A Miracle on Hope Street
‘This Christmas she’ll bring them all together’
A gorgeous pink cover with a sparkly snow globe taking centre stage and surrounded by more sparkles in the shape of snowflakes. Yes folks it’s my final festive read for 2018 and it is the very beautiful A Miracle on Hope Street by Emma Heatherington.
Published with Harper Impulse on 15th November, it is described as ‘the most heartwarming Christmas romance of 2018’.
I have my review for you all today, so I do hope you enjoy!
[ About the Book ]
Can a single act of kindness change a life forever?
To many people, Ruth Ryans has everything: the perfect job, a beautiful home and a loving family. But as Christmas approaches, Ruth feels lonelier than ever.
Then Ruth meets Michael. A man who she showed kindness to during his darkest moment. That one single act, his miracle, helped change his life forever.
Ruth decides to make this Christmas the most perfect one ever, opening up her home to those who need her help – the lonely, the lost and the ignored
[ My Review ]
Ruth Ryans is a well established celebratory agony aunt. Her life is full of social events and glamour, with a different beau on her arm for every night of the week. Ruth has a heart of gold and her advice is cherished and trusted by many who seek out her help with problems they are having.
Ruth has responded to many folk over the years and for along time it made Ruth feel both enriched and happy with the work she was doing. But as the years have passed these feelings of fulfillment have faded, leaving Ruth feeling drained and somewhat downcast with her life.
Ruth’s mother left the family home when Ruth was young, leaving her father to raise herself and her sister Ally on his own. This dramatic change in family life had left a lasting mark on Ruth, perhaps the driving force behind her chosen career to help others. Ruth never gives herself over to anyone, always holding back that little final bit, keeping a protective shell in place. For Ruth this has meant that she has very few close friends in life. People love her, her work colleagues envy her but Ruth has no one special person in her life outside of her father and sister.
Ruth’s life changes one dark and cold Winter’s evening. After receiving a phone call that her father has taken a turn for the worse, Ruth unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events. Her unthinking generosity helps Michael, a homeless man, to see that there is hope, there is a light at the end of that tunnel.
Now a year later, Ruth lives alone in the family home. Although a beautiful house originally, it is now but a shadow of it’s former glory, with very little changed since Ruth was a child. Ruth feels very lonely in this space and dreads Christmas alone, with all the memories coming crashing down on her of the many happy and poignant times spent as a family under this roof.
With Christmas day only a week away, Ruth picks from the selection of emails she has received to her column, and sends out invitations to people she feels need help the most over this festive period. The invitation is to spend Christmas day at her table, in the company of herself and others who feel lost at this festive time. Ruth is energised and inspired and is determined to make this Christmas a very special one indeed.
A Miracle on Hope Street is a book that will genuinely leave you with a warmth in your heart. Emma Heatherington has brought together a wonderful cast of characters. None are perfect. All have issues. All are lonely. We have no idea what is going on in the minds of others. We are fooled by their smile, when inside their hearts may be breaking. A kind word, a small act of generosity can make such a big difference to someone. So perhaps it’s time we all took a page out of Ruth Ryans book and did one random act of kindness this Christmas.
Emotional. Heart-warming. Uplifting.
Purchase Link ~ A Miracle on Hope Street
This review was featured on Twinkl as part of their Christmas campaign in December 2021
[ Bio ]
Emma Heatherington is from Donaghmore, Co. Tyrone where she lives with her children. She has penned more that fifty short educational films, plays and musicals as well as nine novels, including the top ten Kindle bestseller, The Legacy of Lucy Harte (Jan 2017)
Emma loves spending time with her partner, the artist and singer/songwriter Jim McKee, all things Nashville, romantic comedy movies, singalong nights with friends and family, red wine, musical theatre, new pyjamas, fresh clean bedclothes, long bubble baths and cosy nights in by the fire
Find Emma on Twitter @emmalou13
Fab review! It sounds like the perfect read to get in the Holiday mood.
That’s exactly it. I felt quite inspired