Lady In Waiting by Susan Meissner

Jane Lindsay runs an antique store, and one day she buys a random box of antiques from a British jumble sale.  Inside the box she finds a very old prayer book and a lovely ring hidden away inside.  It's not any ordinary ring, though.  It has her name engraved inside the band.  She begins a quest to track down the origin of the ring, and in the process she might just learn something about herself.

The other half of the story takes the reader back to the 16th century as Lucy, who was a seamstress to Lady Jane Grey, relates how she came to work for Lady Jane and became a confidante to her in the midst of religious upheaval and political games.

The ring is central to both stories.

I didn't know what to anticipate with this book.  I just know I'm a fan of Susan Meissner's work after reading The Shape of Mercy, and I wanted to read the book for that reason alone. 

Lady In Waiting is good, but I didn't love it.  I hesitate to say that, though, because I truly believe it's simply a matter of taste.  I had a difficult time reading the portions of Lucy's story that included the various people of 16th century British nobility that I had to keep straight in my head.  I couldn't follow who was whom with titles of duke, duchess, marchioness, protector... I didn't know who they were.  That's all just clutter to me, but again, that's just me.

I can say that the story finally picked up pace for me about two-thirds of the way in with regards to Lady Jane's life.  With history not being one of my better subjects, I didn't know the story of Lady Jane.  I was gripped by the wonder of what would become of her, and it kept me driven to the end.

Meissner has written this well, and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of her books and anyone who is intrigued by British history.

I wish to thank Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book for review.  I was not required to write a favorable review.  The opinions expressed here are my own.

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