ARC Review: A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin
10:00
Series: None
Author: Sophie Irwin
Published May 12th 2022 by HarperCollins
Goodreads Synopsis
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...
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
Miss Kitty Talbot is in a quandary. Left to look after her sisters, the family only have enough money to hold off the bailiffs for so long. At least one of them needs to marry well, and quickly, or else they'll be out on the streets. Kitty's plan is simply - head to London with one of the sisters, Cecily, and take the marriage mart by the horns, and all in less than 12 weeks. Reinventing themselves as respectable young ladies, who's chaperone was not once an actress and renowned mistress, Kitty seems to have a husband within her reach. The only spanner in the works is his elder brother, Lord Radcliffe, who thinks Kitty is a charlatan, and he'll stop her, no matter what - even if it means marrying her himself.
When this book was first announced, I thought it was a YA historical romance, and I'm going to be honest, there's times when it reads like one. It also reads very much like someone has taken parts of much beloved regency romances *cough*Pride and Prejudice*cough*, and changed it to fit the story. That's not to say I didn't like A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting, but I always felt like something was missing. Kitty was one of five sisters, and she and the next eldest - and the prettiest - go to London to marry and make their family safe. The other three sisters, I can't even remember their names. They're off the page for so long, that you kind of forget they exist? I also found that though Kitty and Radcliffe are a couple you are rooting for, they weren't very memorable. All in all, a decent Regency romance, particularly for people new to the genre, but nothing that really blew me away.
Dates Read:
August 27-30, 2022
Rating
3 Stars
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