The Fortune Hunter

May 5, 2014
Goodwin’s second novel (after The American Heiress) travels the difficult protocols of Victorian-era fox hunting, as well as the even more complicated protocols of love and marriage in the era, especially for an intelligent young woman with a fortune. England, 1875: Charlotte Baird is the eligible heiress to “the Lennox Fortune.” Her lovely, reckless mother was her father’s second wife, and she died young in a hunting accident, leaving her fortune to Charlotte. Charlotte’s brother, Fred, is engaged to Augusta Crewe, an ambitious woman from a good family who’d rather settle for Fred than stay unmarried (and she covets the Lennox diamonds). Charlotte is more interested in photography—especially composing unusual portraits and developing the plates and prints herself. When Bay Middleton, an expert horseman and friend of Fred, arrives for hunting season at Melton, Augusta’s family home, he and Charlotte form an unlikely alliance that turns into love. Fred and Augusta believe Charlotte can do better. Further confusing matters is the arrival of the Empress of Austria, who comes to a nearby estate and appoints Bay as her “pilot” for the hunts; she later decides that Bay can provide her happiness beyond horseback. Charlotte and Bay are faced with listening to their hearts, or falling victim to the machinations and customs surrounding them. Goodwin manages to take the reader deep inside the characters’ longings and flaws in a way that makes the reader root for them. An enchanting, beautifully written page-turner. First printing of 150,000 copies.

July 1, 2014
The love triangle created by an heiress, an empress and an "Adonis on horseback" is delightfully dissected in the second historical romance (The American Heiress, 2011) from a best-selling British novelist.Described variously as shallow, unsuitable, a man with a past but without character, cavalry officer Capt. Bay Middleton is hardly ideal fiance material for a wealthy underage debutante in Victorian England. But he's the one man to have captured the heart of Charlotte Baird, the shrewd, 20-year-old heir to the Lennox fortune who accepts his proposal after a handful of kisses and despite his bad reputation and inferior social position. Bay's feelings for Charlotte are true-and unmercenary-but the captain also knows himself to be "unsteady," which is why he asks Charlotte to elope with him instantly rather than wait a few months until she can marry without her brother's approval. Charlotte's refusal to behave improperly leaves Bay open to temptation, which arrives in the epic form of "the modern Helen of Troy," Empress Elizabeth of Austria, holidaying incognito in England to escape the boredom of life at the Viennese court. Elizabeth, known as Sisi, is a spectacular (if aging) beauty with ankle-length hair whose fearless appetite for fox hunting is matched only by Bay's. Forced to act as Sisi's guide while hunting, Bay soon finds himself her lover too, a "secret" which sends ripples of gossip through the upper end of English society. With its witty dialogue, intriguing research and cameo appearances by Queen Victoria and other royals, Goodwin's latest is a pleasurable excursion into Downton-land complete with high-society weddings, lavish balls and an exciting, all-or-nothing horse-racing finale.Goodwin has hit on a winning formula-a sophisticated blend of money, class, history, misunderstandings among lovers, spirited women, and unpredictable but irresistible men-and is sticking with it.

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May 15, 2014
Goodwin's second novel is a luxurious indulgence for romantically inclined readers. In 1875, Charlotte Baird, an intellectually minded heiress, becomes an unexpected third wheel when the man she hopes to marry, Captain Bay Middleton, is pressed into service for Empress Elizabeth of Austria's visit to England. A reputed ladies' man, Bay genuinely likes Charlotte for herself and encourages her unfashionable interest in photography. However, as Bay guides the willful, lonely, and deeply private empress on her fox-hunting pursuits on the grounds of vast country estates, they bond over their talent and passion for horsemanship and develop an intense mutual attraction. Mingling historical fact with imaginative fiction, Goodwin writes with effortless grace, and her dialogue's subtle wit is delightful. Each of her three protagonists commands attention and sympathy, which heightens the story's poignancy. Charlotte's levelheaded personality remains unaffected by her wealth or her relatives' dependence on it, and Bay is movingly torn between duty and his sense of self-worth. Finally, despite her outlandish regimen for maintaining her complexion and ankle-length chestnut tresses, Elizabeth is never less than beguiling. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The marketing campaign for this book is extensive, capped by a 150,000-copy first printing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

February 15, 2014

Goodwin, who charged onto the course with The American Heiress, a New York Times best seller with 300,000 books in print, returns with a second novel featuring a dramatic love triangle. Restless in her marriage and her royal duties, the Empress Elizabeth of Austria lives to ride. So does Capt. Bay Middleton, charming but too poor to buy a horse of the quality to win the Grand National. He's lucky to meet independent-minded heiress Charlotte Baird, but their budding relationship is disrupted when Bay is asked to guide the empress on the course set for a hunt organized by Earl Spencer in England. With a national laydown on July 29.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2014

Despite Charlotte Baird's unconventional devotion to photography and her lack of beauty, she has many suitors because of the fortune she will inherit. Her brother's fiancee wants Charlotte's marriage to enhance the family's social standing. Enter Bay Middleton, renowned for his success with both horses and women despite his lack of money or title. Is he merely another fortune hunter, or does he value her other attributes? Charlotte and Bay's complex relationship drives the plot, which becomes more complicated when Empress Elizabeth (Sisi) of Austria comes to England to escape Vienna's stifling court life and pursue her passion for hunting. Serving as Sisi's pilot on hunts, Bay admires both her superb riding skills and her beauty. Eventually they become lovers but never equals. VERDICT Goodwin uses finely drawn characters and intriguing plot lines to create numerous memorable scenes such as when the empress, accompanied by Bay, visits and exchanges polite but pointed barbs with Queen Victoria. Although readers who enjoyed The American Heiress will be first in line to savor Goodwin's new novel, they will be followed quickly by others who appreciate engaging and thoughtful historical fiction. [See Prepub Alert, 1/26/14.]--Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Mankato

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2014

Despite Charlotte Baird's unconventional devotion to photography and her lack of beauty, she has many suitors because of the fortune she will inherit. Her brother's fiancee wants Charlotte's marriage to enhance the family's social standing. Enter Bay Middleton, renowned for his success with both horses and women despite his lack of money or title. Is he merely another fortune hunter, or does he value her other attributes? Charlotte and Bay's complex relationship drives the plot, which becomes more complicated when Empress Elizabeth (Sisi) of Austria comes to England to escape Vienna's stifling court life and pursue her passion for hunting. Serving as Sisi's pilot on hunts, Bay admires both her superb riding skills and her beauty. Eventually they become lovers but never equals. VERDICT Goodwin uses finely drawn characters and intriguing plot lines to create numerous memorable scenes such as when the empress, accompanied by Bay, visits and exchanges polite but pointed barbs with Queen Victoria. Although readers who enjoyed The American Heiress will be first in line to savor Goodwin's new novel, they will be followed quickly by others who appreciate engaging and thoughtful historical fiction. [See Prepub Alert, 1/26/14.]--Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Mankato

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.