Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: The Ballerina's Bargain by Lorri Dudley

Book: The Ballerina’s Bargain

Author: Lorri Dudley

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: September 8, 2026

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.

 

Click here to get your copy!

Christian Historical Romance is one of my favorite genres. The Ballerina's Bargain by Lorri Dudley is Book 1 in the Danforth Theatre Series. 

I started reading this book and the storyline had me hooked from the beginning. The setting is London, England in 1815. The main characters are Emmeline Laurent and Grant Atherton, the Earl of Quincy. Emmeline has been through a lot in her life and she found her calling in being a Ballerina and teaching Ballet. She has been teaching Ballet at the Danforth Theatre. She is truly at a good place in life and has much love for her students. She is devasted when she hears that the Theatre might be sold, as it would mean she and the students would be without a place for their Ballet. Grant Atherton, Lord Quincy, has also had many struggles in life. He has inherited the Theatre and upon learning of how much repair would be needed, he feels it is best to sell. He also wants to save his family legacy from being ruined. I LOVE Emmeline's determination when she approaches Lord Quincy and makes it known that she believes the Theatre is worth saving. Grant and Emmeline begin to work on a plan to save the Theatre and then secrets are revealed that might hinder moving forward. The secrets lead both Grant and Emmeline to lean onto God and allow God's plan to guide the possible sale or possible save the Theatre. I truly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The twists and turns in the storyline really kept me focused on finishing the book in a few hours. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Historical Romance. I am looking forward to more books in this series! GREAT BOOK!

 

Lorri Dudley has been a finalist in numerous writing contests and has a master’s degree in Psychology. She lives in Ashland, Massachusetts with her husband and three teenage sons, where writing romance allows her an escape from her testosterone filled household.

 

More from Lorri

Many young girls dream of growing up to become a ballerina. There is a romantic whimsy to the airy skirts, graceful movements, and illusion of defying gravity as dancers balance en pointe and extend their limbs with such elegance that they seem almost infinite. While modern audiences often associate ballet with beauty and enchantment, behind the heavy stage curtains of Regency England’s opera-ballet lurked a darker reality.

Many of the ballerinas came from impoverished families struggling to put food on the table. Girls trained from a young age, long before the onset of womanhood, and were expected to endure grueling hours of rehearsal despite blisters, sore muscles, and bleeding feet. For some, ballet offered a better alternative for a working girl than scrubbing floors and emptying chamberpots as a scullery maid, laboring as a laundress near scalding water and hot presses or cleaning dangerous cotton machinery in a mill.

At least the stage held the possibility of applause—if the performance was well received. If it wasn’t, audiences could be merciless. Performers might be shouted down, heckled off the stage, or pelted with food. Fights occasionally erupted among patrons in the pit or upper gallery, while disreputable men gathered in the front row of what was known as Fops’ Alley in hopes of catching a scandalous glimpse of the ballerinas’ ankles.

Their wealthy counterparts could become a ballerina’s sponsor, gaining special access to backstage rooms where they could ogle the dancers and receive in-person introductions after a performance. These men were known as protectors, though the title was a misnomer. In exchange for a ballerina’s exclusive attention, they offered gifts the young women could scarcely afford themselves, like new ballet slippers, ribbons, bracelets, or other trinkets.

While saving the theatre and its ballerinas from these so-called “protectors” forms the premise of The Ballerina’s Bargain, the novel doesn’t dwell on the darker details of these backstage arrangements. Instead, it focuses on the heroic efforts of its protagonists to spare the young ballerinas from a wretched fate. However, the tension of what may happen should they fail lingers in the wings throughout the story.

Enjoy!

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Melissa’s Bookshelf, September 23

Fruitfully Planted, September 24

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Simple Harvest Reads, September 27 (Guest Review from Donna)

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Leslie’s Library Escape, September 29

Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, September 30

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Holly’s Book Corner, October 1

Pause for Tales, October 2

To Everything There Is A Season, October 2

To celebrate her tour, Lorri is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/aa58y/the-ballerinas-bargain-celebration-tour-giveaway

Celebrate Lit Blog Tour: The Ballerina's Bargain by Lorri Dudley

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