Under a Sky of Memories is the story of Vita, Dot, and Evelyn, three American nurses who sign up to serve in World War II. As members of the Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron, they will be the nurses on board air ambulances, transporting injured soldiers away from the front lines so they can recover in proper hospitals.

They are posted to Catania in Sicily, where they find the work difficult but satisfying. Soon, they are all assigned to the same mission, a super flight with multiple doctors and nurses on board. A series of mishaps leads them to crash-land in Armenia … enemy territory.

The story then becomes a tale of survival: will the pilots, nurses, and medics survive?
Under a Sky of Memories is a gripping story with excellent characters. The writing is excellent, with plenty of suspense, made all the more engaging once I realised this was based on a true story. That’s actually an important fact, because otherwise it would be easy to complain the mistakes leading to the crash weren’t realistic!

The author has obviously done a heap of research, which is great, but it never overwhelms the story. Instead, the story very much focuses on the three nurses.

Recommended for historical fiction fans, especially those who enjoy World War II fiction.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

I keep seeing comments about "why are there so many WWII books?" This book is a great example of why, there are endless stories to learn. This is a great look at the nurses, medics, and flight crew who survived a plane crash during the war. Their story was hidden and classified for years. Here they all come to life through this historic fiction novel. I thought the characterization of the three main nurses was all excellent. I could feel sympathy and empathy for each one, from their reasons for leaving their families to become nurses to the difficult situation they survived during the war to their recovery and lives afterward. Similarly primary side characters are well drawn. They add to the main narrative and to the lives of the three main characters, without becoming distractions. The third person narrative switches between the three nurses, very effectively and efficiently. When we need more from another character, the POV switches. We are able to experience the events from all three and not get locked in a distant, sky-high view from above. I appreciated that this was a linear story, too, and not a dual time frame with everything as a memory. That said, there are flashbacks that help inform the reader of something relevent for each nurse. I think that was a good choice. The flashbacks are not full story arcs, like in a dual time frame. Instead, they are the snap shots of time that we need, in order to understand our main characters. I think they are used just enough, and are just the right length individually, too. Pacing is excellent and I could not put this down. I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. Highly recommend this to historical fiction fans and WWII historical fiction fans.

Filled with wonderful friendships and a little romance, this book treats us to the tale of 3 friends who are nurses in a new type of unit. These women are part of a unique unit that flies in to field hospitals and transports by air the wounded to a more permanent hospital that can more successfully treat their wounds. A remarkable story.

I received a copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review
This was exactly what I would have expected from a Soraya Lane novel! It was so spectacular!

This book was nothing like I imagined it would be - well, it was, until the pivotal moment when everything changed. Instead, I was thrown into pages of danger, love, endurance, and resilience...I couldn't put it down. What I thought was going to be a story about the MAETS and their trials and tribulations became so much more.

I nearly gave this one five stars, except I was left with some lingering questions at the end, some things I wanted tied up, particularly in Vita's storyline. But that aside, this was a terrific novel, set during my favorite era, in a unique setting which I loved.

I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley for a review.

This was a good book. An interesting story of nurses trained to work on planes to fly injured soldiers out of war zones. This is based on a true story, which makes it even more interesting. A plane of nurses and soldiers, on the way for a large evacuation, crash lands in Albania behind enemy lines.

This is the fictionalized story of three of those nurses. It's a bit lighter than your normal WWII historical fiction with a bit of romance thrown in. Characters were not as deep as my favourite such books. But overall, I found it a good story and a part of WWII history I wasn't aware of.

Meet the brave men and women of the 807th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron during WWII. They were chosen by the army to ferry injured soldiers from the front lines to hospitals for further and often life saving treatment for their war wounds. A small group of around 30 medics and nurses are chosen for a special mission but soon after takeoff…disaster strikes. They run into inclement weather and just as they are navigating their way through, get shot down by the Germans. They lose all of their orientation so when the plane crashes…miraculously with only minor injuries…they have no idea where they are. They soon learn they are in German occupied Albania where not only the Nazis reign but the Albanians are also at war with each other. Braving the unknown, these courageous people along with the help of a British SOE…are determined to find their way home.

While the characters in this story are fictional, the 807th was very real and their story is one that needs to be heard. I highly encourage you to read the authors notes before closing the back cover. I loved this book. It’s full of grit, raw emotion, strength, determination, fear and courage!

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing and Soraya M Lane for granting me access to this story! These are the ones that need to be told

This was the first book by Soraya M. Lane that I have read and it was so good and engrossing that I read it all in one day. This was the second book that I recently read that involved the women of the Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron. I thought that this book was by far superior to the other book I read. Lane masterfully brought the women lives to life and artfully told their story.


Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advanced reader copy of this book.

“We’re all the same at the end of the day; we all do our best for the soldiers in our care. That's the thing when you’re serving your country: we’re all on equal footing.”

I’ve read so many WW2 historical fiction novels, but never one that takes place in Albania before. Under a Sky of Memories is inspired by the true story of a downed flight that held American medics and nurses. They were trapped behind enemy lines in Albania with no connection to their base.

I can’t imagine the amount of terror that they must have felt knowing they had no direct access to any help. The story focuses on three extraordinary nurses who show strength and bravery in the face of terror.

One of my favorite parts of reading this novel was learning about Albanian culture. Hospitality is one of their core values and many of the people risked their lives to help the Americans. It’s truly amazing that it’s all based on actual events.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this novel by NetGalley; all opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to all concerned for my chance to read this ARC

I enjoy Soraya Lanes books for their historical detail even though she admits that they are often works of 'faction' based on real events rather than accurate depictions.

I really liked this book and couldn't wait to find out what happened to the 3 main characters - however I found the way the chapters jumped between characters altered the flow of the story and made it very difficult to follow somehow.

I was interested in the real events that the book was based on and will take the author's advice to investigate further.
It was a harrowing, though ultimately a story of the strength of the human spirit to overcome adversity, with a bit of old-fashioned romance thrown in.

"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"
Soraya Lane always writes compelling stories of strong women, that gives us insight to a time and location we might not be familiar with.
Strong character development with image quality that made it hard to put down. Recommend for any fan of historical friction.
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If you enjoy a story set in World War 2 that shows the strength and courage of woman and men who do what they can to save other people, then this is a book that you must pick up, another beautifully written heart-felt story from Soraya Lane as she digs deep into the emotions and characters of three woman. nurses Vita, Evelyn and Dot come along and get to know them and what they went through.

It is 1943 and three nurses, Vita who knows how to have fun, Dot who is quiet and shy and Evelyn the practical and determined one all are planning on saving as many as they can, they have trained hard to become part of the Medical Evacuation Transport Squadron and are based in Sicily they have been running successful missions and saving many wounded soldiers lives when weather stops their missions, the army plans a different mission where a bigger group of nurses and medics fly in a sky trooper to collect the injured, but this mission goes wrong and they are shot down and crash land behind enemy lines in Albania.

With no communication a few go out on a search and they are found and given given help from local partisans but can they trust them to keep them safe from the Germans, they are constantly on the move with no food and very little water moving from one safe village to another, they are all struggling mentally and with their physical health but Vita, Dot and Evelyn continue to be strong and push everyone on when they finally find some help from a British SOE soldier and maybe this just might be the answer to their prayers to get home.

This story if filled with emotion, I felt their pain and fear as they marched through the forest in the bitter cold, Evelyn working hard with the British officer James to keep everyone walking and being as positive as they needed to be and Vita and the pilot of the plane Bobby where there to support as well. There is danger at every turn and still these woman show courage and strength to get where they needed to go through heart break and sorrow.

This really is an awesome story one that I loved so much there are some beautiful romances along the way in such tough times but sheer determination and hope get them through in a beautiful story, one that I would highly recommend.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review.

This book tells the true story of a plane full of medics and nurses that crashed in Albania during WWII, and their fate during the more than two months that they were missing in that country. Even though is a fiction book it follows accurately the story and this makes it an excellent historical fiction book.

As with all of the other books by Soraya M. Lane once you start reading it you cannot put it down until you reach the end, and very important, don't miss reading the author's notes, they are as good as the book.

It is important to write, read and learn about the women contribution to the war efforts, and not just the actions by the women that stepped up in the country, but the courageous ones that were in the frontlines of the war in Europe, in this case the Medical Air Evacuation Squadron, without them thousands of soldiers would have die of their wounds. Their story, at least for me, is an unknown one but not for that a less heroic one. It's about time to give them the recognition that they deserve.

Soraya M Lane is fast becoming one of my must read authors. Her books are always emotional and powerful and this book, Under a Sky of Memories is no different.
Brilliant style and author voice. Touching moments and strong characters fill this story.
Very enjoyable!

Love this author. Such a good story with very likeable characters. Nurses, Vita, Evelyn and Dot join a Medical Air Evac. Transport Squadron (MAETS) in Italy during WWII. Following the characters experiences and feelings during this time is so interesting. I think the author has really done her research.

I’ve read many of Soraya Lane’s books and really liked most. This one, however, does not rank among my favorites. It’s good, but not great.

I was intrigued by the premise which was based on a real event. I love WWII historical fiction, but this was the first I’d read of the MAETS and Albania, and I was fascinated by both. I felt like this one had a slow start, but it got much better after the plane crash. Furthermore, I always enjoy alternating POVs which I think provide a lot of interest to a story and allow the reader to really get to know those characters better. And most of the characters were interesting with complex back stories and emotions.

On the flip side, I really did not find Vita to be a likable character; she seemed rather shallow, whiny, and flat to me. Additionally, it seemed like some of the scenarios were rather unlikely (e.g., the pilots taking 2 female nurses on the recon missions instead of 2 men) which I found to be a was a detriment. Furthermore, part of the ending was disappointing ; I truly wished one of the couples had a happier ending sooner.

All in all a good read, but not the best of Soraya Lane.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a copy of this book.

Soraya has done it again. I shouldn't even be surprised at the intricacies she weaves into her historical fiction that depict the reality that women faced during World War II.

This is an incredible story of 3 Medivac nurses that helped airlift hundreds of men to safety that otherwise would have perished due to their injuries from being on the front lines. After their plane goes down behind enemy lines in Albania, they are forced to trust local Albanians in a small village near the crash. They are almost immediately forced to move to escape The beautiful, intimate details of their strive to survive, relationships built and torn apart and the amazing lives of those that risked everything to help them escape amongst Nazi-occupied land.

As usual, I'm in a post-book recovery mode and eagerly anticipating the next.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my review.
Under a Sky of Memories was a engrossing read that I did not want to put down. Before reading this book I had never heard of the Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron so I found this book to be very interesting. This is the second book of Soraya M Lane's that I have read and I adore how she is able to take real events from history and retell them masterfully through the eyes of strong fictional heroines. In Under a Sky of Memories, nurturing Evelyn, shy Dot, and life of the party Vita are flight nurses who find themselves thrust into a harrowing fight for survival after a military aircraft crash puts them into enemy territory during the height of WWII. This was a story of survival, hope, faith and love that left me on the edge of my seat and one I truly enjoyed reading.

At times during the book I couldn't help feel the story was far fetched so was gobsmacked at the end to read it was based on truth! Sorry for doubting you!

The three main female characters were all very likeable and easy to relate to. Equally so the main male characters were the same especially Eddie who I imagined to be good looking and with a heart of gold!

The book was well written and descriptive as Soraya's always are. I knew a little about Albania during the war having read another novel about the country helping the Jewish. It seems that much of the nation had a heart of gold helping and sharing what they had.

Highly recommended to others - my only niggle was not knowing whether Vita's family accepted her back and how Evelyn's family had faired.

A fantastic read, facts and fiction perfectly combined, brilliant characters, I devoured this book and will be recommending this to everyone. Looking forward to more books by this author