The
Sky Above Us
by Sarah Sundin is a historical romance novel focusing more
on history than the romance. Throughout this series, she intertwines
World War II military history with a developing relationship.
The series follows three brothers who are all fighting in
Normandy. The first book highlighted Wyatt Paxton, the oldest,
who joined the navy. This one is about Adler Paxton, the middle
brother, who enlisted in the Air Force, and the next book
will emphasize the youngest Paxton brother, Clay, who is an
Army Ranger.
This story highlights how Lt. Adler Paxton has been numbed
by grief and is harboring shameful secrets while shipping
off to England on the Queen Elizabeth to fight with the US
357th Fighter Group in 1943. After arriving he battles the
German Luftwaffe in treacherous dogfights in the skies over
France as the Allies struggle for control of the air before
the D-day invasion. These scenes are authentic, intense, and
capture the struggles of the allied forces as they have dog-fights
over the skies of Normandy to protect the bombers.
“I wrote Adler as having joined the 357thfighter group.
I enjoyed writing the fighter pilot mentality. I read many
stories by those and was able to understand what it was like
when fighting on a mission. Chuck Yeager, the pilot who broke
the sound barrier, was in this group. He along with his peers
had a very lively and colorful memoir. He is rough around
the edges, very driven, ambitious, and competitive. Chivalrous
when he rescued Violet from this predatory type, Riggs who
had no boundaries at all. Adler's attitude is that no one
should have a right to just grab a strange woman and force
a kiss on her. I think Adler is two different personalities,
one gregarious and outgoing, and the other where he just shuts
down. Because of the tragedy, he experienced he tries to keep
a side of himself secret, which is a protective mechanism."
On the Queen Elizabeth, he meets Violet Lindstrom who serves
in the American Red Cross. Adler and Violet will reunite at
the Air Base where she is assigned the duties of entertaining
the troops at the Aeroclub and setting up programs for local
children As war rages and D-Day approaches, life has a way
of drawing two people together.
Sundin noted, "Receiving and giving forgiveness. What
does forgiveness mean? Adler wants a reconciliation but is
afraid it is not possible. He grieves for how he lost the
love of his family. Many times, people forgive to avoid the
bitterness in our own souls."
This story is about friendship, love, and life choices. It
delves into how a feeling of betrayal can lead to forgiveness
and the need for people to look within to find peace and happiness.
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