!!Spoiler free review!!!

As much as I love a good sapphic period piece, this was not the book for me. The pacing was a little off and I was confused in several places, then when it did pick up towards the middle I'd I'd inherently lost interest and wondered why I should even care about the characters or plot, much less the romance.

I wanted to love this book, but I just can't and giving it two stars seems generous, but there were some lines that made me chuckle and I made allowances that perhaps this just wasn't the book for me right now.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts <3


I fear I have to move to a coastal town and open a cheese shop now. In all seriousness, this low-stakes, cozy, beachy, sapphic historical romance was just the cutest. It centers a working class community seaside community that is trying its hardest not to be swallowed up by the neighboring seaside resort town. The FMCs are opposite in every way. Sylvia is a down on her luck, lady from the ton whose uncle has taken away her families wealth following her father's death. Hannah is part of a multi-generational farming family and just wants to open the cheese shop of her dreams. Much to their dismay, Sylvia and Hannah are forced to work together after a disastrous first meeting that left Hannah with a sour taste in her mouth.

These two hatch a bonkers plan to get Sylvia married off to a rich suitor so she can reclaim her status and also buy Hannah that cheese shop. Of course, along the way, feelings develop. Sylvia hasn't felt so much as a flutter at any of the men she's pursued, but she begins to wonder if that exciting feeling she gets around Hannah is more than friendly. I enjoyed their relationship especially after they began to realize the other may be their person. There's so much chemistry and trust between these two. I could feel their love story in the pitter patter of my own heart. The epilogue!!!! I will never be the same!!! Gah I just love them!!!

I look forward to reading more from Emma-Claire Sunday after enjoying both her debut and The Fortune Hunter's Guide to Love.

This was a sweet sapphic historical fiction quick read.

Nothing really jumped out that made me love the book but it was enjoyable.

Life can be hard when everything suddenly changes on one. Especially when one doesn’t want the change. When Sylvia Queensbury’s father dies unexpectedly with no male heirs, his brother moves in and Sylvia, her mothers and three sisters have to move from London and all of its high society events to Dowager Countess Ella Queensbury’s birthplace of Heene, a small bucolic seaside village. Having sold all of their belongings to make the journey to Heene, Sylvia and her sisters have to find work to survive….. unless Sylvia can find a husband among the visiting gentry in nearby Worthing.

This book follows the form of a Regency Historical Romance with a LGBTQIAP+ twist. It’s slow reading at first, but picks up speed towards the end of the book. I enjoyed learning a bit about cheesemaking while reading this story. This romance is a relatively quick read that leaves one with a good feeling at the end.

I want to thank Harlequin - Romance for providing this book and selecting me to review it on NetGalley. All opinions shared here are my own.

#thefortunehuntersguidetolove #harlequinromance #lgbtqiap+ #regencyhistoricalromance #netgalley

The Fortune Hunter’s Guide to Love follows Sylvia Queensbury, a former member of high society (the ton) in London whose recent loss of her father and his fortune at the hands of a greedy uncle has her whole family packing up and moving to her mother’s quaint and unassuming childhood town of Heene. Sylvia is pretentious, spoiled, and ignorant to the daily life of those of the lower classes and does not take well to a simpler, hardworking way of life. It’s no surprise that she does not adapt well, initially, when she starts working as a farm hand for the Wickershams. There we meet Hannah Wickersham, the daughter. She’s an aspiring cheesemaker who does not react well to Sylvia’s behaviour and attitude. However, as Sylvia expands her views of the world and her own values and Hannah allows another person to get close to her, their initial tumultuous relationship grows into so much more. Soon, Sylvia must decide with she still set on finding a rich husband or if her budding relationship with Hannah is enough to keep her in Heene.

The Pros:
- I enjoyed Sylvia’s inner thoughts as she comes to understand her attraction towards Hannah and accepts who she is.
- The easy way both protagonists and the protagonists’ families accept their sexuality was easier to digest and accept given how far from mainstream society they were.
- There was just enough angst and suspense to keep me around until the end without being too painful as more realistic sapphic historical novels can be.
- The midpoint between love at first sight and slow burn worked well for this story.
- I liked the backstory between both Sylvia and Hannah’s mothers (I even wanted a bit more about their history than was given, but I think what was included was adequate).
- Sylvia and Hannah had good banter and adorable, cheesy moments that were a joy to read.
- There was just enough spice for my personal tastes (but I understand that others may find it lacking).
- The resolution wasn’t super predictable and had me wondering how things would turn out up until the very end.
- Finally, I loved all the detail that went into the farm, the butter churning, and the cheese. There were also historically accurate references that helped keep the setting rooted in 1824, even if the dialogue was more catered to a modern audience.

The Cons:
- The start was slow moving and felt more dramatized than the rest of the story with Sylvia’s family’s fall from society.
- I could never get a good read on the people of the ton once Sylvia starts attending their events and intermingling.
- It didn’t seem like a clear line of reasoning to assume that if Sylvia married rich, her new husband would be okay with her giving Hannah money for her own shop.
- I was surprised Hannah acting as Sylvia’s Lady’s Maid did not create any tension between them.
- I would have liked to see more examples of how Sylvia’s charisma benefited both her and Hannah.
- Sylvia and Hannah’s relationship felt rushed at times with short expositions moving from one part of the story to the next. I would have appreciated seeing more in depth scenes once they start seeing each other.
- Without spoiling much, I wanted more of an explanation during the epilogue of how they came to be where they were presently.
- There were a few tense issues and typos that stood out but nothing egregious.

I received an ARC from Harlequin Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC of The Fortune Hunter’s Guide to Love.

A cute, quick read in the Austen-but-make-it-sapphic universe. Interesting FMCs that I was rooting for throughout. The town of Heene and its inhabitants added to the storyline and made it feel like the best town for both Sylvia (although she doesn’t see it at first) and Hannah. Male suitors that are gross and not worthy of Sylvia at all, but we know deep down she isn’t going to choose them. A decision that gets made nonetheless that could tear Sylvia and Hannah apart. But it’s all good. Happily Ever After loading for our girls. We love to see it.

Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for this eARC!

This was such an adorable little read. I ended up reading it all in one evening after telling myself I wouldn’t just sit and read a whole book in a day, but it really drew me in. It’s not very long, which is standard, and so there’s not much in the way of a structured plot, but it’s a very sweet, cozy, historical queer romance.

I really loved the characters – Sylvia’s family were well flesh-out and made me want one of those family romance series’ with each of their romances!

The people saying there’s a lot of cheese in this book aren’t lying and my dairy-allergic self was suffering with the craving for cheese the entire book, so I guess I’ll have to shell out for some of my fancy dairy-free stuff lol.

I really loved the friendship and romance in this book, and both characters were very compelling and sweet, leaving me with a nice, warm feeling at the end of this book.

This is a beautifully written sweet slowburn same sex historical romance. I enjoyed the characters' chemistry and their personal growth throughout. I recommend reading!

This is a very sweet romance with a class difference. Sylvia relocates to a small rural town after her family becomes destitute. She and her sisters are required to look for work. She finds a job on a farm. Hannah's family owns the farm. She also is a talented cheesemaker, and has a dream of opening her own shop.
I really liked both characters and I was happy to see them fall in love. Both of them brought out the best in each other. I'm also glad the author resolved everything so satisfactorily. A well deserved HEA.
Thank you to Harlequin for the copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

‘I think it’s wonderful, to question something for the first time, something that has been as normal as the air you breathe. It’s brave, even.”

I received an eARC of The Fortune-Hunter’s Guide to Love by Emma-Claire Sunday in exchange for an honest review. Here are my thoughts.


🧀 Lady Sylvia is used to the high life of balls and oysters, but all of that is lost when her father’s death leaves her remaining family destitute. Hannah’s life on a dairy farm is just about perfect, but doesn’t leave much room for her to experiment with the more complex cheeses she loves. When Sylvia’s family comes to Hannah’s seaside town, the two end up joining forces to help Sylvia find a wealthy husband that could help fund Hannah’s dream cheese shop and return Sylvia’s family to their former glory. But now Sylvia’s feeling flutters in her stomach she’s never experienced before and Hannah’s realizing maybe she wants more than just fancy cheeses. Can the two find a way to fund their dreams and also let their budding romance bloom? 🧀

I finished this book less than a week ago and it was my first book by Emma-Claire Sunday. That’s no longer true. Basically, I loved this low stakes sapphic historical romance so much I knew I wanted to keep an eye out for more from this author.

In The Fortune-Hunter’s Guide to Love specifically I loved the emphasis the story had on the importance of community and how those with the least are the ones who give the most. There was also some good exploration of learning one’s self worth and some great depictions of cheeses. Ya girl def was left wanting to read more queer historical romance while snacking on a charcuterie board!

If you’re a fan of soft and sweet meandering sapphic historical romances then I def recommend checking out The Fortune-Hunter’s Guide to Love by Emma-Claire Sunday when it’s released on July 17th. If that’s too long of a wait then The Duke’s Sister and I is out already.

This was a very sweet, low stakes historical sapphic romance. Sylvia’s family has lost all of their money and status in society after the death of her father. When they have to move to her mother’s childhood small town she meets Hannah, a local farmer and cheesemaker. Initially they don’t get along, but once they start becoming friendly will other emotions get involved as well?

I had a good time reading this. I liked seeing Sylvia’s journey of learning to have to fend for herself now that she doesn’t have money and servants anymore. She ends up learning so much through her interactions with Hannah. I also enjoyed Hannah’s story about learning to let herself want someone for the long haul instead of just having quick flings. Emma-Claire Sunday’s writing was beautiful, I really enjoyed the descriptions of Sylvia understanding what her feelings for Hannah were.

For the most part this is a pretty breezy, low stakes read. Which doesn’t always work for me in queer historical romances. Because it can sometimes feel like it’s ignoring harsh realities of the time period. So while I did really enjoy the book, there were also times where I was left feeling like things were just a bit too easy for the characters. But overall this was a nice queer romance with good chemistry and excellent character development.

In the early 1800s, Lady Sylvia’s family loses everything after the loss of her father. Sylvia is used to life in society, and her life is uprooted when her family has to suddenly leave London and move to the seaside town that her mother grew up in. She devises a plan - meet an eligible bachelor at a ball & get engaged, and she’ll have her old life back. Easy enough, right?

Sylvia finds herself working on a farm, alongside Hannah, the cheesemaker. What starts off as a scheme to benefit both women in the future, turns into something more. Will Sylvia follow through with her plans, or will she follow her heart?

The Fortune Hunter’s Guide to Love is great for fans of Bridgerton, but with a sapphic twist. It’s a cute romance story full of cheese (literally), but it’s definitely not habanero cheddar. It’s more of a mild cheddar, with minimal, but pleasingly descriptive spice. I anticipated the sapphic scenes to be a little bit more frequent and of a higher intensity in a Harlequin novel. Overall. It was a cute, feel good lesbian love story, but I don’t think it will win a Pulitzer.

Now I am not well-read when it comes to historical romance, but I know my sapphic books. This book was a great way to dip my toe into a new genre, and what a great choice that was. The inciting incident can be boiled down to if the Bennet family had got evicted by their cousin and fell in love with a hardworking woman. All the characters had clear defined goals outside of their romantic counterpart making them well-rounded characters. Overall, this was a great read and super fun time (especially for a novice to the genre).
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

rating — 3.5 out of 5 stars.

historical romances are a comfort read for me for a reason — they’re so dependable and familiar, like a favorite blanket. when i’m looking for a quick, sweet read, they’re exactly what i reach for, and this falls right in line with my expectations. as a bonus, it’s sapphic! i’m really grateful to see more sapphic entries in the world of historical romance.

the development of the romance was a bit quick for me, but to be fair, that’s pretty much a staple of the genre. i personally prefer more of a slow burn, but the romance was still believable. i enjoyed the fact that this involved characters not from the ton, which isn’t as commonly seen from stories like these. it gave it a different flavor, and i liked it! i’ll definitely be picking up this author’s debut after reading this one.

really cute historical sapphic romance!

i will admit at first i didn’t like sylvia. she did seem very stuck up to me. but throughout the book i ended up liking her more as her character she grew.

there is a constant change of pov within a singular chapter which can be a bit confusing but this book was good enough for me to continue to push through and see their happy ending!

After her father's death, Sylvia and her mother and sisters are disinherited and move back to her mother's hometown, but Sylvia is determined to get back to the sparkle of high society where she belongs. Hannah, a dairy farmer, longs to open her own specialty cheese shop, but she can't afford the rising rent on a store now that the upper class has discovered her seaside town's potential as a vacation spot. The two strike a bargain: with Hannah's help, Sylvia will find a rich husband, rescue her family from the working class, and fund Hannah's cheese-filled dreams. But things don't quite work out the way Sylvia planned...

I kept getting snagged on the reason Sylvia's in this predicament in the first place. With four daughters by a wife who brought no dowry, you'd think her father would have been on top of setting some money aside to support them. There are things he could've done even if the estate was entailed to a male heir. And even setting that aside, the uncle claiming everything and kicking his nieces out penniless seemed a little over the top. He was a plot device to get Sylvia out of the aristocracy, and he never got any comeuppance for being such a jerk, which was a little unsatisfying.

Once the plot logistics were out of the way, I really enjoyed the romance as well as the setting in a working-class town. The spice level was odd: a few good kisses and only one spicy scene, then basically closed-door for the rest of the book. I think it could have used a bit more spice (or, alternately, a little less spice in that one scene) just to have consistency. From a character perspective, I was deeply on board with Hannah's cheese obsession and rooting for her throughout; Sylvia was less compelling as a character, but it was still satisfying to see her get her act together. Overall, an enjoyable beach read of a book.

I received an advance copy of this book for my honest review. Thank you to the author and NetGalley.

3.5 ⭐️ Pretty low stakes, Sylvia was hard to like throughout the story with how naive and selfish she was. I would’ve liked more of a detailed epilogue when it came to certain situation with a business (don’t want to spoil)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

This was a such a fun little novel! I loved that we got to see a working-class Regency romance -- so many are so focused on the upper classes that they completely miss the chance to work through social issues, which isn't that the whole point of a historical romance? Sunday's latest absolutely does so, while still delivering a sweet love story. My only complaint is that I wish there were a bit more character work -- the chemistry didn't feel quite there for me, and I wish Sylvia had been a little more developed.

Overall, a fun & diverting way to spend a few afternoons!! I will definitely recommend to patrons and friends.