I do not read many historical romances, but this one was fun and witty! I enjoyed the characters and although the ending was predictable, I liked the journey it took to get there.

I loved this book! I am not normally drawn to historical fiction but the cover and description sucked me in to trying this one. I do not regret it!! all of the characters in this book complemented each other perfectly, and I loved the slow burn of Kitty and Radcliffe's romance. I can honestly say that I didn't see it coming immediately when they met, but was so glad to catch on midway through the book. I cannot think of anything that Sophie Irwin could have tackled better in this book!

I am going to have to politely ask historical romance authors and their marketing teams to stop titling books with “A Lady’s Guide…” It’s certainly more palatable than the slew of “The [Profession]’s Daughter/Wife/Sister-in-Law/Female Second Cousin Once Removed” in literary and historical fiction but it’s still confusing.

Anyway, this was a lot of fun! I immensely enjoyed Kitty as a heroine. The dutiful eldest sister shouldering her family’s burdens is an archetype that crops up frequently in Regency romances and I loved it here in combination with Kitty’s unrepentant, quick-thinking scheming.

Her character was well-drawn, I just wish Sophie Irwin had done more in terms of rendering the blooming feelings between her and Radcliffe. I understand that Irwin approached this from a more… reserved perspective i.e., this was not intended to be a novel of high passion. However, the romance was too understated for me. The setup was perfect—I love friction to reluctant allyship to love. And there were many things to enjoy in terms of the execution. The banter between Kitty and Radcliffe was delightful. I loved how they were always drawn to each other on the edges of the room and approached each other with full honesty. ("For a moment, it felt as though they were the only two real people in the whole world, sitting there looking at each other, while the rest of London carried on.") But I just wanted more. More frisson of awareness. More tension. More yearning. It wasn’t until, like, the 70% mark that it felt like things were really moving on the romance front, and even then, it was with a very light touch.

I think some of this has to do with Irwin’s narrative style. Her third-person omniscient narration gives an air of detachment. She’s clearly going for something Austen-esque but her observational approach doesn’t quite have Austen’s warmth, intimacy, and insights. Austen always brings the reader into her confidence like a friend. This book felt more like the casual observations of a tour guide. Irwin flits back and forth between musing on different character perspectives and it was sometimes jarring—it would be like “Person A observed…” then immediately “Person B thought that…” followed by “Person C wondered…” etc. I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been a bit more focused and had a greater depth of feeling. The ending had the kind of heart-fluttery tenderness that made me want to pause and immediately re-read! More of that please!

That said, it was still a spritely read. I kept wanting to pick it up again, which is more than I can say for a lot of the books I read this year. It’s a credit to the book’s charm that I still felt like giving it four stars even if the romance wasn’t as fulfilling as I’d hoped. I will definitely check out future novels from this author.

How fortunate that I happened to have just attended a local theatrical production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Ernest the very same week I finished indulging in A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting? I found several parallels between the play's snappy dialogue exchanges and this whip-smart, historical rom-com novel by Sophie Irwin. A wittily written novel - it's honestly (and this is bold and brash of me to say, I realize) what I hoped to get out of Hamnet but didn't because of its often too formal for me Shakespearean prose. Irwin did a fantastic job researching this Regency Era piece and still made it wildly accessible. What a breath of fresh air this debut novel is! Put Kitty Talbot on your Christmas Reads book list! I'm buying this for all of my girlfriends and you should, as well.

4.5 stars

Although the characters were well written and I like the authors style of writing, I have come to the realization that maybe historical fiction isn't a favorite of mine.

I’m starting to think historical fiction is just not for me. I found this book quite predictable and boring. Some of the characters were well written but unfortunately the chemistry between Kitty and Radcliffe was so stiff and flat for me! Maybe it’s just the genre? Idk but this was not it for me which was really dissapointing!

This was great! Sophie Irwin's writing stye flowed really well and was easy to read. I loved her characters, and I'll definitely read more from her in the future!

An astonishing romance that gave me all the feels. This beautiful book with a beautiful cover, has everything anyone could want in a romance novel. Go pick this book up.

A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting is a delightful story for readers wanting something just a little bit more cheeky than Austen. Kitty is on the hunt for a rich husband so that her sisters can have more choice in their futures. This becomes more difficult than she anticipated, especially once she encounters Lord Radcliffe. I enjoyed the pace and humour in the writing, and would recommend this for most historical romance readers.

I really liked this one! I loved the writing style of the author, and found her writing easy to follow. I really liked that there was quite a bit of humour in the story, but that there were also some serious moments as well. Any book that can have me laughing out loud on one page, and then really make me think on the next, is a great read for me!

I absolutely adored the main character Kitty. She was so witty and emotional and I just loved following her story.

Overall, this was a great read and I would recommend anyone who likes regency era books to pick this one up.

As a big fan of Regency romances I was excited to receive an ARC for this book. Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and author for a copy of this. This book was a very delightful read. The plot was a bit predictable at times but the character's determination and ability to surprise made for an entertaining read. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is an Austen or Bridgerton fan. Sometimes you just want to escape into the past and this book is excellcent for that. I like how the main character was not a simpering, helpless girl being thrust into the marriage market, but rather was a strong, shrewd, determined woman who dove into the situation with her eyes open.

I love a cunning, sassy heroine! I heard Romantic comedy for bridgerton lovers and was sold, but this far exceeded my expectations.

The plot had me engaged from start to finish. The slow burn was to die for. The characters were perfect. The ending was *chefs kiss*

This is one of my favourite books that I’ve read in a while. I recommend it to anyone wants a quick, entertaining read.

Rating 4 Stars

This is my first book from this author, and hopefully it will not be the last! This book was lots of fun, and I really enjoyed another world in Regency London that I could jump in to.

"I feel I must inform you that I come with four sisters, a badly leaking roof, and a veritable ocean of debt".

Kitty is off to the London season to try and save her family from financial ruin. She desperately tries to find herself another husband and Lord Radcliffe is hot on her trail.

I loved the interactions between these two characters, and I thought that banter was top notch. The slow-burn between them was amazingly done!

I somewhat enjoyed this book. I particularly enjoyed the humour laced throughout. I did find it redundant and slow in some parts but overall I was entertained.

I added this romance. Kity is a force, the family needs her to be married wealthy so they can live and make it. After her father dies and her engagement is called off unexpectedly she is on her way to London so that she can find a husband,

Kity has gumption and drive and I am her for it. Radcliffe is the head of the family and he is also recovering from memories of war and his father's death.

I enjoyed everything about this and I'm on board for this story. The hate between Radcliff and Kity is awesome. The banter is top-notch, once I started I couldn't put it down

Oh how I enjoyed this book. You have to imagine ladies seeking to secure a husband that is wealthy! I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it for a fun read.

A woman focused on saving her family vs a man focused on protecting his brother—toss in whity dialogue and let the high jinx and HEA ensue. Kitty is a strong female character and the way she turns the tables on Lord Radcliffe was not a plot line I’m used to seeing in regency novel. I found this ebook to be an enjoyable enemies-to-lovers romance. I think it would be a great beach read.

This one sounded fun, and I was in the mood for historical romance. But this was just, Meh. Not for me. Historical romance is a bit of a hit and miss for me. And unfortunately, this was a miss. I thought it was bland and lacked the romance I was expecting.

A solid 4 star regency read with Austenian vibes in its approach to physical intimacy. I found Kitty's motivation for "husband hunting" more compelling than Mrs Bennett's in P&P. Her sister Cecelia's inability to understand that Kitty is doing this for her and her sisters and not for love drove me up the wall. Lord Radcliffe was dreamy and I loved how they both played heroes in the resolution to the dual conflict in the novel. This book made me giggle, I loved the representation of courtesan work as real work, the class divide, and chemistry between the characters!

I wanted a book that read the same way as 2005's Pride and Prejudice crossed with Bridgerton. It was also reviewed by TJR!. I enjoyed the main character's tenacity that differentiated her a little from most historical fiction. However, I found the pacing and premise of the plot boring. We already know Kitty and Lord Radcliffe will end up together (spoilers?) but the tension and angst didn't deliver.