Kathryn Caskie
Lady in Waiting (2005)
Author: Kathryn Caskie
Genre: Romance (Historical Regency)
Plot Summary:
Jenny, the illegitamate daughter of a lord, has always wanted to be a lady, but like her mother, she is in service as a lady's maid to the elderly Featherton sisters and their young neice. Now a grown woman, she finds her addiction to nice dresses and jewlrey is catching up to her as her debts are growing. Luckily, she has invented an erotic "tingle cream" that is all the rage with wealthy ladies and under the name Lady Eros she sells it at a large profit. While shopping she is mistaken for a lady by the handsome Scotsman Lord Argyll and later the mischeivious Featherton sisters think it would be fun for her to continue the ruse, thus Lady Genevive is born. SPOILER: Love starts to blossom but after a night of passion Jenny learns the Scots secret. He wants to end his bloodline to spite his father so if she becomes pregnant he will not marry her.
Geographical Setting: Bath, England
Time Period: 1817-1819
Appeal Characteristics:
Lady in Waiting, winner of the Romantic Times 2005 Reviewers Choice Award for best historical novels, is a fun and lively fairy tale of a story. Readers who like strong yet humorous female characters will enjoy Jenny, a young woman in service who dreams of being a "real lady". Jenny, adventurous as she is smart, invents the erotic "tingle cream" and uses it to fund her shopping addiction. At the same time she is posing as Lady Genevieve to attract the handsome Scotsman Lord Argyll. Caskie's secondary characters also come alive, particularly the Featherton sisters who are plotting a love match while helping her with her impersonation. The pace of the story is quick with Jenny going from one near disaster to the next as she juggles her secret identities. From partaking of the baths, to the dances, to the run-ins with a possible thief, to her sleepless nights making her erotic concoction, on top of keeping up her regular duties as a ladies maid, the story keeps flying. The Regency setting in Bath, England is enjoyable as Caskie takes us inside the famous Roman baths and the fashionable parties. The tone is light with Jenny facing her possible pregnancy, loss of love and her mounting debts with a positive attitude and great humor. The writing style is quick and fun. Description of social customs, places and people keep the story interesting, and while the plot is fantastical, it will keep the reader racing to the end to find out how the little side mysteries, such as who her real father is, resolve themselves.
Read-alikes:For another romance with a Regency setting and a hidden identity try The Family Matchmaker by Jeanne Savery. Georgianna Beverly has no desire to marry but she will pose as Lord Everhart's fiance to help him avoid a local matchmaker's attentions. Like Lady in Waiting this romance features amusing and likable characters that find themselves in trouble because of their secret identities. The pace is quick as they evade Georgianna's aunt, the matchmaker. For readers looking for a humorous writing style On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn is a good choice. Hermione Watson is about to be married but Gregory Bridgerton falls in love with her and attempts to stop the wedding with the help of Hermione's best friend. Described as "witty, spirited and humorous", this story also has a quick pace as the characters rush to carry out their schemes similar to the way Jenny hurries from one identity to the next in Lady in Waiting. If a strong male character is to your liking try To Pleasure a Prince, book two in the Royal Brotherhood series by Sabrina Jeffries. Marcus North, Viscount Draker, shuns society but he leaves his castle to aid his sister for her coming out. Unfortunatly, she is courted by a man Marcus hates. Like Lord Argyll, who leave his home to find out about his mother, Marcus is also leaving his home on a mission. The Regency setting and the atmosphere of the society party scene makes these books a good match. For a strong female protagonist try Surrender by Amanda Quick. Victoria Huntington, an heiress who likes adventure, is tired of fortune hunters. When the Earl of Stonevale promises to court her by taking her to places normally off bounds to ladies she accepts. Like Jenny, Victoria is daring and doesn't let being a woman stop her from getting what she wants. The English setting, Regency period and the breaking of social rules permiates both stories. In A Perfect Bride by Samantha James we once again see a woman in a lower station improving her situation in life. Devon St James is looking for a wife possessing the qualities of a lady. The woman he finds though is from the slums of London. He attempts to teach her the qualities he is looking for and soon sees her for who she truly is. The characters are strong in both books although Jenny is not quite so coarse in her language. The Regency setting and humorous writing will be familiar to fans of Caskie. For a story that is a read-alike in all appeal elements to Lady in Waiting readers should try more of Kathryn Caskie's books. How to Seduce a Duke, the first book in the Royale Sisters trilogy, is "wickedly witty". It's pace is quick in both books with Mary, like Jenny, ploting to make the man of her dreams fall for her. The women's characters are smart and fun, willing to take a risk for love. The men in both stories are handsome and have secrets.The Regency setting is fun with the parties, fancy clothing and the constant thought to social customs entertaining.
Red Flags: Some language, some descriptive sex scenes, premarital sex
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