Three Weeks With Lady X

by Eloisa James

Overview

The next fabulous romance by New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James.

Having made a fortune, Thorn Dautry, the powerful bastard son of a duke, decides that he needs a wife. But to marry a lady, Thorn must acquire a gleaming, civilized façade, the specialty of Lady Xenobia India.

Exquisite, headstrong, and independent, India vows to make Thorn marriageable in just three weeks.

But neither Thorn nor India anticipate the forbidden passion that explodes between them.

Thorn will stop at nothing to make India his. Failure is not an option.

But there is only one thing that will make India his . . . the one thing Thorn can't afford to lose . . . his fierce and lawless heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062223906
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/25/2014
Series:	Desperate Duchesses Series , #7
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	67,263
File size:	922 KB

About the Author

Eloisa James is a USA Today and New York Times bestselling author and professor of English literature, who lives with her family in New York, but can sometimes be found in Paris or Italy. She is the mother of two and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight.

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/15/2014
Thorn Dautry, wealthy businessman and acknowledged bastard son of the Duke of Villiers, needs a well-born wife to insure his future children's social acceptance. Unfortunately, with his mudlark childhood roots (retrieving lost valuables from the Thames) and fortune made in trade, he's no gentleman by ton standards. He definitely needs help, and there is no one better to get his new country estate whipped into shape and make him marriageable than sought-after interior stylist and organizational consultant Lady Xenobia India St. Clair. But can she do it in three weeks? And can she keep the passion that flares between them from engulfing them both? VERDICT Sharp, smart protagonists, dazzling in everything but love, eventually sort things out in this witty, deliciously sexy charmer that reprises some favorite characters from James's "Desperate Duchesses" series and leaves the door open for more tales of Villiers's kids. James (Once upon a Tower) lives in the New York City area. [See "Editors' Spring Picks," LJ 2/15/14.—Ed.]

Library Journal

★ 02/03/2014
James’s seventh Desperate Duchesses historical (after A Duke of Her Own) is her most enticing work to date, replete with sizzling romance and riveting characters. Lady Xenobia India St. Clair has shocked the high society of 1799 London by scorning marriage and becoming a successful interior designer. India is hired by Tobias “Thorn” Dautry, the illegitimate son of the Duke of Villiers, to refurbish a house he has purchased. While India works with various craftsmen to make the vacant house habitable, she and Thorn engage in witty correspondence. Soon their budding friendship turns into a romantic flirtation. But Thorn is supposed to be courting Miss Laetitia Rainsford, a woman whose sweetness and biddable nature—and undeserved reputation for being a bit simple—are quite in contrast to India’s feisty independence and cleverness. As Thorn and India hesitantly reveal their secrets to each other, they wonder whether they can accept the risks of love. James’s wonderful cast and effortless plotting make this a delicious romance to be savored again and again. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Romance writing does not get much better than this.” — People

“Eloisa James writes with a captivating blend of charm, style, and grace that never fails to leave the reader sighing and smiling and falling in love. Her style is exquisite, her prose pure magic. Nothing gets me to a bookstore faster than a new novel by Eloisa James.” — Julia Quinn

“Eloisa James is extraordinary. With her sensuous and elegant style, inventive plotting and warm, human characters, she makes every book a treasure. A novel by Eloisa is a delicious treat that shouldn’t be missed. A wonderfully original voice in romance fiction!” — New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleyps

“Clever plotting and equally clever dialog make Thorn and India’s story a page-turning winner.” — New York Journal of Books

“Smart heroines, sensual heroes, witty repartee and a penchant for delicious romance have made James a fan favorite…Readers will be hooked from beginning to end.” — RT Book Reviews (top pick)

“James’ seventh Desperate Duchesses historical (after A Duke of her Own) is her most enticing work to date, replete with sizzling romance and riveting characters….James’ wonderful cast and effortless plotting make this a delicious romance to be savored again and again.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Emotionally rewarding and elegantly written, with textured characters and a captivating plot, this is James at her best” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“her gift for creating complex, richly layered characters pays off with spectacular dividends in her latest scintillating and exquisitely written historical novel, a romantic tour de force. — Booklist (starred review)

“Eloisa is also a brilliant writer [...] readers will be enthralled by Lady X and Thorn Dautry as soon as they meet these two willful, formidable characters. — USA Today, Happily Ever After

“Sharp, smart protagonists, dazzling in everything but love, eventually sort things out in this witty, deliciously sexy charmer that reprises some favorite characters from James’s “Desperate Duchesses” series and leaves the door open for more tales of Villiers’s kids.” — Library Journal (starred review)

From the Publisher

Eloisa is also a brilliant writer [...] readers will be enthralled by Lady X and Thorn Dautry as soon as they meet these two willful, formidable characters.

USA Today

Eloisa James writes with a captivating blend of charm, style, and grace that never fails to leave the reader sighing and smiling and falling in love. Her style is exquisite, her prose pure magic. Nothing gets me to a bookstore faster than a new novel by Eloisa James.

Julia Quinn

Romance writing does not get much better than this.

People

Clever plotting and equally clever dialog make Thorn and India’s story a page-turning winner.

New York Journal of Books

her gift for creating complex, richly layered characters pays off with spectacular dividends in her latest scintillating and exquisitely written historical novel, a romantic tour de force.

Booklist (starred review)

Smart heroines, sensual heroes, witty repartee and a penchant for delicious romance have made James a fan favorite…Readers will be hooked from beginning to end.

RT Book Reviews (top pick)

Eloisa James is extraordinary. With her sensuous and elegant style, inventive plotting and warm, human characters, she makes every book a treasure. A novel by Eloisa is a delicious treat that shouldn’t be missed. A wonderfully original voice in romance fiction!

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleyps

Eloisa is also a brilliant writer [...] readers will be enthralled by Lady X and Thorn Dautry as soon as they meet these two willful, formidable characters.

USA Today

★ 2014-02-06
When Lady Xenobia is hired to restyle Thorn Dautry's country estate in order to help him win a perfect bride, they are both loath to admit they've met their perfect matches. The illegitimate yet beloved son of the Duke of Villiers, Thorn Dautry has made his own successful way in the world through his cleverness and entrepreneurial spirit. Rich beyond imagining, Thorn is now turning his energy toward finding a wife. He has his eyes on Laetitia Rainsford, a quiet beauty with a harridan for a mother. The Rainsfords are short on cash, and Laetitia's father is holding out for a huge dowry, despite Lady Rainsford's disdain for the illegitimate, untitled Dautry. Thorn buys a country estate previously owned by a debauched lord, and he must completely refurbish the buildings and land before inviting his family and the Rainsfords to a house party that he hopes will end in an engagement. On the advice of his stepmother, Thorn hires Lady Xenobia—known to her friends as India—to manage the overwhelming project, and she executes every detail with grace and elegance. India is the daughter of a marquess, and Thorn knows she is above his reach, so he at first tries to ignore their flaming attraction, then gives in to it but clings to the idea of biddable, easygoing Laetitia as an appropriate bride. India and Thorn each have deep-seated insecurities and strong personalities, and their secretive courtship is intense and explosive. They are clearly perfect for each other but blinded by their own uncertainty and society's expectations. Star romance author James revisits her best-selling Desperate Duchesses series with this compelling and passionate book. India and Thorn (aka Tobias, first met This Duchess of Mine (2009) as a youth) are complex, intriguing and endearing, and their romance enchants. Secondary characters enhance the emotional stakes, and fans will enjoy another peek at popular hero Villiers and his wife, Eleanor. Emotionally rewarding and elegantly written, with textured characters and a captivating plot, this is James at her best.

Kirkus Reviews