MY REVIEW:
“Soar Like Eagles” is a historical romance that takes place during World War 2. Written from the perspectives of both Carol and Chet, the narrative gives readers an inside look at what it was like as a navigator on a bomber and as a doughnut girl serving near military bases and the battlefields of England and France during the war.
I enjoyed reading about Chet and Carol’s individual experiences during the war but especially enjoyed how their relationship developed during their brief and sometimes unexpected encounters in various locations. Descriptions were so vivid that I could easily picture in my mind their surroundings and the actual events. More than one somewhat graphic scene illustrated the horrible realities of war; however a few lighter moments helped to relieve the tension as did the growing romance between Chet and Carol.
I thought the book was summarized very well with this quote from Chet in the epilogue – “Neither side really wins a war. Both sides lose. One side just loses less than the other.”
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that was provided by Celebrate Lit Publicity Group. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Click to purchase
Carol becomes a Red Cross doughnut girl, serving GIs and boosting their morale. Convinced wartime romances are doomed to disappointment, she attempts to avoid entanglements. She didn’t plan on Chet, the navigator who tempts her to throw caution to the wind.
Chet’s father and brothers always belittled him. As a squadron lead navigator, he longs to prove them wrong. He’s already been offered a terrific job with PanAm after the war. First he must survive his combat tour. Will he even have a future?
To purchase your own copy, CLICK HERE.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Terri Wangard grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, during the Lombardi Glory Years. Her first Girl Scout badge was the Writer. These days she is writing historical fiction, and won the 2013 Writers on the Storm contest and 2013 First Impressions, as well as being a 2012 Genesis finalist. Holder of a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in library science, she lives in Wisconsin. Her research included going for a ride in a WWII B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. Classic Boating Magazine, a family business since 1984, keeps her busy as an associate editor.
Guest Post from Terri Wangard:
For the third book of my World War II series, I needed something to involve my main character with. At first I considered the train canteens, where volunteers laden with food met troop trains crisscrossing the country. That wouldn’t work though, because my navigator was heading overseas and I didn’t want a correspondence relationship. Besides, someone else had already written a novel about the canteens. Then I discovered the Red Cross clubmobiles.
The American Red Cross operated canteens on the home front and clubs and clubmobiles overseas during World War II to provide soldiers and sailors with a cup of coffee, a doughnut, and a bit of friendly conversation that gave the men a familiar connection with home.
Around the world, the Red Cross staffed permanent service clubs, traveling clubmobiles, and other recreational facilities. Service clubs provided refreshments, accommodations, and comfort and recreational activities wherever American troops were located overseas. In major cities, they offered meals, recreational activities, overnight accommodations, and barbershops and laundries. Some also provided sightseeing opportunities, touring museums, castles and cathedrals, and attending local theaters and movie houses.
Smaller clubs provided food in outlying areas near American military camps. The Red Cross also operated rest homes, often in stately manor houses in rural, tranquil locations overseas, for service personnel needing respite from the pressures of war.
To serve military sites in isolated areas, the Red Cross used clubmobiles in Great Britain in 1942 and later, the continent. Staffed by three American Red Cross women and a local driver in England, they visited several sites in a day, bringing refreshments, entertainment, and a touch of home to the troops in a foreign land. They used converted half-ton trucks and single-deck London buses, which featured kitchen equipment for making and serving doughnuts and coffee. Some carried phonographs and loudspeakers to provide music for the troops, and the women often danced with the servicemen. On the continent, the women had to drive and service their trucks.
Many American servicemen had never traveled far from home. At Red Cross clubs and clubmobiles in far-flung places around the globe, they received a connection to home and civilian life through friendly American women and familiar food. The Red Cross served a basic purpose of raising morale.
Carol Doucet of Soar Like Eagles was proud to be a Red Cross Doughnut Girl.
BLOG STOPS:
December 8: Blossoms and Blessings
December 8: Artistic Nobody
December 9: Daysong Reflections
December 9: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
December 10: D’S QUILTS & BOOKS
December 10: Bukwurmzzz
December 11: Petra’s Hope
December 12: Chas Ray’s Book Nerd Corner
December 12: The Power of Words (spotlight)
December 13: A Baker’s Perspective
December 14: Carpe Diem
December 14: Reading Is My SuperPower
December 15: Bigreadersite
December 15: Quiet Quilter
December 16: Christian Bookaholic
December 17: A Path of Joy
December 18: Jeanette’s Thoughts
December 18: Karen’s Krayons
December 19: Simple Harvest Reads (Spotlight)
December 19: A Greater Yes
December 20: Moments Dipped in Ink
December 21: Bibliophile Reviews
GIVEAWAY:
To celebrate her tour, Terri is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card and a signed paperback copy of Soar Like Eagles.
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!
https://promosimple.com/ps/aa5f
