Nadine Dorries

Christmas Angels by Nadine Dorries is the fourth book in The Lovely Lane Series. We go back in time to the 1950s in Liverpool, England at St. Angelus Hospital. Sister Aileen Paige has just been promoted to a ward sister. Work is the bright spot in her life thanks to her spiteful mother, Marion Paige. PC Freddie Watts finds a six month old boy abandoned and rushes the ill child to the hospital for treatment. When Dr. Walker writes “no further treatment” on the little tykes’ chart, the show more staff is dismayed. They need to find a way to save the little boy they have dubbed Baby Louis while Dr. Walker is out of town. Sister Olive Tapps’s ward is closing for Christmas to give her a much deserved vacation, but it is the last thing she wants. She is determined to find a way to stay at her beloved hospital for the holidays. Pammy, Beth and Emily want Aileen Paige’s ward to win the best decorated ward contest. They are trying to fit in their design preparations in between ward duties, but an emergency might derail their plans. Will the nurses be able to provide a lovely Christmas for their patients? Join the ladies at St. Angelus Hospital to see how things play out in Christmas Angels.

Christmas Angels is a heartwarming novel. I recommend reading the books in The Lovely Lane Series in order. Each book in this series builds upon the previous one. Christmas Angels is well-written with a gentle pace (suits the book) which makes for a pleasing book to read. Nadine Dorries captures the era and hospital setting. England was different from America after World War II. Rationing was still in effect with many items unavailable. She crafted characters that readers care about and want to know what happens to next. Christmas Angels features Aileen Page. It was nice to find out more about her. She has a rough life courtesy of her horrid mother, Marion Paige. I found Christmas Angels to be an emotional novel with high moments that will have you smiling and low moments that will have you tearing up (have a tissue handy). Nursing was very different in the 1950s where nurses had to wear a certain uniform, behave in a certain manner, and there was a strict hierarchical structure. Christmas Angels is an engaging story that will grab your attention from the first page and hold it until you read the very last word. I am eager for the next installment in The Lovely Lane series. show less

Although I do tend to call this type of book a "Mammy's book", I did rather enjoy my first Nadine Dorries book, Ruby Flynn, so I had no qualms about reading another and hopping on the blog tour bus. I didn't enjoy this one as much as Ruby Flynn, but I think anybody who likes a Liverpool family saga type book will absolutely love it.

The book starts in Liverpool in 1940 with Emily Haycock returning home to her sick mother, dreaming of one day becoming a St Angelus nurse. As the air-raid sirens show more sound, Emily is near the docks with her heavily pregnant neighbour, Maisie Tanner. As the bombs fall Emily worries about her family and as the sun rises on a new day, life will never be the same for Emily.

Twelve years later, Emily is Nursing Director at St Angelus Hospital and keen to keep her lowly origins hidden from the high and mighty consultants and snooty Matron. When a new bunch of trainee nurses arrive at St Angelus, Emily keeps her eye on Pammy Tanner, the baby that Maisie was carrying on that fateful night in the air-raid shelter. Pammy makes friends with Dana Brogan, a farm girl from Ireland, and Victoria Baker, a rich girl from an aristocratic family. These unlikely friends form a strong alliance as they stick together to help each other pass their training and become Angels of Lovely Lane.

The NHS was formed in 1948 and it was really interesting to read about the resistance to this new regime, that I'm sure was very true to life. As changes and improvements were made to medicine, the old consultants and matrons were left behind as junior doctors and trainee nurses embraced the new culture. It's amazing how far we have come from these early days of the NHS; just think of how quickly women leave hospital after childbirth now, in the not so olden days they would have been confined to weeks of bed rest.

There are a lot of characters in this book and it sometimes got confusing. I wasn't sure who the main character was supposed to be; Emily or Dana. Although there is a lot going on, there are some interesting and tragic stories unfolding and I would be interested to read the next book to see how the characters have developed.

The Angels of Lovely Lane is a solid introduction to a new series of books by Nadine Dorries; although it felt a bit busy as we have been introduced to so many characters at once, I firmly believe that all will slot into place when it is read as part of a series.

I received this book from the publisher, Head of Zeus, in exchange for an honest review. show less

The year is 1947 and 12-year-old Ruby Flynn is rescued while the rest of her family perish in a terrible storm. As an orphan is she placed in a convent where she is educated and six years later is she hired to work in at Ballyford as a nursery maid. But there are no children to work with, Charles FitzDeane the master of the house and his wife Isobel have had five children and they all have died as infants and Ruby have been hired to take car of Isobel whose grief has made her melancholic and show more she hardly eats, just sits in the nursery. But there is another reason for why the they want Ruby there, something to do with her mother, but Ruby doesn't know anything about that, all she knows is that it feels like coming home when she arrives at Ballyford...

I was instantly taken in by the lovely cover of the book and the interesting blurb. Ruby Flynn is a strong character, she has survived losing her family and growing up in a convent and now she is finding herself taking care of women that have almost lost the will to live. I found the beginning of the book promising, with all the secrets and the mystery of Ruby and the legendary curse on the FitzDeane family.

But, somewhere along the way I felt that the story becomes a bit predictable and I felt that the mystery about Ruby Flynn just wasn't that special. I enjoyed the book, but there were parts of the book when I felt a bit frustrated with and I just wanted to get to the truth. Also, when Ruby out of all people finds a clue to her mother past that's been hidden, things like that is a bit irritating. She of all people happens to find that. And, the instant connection to Charles FitzDeane. I don't know I just felt that it bothered me a bit. That could be because I felt sorry for Isobel who had lost 5 children and her husband travelers away and sleeps with other women instead of staying home and comforts her. His excuse that they never loved each other when they got married. No? That's still you grieving wife you bastard.

I don't know I just couldn't find myself really liking the last part of the book. It felt a bit rushed and the ending felt like a fairytale happy ending. Forget everything bad. This was meant to be.

I did find the curse thing interesting and I did like Ruby Flynn, I just didn't like the whole story.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review! show less

It's a long time since I've read what I call a 'Mammy's book' (aka family saga) so I was quite surprised at how much I did actually enjoy Ruby Flynn. I really enjoyed the linguistic style of Nadine's writing as I could almost hear the Irish or Scouse accents of the characters in my head. As expected, it was an easy read with a slightly predictable ending but there were some events in the book that were quite unexpected, to say the least.

The book starts as a young Ruby is found during the show more 'great storm' with her dead parents and taken to the local convent. On her arrival at the convent there is an incident with a precious vase so we are under no illusion that Ruby is a strong feisty character and not a poor little orphan as you might have expected. I thought that there might have been more interaction with the nun characters as they are usually normally wicked or hilarious but they seem to play a very small part in the story. As Ruby gets older she is chosen to go to work in the nursery of Ballyford, which I imagined to look a bit like Downton Abbey. There are, however, no children in the nursery at Ballyford, allegedly due to the legendary curse. This was such a terribly sad story in itself as the lady of the house refuses to leave the empty nursery.

The master of the house, Charles FitzDeane, decides to set up a shipping business with Rory Doyle, the local bad guy who he thinks of as a friend, and needs little excuse to spend more and more time in Liverpool. It is no surprise that Charles ends up leading a double life to escape the sadness that awaits him back home. Then on a visit back to Ballyford he is captivated by the red hair and green eyes belonging to Ruby, and finds it easier to spend more time in Ireland. Charles and Ruby share a past that Ruby is completely unaware of and it was intriguing to watch the story of the past unfold.

It has the usual tried and tested successful formula of the rich man in the big house and the poor servant girl but what sets this apart are the unexpected, and sometimes tragic, twists and turns that the book takes us on. It's well worth a read for those who enjoyed Nadine Dorries' Four Streets Trilogy or if you're partial to a good old Catherine Cookson style family saga.

I received this e-book from the publisher, Head of Zeus, in exchange for an honest review. show less