I would like to thank netgalley and Aria for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Ellie gets closer to becoming a ATA pilot in the second book in the Spitfire girl series.
A lot happens in this book, but the writing does repeat itself. Mundane things seem to be detailed in excruciating detail.

I really love how there is a current trend of historical fiction to tell us today about the strong ladies who came before us. I've read so many books lately about Strong, Beautiful, Resourceful, Brave women who lived in hard times and did everything they could to win wars.
I was unaware this was a 2nd book but i had no problem jumping in and enjoying the characters and the story.
Very informative regarding some True History and a great story line and characters to bring it to life.
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I had read and really enjoyed the first book in the Spitfire Girl series so was looking forward to reading this second instalment. I wasn't disappointed with this - it was great to be back continuing with Ellie's story. I am fascinated with stories about women in the ATA and find this series is well written and easy to read. I am looking forward to the final instalment.

This could be read as a standalone but would recommend starting with the first book The Spitfire Girl.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

An amazing story that I enjoyed reading. I could not put this down once I had turned the first page.
Great characters that you cannot help but engage with and a brilliant plot.
A must read for book lovers.

Ellie used to run a flying school with her brother's best friend Jack before the war and since being grounded has really missed flying. To do her bit for the war she joins the WAAF as a radio operator but when her brother dies and she meets up with Jack again at the funeral he gives her an application form for the ATA...... she could fly again! With her experience she easily gets in and is soon back in the skies facing all sorts of danger as she moves planes around the country without instruments, but it also means she can also meet up with her pilot fiance Greg if she flies into his base...... but should she marry him now as he wants or wait till the end of the war..... and who knows what fate has in store for her!

Great to be back with Ellie continuing her story and meeting up with old and new friends. I always enjoy stories about women in the ATA and this series is a very good easy to read one.

This book is a romantic fiction set during the Second World War. The story commences in June 1940, when the main character, Ellie Simpson, is working as a radar operator in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). At this point in the war, Germany had invaded France, and Allied servicemen had just been evacuated from Dunkirk. Hence, Hitler's forces were present on the coast of France poised to launch an invasion of Britain. To accomplish this, they needed to achieve superiority in the air. Thus, the Battle of Britain, an attritional struggle between the German Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the skies above Britain, commenced. Due to the losses of men and aircraft during this struggle, it was vital that both were replaced. The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a civilian organisation set up to ferry aeroplanes and supplies between factories, maintenance units and airfields. Since front line pilots were in short supply and could not be spared for such duties, the ATA's pilots were drawn from older men, or those who were not physically fit for front line service. They also accepted women pilots. Ellie had trained as a pilot and had run a flying school prior to the war. When she discovers that the ATA are recruiting women pilots, she applies and is accepted.

The story follows Ellie's adventures with the ATA over the remainder of 1940 up to the end of 1941. The romantic side of the story comes from her relationship with two men in her life, both fighter pilots in the RAF stationed at airfields in the front line of the Battle of Britain. One is her fiancé Greg, and the other is Jack who had run the flying school with her and who she looks on as a brother.

The book describes interesting details about life during the war, such as the fatigue suffered by the pilots when they were flying numerous sorties daily during the Battle of Britain; wartime rationing; and the effect of bombing on the civilian population. Also covered are the efforts of Ellie's superior to get the powers that be to allow the women pilots to fly and deliver combat aircraft, including Spitfire and Hurricane fighters. At the outset, the women were allowed to deliver only training aircraft to RAF bases, although they were just as competent pilots as the men. There are many twists and turns to the romantic aspect of the story, but to say any more would be to give the plot away.

Although there are many interesting facts regarding the Second World War, there were at least two anachronisms. The first occurs shortly after Ellie reports to her ATA base at Hatfield in Hertfordshire in July 1940. The book describes a Mosquito bomber flying overhead. Although the de Havilland Mosquito was developed and built at the de Havilland factory in Hatfield, and at a nearby facility, the first flight of a Mosquito did not take place until November 1940. In the second anachronism, two characters are discussing the bombing of British cities during the winter of 1940-41 and saying that the Luftwaffe were carrying out the raids in retaliation for the RAF's bombing of the German city of Dresden. To the best of my knowledge, Dresden was not bombed by the Allies until early 1945.

However, overall I found the story to be exciting and easy to read, and could not wait to find out what was going to happen next. So, does Ellie get to fly a Spitfire, and will she find true romance? You'll have to read the book to find out.

It is World War II. England has joined the fight to beat Hitler and his deadly regime. Wanting to serve her country, Ellie flies planes for the Air Transport Auxiliary transporting aircraft to and from the bases.

Ellie embodies the Spitfire girl in the skies and the role of the courageous women pilots of WWII.

War has broken Ellie’s family. Her favourite brother was killed in action. Her parent’s marriage is over – her father is about to remarry. Her mother and brother have disappeared, siding with Hitler.

Ellie draws hope from the plans she and her handsome RAF pilot fiancé Greg have, to marry. Waiting until after the war seemed sensible, but Ellie has a change of heart and decides she wants to move their union forward. Neither of them saw the brewing scandal that was about to hit them and alter their futures drastically.

All this time, there is Jack - Ellie’s deceased brother’s best friend. Dependable, supportive, more-like-a-brother-Jack. Torn between being the best friend she can always turn to, and wanting to express his undying love for her, Jack remains steadfastly by her side. But when Jack suffers a misfortune, he becomes insecure about whether he will ever stand a chance to win Ellie’s love. Cliff-hanger!

Maintaining her courage and spirit with the help and support of the many friends she makes through her different flying assignments, we see Ellie’s character grow in resilience, strength and confidence.

Fenella Miller does an incredible job of describing vividly the time of war; the siren warnings for incoming enemy attacks, the spartan living through the shortages of material wants and rationing of food. The careful attention to such detail has the reader flying, dodging bullet fire in a dogfight in the air, or peacefully gliding a plane across a blue, cloudless sky, and then running right next to the people fleeing for the safety of the bomb shelters, or visiting injured soldiers and those dying heroes who valiantly gave their lives for freedom.

The Spitfire Girl in the Skies is a testament to those fiercely determined and heroic women who persisted on joining the fight for freedom of not just their country, but the whole world.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for the read of Fennella J Miller's, The Spitfire Girl in the Sky.

The Spitfire Girl in the Skies by Fenella J. Miller takes us back to June 1940 in the second Spitfire Girl novel. Ellie Simpson is at Glebe Farm on compassionate leave after the death of her brother, Neil. She is currently in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) as a radar operator, but Ellie misses flying. Ellie decides to apply to the Air Transport Auxiliary and put her flying skills to use. In the meantime, Ellie postpones her wedding to Greg Dunlop, RAF pilot. Ellie is accepted into the ATA under the leadership of Pauline Gower and is soon transporting planes across the United Kingdom. She loves her job and makes a good friend in Amanda Bradshaw. While Ellie’s job is exciting, it is also dangerous. They fly without navigation equipment, and they never know when an enemy plane could appear. One day Ellie receives word that her best friend, Jack Reynolds has been injured and she rushes to his side. She realizes how precious life is and you need to enjoy every moment especially with those you love. Ellie realizes she does not want to wait another minute to become Greg’s wife. Unfortunately, things to not go as planned and their lives are forever changed. War is a dangerous time especially for those flying in the skies. Find out what happens next in The Spitfire Girl in the Skies.

The Spitfire Girl in the Skies picks up where The Spitfire Girl ends. I thought the story contained good writing with steady pacing. The author brought the past alive with her words. I was soaring in the plane with Ellie, watching the planes go over Glebe Farm, worrying about Jack when he lay unconscious in the hospital and avoiding getting bombed after the movie. I do not know how they managed to choke down the unappetizing food. I understand why they made toast in their room (despite regulations). The Spitfire Girl in the Skies contains realistic characters and situations. Ellie is a strong female character with a determined nature. She was in danger several times and manages to come out alive. Ellie is in love with Greg Dunlop despite their differences in their social stations. I did like how their story played out (I will not say more because I do not want to spoil it for you). The historical information woven into the story made The Spitfire Girl in the Skies realistic (enhanced it). I appreciated getting to see the different job women performed during WWII. Women could not fight on the front lines, but they still played pivotal roles. If women had done stepped up, there would not have been as many men on the front lines or in the skies. There is mild foul language in the story (just to let you know) and I do wish there had been a glossary provided for unfamiliar terms (Win Con, Mae West’s, NAAFI). My favorite phrase from the book is “tickety boo”. I look forward to finding out what happens to Ellie Simpson in the next book (her story is not finished).

Drama, romance and adventure are deftly intertwined in Fenella J Miller’s latest captivating and engrossing saga, The Spitfire Girl in the Skies.

In 1940, the Second World War shows no signs of stopping. The conflict ploughs on relentlessly and everyone is doing their duty for king and country and trying their utmost to defeat the enemy and emerge victorious. Ellie Simpson is keen to do her bit for the war effort and had joined the Air Transport Auxiliary base. The work is hard, tough and demanding and the hours long and interminable, but Ellie wouldn’t have it any other way. She adores her job and there is nowhere else she would rather be. Having always loved flying, Ellie’s new job is tailor made for her and she cannot help but be grateful to the ATA because she is not only indulging in her passion for aviation, but she has also made lots of new friends, is doing important war work and is provided with plenty of distraction to keep her from worrying about her loved ones, facing danger and jeopardy everyday fighting on the front line.

Being in the ATA means that excitement is never in short supply, but Ellie quickly realises that the job she loves could end up costing her everything because danger is never too far away – even in Hampshire. Whenever Ellie takes to the skies, she is putting her life on the line and risking her own safety. But fear and dread pale in comparison to Ellie’s determination to do the best job she can to keep her loved ones safe from harm. Encouraged by her friends and fueled by her love for her county, the Spitfire Girl will not let anything or anybody get in the way of keeping those she loves safe.

Will Ellie’s courage continue to give her the motivation she needs to survive this terrible war? Or will it abandon her in her hour of need?

Fans of Elaine Everest and Donna Douglas are going to love Fenella J Miller. An engaging and enjoyable saga with a plucky heroine, vivid descriptions of the past, a fabulous cast of supporting characters and a pacy, engrossing and gripping narrative that will keep readers riveted to the page, The Spitfire Girl in the Skies is a compulsively readable historical tale I highly recommend!

Ellie Simpson is back! She's now an ATA girl and her work to deliver planes all over Britain where war and struggles are rife is keeping her on her toes. Family and friends are so important to her despite the struggle to keep in touch because of the war.

I have reviewed the first book and was wishing from the end of that that we'd finally get to see Ellie flying planes. I was happy that that was the case with the second book in the series. We witness Ellie and Jack's life in good times and bad and all the facets of the war effort.

A welcome return by all the old faces plus new ones and set over a 2 year time period, The Spitfire Girl in the Skies was engrossing and I felt I lived every moment.

Thanks to Fenella J Miller and Aria for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review as well as my place on the blog tour for this title.

4 stars.

I hadn’t read the first book in the series, but this story also works equally well as a stand-alone title. I was able to pick up the story of aspiring ATA pilot, Ellie and her bomber pilot fiancée, Greg, with ease. This second book charts the challenges of maintaining a romance during the long periods of separation necessitated by World War Two, for all the men and women keen to fulfil their duty. The story charts friendships forged by the bonds of war, betrayals, tragedy and of course, love and redemption. Although set during the war, this is a light read which is not to say that it wasn’t enjoyable and it had clearly been well researched, with attention to detail from the author.

The Spitfire Girl in the Skies
By Fenella J. Miller
I truly felt pulled back in time reading this book; so much so that I didn’t always understand the lingo right away. Fortunately, I don’t get too hung up on such things and kept reading allowing me to figure out general meanings of phrases eventually. I normally read Christian novels however I enjoyed reading this book as it was pretty clean. This is the second in Fenella J. Millers series following Ellie and Jack as they set off to fly during WW2. I did not read the first novel and think that it was easily read without the first. I was disappointed however with the ending. It was abrupt and left no real conclusion. After finishing the book, I read reviews of the first of the series and realized that it was also left off in the same manner. I’m not a fan of this but if you don’t mind waiting…
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion which I share here. https://simplyannehere.wordpress.com

I really loved the first book in this series, and jumped at the chance to read and review this second one. I wasn't disappointed!

Now that Britain is in the throes of war, life for Ellie Simpson has changed; now an ATA girl, she works once again using her flying skills to deliver planes to where they are needed most, up and down the country.  With the ever-mounting threat of invasion, life is busy for Ellie but there is always time to worry about family and friends, although keeping in touch isn't all that easy. 

This is a wonderful sequel; following all the characters from the first book whilst introducing new ones and with several stories to follow, it kept my attention from first to last. The information on the ATA and the RAF - along with the WRAF - are not only interesting but a wonderful reminder of just how much those in the services, along with everyone else in this country, contributed to the war effort. This is an endearing and enthralling story, and one I enjoyed from the first word to the last. As we left the action with the war continuing, I'm hoping there will be more to come in this memorable and very satisfying series. With flawless writing and a polished story, I highly recommend it!

My thanks to publisher Aria for my copy and for inviting me to be a part of this Blog Tour. Naturally, this is my honest, original and unbiased review.

Second book in this lovely series about women pilots during ww11 .A book full of strong brave women a warm book full of friendship romance historical fiction at its best, #netgalley #aria

Ellie has been flying and teaching pilots for a while now, and with the war on she’s gone to serve her country in one of the only positions open to women of the time, joining the Woman’s Auxiliary Air Force, working with radar to keep the British flyers safe. With her mother, Uncle and one brother siding with Hitler, and her favorite brother killed in the fighting, she’s grasping on to her fiancé – an RAF pilot from a well-to-do family and hoping to join the ATA – where she will be flying planes from one base to another as needed. With her flying experience and hours logged, as well as her skills, she is one of the best qualified for the position and soon is the first in her group to fly the Spitfire after her 2 years of work.

Throughout the story, we see Ellie reconnect with her family, lose friends and her innocence, and as she’s finding that a quick marriage is what she wants, the subsequent heartbreak, closely followed by the loss of her fiancé after a crash has her determined to go it ‘alone’ and simply move forward. The book covers almost 2 years of time, with a couple of close friendships, moments celebrated and mourned, descriptions of air raids and privations, her determination to move forward and the more than welcome reconnection with Jack – a pilot and family friend who, after a stint in Africa, left the service, debated leaving England, and finally ended up in the ATA – regrouping and recollecting his own dreams with a cliffhanger ending on Ellie’s doorstep.

I can’t explain just how easy it was to engage with Ellie and understand her frustrations (and joys) in her service. The tint of romance with her deceased fiancé, and her moving forward and pilot ever-more increasingly complicated aircraft, her abilities and determination are quietly and consistently showing her own rightness for service and the capability of the women, many who were begrudgingly offered positions, to perform as well as the men. With plenty of backstory (her time with her brother and Jack before the war) to investigate, and a cliffhanger that means this is sure to be continued, this was a story that was engaging, interesting and full of heart, if occasionally feeling far too modern in speech and phrases.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-al8/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

I would highly recommend this book. The author creates a world that seems to be exactly like that of WW2, so painstaking must have been her research complete with a strong, no nonsense heroine and self effacing hero. The story is well written, the characters well drawn, overall it's a winner.