A Christmas Miracle on Sanctuary Lane

With the Great War raging and Christmas on the horizon, can one woman’s bravery save the day? 
**The Poppy Girls, the new novel from Kirsty Dougal, is available to pre-order now!** 
'Heartwarming and emotional. I just loved this book' Reader Review ***** 
'The wonderful characters, the historical research and the great world building took me straight back to the East End during the First World War' Reader Review ***** 
'Loved all the characters and I flew through this' Reader Review ***** 
'I have been waiting to read this since the moment I finished the first Sanctuary Lane book and I wasn't disappointed!' Reader Review ***** 
---- 
East London, 1916: The Sanctuary Lane Animal Hospital is proving a huge success. 
For its founder Ruby Archer, this is a dream come true – and her blossoming romance with a local boy is the icing on the cake. 
But in wartime things change in the blink of an eye. When a heartbreaking tragedy shatters Ruby’s world, suddenly she is at odds with everyone – her family, her friends, and even her sweetheart. And when the hospital is threatened with immediate closure, she’s not sure who to trust. 
With the festivities fast approaching, Ruby desperately needs a miracle. But who can she turn to? 
And will she find out what really matters in time for Christmas day? 
Praise for the Sanctuary Lane series: 
 ‘This superbly plotted saga has all the ingredients of a heartwarming and engrossing read’ Maisie Thomas, author of Christmas with the Railway Girls 
'I was hooked from the start. The meticulous period detail and true-to-life characters had me immersed in the action, and I didn’t want the story to end. A joy to read' Vicki Beeby 
‘A wonderful wartime family saga not to be put down’ ***** Reader Review 
'Superbly plotted . . . a heartwarming and engrossing read' Maisie Thomas 
‘This book was BRILLIANT! I loved the characters - especially Ruby and Leah – both very interesting young women in very different ways’ ***** Reader Review

Praise for the Sanctuary Lane series

This superbly plotted saga has all the ingredients of a heartwarming and engrossing read

Maisie Thomas, author of Christmas with the Railway Girls

I was hooked from the start. The meticulous period detail and true-to-life characters had me immersed in the action, and I didn’t want the story to end. A joy to read

Vicki Beeby, author of The Ops Room Girls

A big-hearted book which had me glued from beginning to end. With a sassy, brave and instantly loveable character in Ruby, I was with her through every step, high and low, in this wonderfullly engaging novel. Be prepared to have a few tissues to hand as this is both an emotional and heartwarming read! Impeccably researched, the author brings the East End of London during the first world war vividly to life. I recommend this book to animal and historical fiction lovers alike!

Louise Fein, author of People Like Us

Kirsty Dougal has a background in advertising and now runs her own consultancy. Over the past 25 years, she has interviewed the Great British public on everything from Rolos to razors. Kirsty also writes WW1 sagas as Poppy Cooper; The Post Office Girls and A Post Office Christmas, and contemporary fiction as Kirsten Hesketh. Married with a son and daughter and two exceptionally fluffy moggies, Kirsty is also a keen amateur archaeologist and loves to spend her weekends on a local Roman dig. She loves walking and is a staunch supporter of Wycombe Wanderers - especially when they are winning! Kirsty lives in Oxfordshire. You can find Kirsty on Twitter: @kirsten_hesketh

The Sanctuary Lane Animal Hospital is up and running, and proving a huge success. For Ruby Archer, this is a dream come true – and her blossoming romance with a handsome local boy is the icing on the cake. 
 
But this is wartime, and things change in the blink of an eye. When tragedy shatters Ruby’s world, suddenly she is at odds with everyone - even her new sweetheart. And when disaster strikes, endangering the hospital's future, she is not sure who to trust. 
 
With the festive season fast approaching, Ruby desperately needs a miracle. But where can she turn in troubled war times? And is there time to find out what really matters in time for Christmas?

Wartime on Sanctuary Lane

Call the Midwife meets All Creatures Great and Small in this brand-new saga series set in a WWI East End Animal Clinic. 
**The Poppy Girls, the new novel from Kirsty Dougal, is available to pre-order now!** 
 'I was hooked from the start. The meticulous period detail and true-to-life characters had me immersed in the action, and I didn’t want the story to end. A joy to read' Vicki Beeby, author of The Ops Room Girls 
 
 'Superbly plotted ... a heartwarming and engrossing read' Maisie Thomas, author of Christmas with the Railway Girls 
'Tremendously written with buckets of heart' ***** Reader Review 
 
 --- 
 
 In the carnage of war can one woman's courage be the light in the dark? 
 
 As the Great War rages across Europe, twenty-one-year-old Ruby Archer decides to ‘do her bit’ at an East End munitions factory. The work is relentless and deafening, but the camaraderie of the other girls carries her through. 
 
 As London continues to be ravaged by German bombs, Ruby can’t ignore the abandoned animals scavenging the local streets. Mustering all of her courage, she decides to take action and open a weekly animal clinic. 
 
 But opposition quickly closes in, when there is a war to win surely all efforts must be for the troops. 
 
 With the help of her friends, can this East End girl show everyone that in wartime every life matters? 
--- 
 
 Readers love Wartime on Sanctuary Lane: 
 ‘A wonderful wartime family saga not to be put down’ ***** Reader Review 
 ‘Beautiful... [I] loved it’ ***** Reader Review 
 
 ‘This book was BRILLIANT! I loved the characters - especially Ruby and Leah - both very interesting young women in very different ways’ ***** Reader Review 
 
 ‘I cannot wait to find out what happens next. I'm definitely keen to read more books by Kirsty!’ ***** Reader Review 
 ‘Wow what can I say what a brilliant book… [I] loved it’ ***** Reader Review

I was hooked from the start. The meticulous period detail and true-to-life characters had me immersed in the action, and I didn’t want the story to end. A joy to read

Superbly plotted . . . a heartwarming and engrossing read

A big-hearted book which had me glued from beginning to end. With a sassy, brave and instantly loveable character in Ruby, I was with her through every step, high and low, in this wonderfullly engaging novel. Be prepared to have a few tissues to hand as this is both an emotional and heartwarming read! Impeccably researched, the author brings the East End of London during the first world war vividly to life. I recommend this book to animal and historical fiction lovers alike!

An uplifting, heartwarming tale that shows that, with friendship and community, anything is possible. Packed with lovable, plucky characters, this novel transported me to the East End in wartime

Gillian Harvey, author of Perfect on Paper

This was a really lovely book with a huge amount of heart. I adored feisty Ruby and rooted for her throughout. I felt I could see, touch and smell east London in WWI. This is a warm, uplifting read, which animal lovers in particular will enjoy

Victoria Darke, author of The House in the Water

If you read only one First World War saga this year - make it Wartime on Sanctuary Lane

Eva Glyn, author of The Dubrovnik Book Club

As the Great War engulfs Europe, twenty-one -year old Ruby Archer decides to 'do her bit' at a local munitions factory, quickly making new friends on the deafening factory floor. But wartime is hard for everyone, and she cannot ignore the abandoned animals scavenging in the East End streets. 
 
Ruby soon takes in injured terrier Mac, and rescues a stray kitten, Tess, but when all the local cats mysteriously disappear, she knows she needs to do more, and with the help of her friends plans a small-scale monthly clinic. Soon opposition comes from all sides, including her family and the local vet, can Ruby and her friends pull together to show them that in wartime every life matters?

Kirsty Dougal

Vivid descriptions and a resourceful heroine, together with one of Kirsty Dougal's trademark deftly written plots, all add up to a real page-turner that will draw readers in from the first page

Maisie Thomas, bestselling author of The Railway Girls

A remarkable page-turner of friendship, community and pulling together in tough times. Dougal’s characters are a pleasure to know – it’s almost as though you’re at the Poppy Factory!

A wonderfully poignant and emotionally gripping coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of home front Britain. With multi-layered, relatable characters, family, friendship and the Poppy Factory community, it's filled to the brim with resilience and wartime spirit. A sure-to-be treasured read for saga and women's historical fiction fans

Rose Warner, author of The Teacher Evacuees

This superbly plotted saga has all the ingredients of a heartwarming and engrossing read

I was hooked from the start. The meticulous period detail and true-to-life characters had me immersed in the action, and I didn’t want the story to end. A joy to read

A wonderful wartime family saga not to be put down

Richmond, Surrey, 1940. Overhead, the Battle of Britain rages. Below, at the Poppy Factory, disabled WWI veterans assemble remembrance wreaths while working on a secret wartime project. 
 
Meanwhile, on the estate where they live, three of their daughters are coming of age. 
 
Studious Carrie wants nothing to do with war and is intent on going to university. Sarah, the daughter of a war hero, is desperate to get involved on the home front, while newcomer Mabel keeps herself to herself.These young women have nothing in common, but as the Blitz begins, everyone within the estate must do their bit, and they are thrown together in ways they couldn’t ever have imagined.Can the Poppy Girls put aside their differences for the greater good?

Kirsty Dougal

Praise for The Poppy Girls

Vivid descriptions and a resourceful heroine, together with one of Kirsty Dougal's trademark deftly written plots, all add up to a real page-turner that will draw readers in from the first page

A remarkable page-turner of friendship, community and pulling together in tough times. Dougal’s characters are a pleasure to know – it’s almost as though you’re at the Poppy Factory!

A wonderfully poignant and emotionally gripping coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of home front Britain. With multi-layered, relatable characters, family, friendship and the Poppy Factory co ...

Vivid descriptions and a resourceful heroine, together with one of Kirsty Dougal's trademark deftly written plots, all add up to a real page-turner that will draw readers in from the first page

A remarkable page-turner of friendship, community and pulling together in tough times. Dougal’s characters are a pleasure to know – it’s almost as though you’re at the Poppy Factory!

A wonderfully poignant and emotionally gripping coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of home front Britain. With multi-layered, relatable characters, family, friendship and the Poppy Factory co ...

Vivid descriptions and a resourceful heroine, together with one of Kirsty Dougal's trademark deftly written plots, all add up to a real page-turner that will draw readers in from the first page

A remarkable page-turner of friendship, community and pulling together in tough times. Dougal’s characters are a pleasure to know – it’s almost as though you’re at the Poppy Factory!

A wonderfully poignant and emotionally gripping coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of home front Britain. With multi-layered, relatable characters, family, friendship and the Poppy Factory co ...

Books by Kirsty Dougal

Series by Kirsty Dougal

Sanctuary Lane

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