Sophie Irwin
Sophie Helen Burks, known professionally as Sophie Irwin, is an English historical romance novelist. Her debut novel A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting was a Sunday Times bestseller and won an Alex Award. This was followed by A Lady's Guide to Scandal.
Early life
Irwin is the daughter of parents Mike and Louise Burks and grew up in Sherborne, Dorset. Irwin attended the Gryphon School, completing her A Levels in 2013. As a teenager, she worked in the local Winstone's bookshop. She went on to graduate with a degree in English from Mansfield College, Oxford. Having read Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen from a young age, Irwin wrote her dissertation on the popularity of the former during World War II.Career
Irwin began her career working as an editor in publishing. She started writing what would become her debut novel in 2019. In a two-book deal in 2021, HarperFiction acquired the rights to publish Irwin's debut Regency romance novel A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting in 2022. The U.S. publishing rights went to Pamela Dorman Books. The novel follows a young women Kitty Talbot who seeks a wealthy husband to pay off her late parents' debt. Irwin wanted to explore the economic side of marriage in Regency society. A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting debuted at #3 on the Sunday Times bestseller list, won an Alex Award, and was a RUSA Listen List selection. A second novel set in the same universe titled A Lady's Guide to Scandal was published in 2023, presenting the opposite dynamic of a widow with money.HarperFiction acquired two further romance novels from Irwin in October 2023. Her third novel How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days was published the following year. Also in 2025, Irwin signed a deal with Century to write a Georgette Heyer continuation.
''A Lady's Guide''
A Lady's Guide to Fortune-HuntingStandalone novels
- ''How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days''