Three Weeks with Lady X

Starred review from February 3, 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.

Starred review from February 15, 2014
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.

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Starred review from April 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.]

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2014
Thorn Dautry doesn't need an interior design consultant; he needs a miracle worker. At least, that is Lady Xenobia India St. Clair's initial assessment when Thorn's stepmother, Eleanor, hires India to redecorate Starberry Court, the rundown country estate Thorn has recently purchased. Thorn is certain that his acquisition of Starberry Court will convince Laetitia Rainsford to accept his offer of marriage. India is equally convinced that if the ramshackle country estate doesn't scare Laetitia away, Thorn's own rough-around-the-edges appearance (not to mention his ancestry) will certainly do the trick. However, Eleanor is one of her dearest friends, and India has never yet backed down from a challenge. So, if all she has is three weeks to transform Starberry Court into a properly running home and turn Thorn into a civilized gentleman, India will just have to make it work. This tale is loosely linked to RITA Awardwinning James' popular Desperate Duchesses series (Thorn is the son of the Duke of Villiers, the hero of A Duke of Her Own, 2009), and 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)