3.5 Stars

During the reign of Charles II of England, three very different girls with the name of Elizabeth find their own paths in court as maids-of-honors of Queen Catherine of Portugal, the king's wife. Each girl has their own goals and fate that will affect their world.

The first Elizabeth, who is referred to as Eliza, is the daughter of an extremely rich man whose chief ambition is to marry Eliza off to a noble husband that will give him the king's ear, so he sends Eliza off as the queen's maid-of-honor in hope of finding a worthy husband. Meanwhile, Eliza plans for a future that will allow her to become a playwright of her time.

Beth, the second Elizabeth, is the daughter of a noble who strayed and landed his family in serious debt. Her mother is insane and dying, she wants to marry her childhood friend, Harry, who is also the son of the man who was the cause of her father's demise and she is betrothed to another who plans to have her as his fourth wife.

Zaby, whose nickname is beyond me, is a science nerd. When the king catches the plague, it is she who saves him from deathbed. In return for saving him, the king appoints her as his wife's maid-of-honor and allows her to work in his laboratory. Unfortunately, Charles refuses to state his reason behind her sudden turn of luck and has everyone believe Zabby is just another one of his many mistresses. It is also worth mentioning that Zabby is starting to fall in love with the king.

Although the novel is called Ladies in Waiting and the summary is focused primarily on the three Elizabeths, this book is Catherine's book as well. As you delve into this major soap opera of history, it is not only the Elizabeths who face hardships; Catherine is as well. How will Catherine face the many mistresses of the king and bear his heir, while his mistress, Castlemain, has given birth to two heirs and clearly has more power over the king than her.

I found Ladies in Waiting a fast-paced and interesting read. The author clearly researched seriously when writing this novel, but also took many liberties. There are countless times when I slapped my head in the stupidity of the novel, but I found each of the protagonists likable and worthy of having a portion of this novel written specifically about them. Each character has his or her heartbreaks and/or dilemmas that he or she is successfully able to escape, but with consequences. Everything that happens is with a purpose, and ultimately forces the bittersweet ending that is satisfying.

I will not say that Ladies in Waiting is a novel worth loving or recommending to everyone. Honestly, it is not. Some of the writing does not seem consistent with the time period. There are a few phrases that are found in Shakespeare's plays. But would those still be used commonly many decades later? A phrase such as 'Lead apes to Hell' will not last for so many years as shown in Ladies in Waiting. I do not believe the author is the blame though. There is not as much writing from Charles II's time compared to the Elizabethan era.

The style of writing, other than a few little annoying buggy things, was extremely well-thought out. Each word flows effortlessly into the next, which helped me finish Ladies in Waiting on a good note. Laura L. Sullivan clearly has a gift with language, albeit sometimes a bit forced during the dialogue. There was nothing too major though.

Although I did enjoy Ladies in Waiting, it is not a novel that one will love passionately like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. It is like bittersweet candy. It is worth trying because it is candy, but most people will not enjoy it or even want to try it. Historical fiction is a genre worth expanding and Ladies in Waiting is a great addition to this unfairly treated genre.