I’m delighted to welcome back award-winning author Susan G. Mathis, who brings history and faith to life through her Thousand Islands fiction series. In this post, she introduces her newest story, Irish Rose Orphans’ Christmas, and reflects on how God restores the brokenhearted—especially orphans—and brings hope to the forgotten.

Hope Restored

There are few stories more stirring than those of children who have lost everything—family, home, and the sense of belonging that anchors a soul. Orphans carry a kind of sorrow that is hard to name. Yet again and again, we see a truth that runs through Scripture and life alike—God meets the brokenhearted where they are and turns ashes into beauty. Even in the quiet corners of loss, He is writing a story of redemption.

When God Restores the Brokenhearted

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reveals God’s tender heart for orphans. “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling” (Psalm 68:5).

In a world that often overlooks the small and the voiceless, God sees. He not only sees, but He acts—raising up protectors, communities, and even nations to care for those who have no one else. Through His people, He provides love where there was abandonment, family where there was loss, and purpose where there was despair.

Every orphan’s story—whether in a dusty orphanage of 19th-century New York or a shelter today—is a reflection of that divine compassion. When the world casts away, God gathers close.

Loss carves deep wounds, but it also creates deep places where faith can take root. Many orphans, despite the hardships they face, discover that the very emptiness of their lives becomes the space where God’s grace moves most powerfully.

Like the orphans of old—those Irish girls who went out to serve in wealthy homes with little more than a prayer and a promise—hope often begins in the smallest ways—a kind word, a simple meal, a reminder that they are seen. Over time, they begin to believe that maybe, just maybe, God has not forgotten them.

Through His providence, strangers become mentors, teachers become encouragers, and new families—whether by blood or by faith—become reflections of His love. The God who once set the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6) still does so today.

About Irish Rose Orphans’ Christmas

Get ready to fall in love with seven girls and their unforgettable stories! This heartwarming prequel sets the stage for the upcoming Irish Rose Orphans: A Thousand Islands Gilded Age Series, where seven spirited young women serve the islands’ elite!—author Donna Schlachter

Brooklyn, 1876

At the Irish Rose Orphan Asylum for Girls, seven young women are about to experience a Christmas that will change everything—their last one together before stepping into lives of service among strangers in the Gilded Age. United by trials and an unbreakable bond, they’ve pledged to remain “forever sisters.” But as the season of parting approaches, buried wounds rise to the surface.

Twin sisters Annie and Taryn remain divided by a silent rift. Fiona grapples with the ache of abandonment. Vivian hides her fear of being left behind beneath a cheerful façade. Cassie, ever the want-to-be teacher, tries to steady the group as Isabel and Gloria struggle with the agony of separation.

When Sister Rose invites the girls to prepare their hearts during Advent for a deeper calling, each young woman must face the truth of her past and the hope of her future. A final gift—tin lockets adorned with the Irish Rose—become tokens of hope, courage, and an everlasting sisterhood. This Christmas, seven orphans will discover that no matter where life leads them, love and faith will go with them.

Hope Restored: How God Restores the Brokenhearted | Susan G. Mathis #newbook, #Christmas, #hope
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Meet Susan

Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands, her childhood stomping ground in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than thirty times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has sixteen in her fiction line including, The Fabric of Hope: An Irish Family Legacy, Christmas Charity, Katelyn’s Choice, Devyn’s Dilemma, Sara’s Surprise, Reagan’s Reward, Colleen’s Confession, Peyton’s Promise, Rachel’s Reunion, Mary’s Moment, A Summer at Thousand Island House, Libby’s Lighthouse, Julia’s Joy, Emma’s Engagement, Madison’s Mission, and Irish Rose Orphans’ Christmas. She is also a winner of more than two dozen book awards, and she’s a published author of two premarital books, two children’s picture books, a dozen stories in compilation books, and hundreds of published articles. Find out more at www.SusanGMathis.com.

Susan’s website: https://www.susangmathis.com/fiction-books

Buy links: Amazon | Barnes&Nobles |

Social media links: Website |Author Central |  Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Instagram| Goodreads l Book Bub| Pinterest | 

Thank you, Susan!

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Blessings,

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