Member Reviews
Kitty Talbot is the strong female lead we have been looking for. In this slow burn enemies-to-lovers, we get lively banter, and laugh out loud moments, which make it an enjoyable story all the way through. Kitty has taken on the the responsibility of saving her sisters from financial ruin after her parents death. She needs a marriage to a wealthy man, and the single mindedness and no nonsense way of approaching the problem is admirable. Set in Regency London, Kitty is in need of introductions to the highest level of society to made a financially worthy match. When Lord Radcliffe meets Kitty he recognizes her for the fortune hunter she is. To protect his brother, he agrees to help her. While both are driven by protecting their families, they are able to find a respect for each other.
This was a quick read and I enjoyed it a lot.
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Viking for the arc.
This book was witty and laugh out loud hilarious. Let me just say, I’ve never been a fan of historical fiction, the few times I’ve attempted reading historical fiction, I’ve ended up disappointed. That said, I adored A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting. It was so incredibly funny and exceeded all my expectations. I didn’t anticipate loving this book so much, but it’s definitely one of the best I’ve read this year. The rivalry between James and Kitty had me rolling, and I love that they kept it up for the majority of the book. I love a good slow burn enemies-to-lovers. Such a fantastic read!
This was delightful. I haven't read a lot of unexplicit regency romances, but this was fun. It was easy to understand both where Kitty and James were coming from and I enjoyed their banter. "Enemies to lovers" is not my favorite trope because I usually find it tilts so far in one direction that I don't find the transition compelling, but this was really fun.
This book delivers all the pieces you’d expect from a period romance but with more. It has one of the strongest, well-written female leads I’ve come across in regency romance in quite some time. Kitty Talbot has recently lost her parents. As the oldest of 5 sisters and the estate in serious debt, it’s up to her to find a way to keep the family afloat and together. In her time period, that means an advantageous marriage.
The author embraces Kitty’s pragmatic approach to her circumstances. She does not layer on the sympathy for the character in order for readers to get behind her. Kitty clearly has one goal and while her disregard for other people’s feelings may make you wince, the character stays true to her mission, almost admirably. The way Kitty is written gives the character depth. Her flaws feel real. What she holds dear resonates. As she falls in love, it’s a deeper and more meaningful journey as we watch it change her. The book definitely has all the marks of the classic clean romance with a happily ever after, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the fresh new take on the independent female lead character.
3.5! I thought this was a delight to read. the premise is absolutely correct - if you're a fan at all of Jane Austen, Bridgerton, and anything else in that genre, then you will love this.
"If we are going to exchange threats," she said. "It would be better that we do it whilst dancing, so that we are not overheard."
The story is honestly pretty simple and so are the characters, and I thought that's what made this book so easy to read. I didn't have to think too much over anything at all and it was a mindless sort of pleasure to follow. so much fun and so easy, I loved the banter and the different character dynamics. There was always something happening and really enjoyed seeing how the mc would deal with the consequences. this read just like a tv show or a movie and I could envision everything perfectly in my head - again, because I think everything was so simple and so straight-forward that it was very easy to imagine it however you'd like.
A fun little story that serves as a great read if you're looking for something to cleanse your palette or if you're looking for a fun read that doesn't require too much thought! You cannot go wrong with this one.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for allowing me the opportunity to read this arc copy.
I do enjoy a good Regency. This one was a nice good story about a young woman looking for a rich husband. Kitty needs funds to pay off her father’s debt and take care of her four younger sister. She leaves for London.
I liked how Kitty was a no nonsense young lady with a no qualms about what she had to do to get a husband. I also liked how she took to task Radcliffe when he got too uppity.
I also liked Radcliffe’s character. He had his flaws but he was also a gentleman.
I loved how they sparred with each other whenever they met. It was like watching fencers duel..
Much of the world building was left to the imagination. The famous places of Regency London and the people had simple lines of description added in great ways. Someone had a mustache and I only knew that when someone mentioned it in dialogue.
I do wish there was more showing how they felt toward each other. I may have missed it if the clues were too subtle
Other than than that, I enjoyed the story.
Thank you again NetGalley and Penguin Group.
When their father dies and leaves five sisters penniless and in debt, Kitty Talbot realizes it's up to her to find a way to support her younger sisters and decides to go to London for the season to find a rich husband, taking her prettiest sister along. Her father was a gentleman who married his mistress and was disowned by the family so the highest levels of society will be out of her reach, but her late mother's friend can introduce them to the wealthy merchant class.
An unexpected encounter with one of her sister's boarding school friends provides an introduction to the family of the Earl of Richmond, and although Kitty realizes a title is out of her reach, she sets her sights on the Earl's younger brother and nearly succeeds until the Earl himself comes to town to expose her as a fortune hunter. They strike a bargain that Kitty will leave the brother alone and the Earl will in return provide Kitty an introduction to the highest levels of society in order to find a rich husband. What follows is a predictable regency romance as Kitty and the Earl spar with each other and develop a grudging respect that turns into something deeper.
This is a light frothy read, perfect for a rainy afternoon accompanied by a cup of tea and a scone.
I loved this book. Historical Fiction and Romance are favorite genres for me, and this book did not disappoint! The main characters are well-written and well-developed, with a firm sense of who they are for the reader. It was a nice change, having a female main character who wasn't a doddering fool and a male main character who was ascerbic and judgmental but changes his ways at the end. The dialog and chemistry between the two is wonderful, so fun to read, and the peripheral characters were all fun as well. I hope this is the beginning of a series for the sisters in the story!
Thanks to NetGalley And the publisher for providing a requested advance copy to review. All opinions are my own.
This is definitely not a traditional historical romance, but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit! Kitty is determined to save her family by making a rich match and James is determined to save his family from Kitty’s scheming. I loved the banter and the frank conversations James and Kitty had. And even characters I didn’t love in the beginning, I ended up seeing much more to them and liked them a lot; Cecily, Archie, Lady Richmond, and Hinsley come to mind.
For those that like their HR spicy, this is a “proper” Regency romance with just a few kisses at the very end. There’s some big drama near the end too that was a little much, but it was still very entertaining.
Was the plot the most realistic? No, but I ended up really enjoying this non-traditional take on an historical romance. And of course I loved the HEA (would have loved an epilogue even more).
Katherine Talbot, Kitty, has a problem. Jilted by her fiancée after the death of her parents, the looming deadline of her family’s debt is ever so constant on her mind. With the fear of losing her home and the family’s welfare, Kitty sets out to catch a rich husband in London. With luck and poise Kitty is able to catch the eye of the innocent Mr. de Lacy, who comes from a prominent rich family. All is well until Lord Radcliffe, James de Lacy - the eldest son, comes back. Caught in her scheme, Kitty is able to cleverly convinced Radcliffe to help her with the Season to find an alternative husband. Giving way to many comically and bickering moments between these two in achieving this goal. I enjoyed every interaction between Kitty and James. I love how exasperated he gets, ultimately resigning to her ideas and questions. Hilarious. Family is a secondary theme that I find refreshing as well. Most historical British romance novels tend to have stiff relations between family member and misunderstandings tend to cut harshly, but James and Kitty admit to their failings and display support so easily that it is not hard to love these two. Overall, A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting is a humorous, entertaining, and will make you feel all warm and happy.
3.75 stars
E-arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This story is about Miss Talbot, who is jilted by the man she was engaged to for years. Left orphaned by her parents, oldest of four sisters and stuck neck deep in debt, she comes up with a plan of finding a suitable, wealthy husband in London's social season to end all her problems.
She meets Archibald, who seems like the perfect man for her scheme. She also meets Lord Radcliffe, who sees right through her plans, and is also the older brother of Archibald. And from here starts their battle of wits.
Being a Jane Austen and Bridgerton fan, the premise of this book and the cover caught my attention. And I'm glad because this was a good, witty and fun read! Not like your typical regency romance but unique and enjoyable in its own way.
I received a copy of an eARC of the book from NetGalley/HarperCollins in return of an honest opinion.
This book is a warm hug you need. This is an extremely enjoyable read it a healthy dose of banter, grandeur, lavish regency era descriptions and decently well done character development. This book had undertones of Jane Austen's works, so you definitely get the feels. I'd say definitely worth a read for when you're feeling down. It's a very easy read and can be done in one sitting.
In A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting readers are transported to a high stakes version of Regency London, where recently orphaned and soon-to-be-destitute Kitty Talbot is intent on quickly finding a wealthy husband who will settle the family's debts and allow her four much-loved sisters to remain in their family home. While Kitty is poised and pretty, is she well-born and genteel enough to pull off this quest? To aristocratic James Radcliffe, who fears Kitty has his brother Archie in her clutches, the answer is a resounding no. Undeterred, Kitty faces each ballroom with focus and a feverish sense of time running out. Kitty is nuanced and layered, a phenomenally well-developed heroine amid a cast of equally riveting characters. Brava to author Sophie Irwin for a brilliant and enthralling novel--an absolute must-read for all Bridgerton, Heyer and Austen fans.
Kitty is in need of a rich husband-- she had four sisters to provide for, and a large amount of debt inherited from her father, so she sets out to London with her sister Cecily in order to find a man wealthy enough to solve all their problems. She succeeds almost immediately, in a chance encounter with an old schoolmate of Cecily's and her brother Archie, members of the ton, way higher than Kitty could ever hope to aim otherwise. But when Archie's brother Radcliffe hears of the romance he returns to London with the sole mission of breaking them up. Radcliffe and Kitty strike a deal: she'll end things with Archie if he'll help her find her way amongst Society. Radcliffe hates Kitty, angry that she would scheme so much to land a wealthy husband she doesn't love. Kitty hates Radcliffe, angry that he can't see that she'll do whatever she must to keep a roof over her and her sisters' heads. But over time, their tenuous alliance becomes something more, and the two realize that maybe the things they hate about the other might just be the things they're drawn to, as well.
I had high hopes for this book, and it did not disappoint. Kitty was a fun character with clear, admirable motivations, even if it didn't always appear that way from the outside. Radcliffe, too, was a fierce protector of his family, but his love and care for them bled through even his toughest moments. The book is definitely a slow burn-- one of the slowest I've ever read, and I LOVED that. The descriptions of the outfits and settings were great, and the characters were all distinct and fun to read about. I really really loved A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting, and can't wait to read more by Sophie Irwin.
I loved this book and can’t wait to read more by the author!
The main character, Kitty, lost her parents and has to take care of her sisters and family debt. She travels to London for the season in hopes of finding a wealthy husband with the help of her honorary aunt. Kitty aims high and constantly finds herself in ridiculous situations that eventually lead to a match. Is it the right match, is it love? Read this book now to find out.
Thank you NetGalley!
Fantastic regency romp. Fans of Heyer will adore this romance. It has all the makings of a classic Heyer novel but with a fresh new voice. I can’t wait to read more from this author
4 stars!!
Let me start by saying I absolutely devoured this novel. I love period romance, especially from this era, so I was incredibly excited to start. I ended up reading the entire novel in one sitting because I found myself unable to put it down.
I thought Kitty brilliantly crafted. As an eldest sibling myself, I was able to empathize with her quite easily. She feels real in a way most other main characters from novels in this era don't; she has real problems and needs real solutions, and she is relentless in her pursuit of these solutions. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her character grow over the course of the novel. I also just really enjoyed how a character in a regency novel was practical above all else for once. It's a refreshing change and leads to a lot of interesting moments.
In a surprising turn of events, I found myself incredibly fond of the love interest James as well (though, this might have to do with the fact that his name is James). Though stuffy in the beginning, his true intentions and self are soon revealed. I relished in the banter between James and Kitty; it was often the thing I most looked forward to in each new scene. It was rewarding to watch him slowly grow more and more fond of her as the novel progressed.
All of this is not to say the novel is entirely without fault. There were a few points the author attempted to make that didn't feel as fleshed out as they should, specifically with regard to classism. Though classism does play a central role in the book, there's only one overt moment where it's addressed, which feels a little clumsy and out of place. And I wish we had gotten some snippets of Cecily's side of the story like we did Archie's.
Overall, however, I really, truly enjoyed reading this. I have to say that it's probably one of my favorite books I've read so far this year. It's a quick-witted and fast-paced read that left me feeling satisfied, and also solidified my need to read more from this author.
#ALadysGuidetoFortuneHunting #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher of this novel for the E-Arc copy. I am rating this book based on my own personal opinion and was not given anything in return. I am not leaving a entire review because I read so many at a time that I physically cannot right now.
Sophie Irwin's debut historical romance novel is a breath of fresh air. A modern day Austen novel. I look forward to her next book.
I found this book to be light and very predictable which is sometimes the type of book I'm looking for, but it wasn't the right fit now. The book doesn't get into a lot of description, but I did find the banter is amusing. I think a lot of people will like this book and if you're looking for regency romance definitely give this one a try.