Ladies in Waiting

Author: Laura L. Sullivan
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books

Release Date: May 8, 2012

Format: Hardcover

Source: Purchased

Goodreads Description:

"Eliza dreams of being a playwright for the king’s theater, where she will be admired for her witty turns of phrase rather than her father’s wealth. Beth is beautiful as the day but poor as a church mouse, so she must marry well, despite her love for her childhood sweetheart. Zabby comes to England to further her scientific studies—and ends up saving the life of King Charles II. Soon her friendship with him becomes a dangerous, impossible obsession. Though she knows she should stay away from the young, handsome king, Charles has a new bride, Queen Catherine, and a queen needs ladies in waiting. And so Zabby, Beth, and Eliza, three Elizabeths from very different walks of life, find themselves at the center of the most scandal-filled court that England has ever seen."

***

Ladies in Waiting is a character driven novel, and consequently, a bit slow moving. There were several things I really enjoyed about the novel, as well as several things that I did not particularly care for. Despite the slow pace, it is clear from the very beginning that Laura L. Sullivan would weave plenty of scandal and intrigue into the plot to keep the reader engaged.

Ladies in Waiting revolves around three different girls: Eliza, Beth, and Zabby. When we meet each of these girls, there is something unconventional about them, which causes quite a shock for the other characters in the scene. The girls’ adventures and forward thinking definitely brightened up the story.

Despite the interesting plot, there was no real romance in the novel—something it really needed. Of all three girls, only Beth was involved in a romantic relationship, but it wasn’t even satisfying. It was superficial and doomed from the start. Zabby does fall in love, but it is clearly unrequited—this means that there were no swoon worthy moments for her, and as the alleged mistress of the King, I would at least expect some! Eliza spends her whole time refusing to fall in love or marry. While this book did need some more romance, I liked that Eliza was always free—it suited her personality well.

While I did not love Ladies in Waiting, I will pick up the next Laura L. Sullivan’s next novel because I still enjoyed Ladies in Waiting and feel that Sullivan may impress me with her next story. I loved the concept of Ladies in Waiting, and there were scandals galore to keep entertained, but it was missing a real, true romance. Hopefully we will find both elements in Sullivan’s next work.

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