolly and completed her novel, “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord” I am declaring her the standard bearer for the 19th Century cozy mystery series with heroine, Lady Petra Forsyth. She is one amazing woman, defying social standards, wearing her brother’s trousers so she can ride astride instead of side saddle and who has declared that she will not marry and remain a spinster. None of this is going to be well accepted by society.

I am going to name drop once more to make a salient point. I recently finished “The Madwomen of Paris” by Jennifer Cody Epstein which centers on the plight of women who could be committed to institutions by husbands and men who got bored with their wives, lovers, sisters, mothers and only had to mention the word “hysteria”. This subject hovers around the edges of Celeste Connally’s book as well. Lady Petra Forsyth has her father’s support as well as her ladies maid Annie who is her friend and her conscience, but she also has so many detractors and is walking a very fine line. Nice society just isn’t ready for all the ways she flaunts the etiquette off the time in which she lives. The question becomes what will tip her over the edge and what will the consequences be?

There is humor while honestly exploring the constraints of early 1800 English society. The dialog is honest and interesting. The examination of the societal strictures was a constant eye opener how closely bright, adventurous women had to outthink any man who had any control. There is romance, almost, maybe, could be and that tension worked for me. The characters run the gamut from sympathetic to hateful and disgusting and are well described and acted.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a copy.

Although the title is rather dreadfully boring l, the story itself is rife with mystery and adventure in 1800’s England. The characters are spirited and varied, the plot is detailed and active and Connallys writing is pleasant and engaging. Definitely a must read for period pieces with some intelligence.
*I received an arc from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review

Witty, dark and disturbing

Lady Petra Forsyth is a lively, secure woman whose fiancée, Emerson, Viscount Ingersoll, died just before they were to be married. Petra and Duncan Shawcross, who’d introduced her to Emerson, had been friends from an early age. After Emerson’s death they’d not spoken. Ever since, Petra’s gone about in society, secure in the knowledge that she’s loved by her father, has access to her own monies, and will remain a spinster.
Back home she rides astride, helping to care for her father’s string of hunters. Her father, the Earl of Holbrook breeds horses, and whilst he’s recovering from a broken ankle Petra has been assisting more than usual.
Petra returns to London for her godmother’s annual ball to find her childhood friend, turned enemy, Duncan has returned from Continent where he’d been for three years securing and improving the Duke of Hillmorton’s lands.
Duncan had been the one to rescue her after Emerson’s death where they’d been trysting together. Petra had written him letters whilst he was away but he never answered. Their relationship has been cut off.
When Petra is given the news of a close friend’s sudden death and is burial she’s shocked. She’s even more dismayed when her friend’s footman Martin tells her he’s seen his supposedly dead mistress in London. Then when Martin’s found dead and Petra herself comes under attack, the ghastly truth about women being sent to an asylum because they’re husbands or family desiring them to be out of the way for various and nefarious reasons, she’s shocked. During Regency times, such happenings were frequent. When Petra and her father come under attack from her dreadful Uncle Tobias, and Petra is incarcerated who will save her? Who will help these women.?
Petra is far too independent for the time and that is both the source of her joy and her sorrow.
A page turner and sleep depriver, I really enjoyed the characters met within the pages, even as I loathed and detested some.
The ending, poised on a troubling knife’s edge means there’s more to come but what, I can’t imagine.

A Minotaur ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

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.

This was such a delightful Regency era mystery with a slight touch of romance - definitely a great start to a new mystery series.

Regardless of being of upper British society, Lady Petra has been dealt a tough hand or not, depending on one's perspective. Her mother passed away a number of years back; her fiancé suddenly perishes and her best friend abandons her right when she needs them the most. Yet thanks to her mother, she received an inheritance and can remain an independent woman if she so chooses. Oh yes, the thought of such independence makes her deliriously confident and happy. She receives word that a dear friend has passed. Yet, something about all that seems rather suspicious and she is eager to get to the bottom of it. Meanwhile, that abandoner of a friend has returned to London after several years and its vexing Petra ever so much.

Author Celeste Connally has crafted a wonderful mystery full of wit, charm and warmth. As this is the start to this series, the book starts rather slowly as the reader is introduced to a myriad of players. It builds gradually and accelerates as the climax nears, adding tension and drama to the mix. The writing is lovely and highly descriptive. The mise en scène is exquisite and sets a beautiful stage. This is not a light mystery. The theme of the story focuses on the helplessness of married aristocratic women. They are but chattel and are subject to the whims and desires of the men controlling their lives. Petra is a strong female protagonist and will not subjugate herself to any man which garners her quite a bit of grief within society. All in all, this was a rewarding and enjoyable diversion.

I am grateful to Minotaur Books for having provided an uncorrected digital galley of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: November 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1250867551
No. of pages: 304

This Regency-era mystery, presumably the first in a series, follows some of the basic lines of the Regency romance formula. It is set in 1815, mostly taking place in London and its immediate environs.

The protagonist, 24-year-old Lady Petra Forsyth, daughter of the Earl of Holbrook, is extremely liberal-minded for the time. In addition, family circumstances provided her with her own financial resources. This situation enabled her not only to live independently of a man but to contemplate other freedoms denied to so many women - even among the wealthy - in Regency society.

Petra grew up in the company of Duncan Shawcross, grandson of the Duchess of Hillmorton. Petra and Duncan had a close bond, and when Petra was 20, Duncan introduced her to Emerson, Viscount Ingersoll, Duncan’s most trusted friend from Oxford. The introduction swiftly turned into a love match. Just weeks before the wedding however, Emerson died from a broken neck after a tragic fall down a set of stairs in Duncan’s London town house. Then, only a day after the funeral, Duncan left for the Continent in his new role as the Duke’s agent. Petra was bereft at the double loss, and she and Duncan quarreled bitterly. They hadn’t communicated since.

Meanwhile, Petra, beset by marriage proposals, announced to society she would not marry. She was widely scorned for this by both men and women, although her true friends stuck by her and even admired her.

As the story opens, Petra attends a ball given by Duncan’s grandmother. Duncan returns at last, also in attendance, and she needs to deal with her feelings about him. In addition, she receives news at the ball that two weeks earlier her friend Gwen, Lady Milford, had died. A footman confides to Petra he saw Gwen just two days previously. Petra arranges to meet the footman later in a park to hear more about what he has to say, but she was overhead and accused of planning a romantic assignation with an underling. Nevertheless, she goes to the park, only to find out the footman has been murdered. And more women have gone missing.

Petra is determined to discover what is actually happening, even though she almost loses her life in the process. And there is a whopper of a twist at the very end of the book.

Evaluation: Beneath the predictable Regency elements of this crime mystery/romance, there are darker aspects to the story not usually found in the genre. The Epilogue promises more to come from Petra’s exposure to and exploration of the hidden underside of Regency life.

1815, amateur-sleuth, class-consciousness, cozy-mystery, England, false-imprisonment, first-in-series, historical-novel, historical-research, historical-setting, murder, new-series, read*****

After something of a slow start it swung into high gear and thoroughly kept my attention to the end and beyond. Social history along with misogyny are the most obvious threads beyond the romantic interest. Convincing characters, clear world building, unusual twists and creative red herrings. I loved it! Hope the author is working on the next installment!
I requested and received an EARC from St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

This was a perfectly fine book, it just didn't work for me. I got into it at first, but I wanted richer characters and a less transparent plot -- even the hook for the next book was a predictable development. I was pleased that Petra's father turned out to be an ok human. I didn't find the romance compelling. I liked Petra's motley group of friends? Confidantes? Allies? -- I don't know, it's a really great first book, but it wasn't quite the book I was looking for.

Advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.