With one of her sisters with child and the other away until a recent scandal quietly dies down, the running of Maison Noirot, the family dressmaking business, lies solely in Leonie Noirot's capable hands. She has no time for frivolities, especially when it comes in the form of one Simon Fairfax, Marquess of Lisburne. Leonie's gifts lay in numbers, order and convincing ladies that with her designing their wardrobe they'll be the envy of the Ton. Lisburne is a distraction she doesn't need, she has plans to help keep her family business afloat and they involve finding an ugly duckling and turning her into a swan.

Simon Fairfax has come back to town with his cousin, Lord Swanton. Other than bad poetry readings, art galleries and keeping his cousin away from desperate young women Simon doesn't have a lot to do. Until he spies a beautiful redhead mesmerized by the Botticelli he's loaned the Annual Summer Exhibition and finds himself unable to stay away. Leonie is like no one he's ever met, a number cruncher with an agenda and actual, real worries about the well being of her family business. They dance around each other, teasing and flirting, until finally agreeing to a wager: Leonie will transform the unappealing Lady Gladys into the belle of the ball compete with at least two marriage proposals in just two weeks time. If she wins she gets his painting, if he wins he gets her.

The third book in Loretta Chase's Dressmaker series, VIXEN IN VELVET is a charming, smart historical romance between a bored aristocrat and the working class women he falls in love with. Having not read the previous two books in the series, I was worried I would be a little lost in the story arc. I was pleasantly surprised when not only was I not lost, but was smitten right from the beginning with this couple.

Leonie is a wonderfully strong heroine who is sharp, resourceful and able to hold her own in most situations. Lisburne is exactly what you might expect in a member of the Ton with not much to do besides trail after his famous cousin. To my surprise and delight, he was manly without being too alpha and knew just how to woo the strong willed Leonie.I loved how Ms. Chase allowed their relationship to unfold naturally on the page, at no time did it feel rushed or unauthentic. I was completely satisfied with every aspect of their love story, from first meeting to happily ever after.

VIXEN IN VELVET is yet another enchanting romance from the incredibly talented Loretta Chase. If you haven't read the previous installments in this series, fear not, VIXEN IN VELVET can easily be read as a stand-a-lone. You just might find yourself wanting to pick up the rest of the series just to see where it all began.

Book Summary

The third and final book in a sexy, emotionally rich series from New York Times bestselling author, Loretta Chase, in which sisters from a scandalous artistocratic family--and the purveyors of London's most fashionable shop--find passion and love as sumptuous as the gowns they create...

From the Diary of Leonie Noirot:
The perfect corset should invite its undoing . . .

Lethally charming Simon Blair, Marquess of Lisburne, has reluctantly returned to London for one reason only: a family obligation. Still, he might make time for the seduction of a certain redheaded dressmaker-but Leonie Noirot hasn't time for him. She's obsessed with transforming his cousin, the dowdy Lady Gladys, into a swan.

Leonie's skills can coax curves --and profits-- from thin air, but his criminally handsome lordship is too busy trying to seduce her to appreciate her genius. He badly needs to learn a lesson, and the wager she provokes ought to teach him, once and for all.

A great plan, in theory-but Lisburne's become a serious distraction and Leonie's usual logic is in danger of slipping away as easily as a silk chemise. Could the Season's' greatest transformation be her own?

Read an Excerpt