Realistic, historical, adventurous, exhilarating.

Beyond the Horizon is a fantastic read with exquisite details about airplanes, WWII, and alliance dynamics. The novel toggles between the two different time periods, 1977 and WWII with the concentration on Eva a WASP Pilot in WWII. I've read, watched documentaries about (WASP) Women Airforce Service Pilots over the last ten years and by far this book is on my list of top three, definitely a book purchase and a keep for re-reading, sharing, along with book club discussions. The suspension of belief describing details about flying the WWII planes, with realistic wartime era took me in quickly. I couldn't put the book down, wanting to know more. The author uses a unique way of allowing the reader an opportunity to learn about the women of WASP, and making it interesting. Not once during this novel did my mind wonder, I was completely immersed in the the story.

This was an awesome read, highly recommend this novel to read.

I am a big fan of Ella Carey’s stories and I devoured this one, it was a compelling read for me hearing how the wonderful woman from America took to the skies during World War 2 to do what they could to support their country, the battles they fought with some of the men and the military then and years later to win the recognition they deserved.

The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) was what Eva Scott wanted to join she wanted to be a pilot and do her bit for the war effort, she grew up in Burbank California her best friend Nina also had this dream and they had been taught by their friend Harry to fly, both worked in the airplane manufacturing plant, but as soon as they had the chance they joined up, at their training camp they met Helene, these three woman became the best of friends.

They arrive at Camp Davis determined to not complain and do what has to be done under circumstances that would never be accepted in this day, with more men than woman and deliberate sabotage that could cause danger, they stayed on course to become the best pilots. A terrible accident changes all of their lives Eva returns home injured and heart-broken but gets on with life marries Jack and has a son never knowing what has happened to her friends.

Thirty odd years later Eva finally gets a chance to help the WASP’s get the military recognition that they should have been given in the first place, but she also gets answers to what had happened in the past.

This story shows the strength and courage that Eva, Nina and Helene as well as the other WASPs went through, the friendships that were made, and the loves that were lost and found during a time of war, the story is moving and at times heart-wrenching, I shed tears but I also cheered these woman on, and it has such a beautiful ending one that left me smiling. Thank you MS Carey for another keeper.

Ella Carey has written yet another great novel. Her in depth research and gift of prose shines brightly throughout this novel. The reader becomes immediately invested in the main character of Eva. I have read many historical fictional novels about WW2. This particular novel is set apart from the others by the subject material, the contributions of WASP. I enjoyed learning the ins/outs of the WASP. I also appreciated the author’s efforts to weave the reader into the story. I felt as if I was at Avenger’s Field and bunking with the female pilots. The subject matter of women’s role in a male dominated society was done well. I could feel the tug of Eva’s generation making their mark on the world against that of their maternal counterparts. Overall, an excellent novel. I will highly recommend this novel to my local library and book friends. A job well done, Ms. Carey!

Girls can Fly
Beyond the Horizon is the story of the Wasps, lady flyers in WWII. These brave girls left their homes and trained to fly airplanes at an abandoned military base with civilian flight instructors. They flew for the military on many different assignments and under much discrimination from the men.

I was very interested in this part of history. I had heard the Wasp units mentioned briefly before but didn't know that much about them. It is amazing what they accomplished and that they finally were allocated Military rank and benefits thirty years later.

Eva's story was heartbreaking. There was so much love between her and Nina. Then later Rita, Helena and Bea all fellow wasps. I think what Jack did was so wrong.

I loved this book, loved the ending, and would recommend it to anyone wishing to read a great book.

Thanks to Ella Carey, Lake Union Publishing, and Net galley for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of the book.

From the first page, I was entranced in author, Ella Carey’s, latest book, Beyond the Horizon. This historical fiction book was based on World War II’s Women’s Airforce Service Pilots and how they gained military recognition. Protagonist, Eva, was so very relatable. This book had me running through a gambit of emotions, the sign of a truly good read. I can’t wait to get started on Carey’s backlist books!

I enjoyed this book from the first page.
The book was written over two time periods.
Eve, the today wife & mother.
Eve the young woman pilot in ww2., the author did a great job, at drawing out the characters in this book.
It was informative in that it has only been recently that these ladies have been recognised as
being part of the
DEFENSE FORCES during WW2.
A good book for all interested in this genre.

A thoughtful book which I thoroughly enjoyed right to the end. Just brilliant!! Really enjoyable, and others should try this book if a fan of the genre.

This was my first Ella Carey book and I love love loved it ! A perfect read about string women!, highly recommend!

Beyond the Horizon
By Ella Carey

I received an advanced reading copy from Lake Publishing and the author Ella Carey in exchange for an honest review.

Inspired by a true story. Ella takes you back to Sweetwater, Texas where in 1943 there was a courageous group of civilian women pilots that were volunteering to test aircrafts after repair, ferried aircraft and train other pilots. They were best known as WASP, (WOMEN AIRFORCE SERVICE PILOTS). Ella Carey beautifully combines historical facts with a heartwarming love story among friends through out those war torn years.

Beyond The Horizon shows us the bravery among women and the love and friendships that last throughout ones lifetime.

As much as any man that fought in WWII, there were women, "sisters" all who participated in Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP). Eva Scott was one of them as this story takes place in dual eras. After a fatal accident with the loss of a close friend, Eva, whose dream it was to become a woman pilot, loses that dream. Now years later, these women are going to Washington, D.C. to fight for the recognition that they so deserve. This story takes you back to that time, to the unsung heroines, their friendships, their losses, and their contribution that was invaluable. Now, years later, Eva is brought back to that time, a time she tried to forget but comes into her conscious being as she tries to relive what happened that night This is a strong and emotional story, well researched and well told. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this work. I knew nothing of the role of the WASPS during WW2. I enjoy learning more by reading a novel. The author has obviously done a thorough research and given us an insight into a life and time of which few of us are aware. Much needed as we see the generation of those involved at the time, leave us. Thanks.

A readable and informative book. I enjoyed it very much.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Beyond the Horizon by Ella Carey. This book written about the experiences the WASPS was very interesting and informative. I love reading about the planes used and owned by Americans and especially those used by Women pilots. If you love reading about historical fiction you will love this book.

A very interesting look at the WASP program during WWII. Only more recently, are these women recognized for all their help and sacrifice in the war. No matter your view on women’s proper place, this is a part of our country’s history. In wartime, men, women, and children had to contribute and suffer great losses.
The author uses a unique present day scene (congress grilling a WASP) at the beginning of each chapter followed by a flashback/memory to the war time.
While the characters are fictionalize, basic events are not and the author does a good job of making you want to read the next part of the story.

My rating:

Story: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Historical fiction
Women’s fiction

Review:

This is a story of love, courage, fear, hope and loss. The book is nicely written, each of the main characters are strong women determent to make a difference. Which would not have been easy as female pilot in an era where men still dominated the skies and the WASP (Women Air force Service Pilots) wasn’t considered part of the military but a civilian service. The writing style is vivid. The characters are portrait realistic once you start reading you get easily engrossed in the story and it becomes hard to put the book down. The book is written over 2 timelines one during the Second World War and the other in the late 1970’s The story starts in 1977 as we meet Eva a former WASP pilot who decides to attend the congressional hearings to fight for acknowledgment of the WASP’ as a military organization so that the women pilots get the official recognition for their war time service they so deserve. The second timeline tells Eva’s war time story. Overall a great story about an interesting bit of history.

I received an ARC through NetGalley at no cost to me.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it had everything in it,sadness happiness and the truth. I learned a lot about the women's flying corp The Wasp. The book kept my interest and I was pleased it had a happy ending.

What a great and informative book! Eva and Nina, best friends since the age of 5, set out to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) in 1944. They have another friend, Harry, who taught Eva to fly and she's secretly in love with him, but he's in love with a glamour gal, Lucille. The girls get accepted, and leave for Sweetwater, Texas for training, much against Eva's mothers wishes. They make good friends with fellow WASPS, living through the rigors of military life and the heartache of losing a few girls in accidents. After graduation, they're to be sent to Camp Davis in North Carolina, along with their friend, Helena, but they get to go home first. Eva discovers Harry has asked Lucille to marry him, it's quite devastating to her, but she meets Jack, who is very swept up by her. At Camp Davis, Eva is involved in an accident and loses one of her closest friends. She suffers a coma, broken bones and memory loss, then is discharged to go home. Jack brings her home, they marry and have a son, Alex. Eva has lost touch with all her former WASP friends, but not without efforts on her part.

Years later, Alex learns of a former WASP who is trying to find other members, she is seeking help to gain militarization for the former WASPS. They never received any benefits like the men in the war or recognition they deserved. Eva has to go before a committee to give her reasons why they deserve this and in 1977 President Carter grants the militarization. Afterwards, Eva is able to gain access to the records concerning her accident, poor woman has wondered what really happened for over 30 years! What she learns is tragic and she's also been betrayed by several people including her husband and mother.

I really enjoyed learning about these female pilots and how they contributed to WWII. 38 women lost their lives during this time. The author did a thorough job researching, both of her parents were active in the airforce during WWII also. It's educational, there's great friendships and romance too!! And BTW, there is a happy ending!! I want to thank Netgalley for the chance to read and enjoy this book, I highly recommend it!

Beyond the Horizon by Ella Carey is a quick, interesting read with a lot of positive elements incorporated. It is a WWII histoircal fiction with a strong, resilient female protagonist who is passionate at flying planes as part of WASP.

Eva was a fighter in more ways then one. She had to be to do what she was passionate about in “ a man’s world doing a man’s job”, and to have to fight to even get recognized while she did it! Talk about overcoming adversity.

I enjoyed the end. It was appropriate and very satisfying. I liked the thread of romance that was weaved in and out of the plot as wellThere were notes of sadness mixed throughout as well, to let is know that no one was able to avoid experiencing some sort of loss during this horrible time.

4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

This book was good on a few levels but it was about 100 pages too long. A lot of the detail about the planes and the angst the women went through about dating the instructors could have been left out and the story would not have suffered. I realize that a lot of women went through the WASP program, but there were way too many people in this book. Some of them were necessary and some were just there for no apparent reason.

The point of the book, was that the women who became WASP should always have had the same military honors and benefits that the male pilots were entitled to, and it's true that they should have. But this seemed a really circuitous way to prove this point.

Eva Forrest goes in front of a Congressional committee to testify about her experience and the experience of the women she trained with down in Sweetwater, Texas, to become pilots. She tells of the rough conditions, the hot weather and uniforms that weren't made for women and especially the discrimination they received from the male pilots. She relates details of her training, the good and the bad, and the rigors of being away from home for the first time. Her testimony is interspersed with the times she and her fellow pilots spent in training and when towing and ferrying planes.

If you like this part of American history (and I do) and you like a lot of detail about the planes that were used during WWII, you will like this book.

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Beyond the Horizon is a fantastic historical fiction novel!
This book opens up with Eva’s teenage son excited to let Eva know that there are congressional hearing to get the woman fighter pilots the recognition they deserved from their service in World War 2!
I enjoyed this book and I couldn’t put it down.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Net galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!