‘Beyond The Horizon’ by Ella Carey is a historical novel set during World War Two and is about the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPS for short). I have never heard of this group of women, so it was educational as well as a great story.

The story is told over a dual timeline and we see Eva Scott in 1977 being drawn into the argument of militarizing the WASP. The last time she flew she had an accident and that was decades earlier. She has avoided flying and purposely ignores all thoughts of her past. Then she has a chance, but will she really ever find out what happened and should she even attempt to discover the truth?
We time slip to 1943 with Eva and we see her journey to becoming a WASP and the things that come with working in the armed service. The highs and lows, the loss of friends and the banter. Then comes the end of her career, but how did that come about and why? Why has she not been able to contact any of her WASP friends?

Such a good book! Every element was created so the story ran smoothly and kept my attention. Apart from the fact I was interested in the historical WASP factor the story surrounding it was gripping.

I really loved Eva, a woman going against the norm of the time and doing what she loved is such an empowering thing. The fact that her mother and the males opposed women attempting to level the playing field just made her more determined.WASP women all came up against the same problems and ploughed through the negatives to come out the other side! They were all amazing and brave women who did their bit, as the saying goes, for their country. The men in the story, well, Jack, not too keen on him but Harry, although he needed a good shake, was fantastic. I am very happy to see that some of the male instructors actually believed the women could do it and backed them all the way. This was a rarity then so the ones who stood with the WASP’s I feel were pretty brave.

Usually, just the fact it was about planes and flying would have immediately switched my internal “not for me” button, but I am glad I decided to read this book. I was enveloped in the WASP story and felt like I was in this battle with them! The author has a fabulous way with words, and I was at one moment euphoric as they were and the next was really torn. There are some twists along the way which I didn’t see coming. A heartwarming but heart-rending story that made me even prouder to be a woman than I already am.

Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the book to be able to review today for Books-On-Tour.