Thank you Penguin Group and NetGalley for providing an e-arc for an honest review.

After her parents' passing, the fate of her sisters is left in Kitty Talbot's hands. With an ended engagement and debtors breathing down her neck Kitty sets off to London for the Season to find a wealthy husband. Her plans are soon thwarted by an unlikely ally. Kitty must navigate the ins and outs of the ton and what it means to be a part of society.

This was such a fun read and kept me engaged the entire way through, which can sometimes be difficult with regency books which tend to focus on the society and rules rather than the actual plot. This book was beautifully balanced giving you all the information you needed to know about the rules of society without making it bland. Kitty's journey is entertaining and her wit is amazing! I loved reading about how she talked her way out of and into situations and the banter was top notch!

If you are a fan of regency romance and SLOW burn then do yourself a favor and pick up A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting.

A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin is an enjoyable debut romance novel set in England's regency era and follows Kitty Talbot, the oldest of five sisters, who is jilted by her fiancé after a long courtship. Kitty was only marrying him so that she and her newly orphaned sisters don't end up destitute. With him going back on his expected offer of marriage to her, she now needs a wealthy husband and fast. The house where she and her sisters live is about to be taken from them if they don't come up with money owed on it. She has twelve weeks to achieve her goal, thereby throwing herself into the London season as she tries to hide a secret that could ruin everything if it became public knowledge. With her parents are dead she feels the weight of responsibility for her sisters.

Focused on her mission, Kitty was assisted by her “Aunt” Dorothy, a friend of her mother’s and able to become immersed in the season. Aunt Dorothy was fun and honest, stepping in at times to keep Kitty from appearing a fool. The snobbery of the ton, the judgment they passed onto those of reduced circumstances, and how the men perceived women and their role in society plays a role in this story. Kitty met her match in James, Lord Radcliffe. They did not like one another and James had soon figured out her intents and worked out her schemes. These two verbally sparred, coerced favors out of one another but very slowly, feelings built. The banter between Kitty and James was amusing while there was almost no romance between them, until there was.

Ms. Irwin wrote a entertaining and enjoyable story that is not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with humorous escapades, clever banter, subtle chemistry and endearing characters giving Kitty and James a chance to fall in love. I highly recommend A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting to other readers..

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Kitty is the eldest in her family when her parents die leaving a pile of debt that threatens to evict them from their home. Just before the season begins, she packs up for London in search of a husband with a fortune. She sets her sights on one suitor in particular, but his older brother has every intention of thwarting her plans.

A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting is full of regency banter and wit. While the plot is familiar, it will definitely be enjoyed by regency romance readers and Bridgerton fans. I appreciated the focus on the effects that the Napoleonic war had on the returning soldiers, no matter their social class, as well as the social constraints women of the era were victims of. And while it is believable and satisfying that characters with these backgrounds would find themselves drawn to each other, I wish that the reader was able to see more of that growth and attraction.

3.75 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to provide my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pamela Dorman Books, and Ms. Irwin for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I was very surprised to see that this is Ms. Irwin’s debut novel. Her writing voice is that sharp and confident. She is clearly inspired by period authors (a great deal of credit is paid to Ms. Austen, including a quote (not the quote we all know so well, but still) from <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>) as well as the more formal of the recent regency authors, Ms. Heyer foremost amongst them. This is a clean romance: only a kiss is exchanged, and in the most general description at that.

Kitty Talbot is a force of nature. Having lost her (unofficial) fiancée, she decamps to London to stay with an aunt she’s never met in hopes of attracting a rich man to marry. She is unapologetically forthright about this goal. She has debts to pay, a house to repair, and four younger sisters to provide for, and she has every intention of accomplishing her goal. She reminds me very much of the sort of woman who, in her old age, will turn into the sort of terrible termagant all the young lords and ladies fear. Kitty is an absolutely wonderful character: as a reader, you vacillate between admiration for her ambition, awe at her ruthlessness, shock at her audacity, and support of her desire to provide for her family. At times she is hard to like but you never forget for long that she’s doing what she can, the only way she can. At that time there were really very few choices for women and the fact that Kitty accomplishes even part of her goals is a miracle.

Radcliffe, the older brother of Kitty’s “target”, is also a very good character. I found him a little less believable than Kitty, if only because he caved to Kitty’s unannounced visits and demands for help and information every time (I doubt highly he was so “sleepy” that he would let these inquisitions go on for hours as in the book). However, as a character who has the luxury of time and freedom of choice on his side, he was under no pressure and a good illustrator of the wildly different expectations placed on men and women of the time. Seeing things from his perspective was a nice break from Kitty’s relentless drive (as much as I respected it). He also brought a lot of the humor to the situation. Some of Radcliffe’s banter with Kitty reminded me of Bridgerton Season 2’s Kate and Anthony. However, unlike Anthony and Edwina’s painfully protracted engagement, Kitty is quick to distance herself from Archie once the deal is struck, and Archie’s feelings – it is made plain to the reader – were clearly more of an infatuation engendered by a pretty face and lots of focused attention than of any true attachment.

I really liked the focus on Kitty and Radcliffe’s interactions throughout the book and found the dialogue vastly amusing. I wouldn’t have minded a little more heat, but I didn’t think the book NEEDED it. The events at the end were a little OTT, and I would have perhaps liked to see a LITTLE more of the sisters in the narrative, but overall this was an excellent debut that I will have no qualms about recommending. I look forward to whatever Ms. Irwin writes next!

Kitty Talbot needs a fortune so that means she needs a husband. She also needs one quickly before she and her sisters are evicted. Kitty leaves home and relying on a friend of her mothers, attacks the London season. Kitty is a bright, charming character and her efforts to make her way into society and find a matrimonial prize are entertaining if not 100% believable. The writing here is very good even if the pacing in the middle is somewhat slow. A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting is a great choice for romance readers wanting a historical novel that focuses on story and characters not bedroom antics. A fun read and a particularly good debut. 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The heroine of this novel is a mash-up of Eloise Bridgerton, Elizabeth Bennet and Jane Bennet. it shouldn't work, but it really does. Kitty finds herself very much in the predicament of facing Jane Bennet. She is the oldest child of several sisters. The family fortunes are gone, and while, she would like to marry for love, she is practical enough to understand that the family's survival and a better future for her sisters is contingent about her finding a single man in possession of a good fortune who is in want of a wife- and quickly.

She goes to London with her sister to stay with an "aunt" in order to snare a man by the end of the season, and she sets about achieving her goal with all the intellect, sass, and unconventionality of Eloise Bridgerton. However. unlike Eloise, who is rich in her own right, Kitty has to hide her true self most of the time under a facade of Jane Bennet agreeability- except, of course, with the one man who sees right through her.

James has come back from the battle of Waterloo to find himself head of his family. He doesn't much relish this role, and mostly wants to be left in quiet to heal. However, when he learns Kitty has her hooks into his baby brother, he plans to swoop in, save the family name, and swoop back home. A fortune hunter should be easy to deal with after war. Right?

This is a fun HEA read where James must overcome his pride in his family and his prejudice against fortune hunters while Kitty must learn to have some humility in her understanding and not be so tunnel-visioned in her goals. If James and Kitty can manage that, they'll be as happy as Jane and Mr. Bingley or Elizabeth and Darcy.

With the fate of her family in her hands, Kitty decides to find herself a rich husband. She doesn't care about love, her only focus is getting the money her family needs. As you can expect, things don't turn out quite as Kitty has planned when she meets Lord Radcliffe.

This book was pretty predictable but the plot and the wit of the main characters made me want to keep reading. I enjoy regency romances with a mix of modern thinking so I had no issues with it, but some may think that a lot of things that happen in this book don't fit in with the era. Overall this is an easy read with fun characters and a great romance.

I'm not a regular reader of Regency romance, so I can't compare this in the context of the greater genre, but I enjoyed reading this. Kitty as a no-nonsense fortune-hunter heroine on a mission was delightful. Great banter and fun (albeit predictable) twists of fate and love. A bit slow in parts, but did keep me reading to the end.

This has some echoes of Pride and Prejudice, with more of a Bridgerton vibe. Squeaky clean. (If you are looking for steamy romance, this isn't it.)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for this honest review.

A stunning debut novel that had me hooked from the first chapter. This is every thing I’ve ever wanted out of a regency romance and have never found. The banter is spot on, Kitty is an absolute dream main character and Radcliffe is such a dynamic character. I loved the story building and how vibrant this world was. I loved how these characters changed and adapted with each new challenge that they came across. Overall, such a great read!!!

3.75 stars

For regency romance fans, this is not a new setup but rather a familiar and successful path: impoverished but beautiful young woman is determined to seek a rich husband, meets irascible artistocrat, clashes, but ultimately prevails.

But there are a few wrinkles in this one that make the ride enjoyable. Kitty's parents were a scandal at one time -- her mother was a "courtesan" and her father married her anyway, a true love match, but at the price of disgrace and being disowned by both society and his own family. Kitty's parents have both died, and she and her three sisters stand at risk of being thrown into poverty and losing their home.

Kitty thought she had a long standing arrangement with a local nobleman but is rudely thrown into disarray when he throws her over. She has a time deadline with the family's creditors, so she desperately contacts an old friend of her mother's and she and one sister make their way to London for the season.

It doesn't take long for Kitty to capture a few hearts, but her plan is spoiled by the cynical elder brother of one of her suitors. Lord Radcliffe is both appalled and a little fascinated by Kitty's total honesty about her financial need, and she manipulates him into helping her break into society in return for not targeting his naive younger brother.

A fun and diverting read. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review.

A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting is a great, light-hearted romp and unique enough to standout in a crowded field genre. I thought the repartee was actually funny (not just "I laughed out loud" review funny!) and it was all so tongue-in-cheek. For me, it has a strong Jane Austen vibe, but (and this is important) unlike so many of her contemporaries, Sophie Irwin pulls it off and pulls it off exceedingly well. It has been a long time since I've read an ARC I thought was so refreshing, and I have already flagged Irwin as an author to binge read!
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was a very sweet and fun read. Some of the points it made, about women's opportunities (or lack thereof) or the mental effects upon the men who served in the Napoleonic Wars were wonderful. It was also well-researched (a rarity these days), minus the use of the phrase "throwing a spanner in the works". The romance was fairly predictable, which is alright. I only wish that readers were able to see more of the characters' growing attraction to each other; more of a slow-burn and a growing realization than a sudden epiphany. Overall, fun book candy.

Recommended: YES!
For lots of laughter, for a delicious take on the regency husband-catching story, for a romance you can cheer for, for dramatic scenes full of tension (sexual and dangerous!)

Thoughts:
Y’all, this book was so good that when I finished it, I wanted to turn back to page one and start it over again immediately. I very nearly did, but I felt like that might be too ridiculous. The first read gave me the pleasure of discovering everything that happened, and I feel like my ensuing second-and-beyond reads will give me the pleasure of anticipating my favorite moments all over again. 🥰

The plot is pretty familiar regency, with a struggling family of girls/young women who need to marry rich to get money to live on (as that’s basically the only option for the time). There are definitely a lot of scenes and moments that lean into that common plotline, most notably in the fact that our leading lady is a kind of buck-the-system woman who goes her own way and is different, bolder than the usual members of the tonne. I’m all for that, so no shade there!

Where it differs, though, is in the specific scenarios they find themselves in, and the way some of the tropes and expectations are turned on their head. I found it super refreshing and really fun to be caught off guard by the way the story was executed!

I thoroughly loved both romantic leads, too. Getting chapters from each of their perspectives (though mostly Kitty’s) really helped with that as I could enjoy hearing each of their thoughts on an interaction and delight in seeing them fall for each other. This is a bit enemies-to-lovers (with some lowkey blackmail?) and I adored it so much. The romance is very sweet, and in keeping with the style of the genre, not a lot of physicality to it. It’s all about the T E N S I O N, babyyy!

Thanks to NetGalley and Viking for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review!

Kitty Talbot travels to London with her sister Cecily in tow, resolved to find a rich husband. With both her parents dead, it is down to Kitty to find a way to pay off her father's massive debts and provide for her sisters. Armed with nothing but wit and fortitude, Kitty enters the battleground of the London season, determined to snare a wealthy bachelor. Standing in her way is Lord Radcliffe, one of the few people in London who quickly sees her for what she is. Determined to protect his own family, and shouldering his own burdens from the war, James goes toe to toe with Kitty in the Ton's glittering ballrooms. As they spar, both find that they are in danger of losing their hearts along with their fight.

This book might be one of the best historical romances I've ever read. It is wonderfully nuanced, and explores how women were often shamed in the regency era for fortune hunting, even though they were fighting to survive and provide for their families in the only avenue available to them. Kitty is an incredible main character, whose fortitude inspires and whose sparklingly clever wit shines through in binge-worthy dialogue. Her chemistry with James, Lord Radcliffe, is explosive, and their verbal sparring was delightful to read. The conclusion to this book also had surprisingly poetic symmetry.

I highly recommend this book to fans of romance novels! Thank you so much to Penguin Random House's Viking Press and Net Galley for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An utterly charming and witty sweet romance novel. I found its lack of steam refreshing allowing the characters and witty dialogue to shine. Kitty is honest and irrepressible in her pursuit and Radcliffe is a grump haunted by Waterloo who is needled out of his depression by woman who just won't let him be. I was charmed by the writing and great storytelling - a perfect readalike for Austen and Heyer fans.

A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting is a delightful Regency romance about a young woman who needs to find herself a husband to secure the well-being of her siblings. Kitty Talbot finds herself in a precarious position when she's orphaned and left with her parents' significant debts. Kitty is very smart and likeable with a lot of gumption. I would recommend this for someone looking for a fun and witty Regency romance.

Thank you Penguin Group Viking / Pamela Dorman Books for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Hello! I liked this book, but the story and characters did not grab me from the outset. I thought Kitty and Lord Radcliffe were fairly typical Regency characters. That said, though...there is also something to be said about the typical and meeting expectations. I think this book was sweet and comfortable. I often tire of the frequent romances with sex scenes that are overdone or overplayed. A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting was a nice deviation. It was entertaining and a good escape. I was furnished an ARC from NetGalley. Thank you! :)

This seemed a bit by the numbers and lacked any real sparkle. The idea of a self-professed fortune hunter as the heroine and the wealthy lord out to block her was clever; however, it never really took off. The characters never became people I cared about and the story just plodded along. It actually was more like a book targeted for a middle school audience just being introduced to Regency romances rather than an adult novel.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

This is a debut? I am so surprised because it reads like it was written by a seasoned author and I mean that in the best way. She really did well with the regency era and you can tell that she spent a lot of time on her research. Kitty was so unique to me and I think that's another reason I had so much fun reading this book on top of the fact that it had me giggling to myself at points. I really hope Sophie Irwin continues to write in this genre because I will definitely pick up any futures works by her. Bravo!

Included as a top pick in bimonthly July New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

***

I went in with zero expectations and was pleasantly surprised. The structure is more akin to traditional regency and Heyer-style romances: 1) no sex, only a few kisses at the end, 2) no active relationship or confession of love until the end, 3) battle of wits dialogue that reluctantly turns into mutual admiration, and 4) the antics of headache-inducing relatives. Unlike Heyer, there is no on-page bigotry, thankfully (though the world is very white and straight, like most trad pub historical romances).

Basically: this doesn't reinvent the wheel for Regency Romance nor does it want to. I had a fun time, it was well-written, and I'll read Irwin again. What I liked most was the constant emphasis on money and the heroine refusing to be apologetic about fortune-hunting. Kitty is fantastic and unrepentant and manipulative — more heroines like that, please.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.