This really is delightful, a breath of fresh air, as Kitty battles to find a wealthy husband to save her family of four sisters from disgrace and penury in Regency England. Kitty is a great character. She knows what she wants and out of necessity she will get it but she does it in such a manner that we are cheering for her from the beginning. True to such romances, we know how the end will be but it is a most agreeable journey.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting ahead of its publication. I'd immediately recommend it to fans of historical romance, especially given its current Bridgerton inspired rise in popularity. It's worth noting though that this is more of a traditional historical romance - no secret tryst's in the orange grove to be found here. What is within the book though, is a fun enemies to lovers romance between a very rich lord trying to protect his family, and a young woman desperately trying to save hers from financial ruin.

However, it doesn't get a full 5 stars as there were times when I wish there'd been more moments between Kitty and the Lord. The romance was there, of course, and you could see it coming a mile off - which i've no problem with - but I would have enjoyed more moments where they come close to each other, quiet moments that build tension. Instead, it's all just a bit of a sudden rush at the end. I was 3/4 of the way through wondering 'how long is this book??' as there hadn't been much in the way of those little romantic moments we all know and love in this historical romance community.

This is Pride and Prejudice with different names, and more humour.
However, it is an enjoyable read, Kitty and Radcliffe are fun with their constant arguments, and Cecily and Aunt Dorothy are great.

I found this novel perfect escapism. Exquisitely written, Irwin skilfully transports the reader into Regency England, where the lead protagonist Kitty must ensnare a rich husband to keep her family from ruin. Through cleverness and charm, the indomitable Kitty manages to get herself and her sister invited to High Society balls and club rooms, where she encounters admiring suitors but also blatant hypocrisy which she must challenge. Reminiscent of Jane Austen, clever, wry humour guides the narrative but, unlike the classic novels, our heroine is less frustratingly (to the modern reader) passive. Of course the ending is predictable, but not in a bad way, more like a favourite dish which you know will please. Highly recommended.

Such a fun, easy and well paced read. Perfect escapism and is sure to be popular with fans of historical romance.

A well written if somewhat predictable story but then i don't think I'm really the target audience for historical romance stories.

If you enjoy Bridgerton then I suspect this is a book you'd have pleasure in reading.

Need some escapist, regency rom-com to fill the void after binging Bridgerton? Look no further than Sophie Irwin’s A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman, who has lost her parents and been jilted by her fiancé, must be in want of an even wealthier husband. Kitty Talbot, our witty, headstrong (but morally grey) protagonist, is determined to find one, using the 12 week season of the London marriage market as a way to bag herself a wealthy man and in turn use him to pay off her late father’s debts and save her sisters from a life of poverty. Despite being a woman in a man’s world, she attempts to scheme and manipulate her way to the top of London society, seemingly finding her perfect mark in Archie. However, his older brother Lord Radcliffe isn't about to let that happen, and is rightly suspicious of Kitty’s motives.

What follows is a fun tale with comic and engaging prose, battle of wits dialogue, slow burn regency romance and a ruthless heroine that readers of Jane Austen and Julia Quinn will undoubtedly enjoy. The lack of spice will perhaps appeal to younger readers, and having a female lead who isn’t afraid to do what it takes to save her family (and is unapologetic about this) is refreshing to see.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the e-ARC.

The plot was totally up my alley , for I love light, regency era romances.

It's the era of Bridgertonesque romances after all, but Bridgerton did this exact same story first and better.

Elder siblings who are unhappy with their younger siblings potential love interest? Check.
Lead characters who get in each others' way and try to make things harder for the other? Check.
Also the same characters hiding a secret longing for each other? Check.

A few moments of genuine humor and some witty lines shine , where the author's enjoyment in writing them is palpable. These were however few and far between.

The story starts off pretty blandly and you don't care for Kitty or her sisters right away. Neither do they succeed in developing you interest in them, for they stick to predictable roles. Kitty is chalked up to be a responsible sister but is completely vanilla, Cecily is pushed into a bookish, boring stereotype.
Any real skirmish that could add interest is also solved just before it happens, keeping the characters safe and the story - boring.It is as if the author is scared to let her characters have some real trials.

We already know who Kitty is going to end up with just from the book blurb, so more effort should have gone into making their journey from enemies to lovers exciting. They suddenly have feelings for each other, with not much happening between them to make this transition believable.

I read an ARC , so there were quite a few grammatical errors, typos and character mix ups which may be fixed in the final copy. There were some french phrases and words thrown in randomly; in some places they didn't mean what the context required them to mean.. (ex: 'Fait accompli')

There's a good, light read somewhere in there, if only the characters were fleshed out better. 2.5 Stars if Goodreads would allow it.




[I read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

3.5*
Calling Kanthony fans!

That was such a unique premise with an unflinching heroine

Here you will find-

-A gold digger heroine who knows that the only way to keep her sisters afloat is to net a wealthy husband of the ton. She takes London by the storm with her whip sharp wits and cunning.

-A lord desperate to protect his naive brother from a loveless marriage

- True enemies whose grudging mutual respect turns into yearning

- Sisterhood and love.
Recommended

FTC

I think a lot of people will enjoy this book, especially with the hype around Bridgerton at the moment but unfortunately this just didn’t grip me. I didn’t particularly like the characters.

Meet Kitty Talbot. With both of her parents dead and a huge debt that needs paying off by June, Kitty has a problem. A problem made worse by the local squires son throwing her over in favour of a richer and more well connected lady. So Kitty does what any one would have done in her shoes - she goes to London with her sister Cecily, leaving her other three sisters at home, as she plans to capture a wealthy husband.

Kitty and Cecily stay with a friend of her mothers, known to the girls as Aunt Dorothy, and here they are introduced to the very fringes of society - except these potential husbands won't suit Kitty as they have fortunes of only £2000 per year and that just isn't enough! So, whilst walking in the park one day, Kitty 'accidentally' loses a shoe right in front of Mr Archibald De Lacy - the very eligible and very wealthy younger brother of Lord James Radcliffe. As fortune would have it, Cecily and Archie's sister are already acquainted having met at school years before, so Kitty and Cecily find they have an easy way into the De Lacy's company. But for the imperious Dowager Countess, who is deeply concerned at the growing attachment between Archie and Kitty, this just won't do.

Enter Lord Radcliffe, chivvied out of his country seat and back to London by letters first from his mother and then from his brother. Having been off the London scene since he returned from Waterloo, Lord Radcliffe vows to put a stop to the connection between his brother and Kitty, as he recognises her to be a fortune hunter from their very first meeting. Visiting Kitty alone at Aunt Dorothy's he lays out all his reasons why they can't be connected - from her very obvious lack of romantic feelings for Archie, to her mother being a former courtesan. Kitty refuses to relinquish her attachment and threatens to ruin the De Lacy name, so to rid himself of her, Lord Radcliffe instead promises to introduce her into high society and help her snare a rich husband.

And this is where I have my problem. There is no way in hell that someone of Kitty's social standing would be introduced and accepted into High Society without a question. All of the reservations that the De Lacy's have about her past would be discovered by anyone else that she was hoping to be connected to - even the squire's family had discovered the secret of her mothers past and forced their son to break his connection with her. What follows is a whirlwind of social engagements that appear to take place over four to six weeks, with Kitty being romantically connected to several well to do men who gradually fall by the wayside until she is left with the choice of two: A young man who is in love with someone else but too shy to speak to her, and an older man still very much tied to his mothers apron strings and who Kitty finds to be incredibly dull - however, she must secure a proposal before the season finishes and she loses her family home.

Thrown into this mix is a bad character that Archie gets involved with who leads him into a world of gambling that can only end in his ruin (Kitty rescues him from this in a most ridiculous scene), and Kitty's sister Cecily eloping with Lord Montagu (Lord Radcliffe rescues Cecily from this in an equally ridiculous scene) and we are being lead towards the very obvious ending that was always coming from the second Kitty met Lord Radcliffe.

Formulaic and dull, the characters are two dimensional and have far to many very obvious similarities to Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy. Kitty is not a character I could sympathise with and I didn't find her appealing or sympathetic in anyway shape or form. Her sister Cecily is dull and boring and really quite irritating. There are too many similarities to Pride and Prejudice - the characters dance together and chat while dancing, he is proud and haughty, she has fine eyes, her station in life is below his and this vexes him, she is a gentleman's daughter (granted her father was a gentleman but he did marry a courtesan and was drummed out of London by the scandal), he is described as proud with too much prejudice, her sister elopes and he rescues her etc etc and this combines to make it feel like a pale imitation of Pride and Prejudice - or at least a Pride and Prejudice that has been given the Bridgerton treatment.

Some people will love this book but for me it just wasn't my thing and I flew through it in three days just to get it finished.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another historical fiction I devoured. I love Jane Austen and it reminded me a bit of her books. Another history lesson and a good fictional read. Thank you

It is 1818 Charles Linfield has just broken his engagement to Katherine (Kitty) Talbot, how is she going to find the money to pay off her father's debts and provide for her 4 younger sisters? Then she decides to go to London to stay with Aunt Dorothy, an old friend of her mother's, in the hope she will find a rich husband. An very enjoyable read in the style of Georgette Heyer with lots of twists and turns.

An amazing, fast paced, entertaining read. If you love Jane Austen or have dipped yourself into the fandom of Bridgerton, this book is absolutely for you. The protagonist is well written and story is well built with witty charm.

A wonderfully enjoyable debut novel. A Georgette Heyerdahl type Regency romp that is hugely entertaining and highly recommended.

I love Jane Austen, I enjoyed Bridgerton (though I can't say I'm a die-hard fan), and this book is a wonderful supplement for fans of both! It was clever, humorous, and completely delightful. I enjoyed that the intrigue was kept to the end, with with banter and a smart heroine. All things I love! Thank you for this ARC!

The parallels with a Jane Austen heroine are there, but with a much more modern heroine, and humour to match. Orphaned girls in need of a fortune to cover the losses of their deceased parents, must find funds to counter imminent eviction. It’s the same old story of girls having very little choice, not least in prospective husbands. With the hint of past scandal in the family it’s not going to be easy to negotiate a match, but a lot of fun to be had on the way.
In the current trend of all things Bridgerton popular period fiction can be forgiven steals from Austen, with not many surprises in plot, but nevertheless an enjoyable read.

After the death of their parents, it is up to Kitty to secure an advantageous marriage, to save them from destitution. Lord Radcliffe starts as a hurdle, but soon becomes her ally.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

After their parents die, and their debts threaten to take everything from them, Kitty thinks she has the problem solved, with an engagement to the squire's son.
Mr Linfield throws her over for an elegant woman of better breeding. There are no other rich bachelors in the area, so Kitty plans to travel to London with her prettiest sister, and ingratiate herself into high society.
Her plans to ensnare a rich young man seem to be going too well, when she catches the attention of Archie de Lacy; until his older brother puts a stop to it.
Rather than be put off, Kitty promises to turn her attention elsewhere, if he promises to help her navigate the ton.

I liked the premise, that a woman of poor fortune and questionable birth, would rise through the ranks using nothing but her wit and stubborn belief that she can achieve her aims.
Unfortunately, I did not like any of the characters.
Both Kitty and her sister are selfish and bland. Despite my hopes, I could not connect with them.
I also thought it was poorly written - we are constantly told how charming and effervescent Kitty is. Which is a harsh contrast to what is shown to the reader. Every time we are told, it just jarred that much harder.
Archie is a rather annoying puppy-dog, with no further depth.
His older brother James was a little more interesting, but couldn't improve the book.

The story was completely flat. I found it very slow-moving.
The plot has no subtlety; apart from Jame's interference, there is no conflict.
The characters are bland, and offer no appeal.
The historical aspect was flawed, relying on known cliches and made no effort to explore the world.

A lovely fast paced jaunt !!
Kitty talbot is needing to find a suitable suitor to keep her family well !!! I loved kitty she was such a well written lovely character. A book definitely for the Bridgerton lovers In my opinion !! A nice little read for a pick me up !!! Really enjoyed it !! Thank you

This is absolutely hilarious! It’s been ages since I read a book which gave me a good chortle, and this one really hit the mark.

Kitty Talbot, after the death of her parents is desperate to find a suitor to keep her and her sisters from destitution and pay off her debts…..off she heads to London to find her man, and nothing will stop her!

Absolutely hilarious. I just loved Kitty!

My thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review