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...
All that Dora Riley wants is her husband home safe for Christmas... The Nightingale Hospital, London, 1944: With her husband Nick away fighting, Dora struggles to keep the home fires burning and is put in charge of a ward full of German prisoners of war. Can she find it in her heart to care for her enemies? Fellow nurse Kitty thinks she might be falling for a German soldier, whilst Dora’s old friend Helen returns from Europe with a dark secret. Can the women overcome their prejudices and the troubles of their past to do their duty for their country?
Three very different girls sign up as student nurses in 1936, while England is still mourning the death of George V. Dora is a tough East Ender, driven by ambition, but also desperate to escape her squalid, overcrowded home and her abusive stepfather. Helen is the quiet one, a mystery to her fellow nurses, avoiding fun, gossip and the limelight. In fact she is in the formidable shadow of her overbearing mother, who dominates every aspect of her life. Can a nursing career free Helen at last? The third of our heroines is naughty, rebellious Millie an aristocrat on the run from her conventional upper class life. She is doomed to clash over and over again with terrifying Sister Hyde and to get into scrape after scrape especially where men are concerned. This utterly delightful novel brings a London pre-war hospital vividly to life.
'The queen of feel-good' Woman & Home ***The sparkling Christmas novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author Heidi Swain!*** After being let go from her job in a swanky hotel just weeks before Christmas, Hattie is feeling lost. Even more so when her high-flying boyfriend announces he’s landed his dream job in Abu Dhabi and asks her to move with him. Luckily, Hattie’s long-time friend Dolly is on hand to help and invites Hattie to spend one last holiday in the small, festive town of Wynbridge, determined to give her a Christmas to remember . . . Upon Hattie’s arrival, holiday preparations are in full swing. But for Hattie, whose Christmas cheer has long since run out, it’ll take more than mince pies and mistletoe to open her heart to the season once more. Relishing the task of reigniting Hattie’s Christmas spirit, Dolly suggests they create a wish list of all the things the season can offer, and with the helpful hands of Wynbridge’s resident handyman, Beamish, Hattie finds her frosty exterior is starting to thaw. As Wynbridge prepares for its most spectacular Christmas yet, will Hattie leave snowy England behind for life in a sunnier clime, or will she in fact realise that her heart’s desire lies much closer to home? The Christmas Wish List is the perfect read this Christmas, promising snowfall, warm fires and breath-taking seasonal romance. Perfect for fans of Carole Matthews and Cathy Bramley. Praise for HEIDI SWAIN: 'Full of Heidi’s trademark gentle charm. Lock the door, pour some mulled wine and settle into this wonderful Christmas treat!' Milly Johnson 'More Christmassy than a week in Lapland - we loved it!' heat magazine 'Sprinkled with Christmas sparkle' Trisha Ashley 'Give yourself a Christmas treat and curl up with this magical book!' Sue Moorcroft, author of The Little Village Christmas 'A real Christmas cracker of a read!' Penny Parkes, author of Practice Makes Perfect 'Cosy, Christmassy and deeply satisfying! Another wonderful read!' Mandy Baggot, author of One Christmas Kiss in Notting Hill
To the student nurses at The Nightingale hospital, the ward sisters are heartless and frightening, with impossibly high standards. But the sisters have troubles of their own... Violet The new night sister is not all that she seems. Who is she and what dark secret is she hiding? As the mystery deepens, Sister Wren is determined to find out the truth. Dora The student nurse is struggling with her own secret, and with her heartbreak over Nick, the man who got away. A new arrival on the ward brings the chance to put a smile back on her face. But can she really get over Nick so easily? Millie Dora’s fellow student is also torn between the two men in her life. But then an unexpected friendship with an elderly patient makes her question where her heart – and her future – really lies. As the nation mourns the death of King George V, it seems as if nothing is ever going to be the same again, especially for the women at the Nightingale.
'Literally couldn't put it down!... makes you laugh and tugs at the heartstrings, all in one go!... absolutely perfect!... breath-taking... made me cry and it made me laugh... filled me with festive warm feelings... Love love LOVED it!!.' Stardust Book Reviews, 5 stars Christmas is coming but it doesn't feel that way for Esme. Jilted by her cheating fiancée Warren and mourning the death of her beloved grandmother she's determined not to let life beat her and books a trip to Lapland, on a holiday that her grandmother had always dreamed of taking. Beneath the indigo skies of Lapland, love is the last thing on Esme's mind but she can't ignore a spark with Zach, a broodingly handsome actor, also nursing a broken heart. But when Esme is bombarded by messages from Warren promising he's changed and she discovers that Zach is hiding something-will her head be turned? And when a trip to the northern lights reveals the full extent Zach's own secret past is there any hope that Esme will get the happy ending that her grandmother wished for her? Readers are falling in love with The Christmas Wish: 'Put a smile on my face!... I've LOVED it!... the most heart-warming of stories... loving every single page... drawing you in and not letting you go until the end of the very last page... totally captivated!' Chat About Books, 5 stars 'I absolutely loved this story. Got me feeling festive and ready for Christmas already! I lost myself in this story... It was perfect!... A brilliant heart-warming ending too... Beautiful.' Between the Pages Book Blog 'I loved this book from the first page, it was so enchanting... had you hooked... full of heartbreak, romance, finding out what you really want from life... Worth far more than five stars and didn't want it to end... Simply brilliant.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars '5++++stars. Loved this story right from the beginning... it was like I was there... I fell in love with the characters... Highly recommended.' Goodreads reviewer 'I loved everything about it and devoured it in one day straight!' NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars 'Loved, loved, loved this Christmas book. I would highly recommend it to all. Thank you Tilly Tennant for this wonderful story.' NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
An exclusive digital Christmas collection from the bestselling author Donna Douglas. Includes A Nightingale Christmas Wish and Nightingales Under the Mistletoe plus two short stories - A Child is Born and Little Girl Lost. A Child is Born: A Nightingales Christmas Story Christmas Eve, 1936 On a foggy December night, a pregnant woman walks out in front of a trolley bus and is knocked unconscious. She is rushed to the Nightingale hospital, and a healthy baby is delivered. But the mother claims to have lost her memory, and cannot believe that the child is hers. It seems that the Nightingale nurses may need to perform a Christmas miracle. A Nightingale Christmas Wish It’s Christmas at the Nightingale Hospital ... Sister Blake is revisited by a face from the past. Will buried secrets stop her from being happy? Lonely Helen Dawson has new responsibilities and trials, but is she looking for love in all the wrong places? And Matron puts the Nightingale first, even before her own health. With war looming large, will Matron and the Nightingale survive? With new hardships, new loves and new heartbreak, will anyone get their Christmas wish? A Little Girl Lost It’s Christmas time at The Nightingale Hospital and the children on Parry Ward are waiting eagerly for Father Christmas to arrive. But an unexpected arrival beats him to it and, as one discovery leads to another, the past comes back to confront the present. But will Staff Nurse Rose Chambers be able to forgive and forget? It is Christmas after all ... Nightingales Under the Mistletoe Christmas 1941 and the Nightingale nurses are facing their toughest winter yet. With shortages everywhere, and each news bulletin announcing more defeats and losses, the British people are weary and demoralised and The Nightingale Hospital is suffering too. Millie is recently widowed and dealing with the demands of her family’s estate. It’s not long before her old world of the Nightingale begins to beckon, along with a long-lost love ... Jess would rather be nursing on the front line but finds herself sent to the country. It isn’t long before the East End girl discovers there are battles to be fought on the home front too. Effie finds herself exiled to a quiet village, but the quiet doesn’t last for long as she soon finds excitement in the shape of a smooth-talking GI. As Christmas approaches, even the shelter of the countryside can’t protect the girls from heartache.
For the first time, a Nightingale nurses novel set during the First World War. Follow the senior staff as they overcome the trials of their training years. From Sunday Times top ten bestselling author, Donna Douglas. East London, 1914: Britain is preparing for war. As young men queue up across the country to enlist, the Nightingale Hospital has its own set of new recruits... Anna has had a happy upbringing in her parent’s bakery in Bethnal Green. But as war descends her family’s German roots will wrench them apart in ways Anna never could have imagined. Kate dreams of following in her father’s footsteps and becoming a doctor. With female doctors virtually unheard of, it will take courage to face off the prejudice around her. Sadie joins the Nightingale Hospital for a new life away from her mother’s interference. But the legacy of her family may not be so easy to escape... As the shadow of war descends, will the promise of Christmas help to bring the students together?
A Christmas short story, available only in ebook, from the author of The Nightingale Girls, Nightingales On Call and Nightingales at War. It’s Christmas time at The Nightingale Hospital and the children on Parry Ward are waiting eagerly for Father Christmas to arrive. But an unexpected arrival beats him to it and, as one discovery leads to another, the past comes back to confront the present. But will Staff Nurse Rose Chambers be able to forgive and forget? It is Christmas after all...
THE BRAND NEW NIGHTINGALES NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR DONNA DOUGLAS. _______________________ It is Christmas, 1945. The war is over, but its scars remain. Matron Kathleen Fox has the job of putting the Nightingale Hospital back together. But memories and ghosts of those lost fill the bomb-damaged buildings, and she wonders if she's up to the task. In the name of festive cheer Kathleen decides to put on a Christmas Show for the patients. The idea is greeted with mixed feelings by the nurses, who are struggling with their own post-war problems. And the newly-formed rivalry between newcomer Assistant Matron Charlotte Davis and ward sister Violet Tanner is not helping matters. As rehearsals begin however, it seems the show is not just a tonic for the patients - could the Nightingale Christmas Show be just what the doctor ordered for the nurses too?
