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4 Stars / Historical / Review

Review: A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin

The season is about to begin—and there’s not a minute to lose.

Kitty Talbot needs a fortune. Or rather, she needs a husband who has a fortune. This is 1818 after all, and only men have the privilege of seeking their own riches.

With only twelve weeks until the bailiffs call, launching herself into London society is the only avenue open to her, and Kitty must use every ounce of cunning and ingenuity she possesses to climb the ranks.

The only one to see through her plans is the worldly Lord Radcliffe and he is determined to thwart her at any cost, especially when it comes to his own brother falling for her charms.

Can Kitty secure a fortune and save her sisters from poverty? There is not a day to lose and no one—not even a lord—will stand in her way…

Title:A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting
Author:Sophie Irwin
Series:
Pages:400
Category / Genre(s):Historical
Trope(s):Enemies to lovers
Point of View:Third Person, Past Tense
Location:London, England
Setting:1818, Regency
HEA:✔️
Release Date:12th May, 2022
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A really engrossing Regency romance

4 stars

I’m always keen to read a new historical romance and this debut from Sophie Irwin sounded exactly my cup of tea. A woman who needs to marry well in order to secure the future of her sisters and is determined to use every trick to accomplish her goal, meets a grumpy, staid lord who not only sees right through her scheming but has the power to make or break her plans. Gah – gimme!

Kitty is in town for one reason and one reason only – to make a match that will secure the future of her younger sisters. And so, we see her using her wiles and manipulating men to think themselves in love with her then hopefully make an offer for her hand. Understandable but maybe a teeny tiny bit unethical. And yet, I couldn’t help but like her. She wasn’t without feeling and her heart was in the right place. I also can’t help but feel I would attempt the same subterfuges if I was in her position. I mean, what other choice did she have? Plus, we always get the counterbalance – and to see her true nature – in her relationship with Radcliffe.

Radcliffe himself is the kind of hero that I always enjoy. He’s a straight-laced, upstanding and fairly staid man who is very irritated to find himself the ringmaster of a circus he doesn’t feel is his own. His exasperation, aggravation and general bafflement at Kitty and her shenanigans is hugely entertaining. And through their sparring and close moments, you can definitely see his feelings begin to change – even if he fights it at first.

“I had a major book hangover after this story and I wanted to still be in this world.”

I really enjoyed Sophie Irwin’s writing style and the slow and subtle evolving feelings between James and Kitty was a joy to observe. It wasn’t action-packed but definitely kept moving and I even laughed out loud, especially towards the end. As I read, I found myself drawing a comparison with the storytelling of Jane Austen herself. There were lots of little stories, characters and intrigues that all wove together to build the bigger picture. It meant that while James and Kitty were the centre and core of the book – they weren’t always the focus. This meant there was a lot of world and character building towards the beginning of the novel which definitely slowed it down some – but once things were truly set in motion and James and Kitty truly started to interact and fall in love – that’s when things kicked up a gear and I was truly invested.

This is a closed door romance which definitely fits in well with the tone of the book. There are only a couple of kisses and even then they’re not overly descriptive.

All in all, this book struck me as much more English than most of the other historical romances I’ve read. The speech was correct, the nuances were on point and it reeked of the upper classes that Ms Irwin was depicting. While a strong setting is NEVER a bad thing – especially in a historical romance – I didn’t much enjoy the hero taking snuff or the “old boy”, “dear chap” business – but that was just a personal preference. I absolutely want things to be historically accurate (and massive kudos to this author for a fantastic job in that regard) but I don’t need everything that they did in the Regency to be highlighted.

I had a major book hangover after this story and I wanted to still be in this world. Part of that might have been the lack of epilogue (oh, I was so mad!) but also because I became really invested with the characters and their lives. I really hope Ms Irwin writes more books to make this a series. I will be first in line for any future books she writes. 4 stars for this one but mainly because of the time it took to get the romance really going. After that it was a solid 5 star read.

4 stars

* I received this book in exchange for my honest review. *

Sophie Irwin grew up in Dorset before moving to south London after university. She has spent years immersed in the study of historical fiction, from a dissertation on how Georgette Heyer helped win World War Two, to time spent in dusty stacks and old tomes losing herself in Regency London while researching this book. Her love and passion for historical fiction bring a breath of fresh air and a contemporary energy to the genre, and Sophie hopes to transport readers to a time when ballrooms were more like battlegrounds.

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