Romance is the best-selling genre of books, and although TikTok has made it slightly more “acceptable”, it still is the butt of many jokes and considered “lesser than”. However, I refuse to ignore it. Historical romances are often a lot of fun (with a lot of banter!), and sometimes it is nice to know that a book will have a happy ending. Given that most romances are written by women, I knew I wanted to share some during Women’s History Month. Today we are chatting about A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin!
A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting, Sophie Irwin
Follows the adventures of an entirely unconventional heroine who throws herself into the London Season to find a wealthy husband. But the last thing she expects is to find love…
Kitty Talbot needs a fortune. Or rather, she needs a husband who has a fortune. Left with her father’s massive debts, she has only twelve weeks to save her family from ruin.
Kitty has never been one to back down from a challenge, so she leaves home and heads toward the most dangerous battleground in all of England: the London season.
Kitty may be neither accomplished nor especially genteel—but she is utterly single-minded; imbued with cunning and ingenuity, she knows that risk is just part of the game.
The only thing she doesn’t anticipate is Lord Radcliffe. The worldly Radcliffe sees Kitty for the mercenary fortune-hunter that she really is and is determined to scotch her plans at all costs, until their parrying takes a completely different turn…
This is a frothy pleasure, full of brilliant repartee and enticing wit—one that readers will find an irresistible delight.
Why You Should Read This….
Note: This book (and the second in the series, A Lady’s Guide to Scandal) are clean romances, meaning that there are no sex scenes.
I have to say, I have had this book on my Kobo for well over a year now but only read it this year- I wish I had not waited. This book is quite simply fun, and that is needed now more than ever. Kitty, as well as her family, is teetering on the edge of ruin and has to do whatever she can to save herself.
The banter is really what sealed this book for me. A lot of Regency romances will tend to hit harder on the sad and desperate notes but despite her perilous situation, she is never short of a witty retort. And banter can sometimes be very awkward to read, but Irwin clearly has skill! (Radcliffe also doesn’t hesitate to be sarcastic, but we are here for Kitty.)
While I love Austen’s books, I think that Irwin’s writing connects the modern reader with the Regency well. Kitty point blank says at various points that she will do what she needs to in order to save her family; it is not like an Austen novel where the modern reader often misses cues. I think it’s a great approach to a beloved period, and also makes for a very different heroine that we often see in Regency romances.
If you want an entertaining and witty romance, you need to grab Sophie Irwin’s books!
Is A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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