A Baby on the Doorstep by Rachel Wesson

Published January 22nd 2021 by Bookouture

About the Book: Virginia, 1934: In the middle of the night, he crept through the bushes, thankful for the darkness, for the clouds covering the stars. Tenderly, he opened his bag, lifting the small bundle out. With tears in his eyes, he held her tight, not wanting to let her go. But he had no choice––it was the only way. “This is your new home, little one. You’ll be safe here.”

Distant rumblings of conflict in Europe have reached even the secluded, snow-dusted mountains of Virginia, where Lauren Greenwood faces a battle of her own. The Great Depression is crippling America, leaving millions of its victims without shoes on their feet and clothes on their backs. Hope House––the orphanage Lauren runs––is suffering more than ever.

The one thing Lauren is not short of is love. But with just a handful of dollars to her name, every day is a struggle to feed the orphans and keep a roof over their heads. Yet she refuses to give up. When a baby is left on the porch, Lauren welcomes her with open arms. The abandoned new-born, Maisie, is left with a crumpled letter––her parents begging Lauren to look after the girl and promising to return for her one day. Lauren refuses to allow another child to fall prey to the Depression, and vows to provide little Maisie with the love and protection of a mother.

But when the debt collectors come calling, threatening to shut down the orphanage, Lauren runs out of hope. Any day now the children could be thrown onto the frozen streets, where survival is impossible. With tragedy just around the corner, how can she ever reunite Maisie with her parents? And if she doesn’t manage to save the orphans, how will she live with herself?

A totally heartbreaking tale with a beautiful and hopeful message––when all else fails, love can save the day. Fans of Before We Were Yours, The Orphan Train and Diney Costeloe will be swept away by this emotional and totally gripping historical page-turner.

4.5 Stars:

After reading A Home For Unloved Orphans, I had been waiting for this second book in the Orphans of Hope House series. I was not disappointed in the least. This historical fiction story picks up where the first left off. It is still in the depths of the depression and Lauren Greenwood is still trying to save the world, one child at a time. This book brings several more children to Hope House under different circumstances. Lauren and Becky welcome them with open arms.

I loved this story. Spending time with Lauren, Becky, Nanny Kat, Edward, Big Will, the orphans and all their friends was wonderful. Watching them support each other to survive and make ends meet was inspiring. This historical fiction story is full of strong, stubborn, caring, sacrificing women. Rachel Wesson has written a well-plotted story that is full of hard hitting, but accurate situations. Several themes were heartbreaking and I was crossing everything that could be crossed that things would turn out. These characters, that lived a simple life, were able to take on many others, making it a David and Goliath story at times, but truth will prevail. One of the major plots was a difficult time in US history and one that I was not aware of. It was heartbreaking to hear about the forced relocation of thousands of people who lived on the mountain in Virginia had their homes taken from them and their land was seized in order to create the Shenandoah National Park. This was a major part of this story. I recommend this story to those who enjoy historical fiction, especially that set in the U.S. I am looking forward to another installment of the Hope House series. I was gifted a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.

Purchase Links: Amazon – Apple – Kobo – Google

About the Author: Having always been a fan of history, Rachel Wesson tries to combine her love of history with a good story.

Rachel was born in Kilkenny, Ireland but considers herself to be from the capital, Dublin, as that’s where she spent most of her life. Every Saturday Rachel’s father took her and her two sisters to the library, and to get ice-cream after, to give their mother a break. It took a long time for Rachel’s sisters to forgive her for the hours she spent choosing her books!

Rachel drove everyone nuts growing up, asking questions about what they did during the War or what side they were on in the 1916 rising etc… Finally, her Granny told her to write her stories down so people would get the pleasure of reading them. In fact, what Granny meant was everyone would get some peace while Rachel was busy writing!

When not writing, or annoying relatives, Rachel was immersed in books. Her report cards from school commented on her love of reading especially when she should have been learning. Seems you can’t read Great Expectations in Maths…

Later in life, after a doomed love affair and an unpleasant bank raid during which she defended herself with a tea tray, she headed to London for a couple of years. (There is a reason she doesn’t write romance!). She never intended staying but a chance meeting with the man of her dreams put paid to any return to Ireland. Having spent most of her career in the City, she decided something was missing. So she packed in the job and started writing. Thanks to her amazing readers, that writing turned into a career far more exciting and rewarding than any other.

Rachel lives in Surrey with her husband and three children, two boys and a girl. When not reading, writing or watching films for ‘research’ purposes, Rachel likes to hang out with her family. She also travels regularly back home – in fact she should have shares in BA and Aerlingus.

Author Social Media Links: Facebook – Twitter