A Nightingale Christmas Wish...Review

About the book:
As Christmas 1938 approaches, the staff at the Nightingale Hospital have their own wishes for the festive season.

Ward Sister Frannie Wallace is hoping she won't have to live through another war like the one that claimed her beloved fiance. But with bomb defences going up all around London, it seems as if her hopes are in vain.

Staff Nurse Helen Dawson wants to find happiness again after the death of her husband Charlie. A handsome stranger seems to offer the chance she wants. But is she looking for love in the wrong place?

Matron Kathleen Fox struggles to keep up morale amongst her nurses as the hospital faces the threat of evacuation. But while everyone else worries about the future of the Nightingale, it's for her own future that Kathleen truly fears.

As the country prepares itself for war, one thing is for sure - by the time next Christmas comes, nothing at the Nightingale Hospital will be the same again.

Helen Dawson is my favorite Nightingale. I have loved her story from the beginning. Now, as she has graduated from the nursing program, she is promoted to head nurse in the Casualty Ward or Emergency Room as we would know it. Feeling out of place and young, she strives to move forward with courage and faith, but finds herself at odds with Dr. McKay, the casualty doctor.

Helen has always felt more in common with her husband Charlie's family than her own and at a family Christmas party meets Charlie's cousin Christopher. Finding herself drawn to him, she soon discovers he's nothing like Charlie and she realizes her heart belongs to a doctor.

I loved getting to know Frannie and her story, and getting to know Matron and learning her story really enriched this one. Effie is trouble waiting to happen, Dora and Nick are expecting a baby and war looms. With the threat of war, also comes a risk of the Nightingale hospital closing for good. Helen's meddling mother strives to bring this about, but the nurses and their Matron realize the hospital brings more to the community than simply medical reasons.

This is my favorite of the Nightingale books. These characters have grown and learned and become remarkable women over the course of this series.

The Christmas elements are light here, this isn't solely a Christmas story. Rather, it's a story of discovering one's strength. As always, the books should be read in order. I truly hope that this isn't the last Nightingale story, but if it is, it has ended on a fantastic note.

Amazon Kindle Purchase. You can learn more about Donna Douglas here. You can purchase your own copy here.

Read 12/14

* * * * *
5/5 Stars

Comments

  1. I enjoyed the first three books but by the time I was done with them I was ready to move on. This review has defintely tempted me to grab this one. Maybe I just needed a break.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe. There are some series' that just go on and on (Jennifer Chiaverini's quilting books, for example) and I wish they would just end, so I stop reading. This one has been a guilty pleasure and I would love more!

      Delete

Post a Comment