I knew this story would be good, but it was more than good it was also compelling and intriguing. I was hooked and captivated by this story. The main character Geneva gave me such awesome girl power vibes, she is a main character for women to admire and internalize. I loved that she is an aviator and the flying was a really enjoyable part of the book.

This story has romance, mystery, and is set in the 1920s. I loved both of the main characters, Geneva and Warren. I thought it was really cool that they were both pilots. I really felt for them, especially Geneva, when they were at odds with each other. I liked watching them mend their relationship and work together to figure out who tried to kill Warren. I loved Geneva’s personality, and when she made up stories about who Warren was to people when they were in disguise. The overall story was good. I love the author’s style of writing and felt the characters were well developed. It has light Christian themes. It does have some marital content that might go too far for some readers so I listed that in the content section. I also thought the story felt a little all over the place at times but overall I enjoyed the story!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Content for those who like to know:
Kisses, neck kisses, wedding night undressing, married couple bathing in a pond together, ogling between married couple, marital touches/makeouts, implied marital intercourse, miscarriage

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from netgalley and the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

I love this book! The touching, entertaining story packed with mystery and history drew me in with the first page and held me captive to the last! Endearing characters who touched my heart, an engaging plot with perfectly placed twists that kept me guessing, and sweet “married” romance make this a definite “sleep stealer”! The skillfully executed flashback format works wonderfully without stalling the flow of the story or creating confusion thereby adding depth to the narrative. The masterfully crafted 1920s setting and amazing aviation history made me feel like I was there watching the story unfold. I love and appreciate the imparting of relevant faith lessons. I always have high expectations for this author’s books, and they were certainly met and exceeded with this one which I consider her best work yet! I am adding this book to my Best Reads of the Year list and highly recommend it as a must read for Historical Christians Romance fans!
I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher via NetGalley with no obligation to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you UpLitReads for my advance electronic copy via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Socialite heiress Geneva Ashcroft lost her husband in a flying accident shortly after their wedding. She is devastated. Even though she was pushed into the marriage--like she has been pushed into everything in her life--by her scheming parents, eager to further their ambitious goals, she really did love him. So when mysterious reports surface that point to her as his murderer, she is pushed over the edge and into hiding so she can investigate his death herself, along with the disappearance of his best friend. But when she stumbles on some serious and seriously dangerous revelations, will she be able to find her way out of it again alive?

So tense! I felt tied in knots, not only by the immersive mystery, but also by the miscommunications and tensions in the relationships. I did love the deep dive into the world of aviation and barnstorming in 1920s New York which was relatively new to me. This was a Christian book, so there was also exploration of the characters faith and how it served them in their journey.

Outstanding! I have really enjoyed Ms. McDaniel's books and after reading this book, her books will have an automatic place at the top of my TBR.

I loved everything about this story: the setting, the mystery, the romance and the faith thread. I found both of the main characters incredibly enduring. The story is told from both before and after the plane crash, skillfully alternating back and forth, peeling back the curtain on Geneva's life and her developing romance with Warren.

Rachel McDaniel's signature attention to historical detail and vivid prose paints a realistic picture of early aviation, in post-WWI America. Like the stomach roiling tricks on Geneva's plane, twists and turns abound. Geneva must sort through the many clues and motives as she seeks to clear her name and discover who wanted her husband dead.

I love Geneva's journey of self-discovery. She must abandon the emotional fences she has built and learn to rely on others. As she lets down her defenses, she finds that learning to trust opens the door to a world full of love.

This many-layered story held me captive from the first page. Definitely a book for the keeper shelf!

****I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher and Netgalley. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Walking on Hidden Wings by Rachel Scott McDaniel is technically not a time-slip novel. The story does move back and forth from the “current” day to seven months earlier, so the readers can understand what happened. I loved the heroine of Eva. She is strong, determined, and brave. She may have been born into money, but she sees the best in others, and tries to treat everyone, no matter their station with respect. Warren, the hero, is a romantic, who respects Eva’s dreams and desires and tries to give her wishes within her time frame. As for the plot, I do enjoy the mystery element of a dead husband, missing bloodline, and threatening notes. I believe any fan of historical mysteries would enjoy being lost in the 1920’s with Eva and Warren. I love the plane idea too. Brought a little daring adventure to Eva’s character. Brought a little anticipation for the readers as they read the story. Overall, Walking on Hidden Wings by Rachel Scott McDaniel was a tightly woven historical mystery that I can not wait to own a physical copy of.

I received a complimentary copy of Walking on Hidden Wings by Rachel Scott McDaniel from Kregel Publishing through JustRead Tours, but the opinions stated are all my own.

Walking on Hidden Wings is a fun romp back to the 1920s. I rarely read stories from this era, and I absolutely enjoyed it. This story is of a socialite who married a newspaper mogul via an arranged marriage by her father. I feel it was love at first sight, They both felt attracted to one another at the start. However, things take a strange turn, and someone tries to kill the hero and blame Geneva.
This awesome story has mystery, intrigue, suspense, and swoon worthy romance. @rachel_scott_mcdaniel has penned a lovely historical romance, and I highly recommend it.
*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Calling fans of Pepper Basham, Karen Witemeyer, and those who enjoy a good marriage of convenience trope!

Walking on Hidden Wings goes back and forth from present day to months previous as Geneva met her intended. A few chapters in, I'm pretty sure I yelled "What?!" (or some other thing to convey my shock). If you like mystery, suspense, danger, cool/brave heroines, and an unsuspected love tale, you will enjoy this novel.

There are newlyweds who really like each other in this book ... so I'd say it's for PG-13 kind of audience. :)

Rachel Scott McDaniel is a fabulous author skilled with writing twists and turns that are sure to catch you off guard.

Be sure to read Rachel's fascinated notes at the back of the book to find out cool historical facts that brought this novel to print. So interesting!!

Thank you to the publisher for my copy of this book! All opinions in this review are my own.

Absolutely breathtaking! Captivating! This story won my heart and soul in every possible way. Ms. McDaniel sweeps readers into the world of barnstorming bringing us into a world of adventure but it's the romance that had my pulse-thumping right along with the twisting mystery. I don't want to give anything away but the ROMANCE is stellar!! I haven't seen it done this well in a long time and it awakened the joy of reading romance all over again. And if that wasn't enough to delight me, the plot had me barrel-rolling with every twist and turn like I was sitting right alongside Geneva inside the Jenny. I don't think words can adequately express how much I loved this book but I think all readers can relate to that feeling inside when they know they are in the pages of a story that stirs up the inexplicable gratitude that we are have just experienced a story that is unlike any other and will change us for the better. THIS IS THAT STORY!

Don't wait, don't hesitate, grab this story and remind yourself what brilliant story-telling looks like through the pages of this book!

**This book was given to me from the publisher and I am under no obligation to offer a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.**

Walking on Hidden Wings: A Novel of the Roaring Twenties is amazing! I love how this story is immersed in the aviation of this time period; the barnstorming era! (This era lasted less than 10 years, but made a big impact, with people purchasing Jenny's after WWI, no government regulations on aviation, and not needing a license to fly. This era saw stunt pilots around the country who performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses.)

I cannot say enough good things about this story! The plot keeps you glued to the story, the characters and dialogue are endearing and authentic, the mystery is page-turning, with some great plot twists. I highly recommend it! The heroine is a wing-walking, barnstorming, risk taker in search of her husband's killer, and his missing best friend.

"Geneva Ashcroft Hayes's marriage to a newspaper mogul might have been arranged, but the New York socialite is devastated when her husband's plane crashes a few short months after their nuptials. When the authorities suspect murder, Geneva sets out on a wild mission to find his killer—and to prove it wasn’t her."

Thank you to the author, publisher, and net galley for allowing me to read an early copy. All opinions are my own!

This is suuuuuch a good story!! And so well written! I was totally hooked at the beginning, it was absolutely intriguing, so so good!

Geneva's story is:
•the roaring 20's
• I LOVED the characters, they all played such a good role! (And Warren has been added to my list of favorite MMCs!🥰)
•arranged marriage
•second-chance romance
•mystery/who-dun-it!?
•early aviation (So cool!)
•swoony closed-door romance

Rachel knocked it out of the park with this book! Highly recommend to those that love historical romance!

I read my first Rachel Scott McDaniel book last year and I continue to be blown away by every book of hers I pick up!!

Walking on Hidden Wings is such a fantastic historical, romantic-suspense! By the end of the first chapter I had a feeling I wouldn't be putting this book down anytime soon and I was correct. Each chapter, each page, each new development of the mystery kept those pages turning and turning!

I loved the formatting of this book. Present day chapters, mixed in with past events giving clues and more details to the story development. It was really well done, easy to follow and a fun way to slowly and entertainingly have details revealed!

This is one of the best suspense books I've read and feel you'll just need to trust me because there are so many aspects of this book that I don't want to give any hints at, just know THIS BOOK IS WORTH THE READ!!!

If you like historical books, suspense/mystery books, swoony-romantic books you have got to get this one!!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Content: death of a spouse, mentions of affairs, unloving parents, blackmail, murder, mystery, intrigue, romance-kisses and mentions of intimate relationship between a married couple (no on page or explicit details) and a light faith thread.

Prepare for takeoff into a world of high-flying romance, clandestine intrigue, and pulse-pounding adventure with Rachel Scott McDaniel's latest literary masterpiece. From the moment I cracked open the pages, I was captivated by the amazing narrative and unforgettable characters.

McDaniel's storytelling prowess shines brighter than ever in this remarkable tale of love and resilience set against the backdrop of the roaring 20s. With flawless pacing and an intricately woven plot, she effortlessly blends elements of romance, mystery, and light spiritual truth into a seamless tapestry of emotions.

At the heart of the story lies a marriage that blossoms into a love story for the ages. Their marriage ignites into a fiery romance, fueled by passion, danger, and shared quest for truth. Warren, our imperfectly perfect hero, stole my heart with his blend of protectiveness, tenderness, devotion, and unwavering love. Our fiery heroine embodies resilience and determination, a testament to McDaniel's masterful creation of deeply relatable characters.

But it's not just the aviation action and sizzling, yet clean, romance that make this novel shine—it's the web of intrigue and suspense that keeps readers guessing until the very end. With twists and turns that will leave you gasping for air, McDaniel deftly crafts a plot that is as intricate as it is thrilling.

And amidst the adrenaline-fueled escapades, things hidden in the shadows, and heart-stopping encounters, Walking on Hidden Wings delivers a powerful message of enduring devotion, trust, and love. As the characters wrestle with their struggles and confront the dangerous shadows, they ultimately discover that true freedom lies in clinging to God for everything. As one poignant moment in the book beautifully illustrates, "God's fingerprints pressed upon the dusk, which lasted mere minutes, how much more could His touch beautify the human heart?"

In short, this book is an absolute must-read. With its gripping plot, enchanting marital romance, and timeless messages of authentic trust and hope soar to new heights, establishing Rachel Scott McDaniel as a talented author in the realm of historical fiction. Don’t miss your opportunity to take flight with this captivating masterpiece and embark on an exhilarating adventure through the skies of beautiful storytelling.

I received a digital copy of Walking on Hidden Wings by the author. I am not required to write a positive review in any way or for any reason. This is my honest and unbiased review. My thoughts and opinions expressed in this book review are my own. My review focuses on the compelling writing style and the story’s dynamic content, ensuring transparency and reliability.

What a beautiful story about finding yourself, learning to love, forgiveness, and second chances. This powerful story takes you on a journey of discovery while also being full of suspense and danger.

This story struck a chord with me. Having grown up in a non emotional family like Geneva, I could really sympathize with her and how it affected her life. She is such a relatable character that it makes the story come to life for the reader.

Geneva’s journey to discover who killed her husband brings to light more things than she could have imagined. She embarks on a journey full of twists and turns that she never expected. It pushes her past being the high society socialite she has always known to doing things she never dreamed.

Rachel Scott McDaniel’s books never disappoints. She takes us back to the 1920’s and explores the society expectations including women and female pilots. This story is a must read and will not disappoint!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Thank you to Kregel Publishing and the author for this gifted copy and ARC of Walking on Hidden Wings by Rachel Scott McDaniel. All opinions are my own.

When the author reached out to me and described what this book was about, I was really interested. However, I didn’t know that I would end up loving it as much as I did!

This book is so interesting, romantic, and mysterious. I loved everything about it!

The 1920s New York historical setting was so fascinating to me. I especially enjoyed learning more about flying and how it was to be both a woman and pilot during this time. There were also some other fun historical details throughout the story that I loved, but I won’t spoil anything.

The romance was so well done! I have read very few books with this romance trope, but I really appreciated it. The characters were so sweet, and I love how they grew and learned to communicate.

I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of this story and never could guess what would happen next with the plot. I suspected so many different people, and I was still surprised at the end.

The author did a great job weaving the characters’ Christian faith throughout the story in a natural way, and I appreciated how the characters grew in their faith.

The dialogue between characters was so good, and I laughed out loud quite a few times at the things that Geneva would say.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone! I feel like a lot of people would enjoy this book because it is a great combination of genres.

I don’t know if the author is planning to write a sequel to this book with the way some things were left at the end, but I would be really interested to learn more about Geneva’s sister.

This is my first Rachel Scott McDaniel book and I will be going back to read more from this author. I liked the dual time periods and each chapter left me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next. This book drew me in and kept me engaged throughout. I lost sleep getting through this book in 4 days. The descriptions made me feel like I was involved in the plot. I would have liked to see a little more wrapped up of one part of the story but as the main character said, sometimes you have to be willing to live with unanswered questions.

I enjoyed this sweet romance with a hint of mystery.

Geneva was a wonderful character. Considering her upbringing she was sweet and kind. I enjoyed watching her relationship with Warren play out. He coaxed her out of her shell giving her the space to make decisions and discover her true self.

Warren was a sweetheart. The way he cared for Geneva was heart-warming. He was the perfect foil for her. He was confident which allowed her to be bold, but not boarish so she could explore who she was.

Readers of Walking on Hidden Wings will be reminded that God is faithful and they don't have to do everything alone.

I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher through NetGalley as part of the author's launch team. A positive review was not required.

BREATHTAKING! I have no words to describe how much I absolutely and completely adored this book!

Despite the fact that her marriage was arranged, Geneva is shattered at the death of her new husband.

Determined to uncover the truth about his death and prove her innocence, Geneva uses her new act as a wingwalker and barnstormer as a cover, traveling from town to town as she looks for a missing detective, the one person who may be able to help her.

Geneva's pursuit of the truth uncovers greed, lies and betrayal until she isn't sure any more who she can trust and ultimately realizing that the price some are willing to pay to keep their secrets hidden is greater than she ever imagined.

(Leaving so many things off of my list to avoid major spoilers...)

What to love:
1920s setting
Marriage of convenience
Single POV
The meet-cute
Barnstorming
Mystery & Suspense
Breathtaking romance
Stones from heaven
"I never stopped loving you."

This book left me completely undone! It is achingly romantic in every sense of the word and I am in love with this beautiful story of love and forgiveness and redemption. The characters are raw and real and took me on an emotional journey that I never wanted to end.

I was so captivated by the suspense and mystery, the fascinating history, and the marriage of convenience romance that was passionate and tender and so incredibly swoony. You may need to have your heart checked before picking up this romance because you will undoubtedly experience some heart palpitations while reading!

I don't want to say too much because you really need to go in blind, but this entire book was *chef's kiss* perfection and I cannot wait to read it over and over and over again. It deserves all the stars in the sky!!

I received a complimentary copy but a positive review was not required.

I have found a lot of authors via bookstagram, and Rachel Scott McDaniel is one of them. She has become a favorite. I know I will love anything she writes, because there’s so much in her books. There’s usually mystery that keeps me guessing, and there’s always complex characters that I find myself emotionally attached to. I want them to succeed! I want them to find happiness. I love reading their journeys.

This book was no different. I love that it starts off in the middle. We find our main characters in a tricky position with each other and life circumstances. Then the novel progresses with shifting back in time and then back to the future. We get a glimpse of their beautiful love story, and then flip back to their current reality of not knowing if they can trust each other. I loved this back and forth. I will admit, I don’t always love this in books, but it was done so well that I was constantly excited about either time period I was in. Their love story was beautiful. They had my heart. To then have a mystery come between them (a huge important mystery!!!) was heartbreaking. In all the good ways for book lovers. I loved watching them give to each other. Give each other trust. Give each other their history. Give each other their pains and truth. It was in this giving that their love becomes real. And then I find myself rooting for them and unable to stop smiling at their very romantic encounters.

If you like the roaring 20s, romance, and mystery, this is one for you! I did not figure out the mystery. I thought for sure I had, but I love that I didn’t!

Novel Concept: 5/5
Execution of Novel Concept: 3/5

Title: 4/5
Characterization: 4/5
Dialogue: 4/5
Plot: 1/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Theme: 3/5
Prose: 3/5

Does this pass the Bechdel Test: Yes

1. The worldbuilding of Walking on Hidden Wings is phenomenal. I can tell McDaniel did the work to give us a good window into the Elite of 1920's and a window into the barnstorming era. McDaniel at the end gives a little history lesson at all the major touch points that are featured in the novel and I liked that. I have a lot of respect for authors that value authenticity over "what will make a good story." because I think authenticity can make a story good.

2. I wanted more scenes actively barnstorming. Considering the promotional work, I expected more.

3. At times I felt like I was being told more than I was being shown. I want to see Brisbane get hit. I wanted to be there when characters figured out who the bad guy was.

4. This book has an asynchronous timeline. That means there's a present timeline and a past timeline and eventually the past timeline will catch up to the point where the novel began. I think if it was synchronized--told in complete chronological order--we would have gotten a sort of Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of Geneva between her being a socialite climbing in the world, to falling and becoming Stella Sterling, to reclaiming herself as Geneva once again but in a more correct way after growing as a character under the name Stella. I felt more distracted by the asynchronous timeline than I felt entertained by it. I didn't feel like I was learning anything of use for the major story beats in such that it needed to be asynchronous.

5. Mx. Big Bad Evil Guy was on my list of suspects but I'm still upset that it was them. Geneva keeps circling back to this suspect and each time they're debunked and so it was really frustrating to see that it was them after all. McDaniel knows how to seed information--the reveal about Lilith's husband was really good--and I wished I would have seen that same care and attention given to the ultimate Baddy.
6. Part 2 of this novel is where the ball finally starts rolling and that's 70% a ways in. But then, all that action is mostly B-Plot / Red Herring work that is very awkward. It trips about and is really more distracting than entertaining. Lilith's decision by the end, for example, was really unbelievable. The Jane Austin thing was just a distraction that felt unnecessary. I also found it just a little funny that Geneva is offended that someone would think she killed Warren but immediately believes that Lilith could be behind all of this.

7. Withholding information from the reader for the sake of a dramatic reveal will always be frustrating. Even more so when there's no good reason for it. In the last 20% we have new information popping up everywhere that at times could have been revealed earlier. The point about the planes similarities is the most offensive of these reveals, followed up by the Jane Austin red herring and the car clue. The car clue is frustrating because by admission, Geneva knew more information than the reader and didn't tell us for no reason other than so she could reveal it in dialogue later. I'll take personal taste on this one, but man it was frustrating because the plot became unpredictable out of author interference and not because it's clever.

8. Brisbane's storyline had a good set up but a terrible pay-off. I was very frustrated. I mention it here because it's a part of the synopsis. All of that mystery set up for us and it amounted to absolutely nothing. He just appears out of thin air because it's time for him to show back up. Honestly, I think it would have been better if he was just dead at the beginning--but I'll take personal taste on that one.

9. This novel's plot needs to be tightened significantly in my opinion. All of the twists at the end stumble and don't land--everything feels convenient and hidden from the reader. There is good narrative seeding at times, but at other times integral plot beats are shoved in right at the end without any real groundwork to support them with. It makes the plot feel very convenient.

10. The family dynamic of is everything you'd want and expect in a powerful and controlling family. The father seeks to reach greater heights, the mother has a Hera-Complex, and the oldest daughter fights to preserve the innocence and freedom of the younger daughter. The love interest gives Geneva the agency that she lacks from her family, cementing them as a power couple against the odds. All of the work is there for everyone to feel like real people. But I do think in the last 20% of the novel a lot of character choices become forced and unbelievable. Lilith choosing to stay with her partner just doesn't make sense--I didn't buy it.