Three Weeks With Lady X
[1] Three Weeks With Lady X is the seventh novel of James's Desperate Duchesses series,[2] and the first to focus on the children of the original characters.
James is an ardent fan of the network's competitions between decorators and interior designers, and the programs made her think more about what redecorating may have been like during the Regency period.
[5] The orphaned daughter of a marquess with unusual ideas on child rearing, India, as she is known throughout the novel, is determined not to marry for money.
[3][10] As explained in the earlier novel, Thorn had been abandoned by his mother and worked as a mudlark in the London slums before being rescued by his father, the Duke of Villiers.
According to the constraints of English society at the time, as both an illegitimate son and a man who had made a fortune in trade (rather than inheriting one), Thorn is not considered respectable.
[10] He chooses Lady Laetitia "Lala" Rainsford, whose father is out of funds and willing to evaluate Thorn solely on his wealth.
To impress his future mother-in-law, Thorn purchases a country house and invites the Rainsfords to visit in three weeks' time.
[4] The novel depicts Thorn's new estate as fairly run-down, with a debauched decorating scheme inappropriate for Lady Rainsford's eyes.
[12] As they secretly court each other, India and Thorn are forced to confront their own insecurities and fears and to determine how to handle society's expectations of them.
The opening scene of the novel closely imitates Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, as Lord Dibbleshire proposes to Lady India using speech very similar to the proposal that Darcy gives Elizabeth; James intends this as foreshadowing that India has much in common with Elizabeth, and Dibbleshire is just as arrogant as Darcy.
[8][13] James usually writes her books in sets of three or more novels, allowing her to more fully explore the relationships between all of the characters, not just the hero and heroine.
In the past, the books have been generally connected by sets of very good female friends or sisters, as Bly finds those relationships important in her own life.
Her editor, Carrie Feron, notes that "I think it’s really hard to shock readers these days, especially after ‘Fifty Shades’ — which is not a romance — has become so mainstream.
[1] Reviewers frequently commented that the plot was fairly simple, but the complex characterization made the book a joy to read.
[4][10][12] At Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, reviewer Elyse noted that the characters had well-drawn emotional depths, and were forced to surmount problems that would resonate with most readers, particularly the idea of making peace with one's past.
[2][7][11][12] Publishers Weekly called the novel James' "most enticing work to date, replete with sizzling romance and riveting characters".
"[8] The novel garnered two nominations for the 2014 Romantic Times Awards, for Book for the Year and British Isles-set Historical Romance.
