Five years in a New York state reformatory have left a blemish on Hazel’s real name. So when she takes a job as Doctor Gilbert Watts’s lady in attendance in 1898, she does so under an alias. In the presence of her quiet and pious employer, Hazel finds more than an income. She finds a friend and a hope that if she can set her tarnished past in order, she might have a future after all.

As Gilbert becomes accustomed to the pleasant chatter of his new dental assistant, he can’t help but sense something secretive about her. Perhaps there is more to this woman than meets the eye. Can the questions that loom between them ever be answered? Or will the deeds of days gone by forever rob the future of its possibilities?

Rachel Fordham pens a tender tale of a soft-spoken man, a hardened woman, and the friends that stand by them as they work toward a common purpose–to expunge the record of someone society deemed beyond saving–and perhaps find love along the way.

I was drawn in from the very first sentence – I loved the story, the underlying wisdom, the historical culture throughout. It left me thinking about what it means to change, to forgive, to show grace and mercy. There was plenty of suspense throughout to keep readers engaged and I finished this in two days because I had to know how it turned out.

I highly recommend A Lady in Attendance for anyone who loves a story of redemption. This is one of the best I’ve read.

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