The Spitfire Girls by Soraya M. Lane

Welcome!  Hetty's Secret War by Rosie Clarke will be published on March 19 along with One Potato, Two Potato, Dead by Lynn Cahoon.  Half Finished by Lauraine Snelling comes out on March 26 with Murder Lo Mein by Vivien Chien.  Sifting through Clues by Daryl Wood Gerber releases on April 23.  It is the eighth A Cookbook Nook Mystery.  Emily, Gone by Bette Lee Crosby will be out on April 30.  It will be available through Kindle Unlimited (my mother just loves this program. 

The Spitfire Girls by Soraya M. Lane has readers traveling back to World War II.  May Jones along with Ruby Sanders are members of the British Air Transport Auxiliary.  These courageous women ferry new and repaired planes without radios or instruments for the Royal Air Force.   Lizzie Dunlop has been trying to get the United States to implement a similar program without success.  General Henry Arnold needs convincing and suggests Lizzie volunteer for the ATA to get experience.  Lizzie is a confident and brash woman who is not afraid to speak her mind.  She knows she is an excellent pilot, but Lizzie is not a team player.  Lizzie attitude tends to rub the other pilots the wrong away along with her competitive spirit.  As commander, it falls to May to get these talented female pilots to work together.  These women must continually fight for fair treatment and respect from their male counterparts while dealing with losses and being away from their loved ones.  Will these women succeed in their missions?

 

I like that The Spitfire Girls shows the role of female pilots in England and America during World War II.  I enjoyed learning more about the WASPs and ATA.  I thought the author accurately portrayed how women were treated during this time period.  The powers that be may not have wanted the women’s help, but they needed their assistance (I can just imagine the discussions that took place).  Of course, once the war was over, females were soon ousted from their wartime positions.  May Jones was a strong female character with a hard exterior.  She kept her emotions in check while fighting for the women in her command.  It was hard for May to show weakness and open up to someone.  Ruby Sanders is the petite beauty who lacks confidence.  She is engaged to Tom who is under his society mother’s thumb and feels that women belong at home.  Ruby is a good flyer, but she needs to believe in herself.  Lizzie Dunlop is a talented flyer and lets people know it.  She is big, bold and brash (from Texas).  Lizzie feels that flyers are on their own in the sky and does not understand the team mentality.  Each woman has a different issue that they need to overcome.  I thought the characters lacked depth.    Each lady finds the right man for her and they fall in love. The story played out in a predictable manner.  The pace was steady in the first half and slowed down considerably in the second.  I liked the author’s note at the end which provided additional information on the WASPs, ATA and female pilots from WWII.  I can tell the author did her research for The Spitfire Girls.  However, I wanted more depth, realism and emotion.  Readers who take pleasure in reading light, historical romance novels will appreciate The Spitfire Girls.

The Spitfire Girls is available through Kindle Unlimited.  Soraya M. Lane has also written Wives of War, Voyage of the Heart and Hearts of Resistance.  Thank you for stopping by today.  On March 7, I will showcase Final Exam by Carol J. Perry (I believe there is a giveaway).  It is the eighth A Witch City Mystery.  Make sure to smile at someone today.  It does make a difference.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

Wives of War: Soraya M. Lane's WWII Collection

Greetings!   Assaulted Caramel by Amanda Flower will be out on August 29.  It is the first book in An Amish Candy Shop Mystery series.  It is a cute cozy mystery with great characters, entertaining mystery and wonderful chocolate descriptions.  I look forward to reading Lethal Licorice (second book in series) when it comes out.

Wives of War by Soraya M. Lane is part of a three-book collection that takes readers back to the World War II era.  It is 1944 and Scarlet Alexander has joined Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Nursing Service (QA nurses).  Scarlet is waiting for the train (and a little nervous) and is happy when Ellie O’Sullivan introduces herself. The pair are reporting for duty and final field training.  Scarlet comes from a privileged background and is joining against her families wishes.  She has not heard from her fiancé, Thomas is thirteen weeks and is worried about him.  Scarlet feels nursing will allow her to look for Thomas.  She knows he is still alive.  Ellie has three brothers off fighting and she wishes to do her bit for the war effort.  Ellie meets Dr. Spencer Black while training for the front and they are attracted to each other.  Scarlet meets a soldier named James who makes her forget about her missing fiancé.  Ellie and Scarlet are soon sent to France where are they inundated with injured soldiers.  The unflappable Lucy Anderson is assigned to their unit as a surgical nurse.  Lucy wants to enroll in medical school after the war.  Rough conditions, little food and long hours are in store for these nurses.  Their friendship will help them endure these difficult conditions along with hope and love.

I thought Wives of War was easy to read and had a good pace (in most sections).  However, Wives of War is a book for readers who enjoy romance novels.  Love is in the air for Lucy, Scarlet and Ellie and the war takes a backseat for the majority of the novel.  The war in France plays out in the background while these ladies flirt (for the most part).  I found the dialogue to be very American.  It did not match up with the characters.  Scarlet is upper-class British and should speak differently from Irish Ellie.  There are a couple of British phrases tossed in here and there but they do not make the novel any more British.  I also felt it was lacking in historical accuracy.  I am rating Wives of War 3 out of 5 stars (it is okay).  I found Wives of War to be expected (predictable) and a repetition of basic details (how many times were we told Scarlet loved Thomas).  I thought the characters were lacking and flat.  They were not fleshed out and developed.  Friendship blossoms instantly between the ladies (they just met), and then they fall in love just as quickly (Instant connection).  I thought it was unrealistic (even for fiction).  I wanted a story with more depth (about nurses working in Europe, their patients, etc.) with less focus on women finding husbands in the middle of a battle field.  I wish the publisher had written the blurb differently (it is listed as historical fiction).  If I had known it was a romance novel, I would have passed.  My mother also read this novel and came away with the same impressions (which is rare for the two of us).  Voyage of the Heart and Hearts of Resistance (January 17, 2018) are the other novels in the collection by this author.  Wives of War is available through the Kindle Unlimited program.

Thank you for visiting.  I will be reviewing Trouble in Dixie by Rebecca Barrett next time.  May you have a spellbinding day!  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader