All's Fair in Love and Treachery by Celeste Connally Narrator: Eilidh Beaton
Series: Lady Petra Inquires #2
Published by Macmillan Audio on November 12, 2024
Source: NetGalley
Genres: Cozy Mystery, Historical Mystery
Length: 12 hrs 2 mins
Pages: 320
Format: Audiobook
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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 is the second book featuring Lady Petra, but I didn’t read the first. I do think I missed out a little by not reading the first. The author did a good job of catching the reader up on the relationships, but a lot of it had to do with wrapping up events from the first book. Petra has discovered her childhood best friend and current lover, Duncan, may have murdered her fiancé’s three years ago. Duncan, of course, leaves before Petra can confront him and she thinks the worst of him Why do women in cozy mysteries always do that? Assume that the man who has always been nothing but honest and caring is actually lying to her and making a fool out of her? In the meantime, Queen Charlotte has asked Petra to look into the death of the matron at the Asylum for Female Orphans. The matron was probably murdered and there may be a connection with a group of radicals who want to tear down the monarchy.
The mystery moves along at a good pace. It’s a bit convoluted but the characters make up for it, and I enjoyed the setting. The regency era is not one I visit often. Petra and her friends are lively and fun and determined. Her romance with Duncan is sweet and I like that he realizes she is not one to be left behind when there’s an adventure.
There are several twists and turns but in the end things are wrapped up nicely. I listened to the audio and the narrator did a good job with the pacing, accents, and distinguishing the characters. I just wish she hadn’t made Petra seem so whiny.
About Celeste Connally
Celeste Connally is an Agatha Award nominee and a former freelance writer and editor whose novels include historical mysteries set in Regency-era England and genealogy-themed cozy mysteries set in modern-day Austin, Texas. Whether the mystery is set in past or present, she delights in giving her books a good dose of romance and a few research facts she hopes you’ll find as interesting as she does. Passionate about history and slightly obsessed with period dramas, what Celeste loves most is reading and writing about women who don’t always do as they are told.
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