Her Miracle Man

by Nikki Duncan

A last wish brings them together. Only love can keep them there.

Children’s hospital administrator Ryland Davids was attracted to event planner Jennalyn James the moment he saw her. He thought there would be plenty of time to get to know her—until her younger sister, Sabrina, was admitted with complications from traumatic brain injury.

Sabrina’s bright courage broke through Ryland’s wall of professional distance, but once she drew her last breath, Jennalyn left the hospital and never returned. Though he understands her need for distance, there’s a hole in his heart that won’t heal. And a last wish from Sabrina he’s honor-bound to deliver.

When Jennalyn comes face to face with Ryland at a charity event, the pain comes rushing back, threatening to shatter her everything’s-fine façade. It doesn’t help that the lump in her throat is mostly her heart, leaping in response to his touch.

Despite her reluctance to return to the scene of her grief, she fulfills Sabrina’s final request to plan a series of Christmas events for the kids. Over the course of A Month of Miracles, Ryland and Jennalyn discover there’s the light of hope at the end of grief’s dark tunnel. But it may not be enough to heal her broken heart.

This title contains a magic-loving clown, children receiving miracles, betrayal, some light bondage and a woman healing from grief.

Genres: Contemporary Romance

216 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 27, 2012

About the author

Meet Nikki Duncan, Author of Small-Town Romance and Second Chance Love

Looking for emotional healing romance with strong female leads and second chance love stories? Nikki Duncan writes small-town romance novels and romantic women’s fiction about healing that go deeper than the surface. Her books explore the kind of love that repairs what’s broken, fuels self-discovery, and lingers long after the last page.

Nikki’s journey started in secret, writing her first story while devouring Harlequins. That quiet beginning led to a career of more than twenty novels and a fan-favorite debut, Sounds to Die By. The book began as a challenge to create a blind hero without drowning him in angst. It became a contemporary romance series readers still return to.

Over the years, Nikki’s work has appeared alongside romance icons like Shayla Black, Jaci Burton, Sylvia Day, and Cathryn Fox. Her stories blend emotion, resilience, and unexpected twists. Whether it’s laughter or heartbreak, Nikki’s characters push through life’s messes and find connection on the other side.

Off the page, she’s touched nearly every part of the book world. She’s designed covers, built websites, written for romance magazines, and hosted reader parties. One even featured a surprise cameo by EL James. After years of creative burnout, Nikki took a step back to care for her family and rekindle her spark.

Now, she writes from her restored farmhouse in Texas Horse Country. Her home, once dubbed “Dump to Dream,” inspires the kind of hope she weaves into every book. Whether it’s a reclusive star in Healing His Heart or a grieving sister in Her Twelve Miracles of Christmas, Nikki’s stories are layered with meaning.

When she’s not writing, she’s sipping tea, reworking her website (again), or dreaming up the next love story that just might change a life.

Reviews

[Julie Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Miracle Man by Nikki Duncan
Children’s hospital administrator Ryland Davids was interested in event planner Jennalyn James.
Her sister Sabrina was admitted to the hospital and he had no time to spend with her. She didn't make it and he spent a lot of time with Sabrina and given her a promise to give the cd's to her sister after a while, after she passed away.
Jennalyn James is at an event she was in charge of and seeing that everything was in place and circulating to make sure the guests had everything they wanted when she was introduced to
Ryland as he wants to hire her for an event at the children's hospital.
Sabrina wants her to take the job offer he has: a miracle for every day of the month for the children in the hospital in December.
Such heartache but joy and caring are shown to the children: the care and that the administrator, as the clown knows their names, names with wagons.
He had made some secret promises to Sabrina also and he was going to make sure they came true.
As each miracle comes to life she is enjoying them also and smiles and laughs-her payment.
They do spend time together with the planning and the relaxing after and talk and she finds out his secrets as to why he's so dedicated to the children.
They enjoy the teasing and the making up with kissing afterwards.
The Christmas spirit is in full swing by just one person telling another, who tells another. They have volunteers all over town cooking, decorating and just helping where needed.
Love what the rocks mean, I used to collect them as well from all parts of the world that my friends would visit.
Such unique gifts that have the true meaning of the season. with hot boiling sex this is an excellent holiday read...
Glide to the end....Just when you think you know it's going to end happily ever after ...
Excerpts from a few other books are included at the very end.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love holiday romances. This was one of the sweetest and most touching ones I've read. But, it wasn't nearly as light and fluffy as I expected.
Jennalyn is still deeply grieving over the loss of her younger sister, Sabrina, who died a year ago while at a children's hospital run by Ryland Davids. Before she died, Sabrina bonded with Ryland and asked him to hire her sister and help her move on with her life. Ryland felt a connection to Jennalyn from the start and asks her to work as the hospital's event planner and plan a "Month of Miracles" for a select group of patients at the hospital. Jennalyn agrees and no matter how hard she tries to remain distant from both Ryland and the children she is planning miracles for, she begins to fall for them all.
I had tears in my eyes for what seemed like half of this book. Jennalyn's sadness was palpable and the patients' stories were so moving, I can't imagine anyone reading this and not being touched. It definitely became more than just a wonderful love story, but it was certainly that as well. Ryland couldn't have been more a more perfect hero - warm, caring, smart, patient, and, of course, hot! I wish I had a "miracle man" like him! A great book to remind everyone of the good that can come out of something awful and that miracle may happen when you least expect them.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

From 11/21-12/7 get Her Miracle Man for only $2 using code NDecentKN at Samhain Publishing store.

This is a great holiday romance. You have two people who are both damaged inside overcoming their pain to help children in need throughout the holiday season. While putting together all these separate events for the kids they start to get over their grief and learn to start opening up again.

I really enjoyed reading about these two characters. Jennalyn recently lost the only family she had left, her sister. So when at a work function she runs into Ryland, she is immediately brought back to her time spent in the hospital with her dying sister. When she finds out that her sister's dying request is to team up with Ryland for a month of miracles for the kids, there is no way that she can refuse. She still has her reservations and has a huge wall erected around her. However, over time she starts to see how caring Ryland is. All the events with the children start to bring her joy and soon her pain doesn't seem to be so bad.

I think the author did an amazing job writing this story. If you're looking for a heartfelt holiday romance, this is the one!

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel that no matter what I say I will not do justice by this book. Yes, it was that good. It is a great book for the holidays.

Jennalyn James is engulfed in her grief. A year ago her parents were killed in a car accident. Her sister, Sabrina, suffered from complications of a traumatic brain injury. A week before Sabrina died her fiancée broke off their engagement.

Through all this emotional turmoil there is Ryland Davids, children's hospital administrator. He was right beside Jennalyn when Sabrina took her last breath and was able to comfort her as much as she would let him.

It has now been eleven months and Ryland cannot get Jennalyn out of his mind. She touched him deeply but he knows how fragile she still is. This is their story and how the miracle of bringing Christmas joy to others can go a long way to healing one's heart.

Both Jennalyn and Ryland have closed themselves off and have a hard time letting go and letting the other in. They do get there but there are lots of one step forward two steps back times. This is a story that will touch your heart in a way you will not soon forget. This one is really a must read. If I could it would get ten stars.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AWESOME!! you will laugh, smile, cry and likely all in the same page.
If you like Nicholas Sparks books you will LOVE Her Miracle Man....same type of book only Her Miracle Man is all the more real for its range of emotion and real life scenarios.
I couldn't stop reading this book with it's heart on it's sleeve.
Definitely a MUST READ and I'd love to see it be a movie.....it would be amazing!!

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slick's review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

5 Stars

Sometimes you read a book and it just hits you in the solar plexus, it robs you of your breath, it makes you cry, it hurts but in return you get a wonderful and inspiring story that will most likely change your life. If it doesn’t, I can bet that it will make you think about life and death in a new light. Right about now you are wondering if this is a book you want to read and I understand that, but I will tell you that you will not be disappointed. You’ll be uplifted, filled with hope, and without a doubt you’ll learn that sometimes despite your grief; life goes on.

Jennalyn James and Ryland Davids meet under horrendous circumstances. Jennalyn’s much younger sister, Sabrina, is dying from a brain injury she sustained in the car accident that killed both their parents. Ryland is the hospital administrator who befriended Sabrina during her stay. He and Jennalyn were with Sabrina when she drew her last breath, he helped Jennalyn gain her composure and then she walked out of the hospital and out of his life. But, Sabrina had a dying wish one that he feels he must fulfill, and to do that he has to jump back in to Jennalyn’s life even if she’s not ready for it.

Despite Jennalyn’s concern for how she’ll handle being in the hospital again she agrees to help Ryland with a Month of Miracles for several children from the hospital. She really doesn’t want to do it but when Ryland produces a recording of her sister asking her to please help him with this project, she’s unable to refuse. Jennalyn is a hard character to get to know; she’s very closed off, and she’s obviously still reeling from the death of her parents and her sister. On top of that her fiancé left her about a month before her sister’s death because life got too real. She refuses to get close to anyone but finds it hard to resist the children and the families she’s working with and Ryland who becomes her rock. Ryland is a pretty amazing man. He suffered a terrible loss many years ago but it only led him on the path to work with children. Although he no longer practices medicine, he is very involved with the children and families at his hospital. He feels something for Jennalyn and although he’s not sure what it is, he wants to explore it further. But, he won’t rush her and he wants her to be in the right frame of mind before they embark on a sexual relationship. He’s really a great guy in more ways than one and we see it throughout the book. Jennalyn sees it as well but she still refuses to have a serious relationship with anyone including Ryland.

I really loved how throughout this book we saw Jennalyn move beyond her grief. It was always still there in the background but she really started living her life again. It was slow and happened over several weeks and encounters with recovering children. It also helped that Ryland was there to facilitate it. We also saw how difficult it is for a doctor (or administrator) to turn off their feelings and emotions with patients. While Ryland did figure out after his interactions with Sabrina that he couldn’t be that involved again, it was a tough lesson for him to learn and even still he slipped. We get to see firsthand how hard it is when a doctor loses a patient.

Then there are the children most of whom were recovering and considered success stories. It was wonderful to read how these children are recovering despite the odds. It made me remember the time I’ve spent volunteering for Children’s Miracle Network and the time I spent in Cook’s Children’s Hospital in Ft. Worth and at the Ronald McDonald house near there. I experienced a flood of memories from my own experiences working with children just like those in this book.

I can’t even begin to explain the range of emotions I had as I read through this book. I will tell you that I cried, I was surprised, I was flabbergasted, and I cheered and that was just in the last three chapters. That’s not to say I didn’t experience those feelings and emotions in the other chapters but the last three…wow!

Without a doubt, Her Miracle Man is unlike any romance novel you’ve ever read. This isn’t a book; it’s a journey through life, death, grief, and learning to live again. It is not lighthearted, it is not sappy, but it’s original, touching, and you will be forever changed by the unwavering determination of one little girl by the name of Sabrina. Yes, I know Sabrina is a fictional character but I can almost guarantee that there are many real life children out there just like her and so if you can’t honor a fictional character, let’s honor them. They all deserve it!

Review copy provided for an honest review.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at: http://www.longandshortreviews.com/bo...

When an event planner is invited to host a series of events at the hospital where her sister breathed her last, Jennalyn is overcome by the tidal wave of grief that is her constant companion. Ryland is the hospital administrator who is suffering from his own scars. Will the two learn that there is more to the spirit of Christmas than the ghosts of Christmas past?

This book could not have fallen into my hands at a more opportune time. This year, the holidays were a blur that was often filled with tired and humbug ridden thoughts of the most surly in nature. Reading Her Miracle Man put a burr under my saddle to think about people with a lot more on their plate than I have and the happiness they found in helping others was truly a joy to behold.

Ryland is a hospital administrator looking to set up a month of miracles for the kids in his hospital that are the most vulnerable. Jennalyn is an event coordinator and the sister of one of Ryland’s patients that didn’t make it. Both are scarred by Sabrina’s passing and have vulnerabilities that run deep. The two dance around their mutual attraction and begin to work together to give the kids in the hospital a series of miracles that will bring tears to your eyes and a flutter of hope in a time of year when it is easy to forget that there are others out there that have challenges that are literally life or death.

The story was well laid out and took me on a journey of grief, life, hope and redemption. Honestly, it was more about the story than the sex in this one. While there were some BDSM elements when Ryland and Jennalyn get together, it was more about the holiday story and the selfless giving to the kids that really kept me reading. There is a twist at the end that I wasn’t expecting that had to do with who the families were that received the month of miracles. The videos with Sabrina telling her sister to give Ryland a hand and to get involved with him were heartwarming and made me cry more than once.

If you enjoy a holiday story that will bring a tear or two to your eyes with a little bit of spicy BDSM to liven things up, then you have to try Her Miracle Man.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her Miracle Man was one of the best books I have ever read. I do not usually get so involved with a book that the storyline effected me emotionally. This book, I cried in just about every chapter. Not because it was horribly written or anything along those lines, but because the miracles pulled off by Ryland and Jennalyn were so heartwrenching beautiful. Every "miracle" was a perfect fit for the receiving child. And, although you knew there was a happy ending, it was believable and true to the characters. You will not be disappointed in this latest addition to Nikki Duncan's catalog.

[Lori]

I want to read this just for the disclaimer. what in the hell????

[Erika Mounts · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most emotional books I have read.