I adored this tender and soft romance, and I highly recommend it.

Sylvia is searching for a wealthy husband after her father’s death has left her family in dire financial straits. She enlists the help of Hannah, a local farmer who dreams of opening a cheese shop. Sylvia is ultimately forced to choose between her love for Hannah and the wealth and status that would come with marrying a man she doesn’t love.

It is hard for me to put into words how much I enjoyed this romance. The writing is beautiful on a sentence and paragraph level. I thought the author’s word choice and style perfectly fit the story. I truly felt transported to a small seaside English town and Hannah’s farm. I enjoyed the descriptions of all the natural rhythms on the farm, as well as learning about the artistry and creativity that goes into cheese-making.

Sylvia and Hannah both take comfort and hope in knowing that queer women before them have loved and thrived. It is a beautiful reminder that queer love has always existed and always will. Sylvia and Hannah also find support and acceptance from their family and community in a beautiful way.

This is the first book I’ve read with a Quaker main character I appreciated learning more about Quaker principles, such as the rejection of social hierarchy and the belief in the inherent value of all people.

Thank you to the publisher for a free copy of this book!

Highlights:
- sapphic historical romance
- Quaker love interest
- making cheese & searching for a husband
- tender & gentle romance
- practice kissing

This was so charming. Emma-Claire Sunday is definitely going to be a must-buy author for me going forward because she's 2/2 on absolutely adorable queer historical romances. I loved the emphasis on working class lives in THE FORTUNE HUNTER'S GUIDE TO LOVE, and Sunday's repeated reminders, just as in THE DUKE'S SISTER AND I, that queer people have always existed, always lived our lives, managed to find love, and to find each other no matter the era or the societal factors stacked against us.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was a sweet romance novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Such a tender and cozy sapphic historical romance! I loved seeing a cheese-loving-maker Quaker heroine gently teach a haughty lady her true worth. I love historical romances that center on common people and not all about dukes.
Quaker principles were newish to me, it was interesting learning about more of it through romance/fiction.
And now I really want to read the author’s other book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sylvia and her family have lost everything. She has no choice but to reluctantly take up a position on a farm on the outskirts of a seaside village. Hannah, one of the farmers, offers to help Sylvia learn the necessary skills. They become fast friends and hatch up a scheme: Hannah will act as Sylvia's ladies' maid and help Sylvia secure a rich husband. In return, Sylvia will help Hannah achieve her dream of opening her own shop (with the money Sylvia gets from the marriage). The problem? Sylvia and Hannah begin to develop feelings...for each other!

This is now one of my favorite books...ever. Not one of my favorite historical romances. Not one of my favorite reads of this year. One of my favorite books...period. The writing, like warm honey. It needs to be savored, swirled around your mind, taken in slowly. The ways in which this author blended ideas about nature, spirituality, religion, and above all, love, was a revelation. This book isn't interested in being a cookie cutter historical romance. It's got serious issues with the status quo, shallowness, and classism. But it allows the reader to meditate on everything with curiosity, rather than cynicism. It was BEAUTIFUL.

This story focuses more on the power of profound love rather than spice...making it deeper than most romances I've read. Selflessness, the choices we make, and the value of a human being are all ruminated on. I cried my eyes out towards the end. Such a moving and satisfying ending. I want this to be considered one of the classics, a keystone romance. This will 100% be a comfort read for me going forward. Emma-Claire Sunday is absolutely marvelous, and I hope, if you're reading this, that you give her a chance! 🥰

Trigger warnings: stress over financial matters

I'd like to thank Harlequin and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin-Romance for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Sweet and low stakes, this book was what it said it was.

There’s a richness to the tension, like locked diary pages fluttering open one by one. Romance brews beneath suspicion, and every twist pulses with emotional stakes.

The classic HistRom trope - pretty rich girl loses everything, is forced to return (without her jewels or gowns) to the “miserable” town her mother grew up in, and decides to find herself a wealthy husband - but this time the potential husband isn’t her true love, it's the coconspirator.

It’s June 1824. Sylvia Queensbury and her mother and sisters have moved to the “dreadful” town, Keene, their mother left to marry their father. Unlike that triumphant leaving, this return is hampered by grief and financial ruin. Their father has died and his heir has refused any financial assistance to the Queensbury women. No more gorgeous gowns, no more jewels, no more ton, just life in a small town near a burgeoning seaside resort.

Hannah Wickersham loves Keene. She loves her neighbors, (most of) the business people, her family, her family’s farm, and cheese, fancy, interesting, delicious cheese. She has big dreams to open her own shop right in Keene, serving her neighbors.

After the reality of their new circumstances wears off, the Queensbury women set out to find work. Two sisters end up in the kitchen at a resort, another gets a position with a modiste, and Sylvia finds work at the Wickersham farm.

At first, Hannah is not impressed. She can’t imagine a nob (no matter the fact that she’s distractingly pretty) will be all that much help. Sylvia can’t figure out what she thinks, but she does notice a lot about Hannah.

As the weeks go by, they become friends, they protect each other, they eat cheese together, and they come up with a plan: Still feeling desperate for her old life, Sylvia decides to venture into the neighboring resort town to catch herself a husband and Hannah agrees to help, in exchange for that cheese shop.

All the while through, Sylvia and Hannah are becoming more than friends. There’s a practice kiss, even more practicing, queer awakening, romantic walks, cheese making, late night honesty, afternoon delights, villains rebuffed, scandal avoided, and some Very Good ParentsTM.

Hannah and her family are Quakers and throughout the book you see how their faith grounds them in their community and how it bolsters their approach to Hannah and Sylvia’s relationship.

I liked Sunday’s debut quite a lot but I think she’s really found her voice in this book. Really looking forward to more.

Thanks to Sunday, NetGalley, and Harlequin for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really great sapphic historical category romance. It unites a cheesemaking Quaker and a Society debutante whose family lost their money upon the death of her father. Sylvia (the debutante) takes a job as a farm hand to earn some money. But the real reason she needs the cash is so she can marry a rich man. Hannah (the cheesemaker) actually decides to help Sylvia in return for support in buying a shop in town. So they're in on the fortune hunting together. Unsurprisingly, though (this IS a romance) they end up falling for each other while nominally trying to find a husband for Sylvia.

I loved Sylvia's slow character growth and the way Hanna slowly thawed toward her. This isn't closed door by any means, but it's not high heat, either. Definitely recommended! I read Sunday's debut last year and it was not bad, but this is a real step up in terms of emotion and craft.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

Having to leave London in disgrace and poor leaves Sylvia bereft. Then she finds out that she has to get a job! Working on a farm teaches Sylvia all kinds of new things, but most of all it introduces her to possibilities if she can stop falling into cow piles.😆

Emma-Claire Sunday gives us a funny fish-out-water sapphic awakening romance. At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to like Sylvia because she does come off quite spoiled and selfish in the beginning. Then of course the magic happens…after a few mishaps of course.

I love Hannah. I have never made cheese before so I found this process fascinating. I’m not a big cheese eater, but after reading how the author describes it, I’m ready to try it. Hannah already knows who she is and what she wants. She’s working steadily towards her goals and knows how difficult it is going to be. This type of attitude in 1824 is wonderful. There’s a line where Sylvia is venting about her sister, Violet, becoming a farmer’s wife and Hannah corrects her. Violet will be a farmer. Same duties as her husband. Everyone works the farm equally.

I have close family members that are Quakers (plus family from England who immigrated to the U.S. who were Quakers) and after reading this story, I am definitely going to look more into this religion.

The supporting cast is diverse. I hope there is a romance featuring Mary (sapphic of course 😊). Mary is nonverbal and Sylvia mentions how people in London reacted to her sister and the complete difference in Heene. There are also other queer people in town that are just accepted and not gossiped about.

In the background the author has the characters discuss classism and the encroaching Industrial Revolution into small towns. As I watch today on the news, another farmer is losing his farm that has been in his family for over 150 years to eminent domain to build low-income housing. The past reflects the future and Sunday balances this while still telling a cute romance.

I enjoyed The Fortune Hunter's Guide to Love. There’s lots of humor, chemistry, and mischief. It’s an easy trip to the past to find love and a happily-ever-after.

Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy of A Fortune Hunter's Guide to Love, by Emma-Claire Sunday. I loved this follow-up to her sapphic historical romance debut (and the little nod to book one's characters that we get on page in this unrelated, stand-along story!). Sunday's prose is gentle and descriptive and perfectly suited to this cozy homesteading story of one woman who desperately loves cheese and the woman who desperately loves her. This takes a classic historical romance set-up - genteel aristocratic family turned out by inheriting relative and forced to live in newly reduced circumstances turns to fortune hunting via marriage - and builds from there. Our fortune hunter suffers the perils of the hunt and must ultimately choose between love and status, but more than that, she has to learn her own worth, and who better to teach her than a Quaker cheesemaker who takes as religious principle the inherit worth of every person (even one as vain and haughty as Lady Sylvia).

This is one of few historical romances I've read that center a Quaker main character, and in contrast to the most memorable of these (Flowers from the Storm, by Laura Kinsale), we see how a country Quaker might have lived in the smaller, far-flung villages along the coast, removed from London society and its larger religious movements and more structured communities. We see Quaker principles reflected in dialogue and in practice, specifically the inward light, or inner light, discussed by Hannah and Amos as the foundation for her belief in the naturalness of her own love for women, the practice of (and comfort in) silent, expectant waiting/worship, the rejection of social hierarchies and a firm belief in the equal value of all people. As a Quaker, I loved seeing how Hannah's religious practice shapes the happily-ever-after, in particular, as it reflects Quaker ceremonies I've personally witnessed and participated in, and because it feels authentic to these characters and to the resilient joy of queer folks throughout history. I would note for Quakers that these characters do NOT use plain speech on page, as Kinsale's characters do, and honestly, I'm a-ok with this, because it's so hard for modern readers to contextualize it anyways.

I would also note these characters are young (19) and can feel immature at times, though I love how the narrative recognizes the inexperience of each and focuses on realistic character development. What a lovely story (that had me snacking on cheddar at midnight).

This one just didn't get me hooked for some reason. It could have been the writing style or something else, but I just couldn't get through it.

This book is not for me, though I can’t quite pinpoint why. It’s not the light-hearted book I expected from the description. I’m also confused about why the earl didn’t provide for his widow and daughters in the case of his death. The widow would normally have access to a dower house and be granted 1/3 of the estate proceeds for her lifetime or until she remarries. Beyond that, the book is well-written. I think I just prefer Regency romance that’s more aspirational rather than about people struggling to avoid poverty. DNF ~13%.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

1824, Southern England.
Sylvia Queensbury had everything. Had being the operable word. When her father died, everything went to her uncle. Now she, her mother, and her sisters are forced to move to Heene, a small town near-ish to Brighton, where instead of being fashionable tourists, they'll have to work for a living. She and her sisters have no skills - all of Sylvia's worth has been tied to her success on the marriage mart. The place where Sylvia lands is a dairy farm run by a Quaker family, where Hannah Wickersham dreams of becoming a preeminent cheese maker and owning her own shop. Hannah has a habit of falling into bed with the daughters of traveling vicars, and other young women who won't stay in town long, so when the spoiled Sylvia crosses her path, romance isn't on her mind. Sylvia concocts a plan to land a rich husband and in exchange for Hannah's help, she'll front money for the cheese shop. But maybe a rich husband isn't worth the cost of losing love.

I really enjoyed this sophomore book from Emma-Claire Sunday. Her writing has a sweet and gentle quality to it that I find really appealing. It's tender and full of yearning, and yet low angst. She takes an incredibly common plot in historical romance - that of a main character needing to marry rich to save the family - and gives it a queer twist. A queer awakening doesn't always work for me in a historical setting, but Sylvia lacks the vocabulary and experience to know a husband may not be her path to the love match she desires, and Sunday portrays her awakening well.

Don't mistake gentle for low stakes here! Sylvia believes her family's ability to eat rests on her ability to find a wealthy husband! But whole the overall gentleness is pleasing to read, the relationship slides from friendship to courting to love so easily you may blink and miss it. I wanted a little more of the act of falling in love, rather than the state of being in love. In the long run, though, this fulfilled my desires to see Sylvia and Hannah find their queer HEA suitable for 1824.

Generally a pretty cute regency romance. It's not very often that I find regency romances that center on common people and not the aristocracy. I definitely prefer Sunday's first book with Harlequin and I think that's largely due to Sylvia's character. She's a vain naive aristocratic girl who has been forced into joining the working class and that leads to entitlement that I didn't love. It's a very intentional choice, but I think that it's a type of character that's just not for me. I couldn't help but think of the dcom Cow Belles which has some similar elements. As a kid I hated that movie so I think it's just a character journey that has never worked for me. Sunday is still a solid writer though so I was able to enjoy the silly regency fun. I'm excited to see what fun sapphic romance she writes next.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Emma-Claire Sunday’s previous book, so I went into this knowing I’d get an amazing, quippy, regency era sapphic romance. This was a really cozy book with a great opposites attract romance, a quaint setting, and a small dash of family drama. Seeing the exploration of gentrification and how religion and sexuality intertwine was really fascinating and well done.

!!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