Three Weeks with Lady X

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.)