The Fortune Hunter: A Richard & Judy Pick

by Daisy Goodwin

In 1875, Sisi, the Empress of Austria is the woman that every man desires and every woman envies. Beautiful, athletic and intelligent, Sisi has everything - except happiness. Bored with the stultifying etiquette of the Hapsburg Court and her dutiful but unexciting husband, Franz Joseph, Sisi comes to England to hunt. She comes looking for excitement and she finds it in the dashing form of Captain Bay Middleton, the only man in Europe who can outride her. Ten years younger than her and engaged to the rich and devoted Charlotte, Bay has everything to lose by falling for a woman who can never be his. But Bay and the Empress are as reckless as each other, and their mutual attraction is a force that cannot be denied. Full of passion and drama, THE FORTUNE HUNTER tells the true story of a nineteenth century Queen of Hearts and a cavalry captain, and the struggle between love and duty.

• ISBN10: 0755348095
• ISBN13: 9780755348091
• Publish Date: 24 April 2014
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 29 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
• Imprint: Headline Review
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 480
• Language: English

Reviews

[duchessofdiscord]

I have a very strong knowledge of the subject matter, mostly from an academic perspective. The Fortune Hunter had all the right historical elements, and all the potential be a really great novel. However, sadly, it falls very flat. I didn’t quite love it, but I also didn’t completely hate it. It was just “meh” at best. I enjoy historical fiction, but this was more of an over-wrought love story and just not to my taste.

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

Novels that involve famed persons tend to be told through a female’s eye I did not find that to be the case in The Fortune Hunter. Daisy Goodwin’s book is one of a love triangle and is aptly told by all three participant’s point of view. It could very easily been told through the eyes of Sisi and Charlotte and still be a great book, but by including Bay to the mix gave it that extra ump adding a fine layer of truffles on top.

As any Lifetime movie will tell you, the guy is always at fault, one must route for the lead female. They bash their significant other in the back with a candelabra, go on their merry way and if fortune strikes them, end up with the man she should have been with in the first place.

I hated to relate The Fortune Hunter to a Lifetime movie, but my point in sharing that is because my feelings towards Bay Middleton mirror. Charlotte is as cute as a snowy mitten and just wanted her to kick Middleton to the curb. She could do so much better and was irate by how worried she was about seeing her betrothed before she left for the photography exhibition.

Sisi is as stubborn as a child. I have a relative who once threw a temper tantrum because they couldn't go swimming in a hotel pool. Rather than deal with the situation her request was succumbed to. This is how I pictured the Empress. While her requests are bowed to (she is royalty after all) in private she is shown as a person. She is not just a crown but a person who only lets her hair down in private. These fleeting moments were candid and my favorite parts of book.

A picture can say a thousand words and never lies which I felt fit perfectly into Bay's questionable behavior. He is suave, always knowing the right thing to say bordering on smarmy. In some respects he reminds me of Mr. Wickham from Pride and Prejudice, gossip and all.

Daisy Goodwin's writing is beyond descriptive. Her imagery started with Charlotte creating her animal portraits and didn't end until the last line. This, along with strong-willed characters makes The Fortune Hunter an irresistible read.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review