An amazing story of New York 1905. A story about Katie and Shannon who are trying to make a life for themselves. Definitely got caught up with the characters ‘ s struggles throughout their life.

Wonderful story of forgiveness and redemption and how God uses others in our lives to help bring about healing. Helping us become whom God intended to be and falling in love along the way. 😊

This is a great story with engaging character that you grow to care for. It amazed me what they have to go through @ Ellis Island and how they can be treated. I admit I wasn’t too sure what way Liam was going to go. I hope there is a follow up in the future to let us know how Ty n Katie Aunt Jane, Shannon & Liam, as well as Dex n Bridget are doing and what is new in their lives. This is my first book by Renee and it won’t be my last.

Actual rating: 2.75

I had high hopes for this book, but it fell short. Katie and Ty were not believable as a couple, and I really just did not like Ty at all. His whole downtrodden, self-imposed exile from family and friends and his past job was kind of too over the top woe is me. There are crosses to pick up and carry, but this particular cross wasn't as heavy as he acted.

This is not classified as a romance, but romance a prominent part of the story. Also, I'm rather puzzled that it's tagged as a Christian novel as faith is very seldom mentioned. I would, however, say that it's a "clean" novel as there is no sex or coarse language.

Shannon, Katie's eighteen year old sister, is rather bratty, but slightly redeems herself. Bridget, their cousin, could have been more interesting and should have a book of her own.

I would have liked to have read more about treating the downtrodden, especially in tenement buildings as that would have fulfilled it being labeled as historical fiction.

Even though I didn't care for 223 Orchard Street very much, I do plan on checking out more of this author's work.

The narrator's Irish accent was excellent and she did a great job reading this book.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary review galley of 223 Orchard Street from Netgalley, but borrowed the audiobook from Scribd to listen to. All opinions are my own.

Renee Ryan has done a fabulous job in bringing these characters to life in my favorite time period.
Imagine seeing New York or even America for the first time! I think that it would be a wonderful site!
I can't imagine being at Ellis Island and going through all that. Some of it had to be painful the exams and all. How frightening that must've been!
Well, through these characters eyes I was able to do that!
Renee has described the scenes so well that I felt like I could actually see and hear them talking.
I now like a book that is told from all of the voices in the book. I think it adds charm because we get to see this story from their perspectives.

223 Orchard Street, by Renee Ryan, is truly an inspiring piece of historical fiction with settings, characters, and themes that resonate with purpose and meaning. The detailed descriptions of the novel’s integral settings of Ellis Island and New York City draw attention to the hopes that countless immigrants had for a better life. These dreams of prosperity often stood in harsh contrast with the difficult realities faced by the immigrants who made the crowded urban area their home more than a century ago. It is these immigrants who powerfully shine as the characters in this novel. They possess the strength and determination to survive and thrive despite the many physical, emotional, spiritual, and cultural challenges they face. Against a backdrop of unmet expectations and broken dreams, the characters persevere to attain forgiveness, acceptance, hope, and love.
These characters abound with authenticity and credibility. Their questions, their insecurities, their fears, their needs, and their desires are wholly believable, heart-wrenching, and inspiring. The opportunities, the choices, and the trials that the characters endure are well-developed and enriching.
The themes of loss, redemption, love, and family that flow purposefully throughout the story fill this book with hope, relevance, and meaning. More than a simple historical narrative, this novel is rich with relevant themes and thought-provoking ideas. It is tender, emotionally stirring, and ultimately uplifting.
223 Orchard Street is a novel that I will long remember for the lasting impact that it has had on my thoughts and upon my heart. This novel was engaging and meaningful, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.
*I was given a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A review was not required. The review I have written contains opinions that are entirely my own.

Why did I wait so long to read this? This was a quick, feel good, little turn of the century, kinda romance book. Once I started it I could not put it down. Yes, a little predictable, yes a tad bit cheesy, but isn't that what makes a good little quick read type of book?

This is the story of Katie O'Conner, an immigrant from Ireland, who works in a garment factory as a finisher to save money to bring her sister, Shannon, over to America. When Katie comes to America, she is detained at Ellis Island for seasickness, but is deemed healthy by Dr. Brentwood. After a year Katie gets the message that her sister has arrived, but she too is detained for sickness. She vows never to fall in love, because having a love like her parents is like an abandonment. But her dream is to work with people in a hospital, to help them, but not fall in love with them.

Dr. Ty Brentwood is a surgeon, he has the hands, the smarts, the heart. But it is Katie O'Conner that captures his heart, her way with patients, and her unwavering understanding that makes him fall so hard for her. He just so happens to still be a doctor on Ellis Island and meets Katie on a ferryboat ride back to the city after finding out her sister has been detained, but it isn't their first meeting, and if he can help it, it won't be their last. He is a surgeon, who has vowed never to do surgery again, especially after he has killed. So working in the Bowery, with the poor and immigrants, is his self-induced punishment. Until he asks Katie to work with him, then he cannot help but see the way she has with patients, and knows he cannot let her go.

Shannon O'Conner has come to America, but only after having left her fiance in Ireland, who no one thinks will come for her, especially now that they think he has abandoned her in her most critical time of life. Shannon has issues of abandonment, from her parents, her fiance, and especially her sister.

This was a book about how differently people look at love, how it can destroy, abandon, and make people think they are better off not hurting those they love the most. But in the end it always wins, no matter how hard people try not to love the ones they love the most.

I was given a free preview of this book from NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

love his book. great details. good characters. easy and fast read. kept my interest all through the book.

It has been one year since Katie first arrived in New York from Ireland. When she goes back to Ellis Island to bring her sister Shannon home, she finds out that Shannon has been detained for medical reasons. On the way back home, she once again meets Ty, the doctor who helped her get through Ellis Island, and she enlists his help to obtain Shannon's release. As Katie and Ty renew their acquaintance, they find themselves falling in love with each other. Soon Katie is helping Ty in his medical clinic where they assist immigrants who won't be accepted into regular hospitals. As Katie finds out some family secrets and deals with her past, she has to learn that she is capable of love. Can Ty also overcome his difficult past so they can be together?
Set in the early twentieth century, this book addresses some of the many trials the immigrants went through when they came to America legally looking for a promising future. I thought the romance was sweet and heartbreaking at times, but I was also quite happy with the outcome of the story. I love stories set in this time and place, so I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book. It is a pretty clean romance, but it does include some difficult details concerning medical care and conditions that may not be for those who are queasy. Other than that, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical romance.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

A heart wrenching love story between a hard working, self sacrificing Irish immigrant seamstress/nurse Katie O’Conner and a compassionate, distressed doctor Titus Brentwood. The story takes place in the New York City lower east side tenements, and Ellis Island. Our compassionate, distraught doctor Ty fought to give good medical care to the poor while dealing with his own personal battles at his clinic in the lower east side and on Ellis Island where he first met Katie. They meet again on the ferry when Katie’s sister Shannon comes to America and their lives become intertwined.

As I read this touching story Renee brought back memories of the stories my grandma used to tell about her and her sister’s parents coming through Ellis Island from Germany. My great grandparents met in the lower east side tenements as teenagers, fell in love and worked hard to give their daughters a better life. Renee portrayed the life, hardships, hopes and dreams of the immigrants of that time who were poor, traveled 3rd class from their homelands, what happened at Ellis Island, and the living and working conditions of the lower east side so much so one could not only see and feel but also smell what they endured daily.

Renee Ryan out did herself with 223 Orchard Street as she transported us to another time reminding us that we would not be where we are today if the immigrants had not fought for their place in this land of opportunity, overcoming overwhelming obstacles with perseverance, faith, and love of family.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Waterfall Press via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Immigrants and New York City! What is not to like about that? Renee Ryan spun a wonderful story about Irish Immigrants in the East Side. She wrote a very positive outlook on the hardships the Irish immigrants faced.

This has all of the ingredients of a great historical: The Against all Odds immigrant experience that finds two sisters etching a life together in New York from Ellis Island and a romance that crosses class.

It is not about the conflict or tension that makes this book an enjoyable experience; rather the setting and world. I loved seeing the sights and hearing the sounds of New York during an era I love. I loved stepping into the world of seamstresses in crude sweatshops, the tenements of the Lower East Side and the slums of the Bowery District where Katie learns to care deeply for a stalwart doctor.

This is a story that excels at creating ambience and atmosphere.

Highly recommended

It’s about two sisters who come through Ellis Island and need to make a go of it in the Bowery district of NYC. Their aunt is their sponsor. Shannon, the younger, pines for her fiancé who didn’t board the ship to NY with her. The older sister, Katie O’Connor, is a talented seamstress who seems to have more connections than most in her station. It’s a romance, with a brooding, Dr. Titus Brentwood, looking for redemption from a surgical procedure gone wrong.
It was a quick read. I found myself wanting more in this story. There didn’t seem to be a big conflict.

In 1905, the immigration process was much different than it was today, and I’m thankful for the changes that have taken place. In Renee Ryan’s engaging novel, she describes what new arrivals to the country experienced. This included a brutal medical examination, where you could be detained simply because you were seasick on the voyage over. This is what Katie O’Connor went through upon her arrival from Ireland, and it’s thanks to a young volunteer doctor that she was released promptly. Now, a year later, her sister is also detained but her path to freedom isn’t so easy. Progress is only made after a chance meeting between Katie and Ty on the ferry from Ellis Island.

Amid the drama of Shannon’s arrival, Katie and Ty form a trusting yet uncertain relationship. Their romantic second meeting takes place in a not so romantic situation. Yet, although he’s there when she needs him, I felt that Ty was perhaps too familiar with Katie in a way he would not have been with a woman of his background. I also felt that the story went in a different direction to the one I expected from the publisher’s synopsis.

In 223 Orchard Street, Ryan details the enormous differences in living standards in New York City at the start of the 20th century. This is my favorite element of the book. Ty is from a world of money and private clubs. He received a top education, and he chooses to live above his clinic in the poor part of the city. Katie, in contrast, has no choice. She shares a three room apartment with an aunt and a cousin. She left a village in Ireland with hope of a better life. It’s a dream she’s gradually giving up thanks to harsh reality. Will this story have a fairy tale ending of New York City proportions? You’ll have to read to find out.

Thank you to Waterfall Press for my complimentary electronic copy of 223 Orchard Street.

It's not very often that I get a chance to dive in to a good fiction read, but I really enjoyed this book by Renee Ryan. While historical fiction is something that I once read a lot (but haven't read much recently), this read was beautiful.
It was interesting, the dialogue was believable, and the characters were well-developed. The plot was easy to follow, but not too predictable. The characters were likeable - so much so in fact, that you rooted for them all the way through the book! All in all, a great read!

Titus comes from an affluent family, and had it all with a career as a gifted surgeon, but after a tragedy affecting a friend of his, he walks away from the operating table. Ty still keeps busy, serving as a general practitioner with his own clinic helping the low income, and working at Ellis Island. He still blames himself for the past, will he be able to forgive himself?



Katie O'Connor has been working hard to bring his sister over from Ireland to join her in New York. Katie dreams of a career as a midwife, but being an immigrant it's hard to find more than low-paying sewing jobs. When her sister, Shannon, is detained in Ellis Island, Katie turns to Ty and ask him to help as she has no one else.



Will Katie and Ty find hope again?



Katie is a kind-hearted and compassionate woman, caring for her sister, aunt, and the children on the street. She puts others before herself, and loves her family.



Ty is haunted by his past, and hides from the world by drinking and helping the poor.



I liked the reality that the author infused into the setting, the hardships that they faced. I didn't really like the romance elements of the book, it just wasn't as believable to me, and the faith elements were vague, when it seemed like there were ample opportunities to show Katie's faith. I felt like there were many missed opportunities that weren't taken advantage of, in regards to the relationship, and the faith. A historical read that shows the hardships faced as new Americans.



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A vivid and heartbreaking story of immigrants traveling to and arriving at Ellis Island. I found this book to be nearly impossible to put down as I became more caught up in the story of these wonderful characters.
It was a detailed process the less fortunate passengers experienced and I can’t imagine what they must have felt like. I sometimes get nervous during a normal doctors’ visit, so I’m sure it was overwhelming for them. Although I understand the necessity of it.

Katie O’Connor is a fascinating character. She’s filled with grit and determination as she sets out to make a better life for herself and her sister, Shannon. I had such admiration for her as life wasn’t too easy for her but she never let that stop her from doing what she felt was right.
Ty Brentwood is the epitome of a hero in my view and quickly became someone I’d like to have on my side. He one of my favorite male characters in recent memory. I could easily imagine him providing the best care that a doctor could provide at that time.

Overall, I loved how the author brought her characters to life and how she made me feel like I was a part of their lives. I felt their disappointments and cheered their successes. I loved the family dynamics and the love they had for each other. This is the first book that I’ve read by Ms. Ryan but it will not be the last.

I received a copy from Netgalley and was under no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Ryan’s stories are always captivating, so I eagerly dove into her latest novel, even though I know very little about immigration, especially historically. This book did a great job of helping me to better understand what that life may have looked like for those seeking their own portion of the American dream in the early 1900s.

The details of coming into the country at Ellis Island were a surprise to me, from the medical exams to how young women needed a family member to “claim” them before being allowed to leave, I really had no idea of how difficult it could be. At the same time life could undoubtedly be better for those who came to America, the descriptions of the tenement housing and working conditions painted an often painful picture of an immigrant’s life during this time.

This is a fantastic story of family that I enjoyed a lot. My only hesitation in recommending it stems from unexpected language in several places—while I cannot say it was pervasive or even especially harsh, I do feel it was unnecessary and the story would not have been harmed by omitting it. That being said, the pervasive theme of unconditional love and acceptance is a worthwhile read for older teens and up, as well as a good look at the struggles many historical immigrants endured while pursuing a better life in the United States.

I received a review copy of this book from the author through Net Galley but was under no obligation to post a positive review. The opinions expressed are both honest and my own.

A riveting look at what immigrants traveling in 3rd class experienced upon arriving at Ellis Island. They had to go through a rigorous inspection process that 1st and 2nd class passengers did not. If they were not ill or detained, or sent back to their country of origin, most faced a difficult life of hard work and long hours living in tenement housing in New York City. Renee Ryan shines a light on the immigration process and the daunting life in America for poor immigrants. Historical fiction fans won't be able to put down this tale of resilience when things look hopeless, family bonds, love, and second chances. Dr Titus Brentwood volunteers at Ellis Island once a week. It is here that he encounters and helps two sisters as they each made their way to America a year apart. Both main characters, Dr. Brentwood and Katie are hardworking and devoted to helping others. They both however, are stuck in a mindset from previous experiences that make it hard for them to move on. Enjoy reading about American Dr. Brentwood's own journey, and Irish immigrant Katie O’Connor and her younger sister, Shannon as they make their way in a new country and discover themselves in the process.

Another winner in the ‘Gilded Promises’ series

When I started this title, my expectations were high. The previous titles in this series have been excellent. The author did not disappoint with this story.

Using a character from the first book in the series, the author leads the reader through a story that engages from the first chapter (really, I was engaged from the first page!). While this is part of a series, it definitely can be read as a standalone. Although, you may decide to go back and read the rest of the book in the series. If you do, they should be read in order to have a fuller sense of the story as well as great insights into the early immigration experience.

While I don’t know the author’s plans for continuing stories in this series, if she does, I will definitely be one of the people waiting in line to read them.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.