Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Lord Book Review

 

Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Lord

A Mystery

By: Celeste Connally

Publish Date: November 14, 2023

Publisher: St. Martin's Press/Minotaur

General Fiction (Adult)/Historical Fiction/Mystery and Thrillers

<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/e6b9dcafff342f5072f92e0c68111f657109fd2d" width="80" height="80" alt="200 Book Reviews" title="200 Book Reviews"/>

<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/9a41056d7201c045d3f9e5c161f9569494687ae1" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>

I would like to thank both St. Martin's Press/Minotaur and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

Book Review:

This is the first book in a series called Lady Petra Inquires. I have read the second already and reviewed it not realizing I needed to read this book first and that I actually had a review copy. Like the second book I enjoyed it and gave it 4 stars. Lady Petra's fiancé has dead just weeks before the wedding and has just announced that she will not marry anyone else. This doesn't go over with the society she is part of because it is unheard of. Her uncle has come to her father's estate with a possible suitor but before Petra is able to meet him, she receives an invitation to a ball from the Queen.

While at the ball she discovers that one of her friends has passed away. The footman for the friend thinks otherwise and lets Petra know. They agree to meet somewhere else to talk about this but before the footman can display his thoughts he is killed. This leads Petra to investigate not only his murder but if there is any truth behind his claim. She finds out more than cares to and finds herself in a situation that she will need the help of her friends.

What does she find out? You will have to read the book to find out.

What I enjoyed about this book is the friendships and the support they give her. I also like that Petra does shy away from those less than herself in society. I like how Petra's father supports her decision and believes in her.

WWW Wednesday November 12, 2025

 Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme is being hosted by Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions. 

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you'll read next?

What are you currently reading?

The Beat I Drum By: Dusti Bowling

Connor, best friend of Aven Green, tells his own story in this tale about overcoming the challenges of life with Tourette’s.
Connor Bradley is dreading the first day of high school. Not just because he is new, or because he misses his best friends, but because he knows the other kids won’t understand his barking and tics. Connor has Tourette Syndrome, and every day has been a challenge—from the mimicking to the laughing, the questions, and the stares. It turns out school isn’t quite as bad as he expected. Connor forms a fast friendship with a girl who also has Tourette’s and is welcomed into her accepting circle of friends. He also meets a special music teacher who encourages him to take up the drums to manage his stress and maybe get a break from his tics.
 
But Connor’s world is turned upside down when his absent father reappears and a bully starts to escalate at school. All these problems—with family, with friends, and even with himself—build and build until Connor feels ready to explode. Will a surprising revelation save him and help him find his beat again?

What did you recently finish reading?

Scythe By: Neal Shusterman

A dark, gripping and witty thriller in which the only thing humanity has control over is death.

In a world where disease, war and crime have been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed ("gleaned") by professional scythes. Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythes' apprentices, and despite wanting nothing to do with the vocation, they must learn the art of killing and understand the necessity of what they do.

Only one of them will be chosen as a scythe's apprentice and as Citra and Rowan come up against a terrifyingly corrupt Scythedom, it becomes clear that the winning apprentice's first task will be to glean the loser.

What do you think you'll read next?

The Survivor Wants to Die at the End By: Adam Silvera

Paz Dario stays up every night, waiting for the Death-Cast call that would mean he doesn’t have to keep faking his way through this lonely life. After a devastating day, Paz decides he’s done waiting around for Death-Cast. If they say he’s not dying, he’ll just have to prove them wrong. But right before Paz can die, a boy saves his life.

Alano Rosa is heir to the Death-Cast empire that encourages everyone to live their best lives, but he doesn’t feel in control of his own existence thanks to his father. And with a violent organization called the Death Guard threatening Alano, his End Day might be closer than he thinks. It’s time to live.

Fate brings Paz and Alano together, but it’s now up to the boys to survive the tragic trials ahead so no one dies at the end.

This book contains themes that some readers may find difficult.

Here Comes the D's

 Today's Top Ten is Books I Enjoyed that Were Outside My Comfort Zone. I have decided to do something else. I wanted to do books about veterans, but I could not find enough books that I have read. So, I have decided to do books that start with D that I haven't read yet.

When Alvin Limardo walks into P.I. Kinsey Millhone's office, she smells bad news. He wants Kinsey to deliver a cashier's check for $25,000. The recipient: a fifteen-year-old boy. It's a simple matter. So simple that Kinsey wonders why he doesn't deliver the money himself. She's almost certain something is off. But with rent due, Kinsey accepts Limardo's retainer against her better judgment…

Limardo pays her with another check as the retainer. It bounces and Kinsey discovers she's been had. She learns that he is really John Daggett—an ex-con with a drinking problem, two wives to boot, and a slew of people who would like to see him dead. Kinsey is out $400 and she's now in hot pursuit of Daggett.

When Daggett's corpse shows up floating in the Santa Teresa surf, the cops rule it an accident. Kinsey thinks it's murder. But seeking justice for a man who everyone seemed to despise is a lot tougher than she bargained for—and what awaits her at the end of the road is much more disturbing than she could've ever imagined.

Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.

Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...

Eliza and Graham are anticipating an anything-but-sexy, weeklong getaway to celebrate their five-year anniversary. Nestled on the Northern California coastline, the resort prides itself on being a destination for those in love and those looking to find it. For Eliza and Graham, it might as well be a vacation with a roommate.

When a well-meaning guest mistakes Eliza and Graham for being single and introduces them at the hotel bar, they don't correct him. Suddenly, they're pretending to be perfect strangers and it's unexpectedly... fun? Eliza and Graham find themselves flirting like it's their first date, and waiting with butterflies in their stomach for the other to text back.

Everyone at the retreat can sense the electric chemistry between Eliza and Graham's alter egos. But when their scintillating game of roleplaying ends, will they still feel the heat?

When a couple starts to feel like they're married to a stranger, a flirtatious game of pretend becomes the spark they need to reignite their relationship.

When Yale Yee discovers her cousin Celine is visiting from Hong Kong, she is obliged to play tour guide to a relative she hasn't seen in twenty years. Not only that, but her father thinks it's a wonderful idea for them to bond by running a food stall together at the Eastwood Village Night Market. Yale hasn't cooked in years, and she hardly considers Celine's career as a social media influencer as adequate experience, but because she's just lost her job at her local bookstore, she feels she has no choice.

Yale and Celine serve small dishes and refreshing drinks, and while business is slow, it eventually picks up thanks to Celine's surprisingly useful marketing ideas. They're quite shocked that their bubble tea, in particular, is a hit--literally--when one of their customers turns up dead. Yale and Celine are prime suspects due to the gold flakes that Celine added to the sweet drink as a garnish. Though the two cousins are polar opposites in every way, they must work together to find out what really happened to the victim or the only thing they'll be serving is time.

She’s off-limits, but he’s never been good at following the rules.

For the first time in her life, Clementine “Emmy” Ryder has no idea what she’s doing. She’s accomplished everything on her to-do list. She left her small hometown of Meadowlark, Wyoming; went to college; and made a career for herself by doing her favorite thing: riding horses. But after an accident makes it impossible for her to get back into the saddle, she has no choice but to return to the hometown she always wanted to escape.

Luke Brooks is Meadowlark’s most notorious bad boy, bar owner, and bachelor. He’s also the unofficial fifth member of the Ryder family. As Emmy’s older brother’s best friend, Luke spent most of his childhood antagonizing her. It’s been years since he’s seen her, but when she walks into his bar and back into his life, he can’t take his eyes off her. Despite his better judgment, he wants to do a whole lot more than just look at her.

Emmy’s got too much on her mind to think about romance. And Luke knows he should stay away from his best friend’s younger sister. But what if Luke is just what Emmy needs to get her spark back? Or will they both go up in flames?

Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering, though investigators have long suspected him in the murders of six women. As his freedom approaches, Bailey gets a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a hot, young influencer with a huge social media following. Hours later, Maddison disappears, and police suspect she’s been kidnapped—or worse. Is Maddison’s disappearance connected to her visit to Bailey? Why was she visiting him in the first place?

When they hit a wall in the investigation, the FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel’s help in finding the missing influencer. Maddison seems only to exist on social media; she has no family, no friends, and other than in her posts, most people have never seen her. Who is she, really? Using a fake Instagram account, Rachel Krall goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, where she discovers a world of fierce rivalry that may have turned lethal.

When police find the body of a woman with a tattoo of a snake eating its tail, the FBI must consider a chilling possibility: Bailey has an accomplice on the outside and a dangerous obsession with influencers, including Rachel Krell herself. Suddenly a target of a monster hiding in plain sight, Rachel is forced to confront the very real dangers that lurk in the dark corners of the internet.

Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster star of Megan Goldin’s acclaimed Night Swim returns to search for a popular social media influencer who disappeared after visiting a suspected serial killer.

A multigenerational saga that traverses the glamour of old Hollywood and the seductive draw of modern-day showbiz

When Kitty Karr Tate, a White icon of the silver screen, dies and bequeaths her multimillion-dollar estate to the St. John sisters, three young, wealthy Black women, it prompts questions. Lots of questions.

A celebrity in her own right, Elise St. John would rather focus on sorting out Kitty’s affairs than deal with the press. But what she discovers in one of Kitty’s journals rocks her world harder than any other brewing scandal could—and between a cheating fiancé and the fallout from a controversial social media post, there are plenty.

The truth behind Kitty's ascent to stardom from her beginnings in the segregated South threatens to expose a web of unexpected family ties, debts owed, and debatable crimes that could, with one pull, unravel the all-American fabric of the St. John sisters and those closest to them.

As Elise digs deeper into Kitty's past, she must also turn the lens upon herself, confronting the gifts and burdens of her own choices and the power that the secrets of the dead hold over the living. Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? is a sprawling page-turner set against the backdrop of the Hollywood machine, an insightful and nuanced look at the inheritances of family, race, and gender—and the choices some women make to break free of them.

Spensa has made it out of the Nowhere, but what she saw in the space between the stars has changed her forever. She came face to face with the Delvers, and finally got answers to the questions she’s had about her own strange Cytonic gifts.

The Superiority didn’t stop in its fight for galactic dominance while she was gone, though. Spensa’s team, Skyward Flight, was able to hold Winzik off, and even collect allies to help with the cause, but it’s only a matter of time until humanity–and the rest of the galaxy–falls.

Defeating them will require all the knowledge Spensa gathered while in the Nowhere. But being Cytonic is more complicated than she ever could have imagined. Now, Spensa must ask herself: How far is she willing to go for victory, if it means losing herself–and her friends–in the process.

The final book in the Skyward series will free humanity, or see it fall forever.

For a decade Darrow led a revolution against the corrupt color-coded Society. Now, outlawed by the very Republic he founded, he wages a rogue war on Mercury in hopes that he can still salvage the dream of Eo. But as he leaves death and destruction in his wake, is he still the hero who broke the chains? Or will another legend rise to take his place?

Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile, has returned to the Core. Determined to bring peace back to mankind at the edge of his sword, he must overcome or unite the treacherous Gold families of the Core and face down Darrow over the skies of war-torn Mercury.

But theirs are not the only fates hanging in the balance.

On Luna, Mustang, Sovereign of the Republic, campaigns to unite the Republic behind her husband. Beset by political and criminal enemies, can she outwit her opponents in time to save him?

Once a Red refugee, young Lyria now stands accused of treason, and her only hope is a desperate escape with unlikely new allies.

Abducted by a new threat to the Republic, Pax and Electra, the children of Darrow and Sevro, must trust in Ephraim, a thief, for their salvation—and Ephraim must look to them for his chance at redemption.

As alliances shift, break, and re-form—and power is seized, lost, and reclaimed—every player is at risk in a game of conquest that could turn the Rising into a new Dark Age.

9 stories from the hottest writers in paranormal fantasy.

1. A Questionable Client (Kate Daniels, #0.5) by Ilona Andrews: Kate Daniels guards shifter Saiman, less trustworthy than the enemy.
2. Even Hand (Dresden Files, #11.6) by Jim Butcher: "Gentleman" John Marcone, Chicago's most dangerous crime lord, fights water demon with defenses against White Council wizard Harry Dresden.
3. The Beacon by Shannon K. Butcher: Hereditary fighter faces monster that killed his father and town, with a little girl that attracts said monster.
4. Even a Rabbit Will Bite by Rachel Caine: Liesl trains the new Dragonslayer before she faces the last dragon.
5. Dark Lady (Vampire Files, #12.75) by P.N. Elrod: Vampire nightclub owner Jack Fleming promises radio to resident ghost.
6. Beknighted by Deidre Knight: Artist tries to free knight painted in real gold.
7. Shifting Star (Signs of the Zodiac, #4.6) by Vicki Peterson: Skamar, Tibetan for star, newly created tulpa, fights another vicious male of Tulpa.
8. Rookwood & Mrs King by Lilith Saintcrow: Vampire private eye is hired by wife to kill the woman's vampire husband.
9. God's Creatures (Kitty Norville, #0.8) by Carrie Vaughn: Cormac follows a werewolf to convent school.

Where the Bodies are Berried Book Review

 

Where the Bodies are Berried

By: Peg Cochran 

Book 10 of A Cranberry Cove Mystery

Publish Date: November 11, 2025

Publisher: Beyond the Page

Cooking, Food and Wine/Mystery and Thriller

#WheretheBodiesareBerried#NetGalley

<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/e6b9dcafff342f5072f92e0c68111f657109fd2d" width="80" height="80" alt="200 Book Reviews" title="200 Book Reviews"/>

<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/9a41056d7201c045d3f9e5c161f9569494687ae1" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>

I would like to thank both Beyond the Page Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

Book Review:

I just love this series. I gave it 4 stars. 

In this book it is close to Christmas, and everyone is scrambling. The farm is doing well and growing. The farm has opened to help the animal shelter earn some needed money by having a Santa available so the people can bring their pets have pictures taken and the money will go to the shelter. It ends up being a big success except Monica ends up finding a body. 

The body belongs to a wealthy man who was a big supporter of the shelter. He did have his downside and not too many people liked him. Out of those who hated him who actually killed him. You will have to read the book.

What I really enjoyed in this book of course is the family and friends and how they look out for each other. Monica is always worried about them and of course they are worried about her. They actually don't like it when she starts investigating. Monica just can't seem to stop because her brain won't allow her to. She wants to know why and won't stop even though she knows she should. 

The Christmas Stranger: A Short Story Book Review

 

The Christmas Stranger: A Short Story

A Food Lover's Village Mystery

By: Leslie Budewitz

Publish Date: November 14, 2023

Publisher: Beyond the Page Publishing

Cooking, Food and Wine/Mystery and Thrillers/Novellas and short stories

#TheChristmasStrangerAShortStory#NetGalley

<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/e6b9dcafff342f5072f92e0c68111f657109fd2d" width="80" height="80" alt="200 Book Reviews" title="200 Book Reviews"/>

<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/9a41056d7201c045d3f9e5c161f9569494687ae1" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book. Sorry it took me so long. All opinions are my own.

Book Review:

With this book being a short story, it will be a little harder to review because I don't want to give anything away. I did enjoy this story, and I gave it 4 stars. This book is set about one week before Christmas in a small town. Erin is at the shipping office waiting in line to mail some packages to customers. While she is waiting in line an older gentleman comes in and needs to have a couple of copies made, but he doesn't want to bother the cashiers for help even though he can go to the head of the line. Erin ends up helping him and he wants to pay for the copies, but she tells not to worry about it she will just put it on her account. The gentleman leaves but then comes back and gives her a stamp to pay for his copies. She takes it to be nice but doesn't think much about it until later on. After she has finally shipped the packages, she goes back to her shop and of course there are more to be shipped. She will take care of it tomorrow along with some cards one of her employee's needs to send off but she is in need of one stamp. Erin remembers the stamp the gentleman gave her and offers to use it but makes the comment about having to lick the stamp. The employee says not to use it and in fact thinks something is strange about the stamp and she wants to have it checked out. Come to find out the stamp is worth some money and now Erin wants to find the gentleman to return the stamp. This lends her investigate and learns some interesting things about this man. What she learns and how much the stamp is worth you will have to read the book to find out. 

This is a quick read and heartwarming.

Home Fries and Alibis Book Review

 

Home Fries and Alibis

By: Lena Gregory

Book 8 of An All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery 

Publish Date: September 23, 2025

Publisher: Beyond the Page

Cooking, Food and Wine/ Mystery and Thriller

#HomeFriesandAlibis#NetGalley

<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/e6b9dcafff342f5072f92e0c68111f657109fd2d" width="80" height="80" alt="200 Book Reviews" title="200 Book Reviews"/>

<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/9a41056d7201c045d3f9e5c161f9569494687ae1" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>

I would like to thank both Beyond the Page publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Book Review:

This is the first book that I have read in the series. The author does a great job in letting you know a little background of each character that you really don't need to read the other books. But, if you want the true back story you should read this series in order., which I will do in the future.

With that being said I gave this book 4 stars. I love the friendship in this book and how they stand beside each other during good times and bad times. I also love the fact that each character has a love for animals.

In this book Gia is confronted by a neighbor about how her dog is digging holes in her yard. It gets a little nasty, and Gia is threatened that her could get hurt. This neighbor has been nasty to several other people in the area, so Gia tries to shake it off.

To protect herself and her dog Gia has a security camera installed by a friend. Early the next day Gia notices something across the street and calls her fiancé who is a detective with the police force. Come to find out the nasty neighbor is dead and looks like she was murdered. This upsets Gia because even though she didn't like the lady she didn't want her dead.

As the investigation goes on they find out some not nice things that this neighbor was doing, and a lot of people would have like to have seen her dead. Who killed her and why? Too many suspects to go through. You will have to read the book to find out who did it.

Books that Put a Smile on my Face

 

Ten Books That Put A Smile on my Face

KODAK Digital Still Camera

A Summer With Great-Aunt Rose By: Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The Race: Life’s Greatest Lesson By: Dee Groberg

Bob By: Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead

The Girl Who Stole an Elephant By: Nizrana Farook

Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings By: Liz Ireland

Things My Son Needs to Know about the World By: Fredrik Backman

Pumpkin Heads By: Rainbow Rowell

10 Blind Dates By: Ashley Elston

Heartstopper By: Alice Oseman

Beach Read By: Emily Henry

 

Slashing Through The Snow Book Review

Slashing Through The Snow

A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery

By: Jacqueline Frost

Crooked Lane Books

Mystery & thrillers

Publish Date 12 October 2021

#SlashingThrougtheSnow#NetGalley

I would like to first thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

Maine innkeeper Holly White returns to sleuth another seasonal slaying in the third Christmas Tree Farm mystery from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.

Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Farm is going into the B&B business, and Holly White is looking forward to her new role as innkeeper. Even better, Mistletoe, Maine’s sheriff, Evan Gray, has deputized his little sister Libby to help Holly wrap presents for Mistletoe’s toy drive. But a cold wind ruffles the cheery holiday decorations when a new guest checks in: Karen, a vicious B&B critic, who could make or break the new inn. And the short December days turn even darker when Evan and Libby find Karen’s dead body in the gift-wrapped toy donation box.

The suspect list is longer than Santa’s naughty list, and local resident Cookie is on it, since her fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, a metal nutcracker that she gave to Holly. So is Libby, who recently moved to town from Boston in less-than-savory circumstances. But cranky Karen was an oh-holy-nightmare to lots of the townsfolk, such as Evan’s reporter friend Ray; Christopher, the inn’s former contractor; and confectioner Bonnie, whose Gum Drop Shop was a direct target of Karen’s scathing prose.

To figure out the killer’s identity and clear Cookie’s name, Holly and her friends brainstorm at The Hearth, the farm’s café, while her mother keeps them fueled with Christmas goodies fresh from the oven. But if they can’t put the culprit on ice, Holly may never see another Christmas.

Book Review:

This is the third book in a series. I gave it 4 stars. I really enjoyed reading this book. For it being the first book I read in this series I was able to follow along the story line just fine. There was enough information from the story to follow along and not feel lost.

This is about Holly who runs the family Inn on the Christmas Tree farm. It is the grand opening and she has invited a B&B critic for a week-end and hoping for a great review. This critic ends up dead and a family friend is accused of the murder.

As the murder investigation is going the farm continues on with the holiday happens. Holly just can’t wait around for her sheriff boyfriend to figure out the murder because she doesn’t want her friend to be in jail during the holidays. She goes out and starts nosing around. This never ends well.

This was a great book and got me into the holiday spirit. This also has great friend and family vibes. I now want to go back and read the first two books so I have more background on the whole town.