Suddenly, it became hard to breathe and the sound of the engine throbbed in Eva’s head. The plane crashed and skidded. She heard the wail of sirens. The last thing she remembered was pulling her body across the tarmac an inch at a time—before her world went black.
Sweetwater, Texas, 1943. Eva has always wanted to fly away. She jumps at the chance to train with the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots and help the war effort, even if the days are exhausting, the southern nights sweltering. When she’s in the air, it’s all worthwhile: her heart soars, as close to infinity as you can get. And since she met handsome Jack, she has someone to fly back to. But on one dangerous night, everything goes wrong. When she awakes, her body is broken and her memory is gone…
Los Angeles, 1977. Eva seems like a normal married woman with a family to be proud of. When she woke up after that terrible night—a blank in her memory—Jack was smiling down at her. But so many decades later, Eva is still searching for answers about the night that changed her life forever. Why have letters to her fellow pilots gone unanswered for thirty years? What really happened on her last flight?
Ever since that catastrophic crash, Eva has lived with the worst fear imaginable: did she do something terrible enough to make her friends cut her off? Increasingly overcome by frightening flashbacks, where she is fighting to escape from a tiny cockpit filled with smoke as her plane falls to the ground, she desperately tries to uncover the truth. But are some secrets best left buried in the past?
I was expecting to enjoy ‘Beyond the Horizon‘, but I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did. The story itself is well-researched and follows the female protagonist, Eva, as she relives her time as a WASP through a series of flashbacks. My heart ached for her and Harry’s relationship; the bond and love between them and their shared love of flying, made even more bittersweet as he was with another woman, and to top it off, would soon ‘join up’ and take on a deadly role in the military. I loved how Eva and her friend Nina were committed to helping their country during difficult times, which made them different and unique. I already knew bits and pieces about the WASPS- mostly that they were incredibly brave and they didn’t receive the full recognition they deserved, so the factual element at the start of each chapter definitely intrigued me. Flash-forward to present day, and I found myself questioning why Eva’s husband Jack was so against her embarking on her quest to uncover the truth about her accident. The plot was so well-crafted that I found myself wishing the characters and scenes were explored in a bit more depth. This is WWII historical fiction at its best- infused with a touch of romance and an element of mystery. I definitely recommend this book for those with an interest in historical fiction, especially if you’re intrigued by the female contribution to the war effort.
From bestselling author Ella Carey comes a sweeping story, inspired by true events, about the brave, forgotten female pilots who helped America win the war. A story you will never forget, and one that will always stay in your heart.
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Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for sending a free review copy.