Portobello Book Blog

While I was (im)patiently waiting for the latest Bridgerton series, Queen Charlotte, to hit Netflix, I enjoyed listening to A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin on the Libby app, narrated by Eleanor Tomlinson. This is the author’s debut novel and she has another due out later this year called A Lady’s Guide to Scandal.

About the book

Kitty Talbot needs a fortune. Love is not required…

She’s got just twelve weeks to find a rich husband and save her sisters – and she must use every ounce of cunning and ingenuity she possesses to climb London society if she is to succeed.

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.

There is not a day to lose and no one – not even a lord – will stand in her way…

My Thoughts

Kitty Talbot is a most agreeable heroine who is determined she will do anything to help her sisters avoid a life of genteel poverty. Just when she thinks she is about to be engaged which will solve her family’s money worries, suddenly she must go back to the beginning and somehow bag herself a husband within twelve weeks or the family faces destitution. Undeterred, she sets off for London to find herself a rich husband. Ever practical, she is resigned to the fact that she cannot marry for love so is determined that the man she marries will most certainly be rich. I admired that determination and the way she was willing to put her own needs and wants aside to ensure that her sisters would be well provided for.

There are echoes of Pride & Prejudice in the storyline with five sisters who will have to marry well to avoid, horror of horrors, having to find employment. There’s a gentleman who is very wealthy and thinks that the young lady is beneath him. There are also many upper-class ladies who look down on the Talbots. There are glamorous balls and there are all the niceties of society to be observed. There are slightly embarrassing relatives who could ruin Kitty’s chances with possible scandal being revealed. There’s a sister behaving badly and there’s even an elopement.

I really enjoyed following Kitty on her quest to find herself a husband. It would be great to have further books focussing on her sisters actually. A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting had some characters who were awful and some who were just lovely and it was great fun watching all the stories unfold. It was full of the kind of witty dialogue and genteel humour you’d expect in a Regency romance with a charming love story. You will almost certainly guess who Kitty will end up with but who cares, it’s following how the couple get there that’s all the fun! If you are a fan of Bridgerton, Georgette Heyer or the queen of Regency herself, Jane Austen, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this book.

About the Author

Sophie has spent years immersed in the study of historical fiction, from a dissertation on why Georgette Heyer helped win World War Two, to time spent in dusty stacks and old tomes doing detailed period research when writing this book. Her love and passion for historical fiction bring a breath of fresh air and a contemporary energy to the genre. Sophie hopes to transport readers to Regency London, where ballrooms are more like battlegrounds.

A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting is Sophie’s debut novel and it has already sold in twenty territories worldwide.

Twitter @SophieHIrwin

Instagram @sophie.irwin