Lady In Waiting

LADY IN WAITING, available from MuseItUp Publishing



LADY IN WAITING

BLURB:


Mabriona is cousin to the beautiful and spoiled Princess Alana.  When Alana is forced to marry a man she despises, Mabriona is torn between her loyalty to her cousin and her attraction to the handsome Prince Blayne.

Tragedy befalls the cousins on the way to Prince Blayne’s castle.  Servants, believing Mabriona to be Alana, refuse to listen when she tries to explain.

While she waits for Blayne to recover, Mabriona meets his equally handsome younger brother, Madoc, a bard.

When Blayne awakes, will Mabriona choose life with a future king, will she be sent home in disgrace because of her inadvertent lies, or will Madoc win her love with his poetry?

REVIEW BY ROCHELLE WEBER 

http://rochellesreviews.blogspot.com/2012/02/lady-in-waiting-by-penny-lockwood.html

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2012

Lady in Waiting by Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz

Mabriona is cousin to the beautiful and spoiled Princess Alana.  When Alana is forced to marry a man she despises, Mabriona is torn between her loyalty to her cousin and her attraction to the handsome Prince Blayne. 

Tragedy befalls the cousins on the way to Prince Blayne’s castle.  Servants, believing Mabriona to be Alana, refuse to listen when she tries to explain.

While she waits for Blayne to recover, Mabriona meets his equally handsome younger brother, Madoc, a bard.

When Blayne awakes, will Mabriona choose life with a future king, will she be sent home in disgrace because of her inadvertent lies, or will Madoc win her love with his poetry?

I dread reviewing historical romances.  So many authors don’t do their homework and fill their books with anachronisms and modern language that doesn’t belong there.  Not so Ms. Ehrenkranz.  There is not a blip in the entire thirty-seven pages.

Even though they’re first cousins, Princess Alana treats Mabriona as a servant; not a friend or relative.  But then, there’s really no love lost between the two girls.  The Princess is selfish and self-centered and Mabriona wishes Alana would get over herself.  It doesn’t help when she falls for Alana’s betrothed, and the feeling appears to be mutual, and it gets even more complicated when Alana is killed during an accident en-route to the Prince’s kingdom and his family mistakes Mabriona for her.


And it gets even worse when his brother falls for her.  He’s just as handsome.  Used to living in her cousin’s shadow, Mabriona is enjoying the attention.  But the other shoe has to drop eventually.  Will she fess up before she gets caught?  And what will be the consequences when it does?  I guess you’ll just have to read the story to find out.  I definitely recommend it.

Rochelle Weber

 

Four Star Review of Lady In Waiting from Long and Short Reviews -Romance:

http://www.longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/2012/04/lady-in-waiting-by-penny-lockwood.html 

April 11, 2012


Is this the classic torn-between-two loves? Well, not exactly, but Ms. Ehrenkranz does a great job keeping us guessing about the choices - and fate - of lovely, aristocratic lady Mabriona.

Mabriona's life is all about duty. Getting along with the cranky princess (a princess who is a...well...a princess!) is her chief challenge at least in the beginning. And this is no easy task, since Alana has just been told she's to marry a 'brute' she so plainly detests. Complicating things, Mabriona is attracted to Prince Blayne...which would certainly not suit the powers-that-be, aka King Cedric.

At first, the path before Mabriona looks simple. Challenging, to be sure, but we develop a little expectation (or maybe hope?) for where this relationship is headed. Surely, somehow, some way things will work out.

And at that point, the story takes on a completely unpredictable twist. It becomes an absolute page-turner, as Mabriona plunges into ... well, no spoilers here. This one starts out intriguing and turns into a book you won't want to put down pretty quickly.

Through various complications, we meet Madoc, a bard. He's the other man - and a worthy soul, and suddenly, we readers don't even know what to hope for.

Quick and witty conversation drives the plot and unfailingly builds the characters. Descriptions and the background to the story, in general, are good. For those who truly like a 'historical' though, it's a bit difficult to assign this a specific era. I'd have preferred a better placement in time/history, as it's got a rather medieval charm, but with no real commitmment to a specific time period.

However, this really is quite a good tale. Do read.

Five Star Review:

This review is from: Lady in Waiting (Kindle Edition)
Imagine you are a Princess, with almost everything you want. Silken clothes, fine-cut jewels, a carriage wherever you wish to go, admirers nodding on the street. Everything but love, and marriage to a man who holds your heart.
Wouldn't that be nice, except your cousin keeps telling you "Everything will be alright with this choice of your father, dearie."
That is the destruction you face.
Except your cousin has fallen in love...with the only man you truly love.
Can a story take so many turns, and still come out happy?

LADY IN WAITING

EXCERPT


Mabriona assisted Alana down to the common dining hall as was her duty.  The big room was warmed at both ends by huge hearths.  In honor of Prince Blayne’s arrival, the boards had been scrubbed until they gleamed.  Warm, fresh-baked loaves of bread graced each table, and the delicious aroma made Mabriona’s mouth water as they entered the room.  Jars of honey mead sat within easy reach of all.  Pewter bowls piled high with fresh picked apples and pears were artfully placed. Serving wenches waited, poised, with huge pots of steaming porridge.

King Cedric already sat at the upper table with Prince Blayne at his right hand.  His face lit up with a smile when Alana and Mabriona approached.  His voice boomed as he greeted his daughter, “Here she is, the flower of my life.”

Mabriona’s breath caught in her throat as her eyes met Blayne’s.  As Alana had feared, the young prince was dark-haired with eyes the color of jet, his stature kingly.  Broad shoulders and well-muscled arms nicely filled out his deep purple brocaded doublet. A full beard of coarse black hair covered his cheeks and chin, but what stopped Mabriona was his smile.  Never before had she seen someone’s face light up like the sun rising on a summer’s morn.  Yet, this was what came to her mind.  Clearly, Blayne’s smile was meant for her, but why? 

He stood and walked toward the women.  “Princess Alana,” he said, bowing before Mabriona, his glance speaking words of heat and passion.

“Oh no, Your Highness,” Mabriona said, blushing.  “I am Princess Alana’s lady-in-waiting, Lady Mabriona.”  She felt Alana glaring daggers at her and quickly curtseyed to hide her embarrassment.  Alana made it clear earlier she wasn’t attracted to dark-haired men, why is she so angry?  It isn’t my fault the prince was confused. Alana looked down at the floor before glancing up at the handsome prince.

“Forgive me, Lady Mabriona.  I’ve made an unthinkable error.”  Prince Blayne bowed again and then turned to Alana.  “Your Highness, your beauty should have made it clear to me you are my intended.”

Mabriona’s heart sunk.  She saw Alana’s cold look as Blayne bowed and took her hand to kiss. She knew then that Alana hated him, yet Alana would marry him as her father decreed.  It was unfair, but Mabriona was already wise enough to know she couldn’t change her lot in life.  Alana would marry the handsome prince and live happily ever after, and she would remain the ever-faithful servant catering to Princess Alana’s every wish.

Blayne grasped Alana’s elbow and led her to the table to sit beside him. Yet as Mabriona watched them, Blayne’s gaze slid back to her, lingering as if he could imprint her image upon his soul.  Her knees felt weak, and Mabriona quickly took a seat at the far end of the board.  Her heart beat rapidly in her chest.  What was happening to her? Prince Blayne was not the first man to have caught her eye, yet he was certainly the first to have affected her so she could barely breathe.  Unobserved and temporarily forgotten, she watched the couple.  Just as she suspected, Alana kept her nose in the air and cringed each time Blayne looked at or touched her.  King Cedric would get an earful as soon as Alana got him alone, of that Mabriona was certain.  Her heart bled for the handsome prince.

She looked up to see Alana motioning furiously at her.  She went to the princess and bent near her.  “Yes, Princess?”

“Get me out of here, now,” Alana whispered harshly.

Mabriona offered her hand, and Alana rose from her place.  Blayne looked up, catching Mabriona’s gaze.  His eyes sparkled, and a smile spread across his face.  He bowed his head slightly.  He openly flirted with her.  This could not be happening.  If King Cedric saw the interplay, what would he think?  Blayne was the intended of Alana. Things could not get any worse.  Her thoughts tumbled like the bones the guards threw when they played at betting games. 

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