All’s Fair in Love and Treachery is the second book in Lady Petra Investigates by Celeste Connally, an absolutely charming Regency-era mystery series.
Title: All’s Fair in Love and Treachery
Author: Celeste Connally
Series: Lady Petra Inquires #2
First Published: November 12, 2024
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Acquired: from the publisher
*** Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books, for providing me with an ARC of this book for review purposes. ***
June 21, 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 3 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.
Another wonderful Regency era mystery
After the first book in the series ended on a HUGE cliffhanger, I was just WAITING for the second book to see how things progressed. Luckily, this book picks up right where Book 1 left off so we are not left wondering what happens or have to deal with a time jump. In fact, we spend the first couple of chapters watching Petra deal with the aftermath of finding out that her lover (and longtime friend) Duncan, was responsible for her fiance’s death. I remember hitting the end of Book 1 and just sitting there STUNNED, so it has been a long wait and I was excited to dive back in.
There was so much going on with two distinct mysteries to follow and lots of new characters to keep track of. I really enjoyed all the action that was happening and I wasn’t really trying to solve the mystery, like I usually do. I was just enjoying the ride and the ending was satisfying (no cliffhangers, this time!)
One of the things I really enjoy about this book series is how charming it is to visit the Regency era with Petra and the supporting characters. The details and environment are so well described – I could just imagine this as a TV series!
Lady Petra is a delight
The romance between Petra and Duncan is a sideplot that I really enjoyed. They are an interesting couple and I like that the romance part doesn’t really overshadow the mystery-solving – it’s a hard balance that some mystery books don’t really get right, but this one does.
Petra is a wonderful main character – she is independent, feisty, funny, and wonderfully suited to being a sleuth. Being related to royalty helps her move comfortably in power circles and gives her a bit more independence to do as she wants (or needs) to. I like how she has developed as a character and I really hope there are more books in the series coming up so that we can see more of her.
Getting the opportunity to learn more about other characters was also nice as part of the charm of reading any series is returning to familiar characters. Petra’s friends are a wonderful reminder of the different attitudes and treatment of the different classes back in the Regency age and I love seeing them defy that setting.
All in all, another wonderful story featuring Lady Petra and I hope that there will be more to come!