Amanda Skenandore has become a must read author for me. Both this book and The Second Life of Mirielle West have been solid five star reads for me. The historical fiction aspects of both stories were incredibly well researched and both have been page turners.

Una Kelly was such a unique character and I thoroughly enjoyed following her journey. I was on the edge of my seat during several of the scenarios she got herself into and I was really rooting for her to turn her life around.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys compelling historical fiction and second chance stories.

This one pulled me in from the very beginning and kept me hooked the whole time. Una Kelly is a fascinating character with a shady past and trying to make a better life for herself in a roundabout way. I loved the descriptions of early medical procedures and the mystery added a little more to the story to keep me listening nonstop. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction, strong characters, and medical dramas.

Narration was excellent.

This is the second book I have read by Amanda Skenandore, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Another great read filled with history, mystery, and colorful characters. I found myself rooting for the main character, Una, as she fought for a better life. She started out just trying to avoid the "coppers" but finds that life can be easier when she lets her barriers down a bit. The narrator was also great and would listen to other books narrated by her.

Una Kelly is a young grifter on the dangerous streets of New York merely trying to make her way through life with food in her stomach, a roof over her head, and a few coins in her pocket. She knows a good mark when she sees one and this keen sense nets her a beautiful pair of ruby cufflinks that she hopes to fence. The man she is to do business with is set to meet her in a dark alley where she happens upon his murder. Thought to be responsible for this murder, Una must flee and go into hiding.

After reading an article on the Bellevue School of Nursing, Una decides that this school will give her the perfect cover…a respectable female student from the new nursing school will be above reproach. While she initially does all she can to just skate by, she soon realizes that to keep her cover story in check she must put in the work. Slowly, Una begins to develop true friendships and care for her patients. When Una sees the body of an old friend who died from a drug overdose, she notices strange marks around her neck and begins to think that there is a murderer on the loose at Bellevue.

For the most part, the narrator, Vanessa Johannson, did a fine job. The one thing I do have to note is that there were several mispronunciations throughout the reading. In those days, a police van was called a black Mariah and not Maria as stated. It could be that it is pronounced Maria in other areas of the world but considering that the story takes place in New York City, local vernacular should be adhered to.

All in all, it was a decent story. I loved learning about the Bellevue School of Nursing and how they followed the advice of Florence Nightingale during the initial establishment of the school. The added mystery of the possible murderer at Bellevue was a nice touch that added to the story. This story was a little slower than Skenandore's first novel, The Second Life of Mireille West, but just as well researched.

In 1880’s New York City, Una has no one to lean on, and is supporting herself through pickpocketing. One night, she gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and is wanted by the police for murder. Desperate not to be arrested, Una joins a nurse training program to hide out.
I really enjoyed the historical accuracy and details in this one. It was fun learning about how various maladies and injuries were treated during this time period. It was also nice to watch the arc of Una’s development as a character.

The Nurse’s Secret by Amanda Skenandore
Narrated by Vanessa Johansson

It's the 1880s and the slums of New York are Una Kelly's stomping ground. Una is a liar, a thief, and a grifter and she puts herself first in all things. There is no room for compassion, honesty, and morals here. It's each man or woman for themselves because no one will save you from trouble when trouble hits.

When someone Una is meeting with is killed, the cops pin the murder on her. Una has to use all her street skills to escape custody because she knows where she will be sent will be worse than death and it will kill her in the end anyway. Her skills in deceit allow her to finagle her way into Bellevue's new nursing program, which is based on Florence Nightingale’s nursing principles. Being in the program gives her a bed to sleep in and a life to live as she lays low, hiding from the law. Hopefully she can at least last the thirty day probationary period as Una can't imagine making it the two years to graduation. It's not like she plans to listen in class, study, or put any effort into learning to be a nurse, all she's interested in doing is just enough not get kicked out of the program for now.

Lister's theories on how to prevent the spread of germs were still scoffed at, leaches were a mainstay for treatment, and people were dying of ailments that would be nothing now. I cringed listening to the treatments that patients endured and it seems that often a nurse or a nurse in training might be the only thing saving a patient from the coldness and arrogance of doctors who thought women were too stupid to make medical decisions for patients. A hospital seemed to be a house of horrors back then.

During this time, Una mostly stays Una, when push comes to shove, Una will steal, Una will lie, and Una will let a person who considers her a friend take the blame for something Una may or may not have done. Una is really good at pulling the wool over most peoples' eyes but her nursing training does actually bring out a compassionate side in her. Maybe she can really make this work, become a honest (mostly) person in society. Her hard edges start to soften but she's always in danger. And Una realizes that there may be a murderer among them. If she can't do anything else, she wants to bring the murderer down. Finally, maybe Una is willing to sacrifice herself to save others from harm. I like how realistic the story is in that Una doesn't magically turn into something she is not but, instead, gradually inches toward someone better than she was in the past.

Thank you to HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

Excellent listen, I thoroughly enjoyed The Nurse’s Secret! It felt like I was in on an embarrassing, yet dangerous secret. It was quite entertaining. One thing I need to know is the spelling and definition of a luebee. Based on the usage, it seems to be like a newbie, but without seeing the actual word and just hearing it, I can’t be sure.

An intriguing and delightful mystery. I was absolutely drawn by the premise of a nurse. The story started a little slow as everything was being laid out and set up, but once it picked up, oh man! I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It had a perfect blend of medicalese, nursing, mystery, friendship, and romance. Nothing overtly gory, but enough detail to make it realistic. It gave me some flashbacks of when I first went to nursing school, which always produces a few chuckles. I loved Una’s character development throughout the tale and the secondary characters who helped get her there. I found myself trying to rationalize through who the killer could be and how it would all play out for Una. The details were creative and brought together nicely in a plausible manner. All in all, I certainly recommend this book for all lovers of clean, medical suspense/mystery.
The narrator did a great job with the pace and the accents in this audiobook. She was easy to follow along with and had clear speech. All the characters were represented well and the story unfolded perfectly with her cadence and character representation.

I received a complimentary audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

I have enjoyed all of Amanda Skenandore’s historical fiction and she keeps getting better! I love how her chosen time periods very widely and the lead characters are nuanced and capable. Descriptions of New York City in 1883 are vivid, never ponderous. Skenandore makes the city come alive with strong verbs, “street children still huddled over steam grates. Beggars rattled their tins. Gangs prowled the alleys.” She uses clever turns of phrases to set the reader in a bygone time. “The thick Irish brogue like that of her father had vanished from many voices like a wrinkle ironed out of a shirt.”

Una Kelly grew up in the streets of New York City after her mother died in a fire and her drunken dad was lost in his own world. She is a strong protagonist; one you will root for. We follow her from days of stealing for Marm Blei to being accused of a crime to watching as she studies to become a nurse in the first nurse-training program in the country. We see her ‘rules for life’ forge her into a resilient woman with compassion.

4.5 stars – because sometimes you just need a rags-to-riches love story with a strong female and a good story. Throw in a mystery, some clean romance, great pacing, and you have The Nurse’s Secret.

I listened to the audiobook as well read the ARC. The narrator has a strong voice which fit perfectly with the times. Characters were easy to understand, and the story moved quickly. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Una Kelly is a pick pocket in 1800s New York. With disguises and different accents she goes about town stealing from anyone who looks like they have something she wants. As a child she was taken in by Marm Bly she took her in, fed her and made sure she had appropriate clothing for the New York winters. So on the very night she decides to betray her benefactor she gets caught up and accused of murder. While hiding out in the seller of The only cousin she has left out of boredom she starts reading a magazine and this is where she finds the ad to Bellevue nursing school. Not because she cares about others but because it would be a great place to lay low until she can figure out what to do next she applies. This is where she will learn so much how to love, how to be a friend and who is this going around strangling people in the poor slums of New York City?

Usually when reading a book about someone who has a anti-so behavior such as pickpocketing, they have some redeeming quality that makes you root for them. That wasn’t the case with Una she was selfish almost until the end. Even attempting to let nursing students take the blame for things she did. I will say by the end of the book I was more than satisfied with the ending. And despite not being her biggest fan we’re still entirely captivated by the story. I would recommend this to others as the writing makes it worth reading and the writing is superior. Please forgive any errors as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own I was given this book a NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was blown away by this book. It tells the story of Una, a thief, pick pocket, scam artist grifter from the slums. When Una is accused of a murder that she did not commit she hides from the police by conning her way into nursing school. Although the nursing school was very challenging, Una’s tough upbringing and lifestyle gave her the strength that she needed to push through it. The book is not only the story of Una’s life, friendships and relationships, it’s also a murder mystery. When Una discovers more people being murdered in the same manner as the man she was accused of murdering, she sets out to solve the crimes. In the end, she ends up figuring out who the serial killer is. This book is a great read with its mystery, suspense, drama and romance.