This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Jennifer Joyce
Lady Xenobia India St Clair – known to her friends as India – is quite unconventional for the late 18th Century. Though she is the daughter of a marquess, India works to earn a living reorganising households, both aesthetically and ironing out any staffing issues. She is thinking about giving up the profession she loves to marry and run a household of her own when she is hired by Thorn, the illegitimate son of the Duke of Villiers. Thorn has acquired a large country estate in the hope that he can convince Lady Laetitia Rainsford to marry him.
India and Thorn clash, each finding the other to be irritating and frustrating, but there is also something more beneath the surface. A passion erupts between the pair but they must fight it if Thorn is to marry Laetitia.
I wasn’t sure I was going to like Three Weeks With Lady X as the title put me off. It sounds pretty cheesy and brothel-ish, but I actually really enjoyed the book. I thought the writing was good and I couldn’t help giggling at the sparring between India and Thorn, especially while reading the notes they send back and forth. Both India and Thorn had suffered hardships while they were growing up so they had that in common, as well as their fiery natures. It was a delight to not only see their passion mounting but the underlying friendship blossoming too.
As well as India and Thorn, there are a host of supporting characters, including Laetitia Rainsford. I felt a bit sorry for poor Laetitia as everyone assumes she is thick and she also has a horrible mother who constantly puts her down about her weight. I also liked Rose, a young girl who comes to stay with Thorn. She’s a precocious little girl and has the potential to become annoying, but I found her quite funny and I loved the relationships she begins to form.For me, the ending was a little drawn out, but overall I thought it was a fantastic, fun read and certainly one of the best historical romances I have read so far.
8/10