Jessie was never your typical female and her love of flying was what kept her going in life. Yet, she always wanted more than just flying; she wanted to teach others how to love it as well. So, when she found out the airport near her home was going to be a training center for Royal Air Force cadets, she knew she had to become an instructor… no matter the prejudices.

Rhonda, on the other hand, used her femininity to her advantage. A flirt to the core, she always grabbed the attention of the males. Yet, the men at the air base soon realized how invaluable she truly was when they saw her train the cadets in the simulator.

Kitty had yet to learn a lot about life. Enthralled with the cadets and naïve to the realities of war, she quickly found herself immersed in the glamour of it all. However, when she opens her heart, she never expected how quickly she would learn the hardships of not only what war can do, but how to move on within the new knowledge.

Inspired by true events between the British Air Force and the United States during World War II, Lorraine Heath’s Girls of Flight City brings a fictional story to life. Through the eyes of two sisters and their best friend, one is quickly absorbed in the nuances of an alliance that was meticulously kept secret. Throw in a little mischief mixed with some love, and Heath entices her readers to want to learn more.

Between a narrative that keeps the pages turning, relatable characters, a hefty amount of profanity, a couple instances to sexual tension, and minimal spelling and grammatical errors a rating of 4 out of 5 stars is given.

A novel focused on the resilience, courage, and strength within not only the military, but those that support them, Lorraine Heath’s Girls of Flight City is an astonishing tale recounting history.

A book involving events concerning World War II, please read with caution as the following may cause some unease: betrayal, war, death of parent/sibling, missing persons, bombing, smoking, alcohol consumption, depression, arrest, imprisonment, amputation, wounded/killed in action, unconsciousness, abandonment, homesickness, claustrophobia, air raid, gun violence, plane crash, Pearl Harbor, rationing, affair, divorce, infidelity, prisoners of war, widower. Prison camp, Nazis, execution.

Thank you to #GirlsofFlightCity, #LorraineHeath and #HarperCollinsPublishing for the opportunity to read this book and give my honest review.

Learn more about the No.1 British Flying Training School Museum by visiting https://www.bftsmuseum.org

Original Post found at: https://www.literarylioness.net/post/girls-of-flight-city

This is an amazing piece of historical fiction. I did not know about the RAF training facilities in Texas during WWII. The female aviators are the star of the show in this book. I enjoyed the perspective of Jesse, Kitty, and Rhonda. I am recommending to readers of historical fiction and/or romance. I hope Lorraine Heath will continue to write outside of her usual romance genre. This one was great!

Thank. you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!
Decent read. Enjoyed the characters.
Will recommend

Another time historic fiction taught me things a history class didn't. I wasn't aware that the US trained British pilots in WW2.

About the story, I enjoyed it. Royce annoyed the heck out of me. I get where he's coming from but he was so flip floppy. He wants to he with Jesi but keeps reminding her he can't be anything serious. Insert eye roll here.

It wasn't bad, but with all the WWII books out lately, this just didn't add anything to the canon. Nothing stood out.

The pacing was pretty slow and the story arc quite shallow.

I was hoping for historical fiction but this is way more romance which is not my favorite genre. I think there is too much romance for historical fiction fans and too little spice for romance fans.

Thank you Lorraine Heath and Netgalley for allowing me to read this fascinating story set in Texas. This book had all the elements to pull me in. I also gained more knowledge of WWII in a different setting. The story itself had me pulling for the characters and hoping the romance side of it has a happy ending. I thoroughly loved this book and would be happy to recommend it.

This was an emotional and interesting novel about a flight training school in Texas where RAF pilots were trained during WWII. The main characters were developed well. I enjoyed that this book was a different WII book. It was based on true events and American women who played a role in the war by training pilots. The author sprinkled a good amount of heart break into the novel among the joy and romance.

Based on true events, this novel set during WWII tells the story of Jessie Lovelace, whose family owns an airfield in a small Texas town. Jessie loves t0 fly, and is trying to keep the airfield afloat, after her father's death a few years prior. When the airfield and the surrounding area is taken over the for the training of British RAF pilots, Jessie must fight for a position of a flight instructor, despite the fact that she is more qualified than many of her male counterparts. The story follows Jessie, her family and her friends as they navigate the changes WWII is bringing to their small town. I especially appreciated the epilogue at the end, as we revisit these characters years after the war is over. There are a lot of WWII novels on the market, but this one describes a topic I knew nothing about. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this novel; all opinions expressed are my own.

This book covers every emotion. Based on true facts and set in Texas during WWII, this story gives an accurate portrayal of people preparing for war. 1941. A talented flier, Jessie Lovelace yearns for a career in aviation. When the civilian flight school in her small Texas town begins to clandestinely train British pilots for the RAF, she fights to become an instructor. With her friends Kitty and Rhonda, they train these pilots and become involved in the war effort. This is my first book by Lorraine Heath and it has me looking for some of her other titles.

A story of lost loves, big dreams and surviving through a terrible war. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. This advanced reader copy did not disappoint. The story of a small Texas town who opened their air field, hearts and homes to men training as British pilots before the US entered WWII.

Girls of Flight City tells the story of a small town in Texas and the people that helped to train young pilots in WWII. I enjoyed the characters in this story very much and I’m glad the book followed them until the end of the war. The book did start a little slow for me, but it did pick up in the second half.

I really enjoyed this book. I never knew that the British used to train the RAF in the United States and found the history very interesting. A perfect beach read!

Girls of Flight City was inspired by true events that took place close to where I live in Dallas, TX. So that was a pleasant surprise. I love when I learn something about history when I’m reading! This is a WWII book; however, most of the book takes place before the US enters the war in December 1941. Jesse Lovelace is a pilot. Her mother and uncle sell the airfield they own to the town, who decide to use it to train RAF pilots. It is soon after the Depression, and training these pilots will be good for the RAF, who is fighting the Nazis, and for the town’s economy. Jesse is one of the instructors teaching the pilots.
Royce Ballinger is the injured British Wing Commander who will oversee the training of the young, British cadets.
Rhonda is Jesse’s friend and roommate who also is a trainer at the school. And Kitty is Jesse’s 16 year old sister, who is dazzled by the very handsome, and young, cadets who have descended on the town.
I loved this story! I had no idea that there was a flight school in Texas that was used to train British RAF pilots. The town is 1 hour from Dallas, and in the book is named Terrance, TX. I googled it, and I think that Ms. Heath is referencing Terrell, TX, where there was in fact a flight school in the 1940s. I loved that this book takes place in/around Dallas, and I loved picturing downtown Dallas, and the State Fair in 1941. So fun!
But I also loved each of these characters stories. Jesse and Royce fall in love, but their romance is a slow-burn where you just cheer for each individually, but then rejoice when they finally come together. Kitty is a romantic who also falls in love, but her path to happiness is not as smooth as Jesse and Royce’s. And Kitty learns a hard lesson at a very young age that made me hurt for her.
So much to love about this book! My only critique is that 3⁄4 of the book leads up to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and the US involvement in the war. We are marched through time as each chapter gives another date getting us closer to the bombing in December 1941. Then the last 1⁄4 of the book goes very quickly through the 4 years of the war. This seemed very unbalanced to me, and a little rushed.
Overall, I loved this book. I read and listened on audiobook, and either way was a great experience. Xe Sands narrates and does a great job. Thank you to #Netgalley and #WilliamMorrow for the advanced e- Copy of #GirlsofFlightCity.

I liked this book a lot! I’d never heard about the British training their pilots in the US so it was an interesting new aspect of WWII to read about.

I really love the inspired by true events books.
This book is based in the air field in Texas. It is during WWII. It told the story of the women who helped to theach the British soldiers to fly. I could not imagine living in this time, however the women in this story really put themselves out there. ItThey were met as if they couldn't do what they were needed to do, yet inthe end they were the only people available to do it.
I love learning about history through a book that can keep my attention. By the time I was done reading I had all the feelings.

This is a very interesting WWII story featuring the home front, with three women in Texas and a training school for British RAF pilots. Both informative and emotional, this historical fiction/women's fiction tale sheds light on a little-known piece of history. Recommended.

I love learning new things about the events of WW2, especially what seems to be events not talked about often. I love how this story is not only about the war but also about what lead up to it and how the country acted when we were not involved. Jessie was a strong character who knew what she wanted and was able to make it happen for herself when it came to flying. Kitty represented the youthful optimism and also the depths of first loves, especially with a war happening. I loved the addition of the letters that were added to the story as well. This book not only left me feeling so thankful that these are stories were told so that they can be shared.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

Thank you William Morrow publishers for gifting me a copy of this book to review via NetGalley. This book reminded me a bit of the movie Pearl Harbor. Yes, it's a historical fiction novel about WWII, but the primary focus is the love story. I am new to this author, but it seems she primarily writes romance novels, and this is her first foray (or one of her first) into the historical fiction scene, and I certainly got those vibes while reading this one. The result was something I liked better than I expected, so that was a win for me!

My penchant for WW2 fiction is fairly well known amongst my family and friends. I'm usually willing to give most anything a try from that time period.

Girls of Flight City is no exception. It follows several women from a small Texas town, tasked with helping to train RAF pilots for the war. As with most novels of the time period, the women are constrained by their sex and forced to prove themselves as more than capable of doing their jobs well. In the process, they discover more about themselves along with meeting the pilots who capture a bit of their hearts.

The novel is based on true events and definitely an interesting look at yet another part of the war. Most of my more recent reading has included events in Asia or in Europe, so it is quite interesting to look at an area occurring in the United States during that time. Definitely recommend.