Based on the true story of a group of American Army Air Force Flight Nurses whose plane crashed behind enemy lines, this is the fictional story of three of the nurses. I enjoyed the story, especially after they crashed as the plot picked up momentum. Well written and edited, it is well-paced. A good historical fiction read. Although the nurses were in the army, there is a decided lack of military culture in the book. The focus is on the lives of the nurses, both before and during the action and of course, lots of romance. Recommend for lovers of Historical Romance in a World War II setting.

Another beautifully written WWII historical fiction novel by Soraya M Lane! Evelyn, Vita, and Dot are three strong women who joined the war efforts as nurses to help transport American soldiers to nearby hospitals to increase their odds of survival. They may come from very different lives, each with their own reasons for wanting to join the efforts; but they quickly bond as they embark on this dangerous mission together. During a flight to save soldiers, their plane is shot down and they are stranded with a group of nurses, medics, and pilots. They find themselves in enemy territory with no means of communication, but they will do whatever it takes to find their way back home to safety.

True to her theme, Soraya lane creates beautiful relationships between the friends and the romantic interests they find along the way. Her style of writing always makes you feel as if you’re right there with them!

Thanks to #NetGalley, Soraya M Lane, and Amazon Publishing UK for the e-ARC of #UnderaSkyofMemories in exchange for an honest review.

Soraya Lane has become one of the best writers of strong women in WWII. She always does considerable research and bases her story on real people in real situations. Her new book is based on a group of 26 Air Force nurses and medics who crashed in Albania in 1943 and had to avoid the Germans who controlled the country. They survived for 63 days before they were rescued and three of the nurses who were separated from the group were there for 135 days before rescue.

The Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron was set up to help remove wounded from field hospitals to better equipped hospitals for treatment. Vita, Dot and Evelyn were all from different areas and life styles but became great friends when they were doing their training in the US. Normally the pilot, one medic and one nurse flew to get the wounded. But the upper brass felt like this was too slow so they sent 26 nurses and medics. Due to a storm, the plane got lost and ended up crashing in Albania. It was amazing that everyone survived the crash but what followed was even worse. They were lost and hungry and tired but had to be vigilant so they wouldn't be captured. This follows the three nurses and each chapter is alternately told by each one of them.

This was an engrossing story based on the three nurses. They were all stronger and more resilient than they knew and no matter what was going on, their friendship stayed strong and helped them survive both physically and mentally.

I enjoy reading historical fiction when I also learn about a real event that I knew nothing about. I love books with brave and resilient women who did their part to help their country. Once again, Soraya Lane has given me all that and more -- a story that I won't soon forget.

Under a Sky of Memories is a beautifully written book by Soraya Lane. A group of nurses and medics are sent on a special mission during WWII when the worst happens - their plane crashes. At first they don't even know where they are but it turns out they are in occupied Albania The story centers around three American nurses - Vita, Dot and Evelyn. The three women are very different but become like sisters during their traumatic experience of hope and survival. Soraya Lane's description of people and places are just incredible! Highly recommend this amazing book that is based on a true story!

Two parts of the life - before the crash and after it.

Three girls, each of whom had the goal of changing their lives and being useful for their country, saving as many lives as possible... Nothing could stop them, nothing and no one!

Each of us has such a friend as Vita, the soul of the company, able to cheer up and support even in the most difficult moments. She is a girl full of life, beautiful and strong-willed. Despite her stubbornness, she is tender and fragile, in need of a strong male shoulder, who would be able to do everything for her.

Evelyn is so good girl, kind, smart, caring, with a strong sense of maternal responsibility. Having such a friend, everyone can be calm and confident that nothing bad would happen, she would look after and take care of everyone who needs her.

Dot is like a tender bird that has fallen out of someone's else nest, not her own. She's a shy girl, who's dreaming of love, family, home. She almost lost faith in a happy future, understanding that no one is waiting for her.

Bobby is a hero! He's reliable as a fortress! He's my favourite character! Oh, how I wish to meet him in a real life!

They all are so different, having different backgrounds. They are united by the crash, Albania and the wish to survive. The most amazing thing in the book was watching the heroes, how they find solutions in the most difficult moments, how they strive to help each other, not allowing them to give up.

The book is a brilliant! I couldn't put it down! Loved it so much! The characters are amazing! The plot has many unexpected twists. The events are so realistic! I just love everything in this book!

I will definitely highly recommend this wonderful book to everyone who loves historical fiction, who interested in the History of World War II and who prefer reading well-written 5-stars books.

Thanks to Soraya M.Lane, Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

SUPERLATIVE!

Author Soraya M. Lane is a fantastic historical fiction author and her latest release, Under A Sky of Memories, is superlative! Lane has set her story in 1943, Sicily. Her plot involves three main characters, all American women and all nurses in the Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron. These nurses have very different strengths and personalities which allows them to become a strong team and close friends. Lane has written an intriguing plot for these three nurses. She writes stories that draw you in and make you feel as though you are a participant instead of an observer. Lane tells Evelyn, Vita and Dot’s story of being on a mission that crashes behind enemy lines in Albania. What all will they face as they attempt to survive the treacherous journey across enemy territory and make their way home. It is a story of challenges, sacrifice, bravery and heroism.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Lake Union Publishing. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.

This was really good from start to finish and is one of my new favourites for this author.

It felt so different to her others and also to other books in the genre. The setting in Albania really helped with this and I love the way she handled the retelling of this true story.

The 3 main characters were all so distinctive and I warmed instantly to them. I felt like I was there with them on the journey.

I was gripped to this one and thought it was really authentic. Highly recommend.

Under a Sky of Memories
by Soraya M. Lane

"Victoria, you can get all those books out of the library, you don't need to go to college," he said. "A woman full of that much information would become tiresome, anyway."

Review:
Under a Sky of Memories is a work of fiction inspired by actual historical events. In November 1943, approximately 30 members (nurses, medics & crew) of the US Army Air Force's 807th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron (MAETS) were travelling by plane off the coast of Italy. The plane was blown off course and crash landed in Nazi-occupied Albania. With the help of Albanian partisans and Allied operatives, the Americans evaded capture and were rescued. The official government files remained classified until the 1990s. Tales regarding this tumultuous 63-day ordeal are only recently coming out.

Told through the eyes of three amazingly well-developed characters - American nurses Evelyn, Dot & Vita - young women from totally different backgrounds, they each had a desire to make a difference during the war.

Author Soraya Lane weaves a remarkable tale of resilience and courage, bravery and survival. These women become best friends and truly inspire all with their tenacity and strength. Highly recommended.

Amazing fact: Albania, the only European country with a Muslim majority, committed itself to saving all of its Jewish inhabitants. Almost all Jews living within Albanian borders during the German occupation, those of Albanian origin and refugees alike, were saved.

I was gifted this advance copy by NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I loved this book! I have read a lot of Soraya Lane’s books and this is one of my top favorites. I’ve read another book about the nurses who flew and it was like I was being told a story. With this one it was like I was in the story. It was so much better! I’ll be looking out for more of her books to come!

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a perfect example of historical fiction done well. Three nurses face their past and a harrowing future during wartime. Each woman has a story to tell and a past to face. What price is real freedom? It costs personally for each of these three women. The characters are strong and relatable. The book is written in alternating points of view, sometimes that makes a novel choppy but not in this case! Well written, always enjoyable to read anything this author writes.

This is another great WWII read. Based on a true story of thirty nurses, medics, and pilots, who crash landed in Albania and were successfully extracted, but could not tell their incredible tale until decades later when the information was declassified.
While the three main characters, American nurses, are factionalized, the author has you on the edge of your seat wondering how the bedraggled, starving group will outlive their next challenge evading the Nazis and Albanian traitors.
There is history, heroism, and plenty of suspense to keep you turning the pages.

In 1943, the Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron take flight. For the first time, American nurses would join doctors and medics to transport the wounded directly from the field to the hospital for a better chance of survival. Three nurses - Vita, Dot & Evelyn are teamed up together on the same squadron and all determined to make a difference for their country and servicemen. All three ladies couldn’t be different, but they form an unbreakable bond. Together they were part of a group of twenty-three other medics/nurses selected for one of the biggest missions for MAETS. Unfortunately, that it becomes a mission of survival as their plane crashed in Nazi occupied Albania. Trapped together, these ladies face the hardest mission possible: survival.

I had never heard of MAETS, so this was such a great WW2 era story. The author’s note was a great follow up. The fact that this was classified for so longer is crazy. These people went through so much and even so many years after WW2 they could not talk about it. I loved the bonds created between the 3 women, but also loved the side of romance each woman has throughout the story. This was my first book by the author, but certainly would not be my last. She did a great job capturing the emotions through the story.

Thank you to @netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my review.

Under A Sky of Memories by Soraya Lane is a beautiful story about friendships that become a sisterhood and strong family. Absolutely love historical fiction that puts me right in the middle of mud and hunger, the tears and the laughter. When I finished this beautiful story, I was hugging my kindle with the satisfaction of a beloved story!

A new and outstanding book by one of my favorite authors Soraya M. Lane is Under a Sky of Memories. I read almost any fiction genre and have my favorite top two or three authors in each one. Soraya is on the top of my list for Historical Fiction. She is again one of those authors that I don’t even have to know what the book is about before I jump right in and start reading. She is outstanding.

The first book I read of hers was The Last Correspondent. I didn’t think I would like a book about a female War Correspondent. I didn’t think I wanted to be that close to war and all that comes with it. What I found out is this author hones in on the human aspects of the war. We learn what the characters are going through mentally, the toll the war is taking on them and their loved ones and how it affects the country that is involved in the war in the setting of the book. I have learned a lot about WWII while reading her books. The human side of the war. It is not always the easiest way to learn about war. Human emotions are complicated and hits you in your heart. For me? That’s where it counts.

This book is not different. It is about three woment that sign up to be trained as nurses who will be part of a team that will transport wounded men from the front lines to a hospital that can save their lives. We saved many men’s lives by changing over to a system allowing them to get the treatment they would need to survive their injuries. These women were in a plane that crashed on the Albanian shore. They were stranded there and we follow them and all of the collegues with them in their fight for survival.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from #AmazonPublishing via #Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A great WW2 story with a difference. Three nurses are among the medical staff who are involved in a plane crash that leaves them behind enemy lines in Albania and they have to fight for their lives against all odds to survive. Great story with lovely characters who's differences helped then to blend together. A story that will stay with you

1943, Sicily
Three American nurses in the Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron leave their homes to do their part in war. Vita, Evelyn and Dot are very different and each have their own reasons for taking part in the war and their experiences in war change them forever.
On one intense mission, their plane crash-lands in occupied Albania, behind enemy lines. They must depend on each other, and become close. Imagine being trapped and feeling like there is no way out and all your senses are tested. No communication. They make an incredible decision that tests their strength as they trek through enemy territory while they try to survive.
Who will survive? What will they endure? Do they have enough supplies? The physical and mental strength is beyond imaginable!
Another beautifully written novel by Soraya M. Lane. I highly recommend this novel.

Three very different American girls come together to train as nurses and join the Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron where they will be expected to move to the WW2 front line, with a medic and pilot, and recover injured military personnel. Vita rich socialite who wants more to life than a predetermined husband, Dot shy and just dumped by her fiancé and Evie tired of being surrogate to siblings and father after the death of her mother. They come together in training and are sent to the front in Europe. They have a couple of sorties each but then are put together in a large plane to undertake a massive recovery mission. They crash and, for the next couple of months, have to survive behind enemy lines in Albania. There is a lot about this, rather too much to my mind and I would have liked some more earlier focus on their individual work recovering injured men. There is a lot of harrowing trips through the snow, without food or water, unknowing whether the locals are partisan or enemy, not to mention the ever increasing presence of the Nazis. Surprisingly only one of the group is injured seriously during the crash. This is all very well researched and written but just goes on for too long I'm afraid; there's also romance for all three which seems rather contrived and predictable. Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Under a sky of memories by Saraya M Lane.
Sicily, 1943. Three American women, all nurses in the Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron, are determined to do all they can for their country. Vita is fun-loving, Dot shy and sweet-natured, and Evelyn practical and determined, but for all their differences, a life of military service pulls the three together as firm friends.
A good read with good characters. A little slow but readable. 3*.

Soraya M. Lane’s UNDER A SKY OF MEMORIES will immerse you from the first page as you follow Evelyn, Vita, and Dot in their determination to contribute to the war effort. A work of historical fiction based on an actual event that occurred during WWII, Lane has created characters and a storyline that will have you rooting for the three friends.
Evelyn, Vita, and Dot all join the War effort for different reasons, but all have the same goal: help wounded soldiers get the care they need. Trained first as nurses, then as elite flight nurses, they arrive in Sicily to help transport severely injured soldiers from field hospitals to the well-equipped and staffed base hospitals and give them a fighting chance at living and going home. After many weeks of successful transports, they are chosen for a daring mission that goes horribly wrong, leaving them and the rest of their group stranded in the wrong country and behind Nazi lines. They must find strength they didn’t know they had and rely on each other to survive and find a way home.
This novel shone a light on yet another part of WWII I hadn’t heard of: both the flight nurses and the situation they found themselves in. This was well-researched by Lane, and her writing style presented the story in a way that I felt right there with the characters. Lane created characters and a plot that was hard to put down.
Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#UnderaSkyofMemories #SorayaMLane #LakeUnionPublishing

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC to read and review.

Under a Sky of Memories is a touching and beautifully written story about three nurses who befriend one another in the midst of WWII. Dot, Vita and Evelyn joined the 807th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron, each hoping to prove something to themselves and to their families.

In one of their missions to transport wounded soldiers, the plane they are on crashes leaving the entire group of 2 dozen medics and nurses stranded in what they will later learn is Albania. The group now stranded must do whatever it takes to survive, as they wait to be rescued, and their survival depends greatly on the generosity and bravery of the Albanians who help them.

This is a story about the friendship forged between the three women and a hint of romance with the men they meet. A definite must-read, of a story that shows you a different side of what happened during WWII.