Rachel Fordham A Lady in Attendance

...from the publisher...

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.

...my thoughts... 

I enjoyed reading A Lady in Attendance!  What a novel idea for it's time, to have a lady in attendance at a dental office in 1898.  This is the second book by Rachel Fordham for me and she is becoming a favorite author for me. I like her style and this book hooked me from the beginning. 

Shy Gilbert had no idea what he was getting into when  he engaged Hazel as his Lady in Attendance.  Happily, she was much more than he could have dreamed of for efficiency and congenial personality with his patients.  Too shy for much of a chairside manner, she made up the difference.  Efficiency and quick thinking on her feet made him look forward to each morning when they began their day together. 

The dark side of the story was formidable, but wrapped up neatly in the end.  A little faith, compassion and love ruled the day and strategic writing made this book one you should add to your reading pile this summer!