I enjoyed reading this book. I thought Kitty was a fascinating character. There are lots of fortune hunters in regency novels, but I really liked Kitty's reasons and backstory. And loved that Radcliffe knew what she was all about and ended up admiring her for it.

The only thing that Katherine (Kitty) Talbot could do to support herself and her sisters, after she was jilted, was to go to London for the Season and find a rich husband. With the help of her late parent's friend, Aunt Dorothy, Kitty and her sister Cecily, began the hunt for a suitable match. One day they met Cecily's school friend, Lady Amelia and her brother Archie de Lacy and Kitty thought he was well suited as husband material.. But his brother, now the Earl of Radcliff, thought her a fortune hunter and decided to make sure that a marriage wouldn't happen.
A thoroughly delightful historical romance with a feisty heroine, an arrogant Earl and snappy dialogue.
Thank you NetGalley and Viking for his e-galley of "A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting".

A Lady’s Guide is what a Regency Romance should be: witty, true to the time period and full of well-drawn characters. I would love to read sequels based on the supporting cast. The author delivers a superb story while appealing to all ages and keeps the novel free of sex and profanity.

Sophie Irwin's A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting is a lighthearted Regency romance, a la Georgette Heyer. The heroine is an impoverished young lady, who is responsible for her four younger sisters. Miss Talbot is well aware of the limited options available to her, but, determined to spare her siblings from the consequences of her late father's debts, she is determined to rescue the family by marrying into money. On the brink of achieving a proposal from a wealthy younger son, though, her plans are threatened by her intended's elder brother. Can she prevail? There is a lot of witty dialogue, as well as accurate descriptions of the unspoken rules of the upper class of the time period. An enjoyable read!

Kitty is a clever beauty who understands she must sacrifice herself in marriage to save her sisters and their home. She travels to London to secure a match with a wealthy man. She almost immediately befriends Archibald de Lacy but his brother James, the Earl of Radcliffe, sees her for the fortune hunter she is. For what she sees as practicality he sees as avarice. James makes it his priority to get her away from Archibald but, as she looks further afield for a rich match, she and James end up with a strange, adversarial friendship. Surely they won’t fall for each other?

Kitty is a very engaging character. She is quite upfront with James about her need to marry a rich man. It is quite the most sensible thing to do, given the family’s debt. I love that she is never ashamed of her reasoning. And that is reasoning rings true given the times and the circumscribed lives and influence of women. James is constantly amazed at what he sees as her greed but his honest nature forces him, eventually, to see her side of the issue. Their banter is lively and it is fun watching them grow closer without either of them realizing it. This is just a delightful read- I read it in one day!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not a regular reader of Regency romance, but enjoyed this tongue and cheek look at the "ton" and the marriage market in early 19th century London. The characters were well drawn, especially Kitty, her sister and aunt, and Radcliffe. The Archie storyline felt contrived. I cringed a bit at the trope of a middle aged woman (Lady Radcliffe) who imagines illness for attention...seems to align with the unkind and unreasonable idea that women invent and exaggerate pain and are "hysterical." Find another character trait for her.

Without exception, the very best historical romance I have ever read. Boom.

I laughed a great deal. I cried a bit. I was surprised by many turns of events. I loved so many of the characters. And I genuinely could not put this book down. I especially love that, though I figured out who would be the couple at the end of the book pretty early on, THEY didn’t figure it out until much later. And it was so clean and sweet and I just really really loved it. 💜💜📚

This was well written, very structured and simplistic. There is a kiss at the end and a profession of love, nothing new and inventive when it comes to this book, but still and enjoyable read.

A funny, lighthearted regency romance - 3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book, although the plot was fairly predictable and similar to others I’ve read in the genre. Kitty’s motivation to marry rich came only out of the need to take care of her sisters, and I applaud her scheming. Lord Radcliffe should’ve known better than to underestimate a woman determined to get what she wants.

Most of the characters were a bit over-the-top with the drama, but personally, I love that. Give me all the mamas with made up ailments, the backhanded compliments at the balls, and of COURSE the grumpy lords who think they’re above the drama of the ton. Anyone who’s a fan of Evie Dunmore or India Holton should definitely give this one a try.

I do wish we had learned more about Cecily, but I’m just hoping the lack of closure on her story means we have a sequel to look forward to.

Absolutely wonderful!! Kitty and Radcliffe practically smoke off the page in their banter. We shouldn't like Kitty, but she is the sister I would want to have. Kitty needs a wealthy husband to secure her home and have a place for her four sisters. Radcliffe sees her for the fortune hunter she is, but she makes no lies about that. Oh she is so charming.

This was a pretty fun read! I loved how headstrong and determined Kitty was. She wasn't shy about being ambitious in her endeavors, even if it did make her a potentially unlikeable "fortune-hunter." Radcliffe was such a great character and Kitty's perfect counterpart. I loved their back and forth banter, I only wish there was more of it! I would have loved it if the author had leaned into those interactions more, instead of giving us a summary of events at the end of the scene. I wanted to see Radcliffe teaching her manners, butting heads with her, and whatnot, in real-time.

This feels really close to a true historical romcom, I just wish there had been more of Kitty and Radcliffe on the page together more often.

Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Given how much this was being toted as Bridgerton-esque, I really expected it to be more sexy so I was a little disappointed when it wasn't. Once I realized that and adjusted my expectations, it was a quick read. I wasn't a huge fan of the "ship", but it will do.

I requested this book because I read a blurb describing it as a great read alike for fans of Bridgerton and Downton Abbey. I loved both shows and was excited to start this book. However, the book didn't have the same sizzle as the shows. There are many readers who enjoy a very tame romance, and I think they will enjoy this title. It wasn't quite what I was expecting when I picked it up, and ultimately didn't really hold my attention.

{3.5 stars}

I'll admit it Bridgerton has gotten me back into Regency era historical romance. I've really enjoyed recent stories from Evie Dunmore and Martha Waters who put a new spin on an Austen-esque opinionated women who aren't living their life for just marriage. Our heroine in A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting, Kitty, is not that. Her main aim is marriage, and one to a man who is loaded. She cares little for their personality or her feelings but whether she can save her family from financial ruin. Both parents have passed and she and her four sisters are about to lose their home. She has mere weeks to craft a way to save them. She and one sister head to London for the "season" so she can scheme and manipulate her way into the right match. She has few connections and boy does she use every trick she can think of to attach herself to the Radcliffe family whose second son is her initial target. When the eldest son comes home and uncovers her scheme, he'll do anything to stop it, until she blackmails him into helping her secure a place with a worthy match.

We see some of the glitz and glam of the Bridgerton-type season but get a different perspective as Kitty's family have some scandalous baggage and little wealth. I admit at first, like Radcliffe, I was quite annoyed with her gold digging but it's easy to see her motivations as the story progresses. Sister Cecy was an easier character to love. This one is a bit more scheme-y than romance-y, so don't expect a lot of steam or even much angst. I hoped for some more witty banter but we didn't get that til the last few chapters. Some nice girl power moments, my favorite scene is quite a jaw dropper when Kitty uses her power in an unexpected way towards the end of the story. A solid story but needed a little more in a few areas to be a shelf worthy choice for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for advanced access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.

This book was a delight! A must read for fans of historical romance, or romance in general. (There is a HEA but no steamy scenes.) Kitty has twelve weeks to find enough money to keep her and her four sisters in their family house after being left with her dead father's debts. So of course, she decides to head to London to find herself a rich husband. A fortuitous meeting while on a walk leads her to set her sights on Arthur de Lacy. Unfortunately, his elder brother Lord Radcliffe sees right through her and tries to put a stop to her fortune hunting. Hi-jinks ensue. Kitty can be headstrong to the point of almost hurting other people, but you can understand where she is coming from as she fights to protect her family.

I would rate this book 3.5 stars! This gives me strong Bridgerton Season 2 energy, The story focuses on a girl name Kitty who is the eldest with 4 younger sisters to care for when her parents pass from sickness, leaving the family in debt. Kitty has the idea to go to London to find a rich husband that would be able to pay off their debts and provide for all of her sisters. She ventures off with her third eldest child Cecily to stay with their Aunt Dorothy. The difficulty is fitting into society while having low funds and some what scandalous history with her parents that have passed. The story follow her attempts to break into society with the help of Lord Radcliffe, who she blackmails to get his help.

What makes this story interesting to the reader is that you can feel a tension building up between characters, creating a slow burn. Kitty is pursuing for money but will she find love during her journey? The last 1/3 of the book is where is becomes interesting and faster paced. There are 2 plot twists occurring at the same time leading to an interesting and adventurous night. The only reason why I give it 3.5 stars is because the first 2/3 of the book were slower as it gives more background and builds up the foundation of the story. The ending was satisfying and made the reader think finally it's happening! Would recommend to those that are interested in Bridgeton but not quite committed to reading all of the books in the series. It's a one and done book that encompasses the same time era and energy that you're looking for.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Publishing Group for the ARC!

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.