The Forgotten Orphan

Maisie Reynolds was abandoned at Holly Bush Orphanage in Southampton when she was about four years old and with her twin brother Jack. Left in the care of Matron Gloria Mason, Maisie had a miserable childhood, while other children were adopted including her own brother she was always over looked and it hurt. She stayed at the orphanage, Maisie loved to look after the children, she wanted them to feel that someone cared about them and she made a difference in many children’s lives. <br /><br />England’s at war, it’s no longer safe for the children to stay in London and the orphanage will be closed. It’s going to be used as a rehabilitation and recovery centre for injured soldiers. Maisie doesn’t have a lot of confidence, she has no qualifications or skills and she has no idea what she will do when it closes? Maisie’s kind, helpful, efficient, and she’s offered work at the center and becomes the housekeeper. Maisie’s always plagued by self doubt; she wants to know who she is, why was she left at the orphanage and what happened to her brother Jack? She meets Canadian paratrooper Harry Cameron or Cam, he’s from British Columbia, they fall in love, the war drags on and she continues to look for clues about her past.<br /><br />The Forgotten Orphan is a story about Maisie’s quest to find answers about her identity; she will uncover hidden secrets, discover things she wasn’t expecting and it’s shocking. But Maisie is tenacious, determined, she has an incredible big heart, so does Cam, he stands by her and together they overcome many obstacles. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review; I enjoyed the story and four stars from me. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/">https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/</a>

4.5 Wonderful read - the historical backdrop of the nursing and caring of returned soldiers suffering from what we now know is Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Built on top of that the story of a child and children housed in an uncaring orphanage. Beautifully told. Unputdownable. <br />Glynis Peter's is now another favourite author.

Maisie Reynolds was abandoned when she was little, separated from her twin brother and forced to grow up in Holly Bush Orphanage. The world was at war and Hitler's devastating bombs were getting closer. Fate had other plans for Maisie and a secret from her past changes everything. When she meets Canadian paratrooper, Cam, Maisie learns that love might not be lost to her. But not before D Day and her past life brings a tragic twist. <br /><br />Maisie grew up in an orphanage and she was the last one left when it closed. Maisie never got adopted or rehomed. She was always left out and unloved. She didn't know why she was treated differently she never knew what had happened to her twin brother, Jack. This is the story of Maisie coming of age, falling for a Canadian who will change her life. A story of hope, courage, forgiveness and acceptance. This is a well written story of romance and mystery set around WWII. <br /><br />I would like to thank #NetGalley, #HarperCollinsUK #OneMoreChapter and the author #GlynisPeters for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow I just finished reading The forgotten Orphan by Glynis Peters and what an amazing book this is.<br />When Masie Reynolds was small, she arrived at the Holly Bush Orphanage with her twin brother Jack. In time she watched the other kids get adopted and even her brother Jack got a new family of his own. But never Masie with her red hair. The people at the orphanage thought she was trouble so their she stayed. But Maisie was fair from trouble. She was always looking after the other kids without a thank you or any love. Even though her life was hard she was always positive. And vowed that she will one day meet her brother again. The orphanage is the only life she knew. The only respite she had was with her friends Charlie and Joyce. She was at the orphanage until it closed and turned into convalescence home for the soldiers that got injured in the war. She had no meaning in life until she met Harry Cameron or Cam for short, a Canadian soldier and then her life changed.<br />Thank you Harper Collins One more Chapter for the copy of The forgotten orphan. I absolutely love this story. The is a heart wrenching story of Maisie trying to find someone to love her and finding her own place in the world. But with every obstacle that came towards her she seemed to overcome it. She put others first always before her own. This is such a beautifully written story. If you are a fan of historical novels like this one you will love this one too. I highly recommend. <br />

DNF @ 31%<br /><br />I have to say I'm incredibly disappointed in this book. I was so excited when I read the synopsis and thought I'd come across a treasure among 99 cent kindle books. Alas, I was mistaken. I read other reviews that said this book reads like a YA and I have to somewhat agree. Young Adult is one of my preferred genres as a reader and I've read plenty in the genre that was well written. This book reads like a YA written in the 2010's to 2013's era and it's a let down truly.<br /><br />I enjoyed the very beginning of the book, even with the more juvenile writing, and it seemed to hold a lot of promise for exciting plot points like finding out more about Maisie's past and what on earth has become of her twin brother. These plots soon fall to the wayside, however, very early on when you are packed full will filler that you didn't ask for. <br /><br />Not only does Maisie have just about everything fall into her lap so very conveniently, but she has absolutely no personality (and for that matter none of the other characters in this novel do either). The writing seemed too choppy for me and didn't flow as nicely as a lot of historical fiction (and other novels) that I've read in the past. Also instalove. So much instalove.<br /><br />I feel like this is probably a good book if you're a teen and just dipping your toe into historical fiction, but this book is definitely not for me. It's getting 2 stars simply for the intriguing plot in the beginning and the fact that it was easy to read until I gave up on it. Plus it's not the worst book in the world but I'm certainly in no mood to waste time reading something that doesn't capture my full attention when I have plenty of books that will.

Maisie.<br /><br />Abandoned in an orphanage with her brother.<br />Lots of children get new homes and are adopted including her brother.<br /><br />She’s overlooked.<br />Why?<br /><br />She helps the children within the orphanage to feel wanted and loved.<br /><br />Maisie grown.<br /><br />Maisie has wondered about her family and where is her brother now?<br /><br />What unfolds is disastrous and intriguing and yet, horrifying (to me). This gave me goosebumps <br /><br />

A Redhead named Maise<br /><br />Maise arrived at the orphanage with her twin brother as a very young child. Her brother Jack was adopted, but she remained at the orphanage. It was a sad and unhappy place to be, but it was home to Maise. She is a take charge person and when the war started the Orphanage was converted to a convalescent home and hospital for wounded and returning soldiers. Maisie had nowhere else to go so she stayed as the housekeeper and later trained as a nurse's aide.<br /><br />One day returning home from a trip to town to visit her friends she met a young Canadian officer at the bus stop. She never thought she would meet and fall in love. She is happy, but a secret from her past and an old friend from the orphanage try to steal her happiness.<br /><br />Maise is a take charge person on the outside with a heart as soft as a feather pillow on the inside. She rolls with the punches and comes up fighting. She strived to always do her best regardless of the conditions. This is one courageous girl, especially during the war.<br /><br />You could feel the sadness, you could experience the torment but written in a gentle way. I definitely felt the love between Cameron and Maisie. The Characters were wonderful and very well written into the story, even the character of Simon. The atmosphere and the surroundings were portrayed very well. I could almost feel the room shake from the bombs falling. I loved the beautiful descriptions of the Canadian wilderness, it sounded so lovely and so peaceful.<br /><br />This book was very well written, a joy to read, and I recommend it.<br /><br />Thanks to Glynis Peters, Harper Collins U.K., One More Chapter, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy for an honest review.

Maisie and her twin brother were left at Holly Bush orphanage with few memories of their mother. Jack gets adopted by a family but Maisie is left to live out her years at the orphanage. Maisie was made to feel like a burden by the Matron and staff of the orphanage, but Maisie went above and beyond and treated the other children with love that she never got as a child and She made a difference in their lives. <br />The war rages and the children aren’t safe at the orphanage anymore, so it gets shut down and the children are shipped off but Maisie stays and works in the now rehabilitation center for soldiers and quickly proves what an asset she is-she’s kind, helpful, steady efficient and strong. <br />A chance encounter leads her to meet Cam, who she sees a future with despite him going off into the war and the risks that go with that. As well, she always wonders who she really is and where her twin brother might be, until through a chain of soldiers, word gets to him that she’s still at the last place he saw her as a kid and they are reunited again! <br />I really enjoyed this perspective to the war story and life of soldiers and I loved how strong Maisie and the other women in her life were-taking care of life while the men were in battle. <br />Thanks to Harper Collins/One More Chapter and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.

This is a story about an orphan girl in Southhampton, England during WWII and it was amazing to read about this girl's rise in life and the way her character developed and bloomed. <br />In this book we follow Maisie Reynolds, an orphan at Holly Bush Orphanage that is separated at early age from her twin brother. She is forced to grow up without love or kindness while never losing the kindness in her own heart. That was without a doubt one of the most admirable traits of her character, in my opinion. <br />With the second world war, Maisie has her life completely changed as fate has other plans for her future, different from anything she has ever imagined. <br />When she meets Cam, a canadian paratrooper, she learns that maybe love is possible in her life after all. <br /><br />This book made me incredibly happy, It was amazing to see Maisie grow as a person and as a character as she is forced to experience life in ways she never experienced before. I loved watching her discovering love and falling in love. It was such a cute and heartbreaking romance for sure, but we experience so many other types of love that Maisie is feeling for the first time.<br />I have to say that one of my favourite parts was this girl's kindness. Maisie faced every obstacle with a kindness that was deeply challenged by the atrocities of WWII but that never wavered. To experience such kindness and innocence in a time that is known for its despair and horrible moments was heartwarming. <br />I also loved Cam and her entire love story with him. It made me cry so many times. <br /><br />I've read many historical fiction novels and this was one of the kindest ones for my heart, but it also kept those deep heartbreaking moments that make WWII novels so memorable. I definitely recommend this for you if you are starting to read WWII historical fiction or if you are looking for an easier (but of course never actually easy) one to read. <br /><br />Thank you so much to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for giving me the chance to read this ARC.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. <br /><br />I’m sorry but this was just horrible. I felt like this was written by a 12 year old and it was completely all over the place. The main character, Maisie, did nothing but annoy me the entire book. I would have DNF this book if I didn’t force myself to finish every book. Incredibly slow, boring, and pointless. <br /><br />What was the point to this story? I don’t think there was one. I’m a little confused on how this was historical fiction as well because very little was mentioned about the actual war going on besides constant bombings. <br /><br />Why were there SO MANY RANDOM CHARACTERS WITH RANDOM NAMES? Why did we need to know 4 different nurses AND each of their names? Why? All the names were so confusing and frustrating to continuously read about. <br /><br />Also, the poems did nothing but distract and take away the actual story. <br /><br />I also did not enjoy reading about the aspect of incest in this story. I feel like it could 100% have been left out of Maisie’s story and replaced with something much more simple. <br /><br />1/5 ⭐️ would not recommend to anyone.