The only person she can’t fool is Lord Radcliffe, who sees straight through her plans, and is determined to stop her at any cost.

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

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. Kitty is a clever and determined young woman, who recognises that the societal limitations on women mean her only way of providing for her younger sisters after the death of their parents is to find herself a rich man. She leave Dorset for London on a quest to do exactly that. 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. This was a genuinely fun and lighthearted read that I absolutely loved! Kitty was a likeable and incredibly intriguing protagonist-she’s smart, pragmatic and rather mercenary in her goal to catch herself a wealthy husband which I found refreshing among the dozens of Regency romances that’ve cropped up in the wake of Bridgerton’s success.Kitty enters in to London society with only one goal in mind – to find a rich husband. She’s not looking for romance, her love for her sisters is what drives her and she’s quite prepared to sacrifice herself to a loveless match to keep a roof over their heads. I loved the enemies to lovers trope, it's one of my favourites and one that was executed tremendously by Irwin. I loved the chemistry between the characters and how much their relationship developed over time. On to the romance, not a full hate to love but more of a mistrust to love. Lord Radcliffe is an equally smart man to stand as a contender to Kitty, I love it when 2 characters see the worst of each other to love each other more. The only one to see through her plans is the worldly Lord Radcliffe and he is determined to thwart her at any cost. 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.

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

I loved reading this so much! It was one of those books that really grows on you, not just in the way the plot progresses but also with how you see the characters evolving. The romance was a slow burn and had you on your toes all the way through. I loved this witty Regency romance, which had the period detail of a Georgette Heyer mixed with the modern freshness of Bridgerton. Yes, you can probably guess the direction it is going in, but isn't that always the case with a romance? The journey to get there is entertaining and I was sad to finish the book and say goodbye to the characters. 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. A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting" is the tale of the Talbot sisters, who are left with a cottage and little else apart from debts when their parents die. Kitty, the oldest, sees it as her role to save the girls from homelessness and destitution. Her plan involves launching herself into London Society to snag herself a rich husband. She takes one of younger sisters with her and they enlist the help of their "aunt" Dorothy, their late mother's best friend.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. 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. 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. A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting' has been featured on Caboodle as a Caboodle Firsts. Thank you for working with us on this!