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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
A slow-burn, enemies to lovers Regency romance.
Kitty Talbot is the eldest of five orphaned girls. Her cottage in the country was mortgaged by her father to cover his gaming debts and now the debt-collectors have given her only a few months to pay up or she will lose everything.
To save her sisters being cast into the street she makes an audacious plan to visit London under the chaperonage of her late mother's actress-friend and secure herself a rich husband.
Her sights are set on a young puppy who easily falls for her charm. Problems arise when the young man's elder brother Lord Radcliffe realises Kitty is basically a gold-digger and warns her off. They make a deal where she leaves off her flirtation with the brother and in return Radcliffe helps her entree into High Society, ostensibly for Kitty to make a different match.
The two are circling each other at balls and parties for weeks. They tease and banter, all the while becoming unlikely confidantes. The pressure mounts as time draws near to the moneylender's deadline. Kitty has many men on and off the hook throughout the story, but none appeal to her deeply.
Kitty's methods are conniving, but her motives are pure. One minute I didn't like her, the next, I felt a great deal of compassion for her situation, and was impressed by her nous; so it was a bit of a roller-coaster read for me.
The romance is very mild and slowly builds to a kiss finale.
This is a sweet romance with no descriptive love scenes.
Kitty Talbot is the eldest of five orphaned girls. Her cottage in the country was mortgaged by her father to cover his gaming debts and now the debt-collectors have given her only a few months to pay up or she will lose everything.
To save her sisters being cast into the street she makes an audacious plan to visit London under the chaperonage of her late mother's actress-friend and secure herself a rich husband.
Her sights are set on a young puppy who easily falls for her charm. Problems arise when the young man's elder brother Lord Radcliffe realises Kitty is basically a gold-digger and warns her off. They make a deal where she leaves off her flirtation with the brother and in return Radcliffe helps her entree into High Society, ostensibly for Kitty to make a different match.
The two are circling each other at balls and parties for weeks. They tease and banter, all the while becoming unlikely confidantes. The pressure mounts as time draws near to the moneylender's deadline. Kitty has many men on and off the hook throughout the story, but none appeal to her deeply.
Kitty's methods are conniving, but her motives are pure. One minute I didn't like her, the next, I felt a great deal of compassion for her situation, and was impressed by her nous; so it was a bit of a roller-coaster read for me.
The romance is very mild and slowly builds to a kiss finale.
This is a sweet romance with no descriptive love scenes.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A wonderful and lovely jaunt of a Regency Romance Fiction, especially for a debut! I loved the banter between the characters (the dialogue was definitely the best part) and I'm looking forward to see more from Irwin and for the growth she goes through as a writer!
If you are in the mood for a good Regency romance, this sure is the way to go! This is the first one I have read in ages, and because I may be a bit out touch with the genre, my automatic reaction was to compare it to “Bridgeton”. I hope I do not step on any toes here!
The reasons I cannot help but compare it with the Julia Quinn series is because it does play out in the same period, with very much the same social and courting rituals. We all would just love to promenade in a gorgeous summer dress, don’t we? Okay, I would!
But, as we have seen, the “husband-hunting” phase is quite exhausting, with a lot of social rites and yes, a lot of competition. Even more so if you must, like our hero in this book, Kitty Talbot, not only find a husband, but find a rich one to boot! Kitty is sassy, ingenious, very like-able and strong-willed. Her determination (and desperation) to save her family from financial ruin is to be commended. Desperate times, desperate measures as they say?
I compared “A Lady’s Guide…” to the Bridgeton series earlier, but if you are expecting sexy smut or grab-your-pearls-scandal, this is not a R-rated read at all. There are loads of sexual tension and boisterous banter though!
This is a wonderful read for fans of classic romance! This is a light-hearted, delightful, and enjoyable. Yes, a tad predictable, but does it really matter? In romance that is what we want!
And yes, it placed the regency romance genre firmly on my radar!
Rating 4/5
I listened to the audiobook, courtesy of #NetGalley and Harper Collins Audio/Harper Collins UK. Eleanor Irwin brilliantly narrated it!
The reasons I cannot help but compare it with the Julia Quinn series is because it does play out in the same period, with very much the same social and courting rituals. We all would just love to promenade in a gorgeous summer dress, don’t we? Okay, I would!
But, as we have seen, the “husband-hunting” phase is quite exhausting, with a lot of social rites and yes, a lot of competition. Even more so if you must, like our hero in this book, Kitty Talbot, not only find a husband, but find a rich one to boot! Kitty is sassy, ingenious, very like-able and strong-willed. Her determination (and desperation) to save her family from financial ruin is to be commended. Desperate times, desperate measures as they say?
I compared “A Lady’s Guide…” to the Bridgeton series earlier, but if you are expecting sexy smut or grab-your-pearls-scandal, this is not a R-rated read at all. There are loads of sexual tension and boisterous banter though!
This is a wonderful read for fans of classic romance! This is a light-hearted, delightful, and enjoyable. Yes, a tad predictable, but does it really matter? In romance that is what we want!
And yes, it placed the regency romance genre firmly on my radar!
Rating 4/5
I listened to the audiobook, courtesy of #NetGalley and Harper Collins Audio/Harper Collins UK. Eleanor Irwin brilliantly narrated it!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was my first historical fiction after swearing them off and saying they weren’t for me. Well, I ended up loving it. So I owe it all to this book and Sophie Irwin for opening up a whole new genre for me to explore. Thank you.
I adoreddddd this book, it was funny and such a cute story. I loved seeing the growth of all of the characters and how the entire story panned out by the end.
I adoreddddd this book, it was funny and such a cute story. I loved seeing the growth of all of the characters and how the entire story panned out by the end.
This was really not half as good as expected. It began good but soon it got very clear to me, how utterly nonsensical it is.
The whole premise is good but the fact that a girl from nowhere rises so high in the ton is absolutely unbelievable. Or rather if it had been well made, it might have been good. However KITTY seemed to be cleverer than ANYONE in the book. Even all the matrons who have lived in that world for decades. I was totally put off by how easily she played everyone. It's just not realistic. That a girl who hasn't had much (male) company would be able to play all the people and especially men like that. Especially since it was stated that she was not that pretty. Also in other aspects, like basic behaviour in that sort of setting, she lacked all knowledge, which makes it even more aggravating.
Also Kitty just annoyed me so much. She was so high handed and arrogant. It was really hard to even get through.
The whole premise is good but the fact that a girl from nowhere rises so high in the ton is absolutely unbelievable. Or rather if it had been well made, it might have been good. However KITTY seemed to be cleverer than ANYONE in the book. Even all the matrons who have lived in that world for decades. I was totally put off by how easily she played everyone. It's just not realistic. That a girl who hasn't had much (male) company would be able to play all the people and especially men like that. Especially since it was stated that she was not that pretty. Also in other aspects, like basic behaviour in that sort of setting, she lacked all knowledge, which makes it even more aggravating.
Also Kitty just annoyed me so much. She was so high handed and arrogant. It was really hard to even get through.