Review: 2 stars

Honestly, I really struggle with this novel. Regency romances were my first romance books and as such, this genre has hold a secret place in my heart. Due to this, I can’t help but compare it with famous regency novels and find it lacking.

For one, I can’t relate the characters. I find Kitty spoiled, willful and stubborn. Her character is so surface focus. Radcliffe, I can see he has a past but the way its displayed makes it a distraction and doesn’t feel well done.

I find the writing style repetitive and end up skimming through the book to read it.

There was some slight twists at the end but unfortunately not enough to save this book for me.

A LADY’S GUIDE TO FORTUNE HUNTING begins with Kitty (Katherine) Talbot being jilted. Her intended’s family found out some secrets about her late parents’ past.
Kitty’s plan was to have her future husband pay off the gambling debts her father left behind, save the family home plus take care of her four younger sisters.
Kitty must come up with a new plan to secure a rich husband. She and her younger sister Cecile head off to London to participate in the new season hoping to secure a wealthy husband and their future.
The two young women have just enough funds to get by for one party season. They stay with their mother’s best friend Dorothy who they affectionately call their Aunt. Aunt Dorothy acts as their guardian and chaperone as she guides the young women through London society.
One prospective suitor is found early but his brother the wealthy Lord Radcliffe and his mother puts an end to it. Determined to find another candidate Kitty continues to hunt.
During her search for a husband Kitty and Lord Radcliffe develop a somewhat adversarial relationship. At the same time they develop a grudging respect for each other as well as a budding attraction.
I enjoyed read A LADY’S GUIDE TO FORTUNE HUNTING. The storyline wound down to the expected happy ending and I was glad it did. I enjoyed Sophie Irwin’s writing style and would happily read any novel she writes.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for allowing me to read an early digital edition of this book.

Clearly taking inspiration from Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility", Sophie Irwin's book was a lot of fun. Kitty Talbot has moneylenders threatening to call for payment on her parents' loans, and she knows that the only thing she can do to keep the family home and she and her sisters safe is to secure a rich husband. With that in mind, she gets herself and her next youngest sister, Cecily, to London in time for the Season. Recruiting her aunt Dorothy's help (a woman with somewhat of a past), Kitty begins the whirlwind of parties, dinners, concerts and the like in a bid to attract the eye, and hand, of a man with a significant inheritance.

She falls in with the wealthy and titled de Lacys, and after a somewhat rocky start to the relationship, gets the younger son Archie to contemplate a proposal to her. Kitty and her family, though gentry, have no money, her mother has a scandalous reputation, and they are not what Lady Radcliffe (Archie de Lacy's mother) had in mind for a daughter-in-law.

Roping in eldest son James for help, they convince Kitty to set her sights elsewhere. This agreement is actually sealed somewhat unconventionally, as in retaliation, Kitty forces James to help her meet eligible young men through his family's influence. Of course, this doesn't go quite as planned, as Kitty and James begin a somewhat argumentative and increasingly flirty relationship together (which was fun to watch develop), as James cannot quite understand Kitty's desperation to find a rich husband. He keeps accusing her of being nothing but a gold digger, for which she rightly kicks his assumptions and smug attitude where it needs to be kicked, and gives him a dose of reality about the fate of gentlewomen without money:</blockquote><i>“I see. And may I ask, my lord, if the only reason you protest to such a marriage is that you think me a fortune-hunter?”
He made an eloquent gesture with his hands. “Forgive me, do I need more of a reason than that?”
“Yes, I rather think you might—I am not sure why my practicality is so abhorrent to you.”
“Practicality?” he repeated. “You would call it that, rather than calculation—greed—manipulation? I’m afraid it is these far less honorable words that I would use to describe you, Miss Talbot.”
“Only the rich have the luxury of honor,” she said coldly. “And only men have the privilege of seeking their fortune on their own. I have four sisters who depend on me, and the professions open to women such as I—governess, seamstress perhaps—will not keep even half of them fed and clothed. What else am I to do but seek a rich husband?”
“You are heartless,” he accused.
“And you are naïve,” she returned, her color high.</i></blockquote>

And, because this is still a romance, there is a happy ending, with the obligatory crisis pulling Kitty and James apart for a while before they can be reunited.

I enjoyed this quite a lot; I really appreciated the centring of Kitty's increasingly financial concerns as the story progressed. Her practicality and clear-eyed plan to secure money the only honourable way a gentlewoman could lays out the dilemma Jane Austen speaks of in all of her romances. Kitty's pointing out James' hypocrisy and unearned privilege also gives this story the more realistic feel I needed from this setting. As well, dealing with James' trauma from his war experiences added more gravity and gave him some added dimension.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Sad to report that for a book that sounded so fun and had lots of hype, this was such a disappointing read.

Set mostly in London England in 1818, Kitty Talbot is only 20 after both parents die. She is shocked to find out that their family farm in Dorsetshire is heavily in debt and that Kitty and her 4 sisters are penniless. It’s up to Kitty to raise a fortune quickly in order to save their Dorsetshire farm and finish raising her 4 sisters. Two of the sisters are 18 & 19, Kitty plans to send them to University but in 1818 attending university for women would have been rare. And Bedford College for women did not even open until 1849.

The quickest way for Kitty to obtain money is to travel to London, search for the richest available bachelor she can find, and marry him quickly. By the halfway point I was so tired of Kitty’s constant plotting, attending endless balls given by the upper echelons of society. For 80% of the book, all she does is go from one exclusive grand ball to the next in search of the richest man and then plots how to snare him. Her occasional snatches of guilt were eyeball rolling as were the continual repeated justifications of her actions.

At times the language used went from the old UK way of speaking to modern day. At one point her sister uses the phrase “I was just saying” as a statement. A girl in 1818 using such a petulant phrase was jarring and took me out of 1818, straight into the present day,
All in all a very disappointing book. I certainly won’t be reading any more by Sophie Irwin.

Thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Random House Canada Viking for my advance copy.

The premise of this book and the gorgeous cover drew me in but unfortunately, I just couldn't get through this one. I may pick it back up later and try again.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story was so fun to read. I enjoyed being in this world.

The premise was fun and I love an enemies to lovers trope. Especially when it takes place in the past.

I just loved reading this book so much. An excellent debut!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun debut! I absolutely adored the banter between Kitty and Radcliffe! I also found Kitty to be extremely likable, though she is looking only to marry a rich husband, I understood her reasoning and still found myself routing for everything to workout for her. I think all the characters were very unique and well written. I loved the Jane Austen and Bridgerton vibes as well! I can't wait to see what Sophie Irwin writes next!

This is the author’s first book and a very good read. It was funny and I really liked Kitty. She is a very strong character who knows what she wants and won’t let anyone get in her way. She is learning how to work the inner circle of the ton, and she is blackmailing the man who was blackmailing her. As I said a fun read that I throughly enjoyed. If you are a true regency buff you will note that the author uses modern terminology rather then just regency terminology. I would still recommend this book.

I enjoyed this! It was hard not to draw parallels to Bridgerton, but I did think this story stood on its own. I haven't read too much of the historical romance genre, but this makes me want to read more. I liked the characters, the love story, and the overall setting was good! It was also so well written, creating an immersive story that had me hooked the entire time.

Pride and Prejudice indeed. I have watched Pride and Prejudice at least twice a year since I can remember. I love the atmosphere and the characters. A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting felt like I was put right back in that world again. It was an excellent read. Loved the characters and the plot. It was different than what I have read recently. Very refreshing.

A very fun read for any Regency Era fans, I really enjoyed this. I really enjoyed the character development and enemies-to-lovers aspect. This was the perfect vacation read and I'm looking forward to whatever the author does next!

This was a very fun Georgette Heyer-style romance, with a determined hero and heroine, each trying to protect their family in their own way. High on witty dialogue, low on heartfelt emotion.

This story had a lot of potential, but I think ultimately it just wasn’t my taste! I found the beginning very slow, which made it hard for me to ever become fully invested in the story. I did love how much it reminded me of Bridgerton and would recommend this book to those who love the series and/or tv adaptation!

This book is Bridgerton for those who are turned off by all the excessive romance scenes in those books. It’s a fun, somewhat predictable (although you won’t mind) story of a season on the Ton, and perfect summer read. The story is lighthearted, the characters are likeable, it successfully transports you back in time to a more romantic era without being too mushy, what more could you want? An enjoyable read for young and older persons alike.

This was such a funny book. I loved the main character and her single minded plan to save her family. The characters were delightful and felt similar to Bridgeton in style. I hope to read more by this author in the future

Synopsis Below:
Kitty Talbot needs a fortune. Or rather, she needs a husband who has a fortune. Left with her father’s massive debts, she has only twelve weeks to save her family from ruin.

Kitty has never been one to back down from a challenge, so she leaves home and heads toward the most dangerous battleground in all of England: the London season.

Kitty may be neither accomplished nor especially genteel—but she is utterly single-minded; imbued with cunning and ingenuity, she knows that risk is just part of the game.

The only thing she doesn’t anticipate is Lord Radcliffe. The worldly Radcliffe sees Kitty for the mercenary fortune-hunter that she really is and is determined to scotch her plans at all costs, until their parrying takes a completely different turn...

Review:
BRIDGERTON VIBES!! This book was exactly what I needed to combat missing Bridgerton and waiting for season 3. I'm a big fan of Jane Austen, too, and when I say this book gave me Pride and Prejudice vibes, I seriously mean it. I felt like I was reading a Jane Austen novel actually, but with a lot less of the droning language. This book easily turned into one of my favourites and one I'll definitely read again.

I think one of my favourite parts of this book is how Kitty learns about herself throughout the story. She's rigid in her pursuit of a husband, but she's also rigid where it counts, when her family and friends need her. It was fun to see a Regency heroine interact with the London Season when they're not born into it. The high class is always sensationalized in the Regency era but I think bringing Kitty and her family into the fray made it more fun, especially because Kitty knows exactly how to present herself. She's devilishly clever and I love her for it!

A bit of a slow start, and I think the introduction of the male lead took too long to come about. Much of the opening chapters could have been told more quickly through a prologue and perhaps a few flashbacks/memories. Once the male lead arrives on the scene (far too late, in my opinion) the story gets rolling and becomes much more fun. The ending was delightful, and I would have been happy to have a bit more story at that end of things.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

A very fun read for this Regency Era, Jane Austen and the like lover. I knew early on how it would all turn out but that did not take away from the enjoyment of reading it. Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and Sophie Irwin for the ARC

I like this modern turn on classic novels such as Jane Austen's works. The attitudes of the character's rival Elizabeth Bennet. It starts in tragedy and ends in love, absolutely phenomenal.

YES. This was a great read!

I have been introduced to this genre through BookTok and I can't wait to read more.

I HOPE THIS IS A SERIES!!!!
I want to know how the other sister's end up married.