About the Book

Book:  Love at First Flight

Author: Linda Shenton Matchett

Genre: Christian Historical  Romance

Release date: September 15, 2020

Can two people emerge from the clouds of past hurt to find a silver lining of love?

Evelyn Reid would rather fly than do anything else, so when war engulfs the U.S., she joins the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron. One of the program’s top pilots, she is tapped for pursuit plane training…the dream of a lifetime until she discovers the instructor is her ex-fiancé, Jasper MacPherson.

Collecting enough points to rotate stateside, fighter pilot Jasper MacPherson is assigned to teach the WAFS how to fly the army way. Bad enough to be training women, but things take a turn for the worse when his former fiancée shows up as one of his students.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Linda Shenton Matchett writes about ordinary people who did extraordinary things in days gone by. She is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and was born a stone’s throw from Fort McHenry. Linda has lived in historic places all her life, and is now located in central New Hampshire where her favorite activities include serving as a volunteer docent and archivist for the Wright Museum of WWII, exploring historic sites, and immersing herself in the imaginary worlds created by other authors.

 

More from Linda

Dear Readers:

 

It’s all I can do to parallel park my car…well, actually I can’t. I’m terrible at that sort of thing, which is why I’m so impressed with the Women’s Air Service Pilot who served during World War II. Created in August 1943 by merging the Women’s Flying Training Detachment and the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, the WASP was a civilian organization that came under the authority of the Air Force and freed male pilots for combat or other duties. Their leader was the intrepid Jacqueline Cochran, an award winning pilot who set and broke numerous records during her career.

 

Qualifications for the program were stringent, and of the more than 25,000 women who applied, only 1,800 were accepted. Of that number, 1,074 completed the program. These women flew over sixty million miles and transported every type of military aircraft from the ninety-nine foot long B-29 Bomber that weighted over 100,000 pounds to the P-51 Mustang that could fly at over 400 miles per hour.

 

The WASP also towed targets for live anti-aircraft gun practice, simulated strafing missions and transported cargo. Thirty-eight WASP members lost their lives and one disappeared while on a ferry mission, her fate still unknown. Disbanded in December 1944, the WASP did not receive military status or benefits for their service. However, after nearly three decades its members were granted veteran status, and in 2009 they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

 

It is my hope that Love at First Flight honors these brave women in some small way.

 

Blessings,

Linda Shenton Matchett

MY REVIEW 

What a wonderful story about a subject I don’t think I’ve read much about. I remember women working in factories during the war, but Little has been written about the WASP. I loved learning about the planes and found it fascinating that women were pilots. It was hard for women to be accepted as pilots and this story is a great example of how one woman is determined to succeed. Evelyn worked long flying and became an excellent pilot. I appreciate learning more about these women who sacrificed everything to help their country. Although they weren’t readily accepted, they paved the way for women who wanted to serve their country.

I thought Evelyn was a strong and determined woman. Her desire to fly was evident as she sailed in the sky to do her part for the war. Her past catches up with when her training instructor happens to be an old boyfriend. To say that Evelyn and Jasper parted in bad terms is an understatement. There are a few bumps as they navigate working together again.

I thought the mystery of who was sabotaging the planes that women were flying was very intriguing. It is not hard to imagine that some men didn’t like the idea of female pilots. They believed women should be at home and not in the sky. Evelyn has  a few close calls as she starts to have mechanical problems. Can you imagine flying a big plane and suddenly realize you could crash? 

I loved how the author weaved faith throughout the story. Both Jasper and a Evelyn find themselves relying on God to guide them as they decide to start their relationship again. It was fun to read how they started to slowly trust each other again, Evelyn finds herself asking God to help her forgive Jasper . I loved the story and hope there will be more about this group of women. 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 24

Texas Book-aholic, March 25

Genesis 5020, March 25

Inklings and notions, March 26

Betti Mace, March 27

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 27

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 28

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 29

Jeanette’s Thoughts, March 29

Hebrews 12 Endurance, March 30

For Him and My Family, March 31

Connect in Fiction, March 31

She Lives To Read, April 1

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 2

deb’s Book Review, April 2

Connie’s History Classroom, April 3

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 4

Blossoms and Blessings, April 4

Locks, Hooks and Books, April 5

CarpeDiem, April 6

A Novel Pursuit, April 6

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Linda is giving away the grand prize package of an autographed paperback edition of Love at First Flight, eco-friendly reusable shopping bag with image of Women’s Air Service Pilots, stuffed WASP bear, Norman Rockwell notecards, VJ Day book mark, and I {heart} Spam socks!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/109d2/love-at-first-flight-celebration-tour-giveaway