An evocative and haunting tale of freeing yourself of the shackles and finding not just yourself but love too.
I have read this author previously and really loved her writing style which made me want to pick this one up and I wasn't disappointed,
I really enjoyed this with the historical twist running through and the complex characters, Rachel alone really had me working hard to finally like her but we go there it took time but the more of her character appeared the more I was drawn to her and I am so pleased that I perceived.
This is a tenderly written and emotional love story with that wonderful entwining historical element which I loved and would definitely recommend!

A heart warming, well written story that i found endearing from the start.

The story is told from Rachel's point of view, which allows us as readers to really connect with her character and share in her emotions as the story unfolds. She has flaws like all of us do, which makes her more realistic and relatable, and the ways in which she tries to over come them is lovely.
It takes a heart breaking story from the past to make her look more closely at the many ways in which she holds herself back, and she then has to unearth how to rectify herself.

A beautifully written, well structured story that captivated me from the start. I adored this book.

Rachel is the voice of the story and everything is seen through her eyes and her feelings. She's full of sharp edges and doesn't really think before she acts, which gets her in trouble. She's an archeologist at the University of Lincoln, and is there because she made an indiscretion at her old job.
Rachel has to decide what kind of life she wants, and a heartbreaking story from the past helps her find clarity in how and why she keeps sabotaging herself.

Archaeology lecturer Dr Rachel Ward has come to Lincoln University somewhat in disgrace after an affair with her married boss at Southampton University was discovered. You’d think she’d have learned from thi,s and indeed a series of failed relationships but no, she’s almost immediately tempted into beginning another affair with a student. Alongside her university work, she takes on some freelance work investigating an old Second World War air base, before a property developer begins building.

Rachel is a rather interesting character, not always likeable at least initially as she most definitely has her flaws! As Jane Cable reveals more about Rachel we start to see how she has been shaped by events in her her past and just why they affected the way she regards relationships. This made her someone I certainly felt more sympathy for. Through her growing friendship with an older character, Esther, she slowly come to realise that to move forward she needs to come to terms with her past and perhaps give love a chance. I very much liked the friendship she found with Esther who was an interesting character with a story to tell too.

There is a historical element to the story with a link to the past through Esther who had worked on the airbase. A hint of the supernatural was carefully blended into the story in what felt like quite a natural way. I felt that the way the author brought the relevance of the past into the contemporary part of the story was very well done.

Love is a theme in this book both in the past and the present and often that love is tinged with poignancy. There is a particularly pleasing ending, not with everything completely tied up in a happy ever after but in a way which feels right and true to the characters. This is a beautifully written book, just the kind of enjoyable read to lose yourself in.

Jane Cable writes with a great sense of place and her latest novel, ‘Endless Skie’s, is set in North Lincolnshire, a place of wide horizons, mists and endless views. Her books always have an element of the supernatural and ‘Endless Skies’ doesn’t disappoint, from shadowy figures in a field to the lingering scent of lily-of-the-valley.
Rachel Ward, an archaeology lecturer, leaves her old job after a disastrous workplace affair and moves to Lincoln University. Living in a soulless box of a flat, she makes friends with Jem who lives on a barge moored on the nearby canal. Jem is a solid steady character and becomes a mentor, almost father-like figure for Rachel who has made bad choices in the past and seems set to repeat the pattern. Jem’s new lodger, student Ben, tempts Rachel’s newly sworn promise to foreswear men. Meanwhile she takes on a freelance contract for property developer Jonathan Daubney. As she researches her report on a prospective development site at an old wartime airbase, Rachel and Jonathan fall into an instant ‘hate’ relationship.
The past is ever-present in this story which explores how what has gone before is never absent from our everyday lives, whether by actions in our lifetime or events that happened long ago. Markers are there to be seen, most clearly evident in Rachel’s fieldwalking on the old airfield where pieces of old metal are scattered. As they may belong to a wartime bomber that crashed and exploded in this place, Rachel must consult a ballistics expert and dig test pits. And so the past delays the present, as Jonathan is unable to proceed with his property plans until Rachel’s report is finished. Cable handles well the personal and work conflicts between Rachel and Jonathan. Both are emotionally damaged in ways which are gradually revealed.
My favourite character was Esther, an elderly resident at the care home run by Jonathan’s mother. As a teenager in the war, Esther worked at the laundry on the airbase and she is key to our understanding of the book. As Rachel teases out Esther’s memories, the interlinked past and the present starts to make sense.
This is a contemporary romance and is firmly rooted in the present day but I would love to know more about the wartime story of Freddie, Teo and Esther. It was so uplifting to read about a firmly-rooted friendship between two women, Rachel and Esther – one young, the other elderly – and see how they enrich each other’s lives.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

Apologies for the late review.

We all love a difficult to put down book, don't we? Look no further!

My 2nd Jane Cable novel and counting...I love a heroine who's imperfect, it makes them much more interesting and Rachel is certainly one of those with her failed relationships. Enthralling, beautifully written, you need to put this on your TBR pile!

My thanks to Netgalley and Sapere for the reading copy.

Endless Skies tells the story of Rachel Ward who has taken up a new position as Lecturer in archeology at the University of Lincoln. She also accepts some extra work helping Johnathan Daubney with his property development company. They have a fractious relationship and Rachel clashes with him on a regular basis. After her relationship with mature student Ben goes wrong, she focuses on her work and discovers the past and present are closer than you think.
I felt the storyline of this book was all over the place, with many elements that were immediately obvious. It is essential a modern day romance book with elements of history, but not enough of either for my taste.

I really enjoyed this book! It has a lot more romance than I was expecting, but I still enjoyed reading it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy of this book!

More romance than historical fiction, but an interesting read, with a delightfully human protagonist. Rachel, a professor and archeologist, takes on a temporary lecturer position at Lincoln University after a bad end to an affair with her married boss. She is hired on at a developing company as well, and begins to learn the history of the area - sometimes as if she can see it happening. Navigating her new life, making friends, new bosses, and enemies, does Rachel have a chance to make a new life, or will she fall into old patterns? Filled with love, friendship, mistakes, and choices - I enjoyed following Rachel's story and was drawn in by her passion for archeology. Events fit together in serendipitous ways, and it reveals a chance to tell a story that would otherwise be buried.

I personally wanted more of the historical side of the story, but enjoyed it none the less.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are all my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this book, the descriptive writing was quite beautiful. The author’s love of the setting shines through and the pictures she paints are truly evocative. The main characters were well drawn and realistic with relatable flaws that meant I empathised with them and the decisions they made, rooting for them and their potential romance, truly believing that these two would make a good pair.
Esther was fabulous, and I loved the Teo and Freddie storyline, heart-breaking as it was. The images of these two will stay with me for a long time. I particularly liked the use of archaeology in the novel and how it is used alongside Esther’s memories as the past and present are woven together. It was clear the author’s research was meticulous. Highly recommended.

I am a fan of Jane Cable’s books so was excited to see her latest one available on Netgalley.

The books follows Rachel Ward who has been temporarily moved from her school of academia to Lincoln University due to her not so judicious affair with a married colleague. While mourning the loss of her Grandmother and her job she meets Jonathan Daubney a developer who hires her to do freelance work on some property at an abandoned airfield. The airfield seems to have an otherwordly prescence to it. Does it have a story to tell?

Rachel meets Esther a lovely lady in a care home who assists her with the story of the airfield and the other worldliness that it emits. Rachel is a prickly character but I really grew fond of her throughout the story. Don’t we all have issues that shape our decisions and relationships? There are some great side characters too, especially Jem and his loveable dog Toast.

This was a wonderful read, I loved the characters, the area depicted and the slight mystery to the story. If looking for an easy, comforting read. This book if for you

Thanks to Netgalley, Jane Cable and Sapere books for the chance to read and review this book.

What a delight! Loved the characters, the setting, the premise of the book. This author has a polished writing style that makes reading effortless, enjoyable and involves you in the story. Relished the echoes of the past and the hard-won romance. Stopped reading with a tear in my eye, which to me is always an indicator of a good novel.

The prologue to this book is particularly striking and beautifully written – an exhausted airman flying home over the cornfields of Lincolnshire, an unexplained moment of panic when he spots something he doesn’t entirely understand, then looking forward to being reunited with the woman he plans to marry.

And then we move into the contemporary story, as Rachel Ward explores the antique centre at the former Hemswell military base, feeling the echoes of its past. It’s a brave author who makes her main character less than likeable on first encounter – there’s a lingering sadness about her following the loss of her grandmother, but also a self-contained abrasiveness that means she might just take a while to win your heart. She also has an unfortunate tendency to be attracted to unsuitable men – she’s an archaeology lecturer, and her latest mistake was her married professor in Southampton. That resulted in her exile to Lincoln, a twelve month visiting lectureship at the university, living in a modern show flat overlooking the canal that she can’t bear spending time in, followed by an attraction to yet another unsuitable man – student Ben – with inevitable problems to follow.

But things settle down – as she relieves the pressures of her life by running, she rediscovers the delights of simple friendship with Jem, who lives on an industrial barge with his characterful dog Toast. Wanting desperately to get earth under her nails again rather spending her time in the world of academia and office politics, she takes on some freelance work for local property developer Jonathan Daubney – perhaps another unsuitable man? – surveying potential building sites for any archaeological significance. And her growing fascination with local history brings another new friend – Esther, living in the local care home, who provides real insights into the history of the airbase she’s surveying. And I really warmed to Rachel as she slowly unfurled – and the reasons for her insularity, her unwise choices, and her attitude to men become increasingly clear.

There’s a really strong romantic thread at the story’s centre – beginning with a series of misunderstandings, it’s realistic and believable, and I very much enjoyed it, along with the way the characters involved were developed. But there’s a great deal more than romance to this book, with threat and danger coming from a few different directions, moments of real drama really well handled, along with those echoes of the past and a touch of the supernatural that I really loved. The intricacies of the story are fascinating – although only hinted at early in the story, the way the past and present become increasingly intertwined is quite wonderfully done, and with a very sure emotional touch.

The setting is particularly significant to the story, and the author’s wonderful descriptions really bring it to life – Lincolnshire’s wide open spaces under that endless sky, the towpaths and dykes, the antiques centre on the former airbase, the lovely village of Winteringham. The characterisation is excellent too, the main characters satisfyingly building in depth and complexity as we get to know them better, their exchanges particularly real and moving the story forward – and I will admit to having a particularly soft spot for Esther, who is so beautifully and sympathetically drawn rather than simply providing that important link with the past.

I’ve always loved Jane Cable’s writing – she’s a natural storyteller, with an easy style that really draws you in – and I don’t think she’s ever written better than this. Highly recommended – I absolutely loved it.

(Review copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

I am not a big romance reader but this book had the heartwarming Esther to give us the glimpse into the past along with the flawed but strong main character Rachel. Rachel has no luck with men but it seems that this is more her fault than the men’s. Her move to this charming new town brings her some new and unexpected friends along with a new job. Rachel unwittingly becomes the link between the past and the present. The flash backs to WWII were a lovely way to tell that part of the story. This books offers romance, history and a touch of fantasy woven together to create a lovely story. The author did a lovely job of describing the location and when Rachel was standing in the fog I could feel my own panic from feeling lost. I think that anybody Who likes a strong female character who doesn’t melt at the sight of a man and a touch of history will like this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Sapere Books for this Arc.

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.
It's difficult to know what to make of this book, it seems to be trying to be to many things at once. It includes topics such as WW2, archaeology and contemporary fiction. However, the reader ends up with threads of each genre which have little combining them together, giving the result of a mismatch.
It is disappointing as the writing is quite good, especially those on the war. There is OK world building and some interesting relationships.
However, the story meanders and never seems to really reach a summit. There is a surplus of extra details thrown in without explanation, which were confusing and made the book difficult to follow.