Oh my, it has been a while, friends! This pandemic has turned the world upside down both globally and, naturally, in my life as well. Homeschooling three kids with two of them being special needs has been a big monster to slay for me. My kids are also social butterflies. So, entertaining them without their friends around took a toll on all of us. But let's move on to something way more positive!!!
I had the incredible honor and privilege to be added to the Bookouture Blog Tours team! What does that mean? It means that I will take you on a journey to explore some of the coolest new book releases and you can hear all about them before the release date! How cool is that???!!!
My first book for the tour is a book that you should definitely check out! But let's slow down for a second. Let me tell you about it first.
I had the incredible honor and privilege to be added to the Bookouture Blog Tours team! What does that mean? It means that I will take you on a journey to explore some of the coolest new book releases and you can hear all about them before the release date! How cool is that???!!!
My first book for the tour is a book that you should definitely check out! But let's slow down for a second. Let me tell you about it first.
 | Ok, friends, take a minute to enjoy this gorgeous cover! That is actually what caught my attention in the first place. A woman appearing to be from the 40s/50s, which itself is not that remarkable, but add that airplane and I'm intrigued! I love reading stories about pioneer women who paved the road for us and achieved remarkable things in many areas, such as mathematics, engineering, and science. Guess what? This story did not disappoint! I got just that...but not only that, this story--as I would find out soon--also involved tragedy, sisterhood, suspense, mental health, and even romantic elements. |
(Alternate cover) Beyond the horizon tells us about Eva Scott and her closest friends, the unconventional Nina and straight-laced Helena. At the height of World War II, they refuse to simply stay home to take care of the families of the men fighting in the war or serve in the traditional WWII roles for women--nurses, communication, and other non-combative roles. These ladies want to do more for their country. They want to turn their passion for flying airplanes, which in itself is a straying from the traditional role women at the time were supposed to fit in, into their own efforts to help win the war. They are accepted into the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and leave their home, balmy California, behind to participate in grueling training in Texas, ultimately landing at formidable Camp Davis in North Carolina.
As you can imagine, they are vast outnumbered by men and face contempt, discrimination, and even sabotage. But these incredible women remain loyal to their mission and to each other. That is until a fatal mission sends Eva's dreams crashing to earth and leaves her with trauma and a lot of unanswered questions and self-doubt.
Decades later she has the opportunity to discover the truth about the night that changed her life and bring her some closure. Against her husband's request, Eva takes out to help in a totally different fight, the fight to get military recognition for the WASP. While fighting for this recognition, she is forced to confront the past and make decision that could forever change her future.
This book is in a dual timeline format, but it's not a linear format. We are not taken from the past to the present. No! What gives this book a pinch of suspense and keeps you captivated and totally immersed in the story is the fact that the author switches back and forth between the past and the present. Just when you thought you read more about the events in the past, you are pulled out of that time and thrown back into the present. Some books I have read in the past were not able to take me with them. They turned out confusing and made me want to DNF the book. But not this one! This one has the perfect interface between the two timelines and chapters. Each chapter adds another piece to the puzzle and to the character building. And then BAM!!!! there is a twist...yes, a twist in the last chapters of the book you didn't see coming! It hits you like a brick wall, but it also provides an answer to some of the questions both Eva and you as the reader have along the way. A FANTASTIC BOOK that should be on your TBR!!!
For those of you who, like me, are not into romance at all let me add that I was expecting a sobby or corny love story--since that is the kind of story that so many WWII books tell. However, while Beyond the Horizon did include romantic elements, they (1) were not overpowering and the main focus of the plot and (2) were interwoven with the story in a way that you actually wanted to find out if there was a happy ending or not. Two thumbs up from me for that side of the book!
There is one more thing that made me love the book even more: the WASP actually existed! So, while the characters may be fictitious characters, the organization and its heroic members were REAL!
As you can imagine, they are vast outnumbered by men and face contempt, discrimination, and even sabotage. But these incredible women remain loyal to their mission and to each other. That is until a fatal mission sends Eva's dreams crashing to earth and leaves her with trauma and a lot of unanswered questions and self-doubt.
Decades later she has the opportunity to discover the truth about the night that changed her life and bring her some closure. Against her husband's request, Eva takes out to help in a totally different fight, the fight to get military recognition for the WASP. While fighting for this recognition, she is forced to confront the past and make decision that could forever change her future.
This book is in a dual timeline format, but it's not a linear format. We are not taken from the past to the present. No! What gives this book a pinch of suspense and keeps you captivated and totally immersed in the story is the fact that the author switches back and forth between the past and the present. Just when you thought you read more about the events in the past, you are pulled out of that time and thrown back into the present. Some books I have read in the past were not able to take me with them. They turned out confusing and made me want to DNF the book. But not this one! This one has the perfect interface between the two timelines and chapters. Each chapter adds another piece to the puzzle and to the character building. And then BAM!!!! there is a twist...yes, a twist in the last chapters of the book you didn't see coming! It hits you like a brick wall, but it also provides an answer to some of the questions both Eva and you as the reader have along the way. A FANTASTIC BOOK that should be on your TBR!!!
For those of you who, like me, are not into romance at all let me add that I was expecting a sobby or corny love story--since that is the kind of story that so many WWII books tell. However, while Beyond the Horizon did include romantic elements, they (1) were not overpowering and the main focus of the plot and (2) were interwoven with the story in a way that you actually wanted to find out if there was a happy ending or not. Two thumbs up from me for that side of the book!
There is one more thing that made me love the book even more: the WASP actually existed! So, while the characters may be fictitious characters, the organization and its heroic members were REAL!
 | About the author: Ella Carey is the bestselling author of the #1 Kindle bestselling Paris Time Capsule historical mystery series, as well as the standalone Kindle bestsellers, Secret Shores and The Things We Don’t Say. Ella’s Paris series were nominated for Australian Romance Reader Awards for best historical fiction, and, along with Paris Time Capsule, have been translated into over a dozen languages. For her latest standalone novel Beyond the Horizon, she traveled to Sweetwater, Texas, to research the novel, and collaborated with the director of the WASP museum to write the book. The novel is inspired by Ella’s mother, who was in the Women’s Air Force in Australia during World War Two, and her father, who was a pilot in the British Air Force. Ella was born and raised in Adelaide, Australia, where she completed a music degree in classical piano at the Elder Conservatorium, and an arts degree with a double major in History and English Literature. Having spent eleven years living on the beautiful island of Tasmania, these days, Ella lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her family, two very elderly and special Italian Greyhounds, and a garden that Ella likes to think is hers, but honestly, it’s run by the chickens - the lovely Annie, Harriet, Mrs Pertelote, and Fox’s Dinner! |
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| Disclaimer: I thank Bookouture and the author for a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions presented in this blog post are mine and unbiased. Simone's Goodreads Reading Challenge 2020:  |
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