LADY CLAIRE IS ALL THAT is book three in Maya Rodale's Keeping Up with the Cavendishes series. It is not necessary to have read the previous books in this series before reading LADY CLAIRE IS ALL THAT, because each sibling's story focused on in each book takes place concurrently with the others. Lord Fox begins a dogged pursuit of American expatriate Lady Claire Cavendish for some very dodgy reasons, but the story gets interesting when he develops real feelings for her. This is a great book for readers who enjoy the "opposites attract" trope. Claire is the kind of bluestocking heroine I adore, and I like that Lord Fox is smart enough to like her the way she is and not be repelled by her brainiac ways.

I quite frequently enjoy stories that feature a highly intelligent hero or heroine, so LADY CLAIRE IS ALL THAT has an added appeal for me. I like that Claire isn't immediately wowed by Fox's charm and stunning physique upon their first meeting. It isn't so much that Claire and Fox change each other over the course of LADY CLAIRE IS ALL THAT, but that they change their perspectives and assumptions. It's great having this story told from alternating perspectives, because you get a better sense of the depth of feeling that the main characters develop for each other, as well as get a glimpse of their internal struggle and reevaluation process. Even though Fox foolishly risked his beloved dog in a wager, his obvious affection for that dog made me like him more. The chemistry between Claire and Fox is something that confounds them, but is delightful to read about. Maya Rodale expertly captures the excitement and flurry of emotions that come with an unusual and swift attraction. It's refreshing to have the heroine corner the hero in dark alcoves and back him up against miscellaneous garden hedges in a fit of passion.

LADY CLAIRE IS ALL THAT has two villains -- Lord Fox's frenemy Lord Mowbray, and Fox's ex Arabella Vaughn. The relationship that these two have with Fox is complicated, as well as the one they have with each other. I always find antiheroes, and characters whose moral compass gets a little off course, fascinating so I would love to read stories about these two in the future. Of the two, Mowbray's motivations toward Fox are a little bit more on the malicious side. It would be great to see Mowbray go on the same kind of journey that Lord Dutton did in Claudia Dain's "Courtesan Chronicles" series -- in which a jerk is brought to his knees before he finally pulls himself back together and reforms himself. I enjoy stories in which the characters go through a process of change rather than experience a miraculous and unrealistically sudden transformation. Maya Rodale has succeeded in taking two supporting, and slightly wicked characters, and captured this reader's imagination.

LADY CLAIRE IS ALL THAT is an exhilarating romance with characters that fascinate. Maya Rodale balances bad guy shenanigans, torrid trysts, and blissful sighs. I look forward to reading James' story in the next installment of this highly enjoyable Keeping Up with the Cavendishes series.

Book Summary

In the third installment of Maya Rodale’s captivating, witty series, a marquess finds his fair lady—but must figure out how to keep her

HER BRAINS…

Claire Cavendish is in search of a duke, but not for the usual reasons. The man she seeks is a mathematician; the man she unwittingly finds is Lord Fox: dynamic, athletic, and as bored by the equations Claire adores as she is by the social whirl upon which he thrives. As attractive as Fox is, he’s of no use to Claire . . . or is he?

PLUS HIS BRAWN . . .

Fox’s male pride has been bruised ever since his fiancée jilted him. One way to recover: win a bet that he can transform Lady Claire, Society’s roughest diamond, into its most prized jewel. But Claire has other ideas—shockingly steamy ones . . .

EQUALS A STUDY IN SEDUCTION . . .

By Claire’s calculations, Fox is the perfect man to satisfy her sensual curiosity. In Fox’s estimation, Claire is the perfect woman to prove his mastery of the ton. But the one thing neither of them counted on is love . . .