The Ballerina’s Bargain
About the Book
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!
About the Author
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!
MY THOUGHTS
One thing I really love about historical fiction is when I walk away from a book feeling like I actually learned something, and The Ballerina’s Bargain definitely did that for me. I loved the time period and all the little historical details Lorri Dudley worked into the story. There were several things I didn’t know before reading this one, and of course that sent me down a rabbit hole wanting to learn even more.
I especially enjoyed learning more about the world of ballet during this time and what life and society were like for women. I love when the history is worked naturally into the story instead of feeling like I’m getting a history lesson. It made the setting feel so much more real, and I found myself just as interested in those details as I was in the romance and the characters.
This was such an enjoyable read for me because it gave me a little bit of everything I look for in historical fiction—a good story, interesting characters, romance, and a time period I could get completely lost in. Give me a book that entertains me while teaching me something I didn’t know before, and I’m a happy reader. The Ballerina’s Bargain did exactly that.
Blog Stops
Devoted Steps, September 19
The Lofty Pages, September 20
Books Less Travelled, September 20
Devoted To Hope, September 21
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 21
She Lives To Read, September 22
Texas Book-aholic, September 23
Melissa’s Bookshelf, September 23
Fruitfully Planted, September 24
For Him and My Family, September 24
Sydney Schmied Books, September 25
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 25
Connie’s History Classroom, September 26
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 26
Simple Harvest Reads, September 27 (Guest Review from Donna)
Sylvan Musings, September 28
Leslie’s Library Escape, September 29
Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, September 30
Cover Lover Book Review, September 30
Holly’s Book Corner, October 1
Pause for Tales, October 2
To Everything There Is A Season, October 2
Giveaway
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
A woman rebuilding after tragedy and a grieving father searching for hope discover that the past isn’t finished with them.
Avrie Swan is a Christian author and avid reader with a love for all things historical. Having grown up exploring antique stores and museums, she eventually decided to combine her interest in history with her love for writing and began working on her first full-length novel at the age of fourteen. She especially enjoys writing stories that focus on themes of family, faith, and growth through difficult times.
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Award-winning author 
A Cherokee lieutenant, a colonel’s daughter, and a desperate fight to protect both land and love.
North Georgia native Denise Farnsworth, formerly Denise Weimer, has authored over twenty traditionally published novels and novellas—historical and contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and time slip. As a freelance editor and Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books, she’s helped other authors reach their publishing dreams. A wife and mother of two adult daughters, Denise always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses.