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. Enlisting the help of an old friend of her deceased mother Kitty travels to London for the season to hunt for a rich husband. She may appear a hard hearted manipulator and schemer but she is doing this for her sisters, prepared to sacrifice marrying for love for their sakes. This is a lovely book; it is like a modern day Georgette Heyer. Kitty struggles to understand the rules of Regency society, to keep her past hidden and look out for younger sister Cecily. Of course there is a happy ending, which the reader can see coming a mile off, but this is all about the journey, the adventures and wit along the way. Can Kitty secure a fortune and save her sisters from poverty? There’s no time to lose and no one—not even a Lord—will stand in her way…

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

When Kitty's parents pass away and leave her with 4 sisters and a mountain of debt, she must do everything in her power to make sure her and her sisters survive.She meets a suitable family with a young son who could solve all her problems so Kitty goes all out to ensnare this rather naïve young aristocrat, unfortunately his elder brother Lord Radcliffe is on to Kitty and determined to stop her. The interaction and dialogue between the two is sparkling, witty but also honest, Radcliffe will help Kitty in her task as long as she leaves his brother alone. This leads to all manner of humour, dramatic and romantic episodes.

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

With only twelve weeks until the bailiffs call, Kitty has no choice but to launch herself into London society, using every ounce of cunning and ingenuity she possesses to climb the ranks. As the daughter of a librarian Jen's love of books started from a very early age. Her reading obsession continued throughout her teenage years when she studied both English Language and English Literature at college. Kitty Talbot's journey to find herself a husband in 12 weeks had me engrossed from the first chapter. 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.It was a fast-moving, joyful book and I really enjoyed it. I’ll definitely be looking out for more books by Sophie Irwin.

A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting | Sophie Irwin A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting | Sophie Irwin

The book opens with Kitty Talbot being jilted by her fiance. Kitty being Kitty, she decides that the thing to do in response to this, is to go to London for the season and find herself an even richer husband, so that she might pay off her father’s debts and support her four younger sisters. There, she meets Archibald de Lacy, who seems a perfect fit for her plans… but for his older brother James, who sees right through her. With a pair of wonderful main characters supported by an excellent cast we enter Kitty’s life. After Kitty’s father dies Kitty and her three sisters are on the point of destitution unless Kitty can by making an advantageous marriage clear her fathers debts and fully support her sisters, otherwise the family will have to be broken up and each sister go into service or become a governess. It was great to get a protagonist that’s honest and rather upfront about her scheming and watching her navigate the social etiquette of the upper classes (and the faux pas she inevitably makes along the way) was both phenomenally entertaining and period accurate. Kitty is acerbic, pulls no punches, knows what she wants and she wants a husband so that she can save her family home and ensure that her younger sisters are taken care of.In the beginning I was put off by Kitty's character a great deal. However, as you read and discover more about her, you begin to see who she is and all the things that make her so wonderful. The same can be said about Lord Radcliffe. A couple of weeks ago I had The Terrible Cold That Isn't Covid and found it hard to concentrate or settle on what I wanted to read and it was in this unpromising frame of mind that I started A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting. For the first chapter I thought maybe I had made a mistake, it felt a little overwritten and self consciously Heyerish and I almost put it aside. Thank goodness I didn't because this charming regency romp was exactly what I needed and I raced through it. And the best part about the book? The growth of James and Kitty’s relationship feels entirely realistic, entirely natural, and there’s no third act break up. Yes, there is angst, yes, there are miscommunications, but it’s all dealt with well. It feels like one of those relationships where each character respects the other, knows the other well enough to know what the other feels they have to do. I’m not explaining this at all well, but just now I love it. I love it so much. When her parents die and leave Kitty Talbot in charge of her four younger sisters and all of her father's debts, the smart young lady reasons that the only way that she can support her family's future is by marrying someone wealthy. In fact, she is just on the verge of sealing the deal with her fiance of two years, but he has other plans. Not to be dissuaded, Kitty sets off for London with her aunt and sister, determined to infiltrate the higher echelons and bag herself a rich beau.