Love is a choice you make every day. Content in her comfortable marriage of twenty-two years, Jane Lindsay never expected to watch her husband, Brad, pack his belongings and walk out the door of their Manhattan home. But when it happens, she feels powerless to stop him, or the course of events that follow Brad’s departure. Jane finds an old ring in a box of relics from a British jumble sale and discovers a Latin inscription in the band along with just one recognizable word: Jane. Feeling an instant connection to the mysterious ring bearing her namesake, Jane begins a journey to learn more about the ring—and perhaps about herself. ~ In the sixteenth-century, Lucy Day becomes the dressmaker to Lady Jane Grey, an innocent young woman whose fate seems to be controlled by a dangerous political and religious climate, one threatening to deny her true love and pursuit of her own interests. As the stories of both Janes dovetail through the journey of one ring, it becomes clear that each woman has far more influence over her life than she once imagined. It all comes down to the choices each makes despite the realities they face.
Download and start listening now!
"This was an interesting book; the story of two women who lived centuries apart, but whose lives were woven together a bit through a beautiful betrothal ring. I enjoyed reading about Jane Lindsay, a modern day New Yorker, who struggles to hold on to a marriage that seems to be crumbling around her. I liked her character, and I enjoyed watching her grow and rediscover herself and her relationship to her husband. I also enjoyed reading about Lady Jane Grey, an amazing girl who lived in England in the 1500's and eventually became Queen of England, if just for 9 days. The historical fiction was intriguing, and the modern day story was equally poignant. I found this book to be a quick read and a good reminder about the choices we make."
— Heidi (4 out of 5 stars)
Lady in Waiting is sheer beauty set in two time periods, both equally captivating stories. Meissner writes characters I care for, root for, and pine alongside—and she does so while weaving enticing, heart-wrenching plots. This book proves why I’m an ardent Susan Meissner fan.
— Mary DeMuth, author of Life in DefianceLady in Waiting by Susan Meissner: The pacing, perfection. Transitions between centuries, seamless. Capturing the nuances of relationship, flawless. Put anything written by Susan Meissner on your “must read now!” list, right beside Barbara Kingsolver and Elizabeth Berg. I couldn’t put this elegant novel of love and choice down. A completely satisfying read.
— Jane Kirkpatrick, award-winning author of A Flickering Light and An Absence So Great“A novel about decisions long regretted and decisions yet to be made, Lady in Waiting resonates with the great hope and exhilaration that come with the realization that there is always a choice.As raindrops become mighty rivers, Susan Meissner’s words seem simple in the beginning, but one thought builds naturally upon another, phrases and sentences flow together with effortless fluidity, and before you know it, you are totally engrossed by the powerful undercurrents of her story. To read Ms. Meissner is to put yourself into the hands of that rarest kind of author: an artist working in the medium of words.
— Athol Dickson, Christy Award–winning author of The Cure and Winter HavenWriting as incandescent as pure flame. Susan Meissner delivers again with a family story that wraps you up and stays with you long after the last page.
— James Scott Bell, best-selling author of Deceived and Try FearI loved The Shape of Mercy from beginning to end. Ms. Meissner’s prose sings, and her characters captured my interest from the start. As the story unfolded, those same characters captured my heart. I won’t soon forget Mercy, Lauren, or Abigail.
— Robin Lee Hatcher, award-winning author of Wagered Heart and When Love Blooms“With a deft hand, Meissner blends an intriguing storyline, artful writing, and memorable characters for a truly delicious read. This one’s a keeper!White Picket Fences, with its wonderful cast of characters, offers hope to all of us who live less than perfect lives behind our own white picket fences. Susan Meissner skillfully weaves together parallel storylines to show how healing can come when we risk sharing our secret pain with others.
— Lynn Austin, author of Until We Reach Home" Hopeful, realistic, and combining historical fiction paralleled with a contemporary situation. One of my favorite kind of reads. A good one! "
— Marlo, 1/13/2014" I really liked how it went back and forth in history. fun read. "
— Lindamac, 1/4/2014" Loved this! Loved the historical romance, loved the different love stories, loved the ending. "
— Liz, 1/4/2014" It was good. I was far more interested in the modern story on this one. Historical fiction is usually my favorite, but it didn't hold me this time. I would have liked a bit more resolution to the modern story, perhaps an epilogue, but I suppose that is only my preference. "
— Carolyn, 12/25/2013" I really enjoyed this book. The author seamlessly moved between the present and Tudor day England, with compelling stories from both. "
— Dgoll, 12/25/2013" Lady in Waiting is an absorbing and well written story. Two women living in two different time periods (one modern times and the other in Pre-Elizabethan England) deal with the timeless issues of love, duty, and difficult choices. "
— Anne, 12/20/2013" I loved both of the stories and how they joined together in the end. I really like Susan Meissner's style of writing. I look forward to reading more of her books. "
— Sandy, 12/10/2013" 8.5. This book is a good read, interesting & brings up points to ponder : choices, love, forgiveness. "
— Joy, 12/2/2013" I enjoyed this book. I'm not much for jumping back and forth time wise, but this book wasn't too bad in that respect. I enjoyed the parts about Lady Jane Grey better than the modern Jane. "
— Lisa, 11/6/2013" Love is a choice you make every day. "
— Kristen, 9/13/2013" This was a beautiful book. Thoughtful, well-written, and uplifting. "
— Jana, 1/8/2013" Good book, I enjoyed it! "
— Charity, 10/12/2012" This was a very good read. I liked both the current and historical storylines and I came to care about both women and what happened to them. I would recommend this one. "
— Terry, 7/26/2012" This book was pretty good, but the two stories didn't really connect for me. It was like I was reading two books at one time. "
— Jolynne, 6/27/2012" I love reading about the Tudor era and I thought that this author did a wonderful job with her fictional account of Lady Jane Grey's life and modern day life. The two stories were woven together very well and I loved the perspecitive of LJG's dressmaker. Very good book! "
— Jennifer, 2/10/2012" Susan Meissner is one of my favorite inspirational authors. She weaves historical and contemporary fiction together in a really cool way. I read all her stuff!! "
— Tammy, 8/27/2011" This was a beautiful book. Thoughtful, well-written, and uplifting. "
— Jana, 5/6/2011" I really liked this thoughtful, yet light-hearted story. It rang true in all respects. "
— Christine, 5/2/2011" Meh. I probably wouldn't have picked this up if I didn't love historical fiction and especially anything to do with Lady Jane Grey. The writing is decent, but the plot is weak and the narrator is a wimp. "
— Nora, 4/5/2011" Two parallel stories of lives in different centuries. I found it interesting how they faced their problems as women. It was slightly depressing but the end, for one of them at least, was happy. "
— Charity, 3/28/2011" Good story and I like the way that it ended. This is historical fiction about Lady Jane Grey around the time of her betrothal and her ascent to the throne. "
— Kathy, 3/10/2011" This is two stories in one--a modern one and the story of Lady Jane Grey. I liked the Lady Grey storyline a lot better than the modern one. "
— Aprocuniar, 2/21/2011" I met Susan Meissner at the Fairmont Public Library <br/>a few years ago.! Now, she lives in California. <br/>Lived around Worthington Windom area. <br/>I've read all of her books but one. "
— Joyce, 2/9/2011Susan Meissner is a USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction with more than three-quarters of a million books in print. She is an author, speaker, and writing workshop leader with a background in community journalism.
LeVar Burton is an Emmy Award–winning actor, presenter, director, author, and Earphones Award–winning narrator. He is best known for his roles as the host of the long-running PBS children’s series Reading Rainbow, as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and as the young Kunta Kinte in the 1977 award-winning ABC television miniseries Roots. He has also directed a number of television episodes for various iterations of Star Trek, among other programs. He was named 2017’s Best Male Literary Citizen by Literary Hub and is a 2020 recipient of the Ember Award for unsung contributions to literature.
Donna Rawlins is an accomplished and successful songwriter, vocalist, and female voice-over artist. She has read a wide range of audiobooks—from Jane Heller’s Female Intelligence to novels by Suzanne Brockmann, Tami Hoag, and Dana Reinhardt. Her voice-over work can also be heard on numerous educational programs, commercials, documentaries, PSAs, and featured voice parts in various films such as Citizen Ruth.