Historical fiction or romance is not my usual go to book but I adored A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting.

Kitty was such an amazing character with so much heart that I was cheering for her the whole book.

While the romantic ending was slightly predictable, I was dying for it to finally happen.

Highly recommend.

Kitty Talbot is the eldest Of 5 daughters. Her Father passed away many years ago and that left the family with financial difficulties and now with the death of her mother and substantial accumulated debt! Kitty knows that the only option she has for her and her sisters for a decent future is to ensure that SHE secures a good marriage. That would be known as ‘snag and marry a Rich Man’ who can pay the debt and afford to keep them all!
Her and her next sister Cecily go to London to visit a friend of her mother “Aunt” Dorothy who was a lady of favours with her mother until she met her father many years ago!
This is an exceedingly funny tale about how the double standard class system worked! It also showed how quick a person could fall from grace or out if favour with the IN crowd. How there were so many unwritten rules, such as don’t dance with a man more than once or your a HO! 😂
How men could have mistresses but that was OK though!
How everything was about appearances, how you dressed, your clothes, where they came from, how much they cost and god forbid if they came from Cheapside! 😂😂😂
Will Kitty find her happy ever after, will she have to sacrifice her happiness in order to save her 4 siblings futures and the family home?
I will not give away teasers but after a slow start I was hooked. It ended up showing character and gumption in the face of adversity.
This is my voluntary review for copy of the audiobook from NetGalley

3.5 stars
Just that little bit of escapism I needed on a cold wet winter week.
Predictable, yes, but just jolly good fun.
Not my usual type of read, but I kept hearing such good things about it, I thought I'd give it a go.
Glad I did.
Kitty was a character I'd be happy to come across again.

It’s 1818 and Kitty Talbot is in a difficult situation. The death of her parents has left her with nothing but debts and, on top of that, some rumours are starting to circulate about the less-than-pristine reputation of her late mother. For all these reasons, her fiancé breaks the engagement with her and she now has no hopes of redeeming herself and her sisters. Her only chance is to go to London and try to find a wealthy husband during the Season. She’s elated when she seems to find a good match in Archie, but his brother, Lord Radcliffe, seems able to see through her and he is determined not to let her plans succeed.

I quite enjoyed this audiobook, which was very well read by the narrator. Nevertheless, the story in itself left me slightly dissatisfied. I enjoyed the banter between Kitty and Lord Radcliffe, and I think that their attraction could be explored more. I didn’t particularly like Kitty nor did I root for her. I didn’t really care if she managed to succeed in her plans or not, mainly because she sounded like quite a calculating person and an opportunist. I liked the way the story ended, and I think it was overall quite a good read, even though it left me quite cold.

•thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for the #ALC in exchange for an honest review•

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the audiobook in exchange for a review.

’I feel I must inform you that I come with four sisters, a badly leaking roof, and a veritable ocean of debt.'

‘I don't know what you want from me then,' she cried, casting out her arms. 'For I cannot make my situation any different. I must marry. And so far, I have no promises.'

This is 1818 after all, and only men can seek their own fortunes and futures.

This book was a lovely combination of regency-style romance, balls, politics and glam with English accents and patriarchal notions of propriety. All with a girl who is strong, defiant, witty, clever, and stubborn and most of all, who wishes to save her sisters and secure their futures.

This is a charming YA full of outrageous offence, love, and promises.
Similar books include:
Bridgerton
A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy
Red, White and Royal Blue

A delightful English historical novel about the utterly single-minded protagonist Kitty Talbot focused on saving herself, younger sisters from future dire straits and financial ruin. The author cleverly made use of her aunt and sister Cecily to create a well rounded tale. I promptly fell in love with Lord Radcliffe hoping his villainy would remain and throughly enjoyed this read.

What a fantastic Bridgerton style book but much funnier. The main character Kitty must come to the aid of her family after her parents death has left Kitty and her sisters penniless. Losing her only escape out of poverty when her fiance revokes his marriage proposal Kitty has no choice but to go to London in search of a husband. With the help of her aunt Dorothy (sketchy past) Kitty sets her goals for the season and has weeks to secure a wealthy husband before the bailiffs take everything from her.
Kitty is brilliant her strong assured personality contrasted to that of her bookish sister Cecily is funny. I found this book so entertaining and loved seeing Kitty navigate the weird and wonderful world of the London elite even exceeding her aunt's expectations. A must read for fans of Downton or Bridgerton 💓

This is basically modern romcom meets Jane Austen and I really loved it. The ending was obvious almost from the outset but I quite liked that. I find it comforting when I’m walking a familiar path - particularly one as well trodden as this Mills and Boon style narrative arc. I’ve already recommended it as I enjoyed it a lot. It was the regency rom-com equivalent of an cosy mystery. It gave me the same feels. I liked the narrator, great tone and pace. Overall I really enjoyed it.

An alternative telling of the Pride and Prejudice tale. Kitty, left to support herself and her 4 sisters, as well as paying off a huge family debt, finds herself travelling to London in search of a rich husband after her engagement to a local wealthy landowner falls through.

Following her journey through London society as well as various lessons in love, as in Pride and Prejudice, true love wins out at the end.

A great story for those that love historical fiction or a more modern telling of the Jane Austen classic.

This was a really fun story, following the misadventures of Kitty Talbot as she throws herself into London society in a last-ditch attempt to find a rich husband and save her family from financial ruin. The added twist of managing to get the disapproving Lord Radcliffe on her side was a great touch as well; I think enemies-to-reluctant-allies-to-lovers might be a favourite trope of mine!

In many ways this is a conventional regency romance, with a predictable romance plot, all of the usual tropes, and a light-hearted tone throughout. What made this different for me from the other modern regency stories I’ve read is that the characters had slightly more ‘real-life’ problems than you usually see in the genre. Kitty, as I mentioned, has very real financial issues (and a very real scandalous past) and Lord Radcliffe is still reeling from his experience fighting at Waterloo. It was a nice complement to the slightly more outrageous plot-points and the frivolous side characters.

I would have liked to have a bit more depth to the characters, particularly Kitty’s sister Cecily. Without spoiling anything, she’s clearly a very layered character who has the capacity to make very unexpected decisions, and I would have loved to delve a bit deeper into that.

The narration from Eleanor Tomlinson is, as you would expect, fantastic. The audiobook was engaging the whole way through, with all of the characters vividly brought to life. I hope she continues to read audiobooks as she does a fantastic job!

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.

This was such a fun listen, and fans of Bridgerton will love it. I found it entertaining and light and, of course, romantic. I had a smile on my face the whole time as it was such an enjoyable audio book.

On the surface a regency romantic comedy which does what it says on the tin and rather better than most imitators. But beneath that, this is a subtle clever subversion on the usual heroine of such tales. Kitty is without a fortune and will do anything to recoup her losses after her parents die, leaving the family in debt and her in charge of four younger sisters. That includes marrying for wealth rather than love. Impoverished young women in regency tales are often shown to be beyond such petty concerns and seek a marriage of love (which just happens to see them well off). This is about a literal fortune hunter who is determined to marry well and probably above her station in order to provide for her sisters. And she’s badass about it. It was a fun and engaging take and I really enjoyed the story.

An absolute delight! A sparky Regency romance with a charming heroine, perfectly read in the audiobook by Eleanor Tomlinson.

Kitty is the eldest of five girls, orphaned, jilted and left to save a family home with a leaking roof. She can afford one season in London, and needs to come home with a wealthy husband. The book touches on the economic realities of women’s lives at the time and wrestles with the idea of whether “fortune hunting” is immoral or simply practical.

I found Kitty completely endearing, both in her devotion to her family and her unfailing competence. I LOVE when a romantic heroine can think or charm her way out of any jam, and despite her unfamiliarity with the London social scene, watching Kitty charm her way in is a joy. I fully swooned when the inevitable, awaited romance finally happens.

I haven't read many regency romances but I was really intrigued by this one. I loved Kitty and Cecily and their dynamic was so much fun. The romance was absolutely perfect and the drama surrounding our main characters was so much fun.

I would highly recommend this book and will pick up more from this author.

Thank you HarperCollins UK Audio, HarperCollins an Netgalley for this audio copy.

It has been a while since I last read a regancy romance. I loved the dealing with stereotipes of the old time and sexism and everything else. Maybe is time I finally read a classic too. Reccomend to everyone that need something nostalgic. Just happen.

A great read – perfect for fans of the Bridgerton series or lighthearted regency romances in general. Easy to read and fun to listen to.

This is perfect for fans of Bridgerton or light historical fiction/romance. I loved the similarities to Pride and Prejudice in which the two main characters despise each other.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope there will be more.

This is a light hearted tale about high society in London. Think Bridgerton meets Jane Austen type style.

Kitty, the protagonist is both flawed and lovable. She has a grit determination in achieving what she sets out to do and her heart is mostly always in the right place. She is formidable in her family loyalties and selfless in seeking future security for her many younger sisters.

At times outrageous, at others quite touching. It is a slow burn romance that I enjoyed seeing flourish.

The humour speckled throughout kept the narrative light, and the introduction of many other characters was delivered in such a way as not to overwhelm the reader.

Was it groundbreaking? No. Was it predictable? Absolutely. Did that matter? Definitely not.

I enjoyed this book for what it was. Overall, a fun, regency romance novel.

A venerable circus of personalities to bring the scenes to life in all their whimsy & humour!

This debut was well written - a mixture of wit, insight and intricate detail with a unique ability to make me feel both rather uncomfortable and amused at the same time. Perhaps in many ways an intention of Irwin's for having given our heroine a trait commonly found in the male villain: the despicable fortune hunter.
As a result, I found the mercenary campaign of manipulations Kitty pursued, in need of a fortune to save her sisters, a mixture of smile inducing and with the potential to be a touch difficult to swallow.
I found that inspite being in awe of our heroine's altruistic hopes, intellect and dogged persistense with an edge of cunning and tenacity thrown in, I found myself not really liking her blind and manipulative way of getting what she wanted. Rubbing off on my like of her as a person. So, thank goodness for James/Radcliffe's astuteness.
I did enjoy their slow to build chemistry and wills versus wit battles of point scoring and interference. A good match both in intellect, insecurities (relating to their late fathers) but, mostly in their desire to challenge each other. No fawning, puppy dog eyed, infatuation here.
These moments of verbal sniping entangled with intimate reflection and revelation, between James and Kitty,  shone the most. As these rare yet increasingly raw glimpses added a relatability and growing likability. Highlighting, their pushed down vulnerabilities and deep resounding love of family. This, as well as the inclusion of the quiet musings of Kitty's internal battle, to reassess the extreme persistence and unfeeling methods she had thus far pursued to achieve her end game, had me releasing some of the tension and provided a bloom of warmth and likeability to her character by the story's conclusion.
Cecily, for me was her saving grace - surprising perhaps because of her stark similaries to Pride and Prejudices' Mary, yet not thankfully to eyerolling degree. I applauded her for her honesty and being unashamedly herself as she soundly provided the moral backbone and voice of conscience for Kitty. Becoming the underappreciated, often sidelined yet subconcious enabler and surprising double edged sword in her sister's campaign to take High Society by storm. On an aside, I really do hope she gets her happily ever after.
With the addition of many subcharacters, who shone with their eccentricities, from Radcliffe's hypochondriac mother and good natured, care free siblings, in Archie and Amelia, to ex actress Aunt Dorothy - in all her captivating fun mix of, up for a lark playfulness meets realistic in her caution and concerned manner. Not to mention, Captain Hinsley who is rather more befitting of the swoonworthy hero (a figure most deserving of his own book) and potently vital, like many of the minor servant roles, for providing and sparking the most food for thought, emotion and depth of character from our leads, all added a cocktail of drama, fun and whimsy to the tale.

Overall in the round, a fun read with a core of interwoven satire threaded throughout! Mildly reminiscence in plotline, insight and the satire of a Georgette Heyer - a clear inspiration - was in many ways very cleverly orchestrated. Interwoven with intricate details of the 'season' through the eyes of the 'green girl' and outsider in awe of the spendour, noise and chaos of London. As Kitty inevitably misjudges, misinterprets and by the skin of her teeth manages to reverse many a faux pas as she attempts to navigate the strictures, pomposity and exclusivity of the ton with open eyed predatory doggedness!

A light hearted and humorous journey following the main character Kitty Talbot on her quest to marry a wealthy man to save her family home and sisters from debt.
This was in audio book format and the narrator Eleanor Tomlinson was absolutely fantastic. She brought the characters to life with changed in tone and timbre. Eleanor Tomlinson gave the story a sparkle with well delivered one liners and perfectly placed pauses. 10/10
The story itself was light and uncomplicated. I found the relationship between Kitty and the male counterpart a little predictable and wearing. I preferred the development of other characters and there were a couple of side story lines that I didn’t see coming.
The best part for me was the humour, sometimes sarcastic sometimes observational and always well delivered. I definitely laughed out loud frequently.
Over all, if you like 1800 romantic stories with a few twists and lots of humour then I feel as though you will enjoy this. A strong debut novel.
Thank you to the publisher for this audio copy.