Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord - Historical Mystery Review

Goodreads: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord (Lady Petra Inquires #1) by Celeste Connally

Rating: Just Okay (2.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  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.

Genre: Mystery - Historical    

Why I Picked This Book:  The blurb called this Agatha Christie meets Bridgerton so how could I resist?

My Impression:  I went into this with high hopes but unfortunately, it didn't quite work for me.  At first I liked Lady Petra as she rather neatly avoided spending time with her dreadful uncle by using his snobbery against him.  However, as soon as she got to London the pace seemed to slow to a crawl.  I got to know everything Lady Petra and those around her felt and thought and believed because they spoke about it in long detailed grand speeches.  

Once the first murder happened the pacing did speed up a bit and I enjoyed the book a bit more though the pace did lag from time to time as the book went on.  If I really love the characters I don't mind a slower paced book but unfortunately in this book I just couldn't connect with any of the characters and felt like their personalities were fairly surface level.  The ending was okay though some aspects could have been settled a bit more thoroughly.  

I enjoy historical mysteries but this one just didn't work for me.  So much of the book felt dialogue heavy and it all ran to rather long speeches.  Reading through other reviews I am very much in the minority with not enjoying this book so there's always the possibility I was just not in the right mood for this one.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Maybe?  I might pick up the next book in this series but it won't be on the top of my TBR.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you love historical mysteries you might want to give this a try.  It didn't work for me but the concept is fun so it may be worth a try.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *