Snow Angels by Nadine Dorries

 Snow Angels

Book Summary

Snow Angels by Nadine Dorries takes us to Liverpool, England in the 1950s at St. Angelus Hospital.  Emily Horton and her husband, Dessie cannot wait to finalize the adoption of Louis.  Emily is busy teaching the student nurses during the day and gets assistance from the staff at St. Angelus in the care of Louis. Someone, though, does not like how Louis is being raised and decides to take action.  Emily told a lie that could have devastating consequences.  Mrs. Duffy loves her job as housekeeper to the ladies who live in the Lovely Lane nurses’ home.  It is getting harder for her to get up each day and her memory is not as sharp as it once was, but she has no intentions of retiring.  Matron hires Gracie Botherwaite as Mrs. Duffy’s assistant and Mrs. Duffy is not happy.  Victoria is pregnant and her due date is close to Christmas.  She is determined, though, to attend the Christmas festivities at St. Angelus with her friends.  The snow starts falling heavily as they make their way to Liverpool and Victoria starts feeling uncomfortable.  A woman turns up one night at the Seaman’s Stop asking for a room.  Malcolm Coffey reluctantly allows her to stay.  She says she needs to be close to St. Angelus and people see her outside the gates frequently.  It looks like it will be an eventful Christmas for the staff at St. Angelus.

My Thoughts

Snow Angels by Nadine Dorries is the fifth novel in The Lovely Lane Series.  I like the authors engaging writing style (like having a conversation with a friend) which drew me into the story.  I suggest reading The Lovely Lane series in order.  It will allow you to get to know the characters and their storylines since each book in the series builds upon the previous.  There is a great cast of characters.  I find them realistic and relatable.  Most of them are friendly, but there is one or two squeaky wheels.  The story concentrates on Sister Emily Horton and her husband, Dessie.  They have loved Baby Louis since he came to the hospital and his adoption is very close.  I like how the story unfolded and how it all came together at the end.  We do get to catch up with the rest of the nurses.  I liked getting to know Gracie Botherwaite.  She is only fourteen years old, but she is very mature for her age.  I like that she did not take any guff from her father.  Gracie has great potential and I am sure that the staff at St. Angelus will help her achieve it.  Teddy regrets his actions and misses Dana.  He wants a chance to explain and see if they can find a way to move forward.  Snow Angels is such a sweet story.  It has its ups and downs just like real life.  The ending is bittersweet.  Snow Angels is a gratifying story that will delight fans of The Lovely Lane series. 

Snow Angels is available from Amazon (on Kindle Unlimited)*.  You can find the other novels in The Lovely Lane Series here.  Check out Nadine Dorries other novels here.  Thank you for joining me today.  Is everyone ready for Christmas?  I am trying to get everything done in time.  I could use an extra sets of hands (or elves to visit at night). Tomorrow I am sharing my thoughts on Mrs. Morris and the Ghost of Christmas Past by Traci Wilton.  It is the third A Salem B&B Mystery.  I hope that you have a joyful day.  Try to not overdue! Remember, books make great gifts and they can be ordered online (not as much fun as browsing through a bookstore for a few hours).  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Snow Angels by Nadine Dorries: Excerpt, Review & Giveaway!

Welcome!  Nadine Dorries is the author of The Lovely Lane series, Ruby Flynn, The Tarabeg Series and The Four Street Trilogy which can now be purchased in one volume.  Nadine grew up in Liverpool and trained as a nurse in the 1970s.  She has been an MP in Mid-Bedfordshire since 2005.  Nadine Dorries is on Twitter (@NadineDorries) and Facebook (@NadineDorriesAuthor).

Book Summary

Snow Angels by Nadine Dorries takes us to Liverpool, England in the 1950s at St. Angelus Hospital.  Emily Horton and her husband, Dessie cannot wait to finalize the adoption of Louis.  Emily is busy teaching the student nurses during the day and gets assistance from the staff at St. Angelus in the care of Louis. Someone, though, does not like how Louis is being raised and decides to take action.  Emily told a lie that could have devastating consequences.  Mrs. Duffy loves her job as housekeeper to the ladies who live in the Lovely Lane nurses’ home.  It is getting harder for her to get up each day and her memory is not as sharp as it once was, but she has no intentions of retiring.  Matron hires Gracie Botherwaite as Mrs. Duffy’s assistant and Mrs. Duffy is not happy.  Victoria is pregnant and her due date is close to Christmas.  She is determined, though, to attend the Christmas festivities at St. Angelus with her friends.  The snow starts falling heavily as they make their way to Liverpool and Victoria starts feeling uncomfortable.  A woman turns up one night at the Seaman’s Stop asking for a room.  Malcolm Coffey reluctantly allows her to stay.  She says she needs to be close to St. Angelus and people see her outside the gates frequently.  It looks like it will be an eventful Christmas for the staff at St. Angelus.

My Thoughts

Snow Angels by Nadine Dorries is the fifth novel in the Lovely Lane Series.  I like the authors engaging writing style (like having a conversation with a friend) which drew me into the story.  I suggest reading The Lovely Lane series in order.  It will allow you to get to know the characters and their storylines since each book in the series builds upon the previous.  There is a great cast of characters in The Lovely Lane series.  I find them realistic and relatable.  Most of them are friendly, but there is one or two squeaky wheels.  The story concentrates on Sister Emily Horton and her husband, Dessie.  They have loved Baby Louis since he came to the hospital and his adoption is very close.  I like how the story unfolded and how it all came together at the end.  We do get to catch up with the rest of the nurses.  I liked getting to know Gracie Botherwaite.  She is only fourteen years old, but she is very mature for her age.  I like that she did not take any guff from her father.  Gracie has great potential and I am sure that the staff at St. Angelus will help her achieve it.  Teddy regrets his actions and misses Dana.  He wants a chance to explain and see if they can find a way to move forward.  Snow Angels is such a sweet story.  It has its ups and downs which is just like real life.  Snow Angels is a gratifying story that will delight fans of The Lovely Lane series.  

Extract from Snow Angels

The fire burnt well in the grate and he had lit the long brass standard lamp with the burgundy fringed shade, frayed and tattered, still soot-stained from the Blitz. It was the lamp his mother had sat under to read every night of his childhood and he was loathe to change it, regardless of how many times Melly complained. ‘There’ll be nothing left if I try and clean that again.’ He would not let it go because with it, he feared, the ghostly image of his mother that he often conjured for comfort, would disappear too. The lamp stood to the rear of the tanned leather armchair with arms wide enough to support an ashtray with his pipe on one side and his opened copy of the evening edition of the Echo on the other. It now sat neatly folded, waiting, tempting and the ashtray winked at him in the firelight.

Malcolm lit the fire at six o’clock and not a moment before, regardless of the temperature or the weather outside and the pulling of the cord on the lamp to light the room was a luxury he left until the point where the room was so filled with dusk that the landmarks of domesticity faded into the gloom until he could barely see at all. The polished oak furniture that had once belonged to his parents stood neatly around him and it shone under the years of being rubbed by Melly with daily helpings of wax and elbow grease, the room smelling of lavender polish during the day and pipe smoke at night. The table at which he sat, scrubbed with Vim, was now depositing a thin film of white powder on the sleeves of his jacket, and a faint aroma of bleach competed with steak and heel, tickling his nostrils.

It was at moments like this that he pondered on the fact that he had almost sold the house, the life, the routine that made him as happy as a man who had lost his family could expect to be. He had to constantly chase up Melly to clean behind the toilet doors and to cease flirting with the coalman, but he couldn’t fault her delicious pies. He had pierced the pastry with his fork to allow the steam to rise and was just about to dive in when a loud knock on the door burst his bubble of anticipation. More often than not, according to their sailing rota and the tide table, which was as accurate as it could be, the sea and stevedores allowing, his paying guests rebooked their next stay as they checked out. He grunted with irritation, reluctant to leave the buttery shortcrust pastry, hot and melting, and the wafting smell of rich gravy under his nose.

‘Who is it?’ he called.  His paying guests each had a key so this must be someone looking for a room.

Snow Angels is available at Amazon*, Amazon UK, Kobo, iBooks, and GooglePlay. The Lovely Lane series consists of The Angels of Lovely Lane, The Children of Lovely Lane, The Mothers of Lovely Lane, The Angel Sings (a Christmas novella), Christmas Angels and Snow Angels.  The books in the series are available through Kindle Unlimited.  I am lucky to  have an ebook version of Snow Angels to give away to one lucky viewer.  All you need to do is leave a comment for me and include your email address (so I can contact you if you win).  If you are uncomfortable leaving your email address, please email me at Doodlesink@hotmail.com with "Snow Angels" in the subject line.  The contest ends on October 31 at 11:59 p.m. EST.  Good Luck!  Thank you for stopping by today.  I will return tomorrow to feature Fudge Bites by Nancy Coco.  It is the seventh A Candy-Coated Mystery.  I hope you have a brilliant day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.

Christmas Angels: The Lovely Lane Series

Good Day!  I hope you are enjoying a nice long holiday weekend (if you live in the United States).  Read and Gone by Allison Brook will be available on September 11.  It is the second novel A Haunted Library Mystery series.  I will be featuring Fatal Flip by M.E. Bakos on September 13.  It is the first A Home Renovator Mystery.   

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 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.

The first three books in The Lovely Lane series are The Angels of Lovely Lane, The Children of Lovely Lane and The Mothers of Lovely Lane.  You will find the books on the Kindle Unlimited Program.  I will return tomorrow with my review of The Trouble with Truth by Kathy Krevat.  I hope you have a relaxing day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader