I was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my opinion of this book.

I have loved this series since book one, and the way each of the characters has developed. They each had their own struggles and triumphs to face, and I am pleased to follow this series from the first book. The author has yet to disappoint with each book, and I look forward to reading the remaining books in this series.

As the final year is upon the student nurses, there will be a wedding, a divorce, a funeral, some heartache, and forgiveness. I am excited to know what is in store for Dora, Helen, Millie, and the rest of the girls as they close one chapter in their lives and embark on what the future holds.

It is hard to review this without giving away any spoilers, but if you enjoyed the first two books in this series, you will not be disappointed by the third.
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The Nightingale Nurses by Donna Douglas is the third book in the Nightingales series. It picks up not long after the second book ended. Helen Tremayne is in her final year and studying diligently for her exams. Helen, though, does find time to out with her beau, Charlie Dawson (despite Mrs. Tremayne’s objections). Helen is looking forward to a future with Charlie after she graduates, but then Charlie becomes ill. Dora Doyle is stepping out with Officer Joe Armstrong. Dora is trying to get over Nick Riley (Ruby, her best friend, stole Nick from Dora). But is Joe the one for Dora or is his nice persona hiding something more sinister. Dora is also worried about her brother who has gotten involved with the wrong group. He is supporting the Blackshirts (Fascists). Millie is worried about her fiancé, Seb who is in Spain covering their civil war. However, classes and ward work are definitely keeping them busy. They are learning more advanced procedures and experiencing new wards (and new patients). Life is never dull at The Nightingale.

The Nightingale Nurses is another delightful installment of life in 1930s London and the training it took to become a nurse (involved a lot of cleaning). The characters are like old friends and it was nice to visit them again. The Nightingale Nurses is an engaging, fast paced novel that I did not want it to end (thankfully there are more books in the series). I give The Nightingale Nurses 5 out of 5 stars. The book is well-written, and I was instantly drawn into the novel. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of The Nightingale Nurses from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of the novel. ( )

The Nightingale series by Donna Douglas is one of my comfort reads. I know I can always rely on her to give me a great story with plenty of action in a historical setting that feels realistic and without unnecessary details that scream, ‘Hello! You need to learn about history while you’re reading!’. The Nightingale Nurses is such compulsive reading, that if my credit card hadn’t of been hacked, I would have bought the next book in the series straight away. (As it happens, none of my local bookstores or libraries have book 4, so I’m in Nightingale purgatory at the moment –what happens next?!).

This series is set in a London training hospital (The Nightingale) in the 1930s and follows three young women doing their nursing training. We’ve met them all in the previous two books, but there is a brief recap if you’re new to the books. Helen is six months away from sitting her final exams to become a qualified nurse. She’s not under her mother’s domineering thumb quite as much, thanks to the positive influence of her boyfriend Charlie (who has mother hates with a passion). Dora is still in love with Nick, who is now married to Ruby. Dora’s new boyfriend is rather possessive and won’t take no for an answer. Nick’s got his own problems, with new wife Ruby enthralled with hire-purchase and keeping a few other secrets from Nick. Millie is somewhat of a lesser character in this book – not a great deal happens except a fear that she will lose her fiancé as he reports on the war in Spain. In the midst of this, there are patients to be looked after and the biggest tear-jerker moment I’ve read so far in the series. It’s full of anguish and pain and wow, it took the author some guts to do this to one of her main characters! (I’m not going to spoil this one for you, just don’t start reading this book late in the day).

There’s also some history in this book (but it’s not being rammed down your throat). The Blackshirts make several appearances and are responsible for several of the subplots. There’s brief mention of war overseas, but what really interested me was how the emergency department of the hospital was run in the 1930s! There’s some semblance of triage (‘the sicker, the quicker’ – i.e. the sicker you are, the faster you’re seen) with a nurse lording over the waiting room but there are only two doctors working in the department! This would be unheard of in a capital city hospital these days, especially in one that appears to as big as the Nightingale. As this was pre-NHS, I wonder how payment (if any) would have seen sought…but I think that’s a topic for another book.

The story is character driven and fast paced, making The Nightingale Nurses a wonderful comfort read about overcoming adversity and having fun at the same time. Highly recommended to those who read the Sue Barton nurse books growing up and fans of Call the Midwife.

Thank you to Random House UK for the eARC. My review is honest and unbiased.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com ( )

This is the third book in the series. They are a bit lighthearted, remind me of a soap opera, but they are always addictive. We again get to follow Helen, Dora and Millie as they continue on their journey of nurse training. There is much more to these books than just a tale of nurses at work. We are involved in the drama that surrounds them at home, as well.
This is another book full of great friendships, love and relationships and overcoming hardships against the odds.

I highly recommend this book and the others in this series. ( )

Really great series. This book ties the other 2 together very well.. It was very interesting to see how far medicine and nursing has evolved since the 1930's ( )