A Perfect Hand by Ayelet Waldman

     Take a cup of  the Bridgerton series, then stir in a half pound of Downton Abbey and sprinkle with a heavy hand of the Women's Suffragette movement as it began in the United Kingdom and you will have a nice  recipe for a charming book written                          by Ayelet  Waldman, titled A Perfect Hand.  

    The novel begins with our Heroine, Miss Alice Lockey, the daughter of a tenant farmer who has taken employment as an abigail, a fine lady's personal maid for Lady Jemima Alderwick.  We, as the readers, follow Miss Alice as she cunningly tends her lady's many needs, often with pluck and ingenuity.  Some tasks being more malodorous than others.  In her employ she meets a man servant from another noble's household who is visiting her lady's family estate.  She finds she has an interest in this gentleman. Intrigue and many exploits are hatched to help the two servants matchmake their employers so that the two of them might find a way to build a life together.  

While in London with their employers, Miss Alice is introduced to new thinking and various individuals within the Women's Suffrage Movement. She catches a desire to become involved, but must find a way to do so while dealing with her employer's marriage prospects and her own love.  

    I thoroughly enjoyed the way Waldman created her characters, wove an interesting plotline and used various asides of a narrator to cue the reader into the lives of the characters.  The asides reminded me of the Bridgerton series which I also have enjoyed. This tactic along with the victorian time period and the upstairs, downstairs relationships of lords and ladies being served by their staff created a fun, enjoyable read.  

    The twist at the end I did not see coming, but thoroughly enjoyed the emotions it evoked in me. Waldman is skilled at using humor as well as serious drama to keep her readers involved in the story as it develops throughout the book.  A Perfect Hand  is set to be published May 19, 2026.  If you are a fan of the worlds of lords and ladies of the late 1800's, early 1900's, I would recommend this story to you.  It definitely should be included in next spring's reading lists!

I received a uncorrected proof copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.