It’s an absolute pleasure today to be helping launch the blog tour for The Girls of Bomber Command, the first in a new series from Vicki Beeby, and sharing my publication day review. Published by Canelo Saga today (9th November), it’s now available as an ebook, in paperback, and as an audiobook via Amazon in the UK and US. Thank you, as always, to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading copy (provided via netgalley).
A new-to-me author today, but I’ve heard great things about Vicki’s writing – and I really did mean to go back and read A New Start for the Wrens when it won the RNA’s 2023 Romantic Saga award, but just haven’t managed to do so. So when Rachel’s email dropped into my in-box – and it was the first book in a new series – it really felt like the perfect opportunity to find out if her writing was my personal cup of tea. You’ll know I very rarely read a saga – but I don’t read many Regency romances either, and the pleasure they’ve brought has made me realise that it’s rather nice to sometimes read something other than contemporary romance with an occasional dash of historical fiction. I had a bit of a personal interest in this one too – my dad was in the RAF, a radio operator during the Berlin airlift (too young for WW2), trained at Scampton and was then based at various Lincolnshire airfields – so very familiar territory from the stories he told, and this was a book I was really rather looking forward to…
With an enemy in their midst, can they still protect their fighters in the skies?
Pearl has given up on her dreams of being a journalist after being denied a promotion because of her gender. Joining the WAAF as a radio telephone operator for Bomber Command, Pearl’s new job at RAF Fenthorpe serves two purposes – providing an income for her grandmother, and keeping a close eye on her younger sister, Thea, an instrument repairer at another Lincolnshire bomber station.
Pearl befriends Met WAAF Jenny as well as Australian pilot Greg, who she guides home safely during an emergency. Pearl’s journalism background doesn’t go to waste, however – a series of thefts from pilots rekindles her investigative fire and she is soon caught up in the mystery.
But when all signs point to the perpetrator being her sister, she finds herself up against the clock to prove her sister’s innocence…
A captivating and heartwarming WWII saga for fans of Daisy Styles and Johanna Bell.
Impeccably researched and beautifully written, this was a book I very much enjoyed. Pearl joins the WAAF when the newspaper reporter’s job that should have been hers is given to a male colleague who’s far less able, just because he has a wife and family to support – an opportunity to support the war effort, but also to keep an eye on her troublesome younger sister at a nearby base. She’s disappointed to find that the same attitudes prevail at Bomber Command, female radio telephone operators being made less than welcome by some – until she proves her capability by talking in Australian pilot Greg, his crew having jettisoned and an engine of his Manchester bomber on fire. And yes, of course, a relationship develops between them – but it’s not the easiest journey, with particular (and very understandable) obstacles along the way.
But this book is far more than a wartime romance. There’s a particular focus on family that sometimes makes Pearl a less sympathetic character than I might have wanted her to be – but the way she interferes in her sister’s life becomes more acceptable as we learn more about the background and get to know them both better. I very much enjoyed the story about setting up a newspaper on the base, and the enthusiasm of everyone involved – and the way Pearl becomes able to use her investigative training to help shed light on the perpetrator of a series of callous thefts, with more than a little real drama along the way. And I really loved the female friendships – especially bookish Jenny, and the moments of gentle humour – although I did think all the characterisation, even of relatively minor characters, was superbly done. The book’s sense of place is excellent too – life on the bases, but also taking in the landscape and the streets of Lincoln.
But perhaps the main thing that struck me about this book was the immense amount of research that must have been needed to bring the settings so vividly to life – and the author uses every bit of the detail quite wonderfully, making you entirely present in the moment as the radio telephone operators gather on the runways to watch the departures for the next bombing raid, feeling the tension as they count the planes back in again safely. The life of a pilot was so well captured too, both on base and when we join Greg on his bombing raids and experience every moment – and I loved the excitement caused by of the first delivery of Lancasters, finally giving them the right equipment to do their jobs. It’s not a book that shies away from the realities either – the author’s note tells us that RAF Bomber Command had one of the highest casualty rates of any Allied unit during WW2, and there are times when those planes don’t return. And the emotional aspects of their lives are superbly handled – air crew not wanting to become personally involved because of their uncertain future, but equally wanting to take risks and party just to celebrate the joy of still being alive.
If all sagas were as good as this, I’d read them far more often – I learned so much about the wartime experiences of these brave individuals, and was entirely immersed in the story throughout by the author’s well-paced storytelling. This is a series I’d really like to stay with – I’m invested in the characters and their lives, and they feel like friends – and I’ll look forward to seeing what comes next. I loved it, and – even if sagas aren’t something you usually read either – would very much recommend it to others.
Giveaway
With thanks to Vicki and Rachel, I’m delighted to offer one lucky reader (UK only) the chance to win a paperback copy of The Girls of Bomber Command. Here’s the rafflecopter for entry:
Terms and Conditions
UK entries welcome. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
About the author
Vicki Beeby is a saga author who writes about the friendships and loves of service women brought together by the Second World War. Her first job was as a civil engineer on a sewage treatment project, so things could only improve from there. Since then, she has worked as a maths teacher, an education consultant before she turned freelance to give herself more time to write. She is published by Canelo and represented by Lina Langlee of The North Literary Agency. She was a finalist for the RNA Romantic Saga award in 2021 and won it in 2023.
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I’m looking forward to reading it!