A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting

May 23, 2022
In Irwin’s sparkling debut, set in Regency-era England, a young woman’s plans to marry into wealth get derailed when the brother of her would-be beau catches on to her scheme. After Kitty Talbot’s fiancé calls off their engagement, she needs to find a new way to pay off the debts she and her four sisters inherited after the deaths of their parents. With dwindling funds, Kitty and her sister Cecily travel from Dorsetshire to London to stay with their aunt Dorothy, a widowed former actor. There, Kitty sets her sights on the moneyed Archibald de Lacy, but his brother Lord Radcliffe soon arrives in town and, recognizing Kitty’s motives, tries to prevent an engagement between her and Archie. Radcliffe is taken by surprise when Kitty promises to stop pursuing Archie if Radcliffe introduces her to high society so that she might meet a new suitor. He agrees, but quickly realizes that there’s more to Kitty than he first assumed, and the attraction between them deepens. Irwin’s zippy narrative is enhanced by the wry banter between Kitty and Radcliffe (“ ‘Perhaps I ought to compile a suitable list,’ said thoughtfully, ‘of gentlemen rich enough to satisfy you and yet so lacking in moral character that I feel no guilt about unleashing you upon them’ ”). Jane Austen fans will be charmed.

May 13, 2022

DEBUT After their father passes away and leaves Kitty Talbot and her four sisters with no fortune or future, Kitty sets her sights on finding a rich husband in London. What Kitty lacks in genteel manners she makes up for in grit and determination, and she soon finds herself being courted by a wealthy (if young and a bit oblivious) peer named Archie. Alas for Kitty, Archie's brother is the starchy and oh-so-proper Lord Radcliffe, who quickly nips Archie's attention in the bud, but isn't quite quick enough to escape Kitty's next plan--having Lord Radcliffe teach her the ways of the ton and help her secure invitations to all the best events. As the season progresses, Kitty and Lord Radcliffe soon learn that love can disrupt the best-laid plans. VERDICT A fine historical romance full of wit and banter. Recommended as a read-alike for Julia Quinn's "Bridgerton" series or Mimi Matthews's The Siren of Sussex.--Elizabeth Gabriel

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May 15, 2022
Kitty Talbot needs to find a wealthy husband so her four orphaned sisters won't be turned out of their Dorsetshire house. She and middle sister Cecily head to London for a season to be sponsored by their mother's old friend, former actress Aunt Dorothy. Dorothy encourages Kitty to be realistic, but Kitty has her sights set high, on wealthy Archie de Lacy. When his older brother, the Earl of Radcliffe, hears that a fortune hunter is trailing Archie, he removes himself from self-imposed exile in the country and heads to London. By the time he gets there, though, his mother and sister swear Kitty's intentions are nothing but pure and she is an ideal lady. When confronted, Kitty makes a deal: she'll back off of Archie if Radcliffe will help her land an even richer husband. Hijinks ensue, as does banter as Radcliffe watches Kitty manipulate her way into high society, though he's not sure he wants to stop her. Irwin's debut is a delicious historical rom-com in the vein of Martha Waters and Bridgerton without the smooching.

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June 1, 2022
She's looking for a fortune--any fortune. Kitty Talbot's not like other fortune hunters of the ton. She was raised in Dorsetshire, far from the well-bred life of the season, and she has no interest in staying in town. She's only in London because she has three months to snag a fortune, plus the man attached to it, so she and her four younger sisters can pay off her family's debts and stay in their beloved home. She and her sister Cecily quickly get their feet on the first rung of the social ladder when they arrive, and Kitty employs some quick subterfuge to gain the interest of Archie de Lacy. He may not be the oldest son of his noble family, but he's still good for "at least eight thousand a year," and he nearly proposes to her--until his brother, Lord Radcliffe, comes home to put a stop to her conniving. At first she's furious with Radcliffe, but they come to a mutual understanding, and he agrees to help her make a match with another high-born man who is debt-free and entitled to an allowance. Over several weeks, she and Cecily find their way into one society event after another, even snagging tickets to Almack's Assembly Rooms, so Radcliffe and Kitty spend more time together as she tries to better understand the men she's meeting. On the eve of a marriage proposal that could save her family, though, simultaneous family emergencies send Radcliffe off in pursuit of her sister and Kitty in pursuit of his brother, and the aftermath makes it difficult to deny what they have come to mean to each other. Irwin's debut is charming, if a bit paint-by-numbers, recalling Georgette Heyer and other classics of the genre. In contrast to recent trends in historical romance, the hero and heroine don't do much more than kiss on the page, and their romance develops quite late in the story; much of the plot focuses more on Kitty and Cecily's introduction to the layers and intrigues of 1818 London. But it isn't all Austen-esque; Kitty's honesty about her aims, and Radcliffe's acceptance of them, allows the story to suit modern sensibilities without sacrificing too much of the vintage feel. A sweet Regency debut for contemporary fans of classic romance.

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