Beauty in the Binding: Author Interview: The Ballerina's Bargain by Lorri Dudley

The Ballerina's Bargain JustRead Blog + Review Tour

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for The Ballerina's Bargain by Lorri Dudley, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: The Ballerina's Bargain
Series: Danforth Theatre #1
Author: Lorri Dudley
Publisher: Wild Heart Books
Release Date: September 8, 2026
Genre: Historical Regency Romance

A burdened earl. A determined ballerina. Saving the theatre was part of their bargain. Losing their hearts wasn't.

London, 1815

Emmeline Laurent has survived by grace and grit. After her parents' execution in France, she has learned to live unseen as a humble ballerina instructing young pupils in a small London theatre. When whispers spread that the Danforth Theatre may be sold to an unscrupulous buyer, Emmeline fears not only for her livelihood but for the safety of her impressionable students. With no time and no options, she does the only thing she knows to do: leap into a moving carriage and bargain with the new lord who holds their fate.

Grant Atherton, the Earl of Quincy, has inherited the crushing weight of duty along with a failing theatre, an arranged engagement, two younger sisters to usher into society, and a mountain of his father's secrets. Selling the Danforth is the only way to save his family from ruin. The last thing he needs is a beautiful, infuriatingly determined ballerina turning his careful plans upside down.

But when Emmeline's hidden past begins surfacing and the danger circling the theatre proves far deadlier than either of them realized, Grant must choose between the life he planned and the one God may have been preparing all along.

For fans of Roseanna M. White and Jen Turano — a sweeping Regency romance about the grace found in surrender, the courage it takes to trust, and the God who makes a way when every door seems closed.

Excerpt

One corner of his mouth twitched into a sardonic grin. “If your plan is to accost me and make off with my purse, you should probably show your weapon.”

“Weapon?” She’d only seen the theatre owner from behind, but he was more handsome than she imagined, with a firm aristocratic jaw, light eyes, and thick waves of dark brown hair that curled at the ends. His appealing looks only aided in unnerving her.

“Was someone chasing you?” His smile fell and he twisted to peer out the back window. “Were you being accosted?”

Emmeline also shifted to look but couldn’t explain why. She knew no one pursued her. “No.”

“Do you speak English?”

She inwardly groaned. This was going beyond poorly. “Indeed.”

His gaze hardened. “Then, are you mad?” The muscle twitching in his jaw signaled his frustration. “Whatever were you thinking, jumping into a moving carriage?”

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About the Author

Lorri Dudley

Lorri Dudley is the bestselling author of The Leeward Island Series and The Agents of Espionage Series. She has a master’s degree in psychology and lives in Ashland, Massachusetts with her husband and three teenage sons, where writing romance allows her an escape from her testosterone filled household.

Connect with Lorri by visiting lorridudley.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Author Interview

Q: What inspired you to write The Ballerina’s Bargain?

Lorri: A childhood dream of mine was to become a ballerina who floated across the stage with graceful movements. That dream never came to fruition, but when I began writing The Ballerina’s Bargain, I discovered the next best thing. I could live that dream through my characters.

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Q: How long did it take to write this book?

Lorri: It took me approximately nine months to research and write the rough draft. Self-editing is done in fast sprints after that for another three months, along with marketing. The birthing of a book includes some of the emotional phases of a pregnancy (definitely not the same but bear with me): dreaming about what the book and its characters would be like, lumbering through the awkward, muddy middle, and then the doubts and fears of imposter syndrome as the release day draws closer. Have I done enough? Do I have what it takes to produce a good novel? This is my eleventh novel, and my nervousness before a release hasn’t lessened. Then there’s the joy of celebrating a new release, which is always a delight.

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Q: What surprised you while researching/writing this novel?

Lorri: Two things shocked me.

A law from 1736 required theatres to be patented to perform, and the patents were granted by the lord chamberlain. The law was enacted after playwright Henry Fielding wrote a satirical play bashing the prime minister, Robert Walpole. Only two theatres held the required patents during the Regency era: The Royal Theatre, Drury Lane, and The Royal Theatre, Covent Garden. Smaller theatres got around this obstacle by performing pantomimes or musicals, and a combination of the two was the opera-ballet.

I was also shocked (and horrified) at how patrons used to support young ballerinas. Wealthy men could become what was known as a ballerina’s “protector,” offering gifts and financial assistance in exchange for the dancer’s exclusive attention and companionship. A pair of ballet slippers, ribbons, jewelry, or other small trinkets were luxurious gifts to a young woman whose family had little money. Behind the applause, these arrangements could leave a vulnerable young ballerina with very little power of her own, and the word protector appears to be a misnomer. Becoming in a family way (or with child) brought a devastating end to her career. A dancer who could no longer perform might find herself without an income and facing the additional burden of supporting a child. For a family already struggling financially, the consequences could be heartbreaking. The darker side of Regency ballet forms the premise behind The Ballerina’s Bargain. Yet I didn't want the novel to dwell upon the most sordid aspects of backstage life. Instead, the story focuses on two people’s heroic determination to spare the young ballerinas from the so-called “protectors” and a wretched fate by those who’d take advantage of their innocence. Still, the danger is always there, lurking backstage.

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Q: Have you ever taken ballet lessons or attended a ballet?

Lorri: Even though I loved dance, we lived too far out in the boonies in Illinois where I grew up for me to do dance other than a very basic ballet class put on by the church we attended. We eventually moved to Lancaster, PA, and in high school I did dance theatre, but at Hempfield High, Dance Theatre was a big production that packed the house for three performances. I was so grateful to be a part of it and to experience all sorts of dance forms: lyrical ballet, jazz, modern, Caribbean, Irish step dancing, and African dance. Being part of these amazing productions ignited my passion for dancing. I even made my husband take ballroom dancing lessons. He returned the favor by having me take rock climbing lessons, but it turns out we loved both.

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Q: Do you have a favorite quote from The Ballerina’s Bargain?

Lorri: “Laurent’s do hard things.” This quote has a backstory. Usually, I would choose a funny quote. Olivia, the youngest sister, provided a lot of comical relief, like when Luke asks Grant when he bought Olivia a hamster, and Grant replies, “I didn’t,” and they’re both wondering if her pet is actually a mouse.

The inspiration of “Laurent’s do hard things” struck me because of a conversation I had with a Christian school principal, who said how after Covid, it became a challenge to get the young kindergartners to leave their parents and come into the school. She persuaded the students to say goodbye and come inside by reminding them they could do hard things. In that moment, I needed the reminder that I could do hard things too. Jesus said, “In this life we will have trouble but take heart for I have overcome the world.” Emmeline struggles with the fear of falling and not being able to do the lifts required of a prima ballerina. She believes it’s her trust in Grant that helps her overcome her fear, but in the end she learns she needs to put her trust in God's protection.

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Q: When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

Lorri: I’ve always been creative, and I’ve had a passion for romance books since I happened upon the book Savannah in a Scholastic newsletter in the fourth grade. Since then, I’ve used plotting books to occupy my mind when I couldn’t sleep or was bored, like when I was pushing my kids on the swings. It wasn’t until my husband started playing in the church band and needed to practice that I sat down to type up some of the scenes running through my head. It wasn’t until after I’d finished writing a second full novel in 2014 that I thought that it might be good enough to publish and I could potentially become an author. Funny thing is that I kept writing and ended up getting my fourth novel published, which is now The Duke’s Refuge. I wrote five more books in the Leeward Island Series before returning to the second and third novels, and after many edits, those stories became the first two books of my Agents of Espionage Series: Revealing the Truth and Reclaiming the Spy.

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Q: Would you share something about yourself that most readers wouldn’t know?

Lorri: I’ve also written a futuristic romance that was a finalist in the Genesis Contest and Touched by Love contest called Beacon Hill. After becoming traditionally published with Wild Heart Books, I stopped pursuing publication of that particular novel, simply for lack of time. At this point, some of the futuristic items in the story have come true, and in my mind it now seems more like a contemporary romance. Who knows, now that all three of my boys are in college, I may have more time and can come back to it or put Beacon Hill on Book Funnel as a freebie.

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Q: What are you currently reading?

Lorri: Because I always feel guilty that I should be writing, I binge-read books when on vacation. I’m right now on the last book, The Songbird, of Carrie Cotton’s early Nordic Christianity series that starts with The Huntress. It’s a different genre than I typically read, but I’ve enjoyed the intensity of the series. Carrie does an amazing job weaving “The Christ” (as her characters call Jesus) and spiritual elements into her stories.

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Q: What is your favorite season and why?

Lorri: I’m definitely a summer girl. In New England, winters are long, but summers are delightful, with so many places for weekend trips or vacations. Plus, my boys come back from college, and the house and my heart feel full.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card and a prize bundle with reading blanket, socks, and candle!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 8, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on September 15, 2026. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

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