"ONLY THE EAGLE DARES" continues from where 'The Eagle and the Albatros' left off.

It is late July 1917. Willi Wissemann, formerly the commander of Jasta 23b (a Bavarian fighter unit), is recuperating at home with his mother following a harrowing escape from French captivity. Despite the difficulties he had faced following the crash of his plane deep in enemy territory, his capture, and treatment for the severe wounds he sustained in the crash, Wissemann is consumed by the desire to return to frontline flying. He almost doesn't make it, following an altercation with a superior officer which results in him being demoted and placed with another Jasta in the Champagne sector, flying against the French. Wissemann has issues with his Jastaführer, but manages to avoid getting into any serious trouble owing to his proven abilities to lead pilots into combat and his remarkable fighting prowess in the skies above the Western Front.

All the while, tragedy on a personal level dogs Wissemann seemingly at every turn. But by January 1918, Wissemann is on the rise again, having been promoted back to Hauptmann and placed in command of Jasta 23b again. Along the way, Wissemann has rubbed shoulders with Anthony Fokker, the famous Dutch aircraft designer, and Rittmeister Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen himself, Imperial Germany's top fighter ace and leader of JG-1, the most famous fighter wing in the Imperial German Air Service.

Wissemann bravely puts himself at risk every day he flies over the Front. His enemy is now the British and he is back in the Somme sector, where he first flew combat in 1916 as a 2-seater pilot on artillery spotting, bombing, and reconnaissance missions. Again, as in 'The Eagle and the Albatros', the aerial combat sequences in this novel are very well written and compelling. As a reader, I could almost hear the whine of machine gun bullets while violently manoeuvring my fighter plane, trying desperately to stay alive whilst determined to bring down an enemy plane.

Yet, there were other parts of the novel that could have used additional editing. And some of the characters were little more than thumbnail sketches or caricatures. That's why I give "ONLY THE EAGLE DARES" three (3) stars. It's a good yarn but with a little more editing, it could have been a much better crafted novel. (less)

"THE EAGLE AND THE ALBATROS" is a novel centered upon a Bavarian (Willi Wissemann) serving as an officer in the Imperial German Air Service during the First World War. In some respects, it bears a similarity to the novel, 'The Blue Max', which was a best-seller in the 1960s.

The story begins in the spring of 1916, when Wissemann, freshly graduated from flight school (where he showed himself to be a highly skilled pilot) and a brief stint in a Flugpark in Valenciennes (ferrying planes to and from active combat units) is assigned to a 2-seater unit tasked with carrying out photo-reconnaissance and artillery spotting missions on behalf of the Army at the Front opposite British forces in the Somme River valley. No sooner than Wisseman arrives at his unit, his commanding officer (who is on non-flying status owing to a wound he sustained in combat) puts him in charge of a mission against the enemy. That struck me as so utterly INAUTHENTIC! What commander in his right mind would put a newly arrived pilot --- who knows nothing about prevailing frontline conditions and may not be wholly proficient in flying the aircraft with which the unit is equipped --- in charge of leading a combat mission?! Automatically, the novel lost some credibility with me. (From the First World War pilot memoirs I've read, normally a new pilot was tasked with flying a series of 'familiarization flights' to get a feel of the area of the Front where the unit was stationed, as well as learning to fly in formation with his squadron mates before being permitted to fly combat patrols.)

Notwithstanding that, the story of Willi Wissemann's time at the Front -- first with a 2-seater unit and later as commander of a Bavarian fighter unit flying against the French in the Champagne sector of the Front during the winter and early spring of 1917 --- is well-told. Wissemann is roughly 10 years older than the average pilot (30 years old in 1917) and had previously served with a front-line infantry unit from the outset of the war. He was also fairly well-travelled, in a relationship with a woman from a well-born, influential family (whose father detested him because of his humble origins in Bavaria), and spoke fluent French. It was this language skill that would put Wissemann into a precarious position when he volunteers to take on a mission flying a spy by night deep into enemy territory which would cost him his freedom --- and possibly his life. To say more would throw out too many spoilers.

On the whole, I liked reading "THE EAGLE AND THE ALBATROS" and appreciated the author's insertion of a glossary containing a lot of aviation terms unique to both the First World War and the Imperial German Air Service. I also enjoyed the air combat sequences, which were highly descriptive and very well-written. What I didn't like was the depiction of Wissemann's sweetheart Ilse von Linkhof., She often came across as this two dimensional woman constantly pining for her man at the Front, with melodramatic emotions boiling over. I think the author should have developed her character more to give the reader a fully-realized, multi-faceted woman. Not a cardboard sketch of one. For that reason --- and a few others, including some spotty writing --- I can only rate "THE EAGLE AND THE ALBATROS" with 3 stars. On the whole, it's a good novel. But I felt it could have been much better.

Release Date: January 9, 2019

Cover Design: Kellie Dennis / Book Cover by Design

Synopsis:

Ollie

Word of advice: don’t come out to random guys in public restrooms. Even if they’re charming and adorably nerdy and offer to help. My family believe I can’t be happy if I’m not out to the world. I have a bitter ex-boyfriend and an unstable NHL career to show for it. A fake boyfriend seems like an easy and quick solution to get my family off my back, and this guy is volunteering. I take him up on it without asking his name. I really should’ve asked for his name.

Lennon

Word of advice: learn how to introduce yourself properly. In my defense, I don’t recognize Ollie Strömberg right away. I cover football, not hockey. I’m not supposed to see him again, and he’s never supposed to find out I’m a reporter. That all changes when my editor reassigns me. It’s a lesson I should’ve learned by now. Nothing’s changed since high school. Jocks still hate nerds. But even worse, athletes hate journalists. Especially ones who know their secret.  

UNIVERSAL Amazon link

http://geni.us/DekeFakeBoyfriend

Goodreads

Deke by Eden Finley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is book #3, in the Fake Boyfriend series. This book can be read as a standalone novel. For reader understanding, and to avoid spoilers, I recommend reading this awesome series in order.

Ollie & Lennon AKA "Clark" meet in one of the most unusual ways possible. Then they agree to try to fool everyone that they are dating. Seems the only fooling is for themselves.

Lennon finds himself wanting a real relationship with the amazing Ollie. Knowing it is just a pipe dream, he enjoys every moment he can. Can he convince his fake boyfriend to try for real?

This was such a sexy book right from the start. I loved the characters and found them utterly charming. Like all books in the series, each page got devoured and I could not put it down. This author is definitely an automatic purchase for me now.


***This ARC copy was given in exchange for an honest review only.

View all my reviews

Available Now:

Fake Out (Book Boyfriend Book One)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2pnjh27

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2FWRFtY

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2phmXSD

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2pjyJv9

Trick Play (Fake Boyfriend Book Two)

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2tvwkR0

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2Ks0XAi

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2tEc4f7

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2KrmoP2

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b1257f8d407/?

About the Author:

Eden Finley is an Amazon bestselling author who writes steamy contemporary romances that are full of snark and light-hearted fluff.

She doesn’t take anything too seriously and lives to create an escape from real life for her readers. The ideas always begin with a wackadoodle premise, and she does her best to turn them into romances with heart. With a short attention span that rivals her five-year-old son's, she writes multiple different pairings: MM, MMF, and MF. She's also an Australian girl and apologises for her Australianisms that sometimes don't make sense to anyone else.  

Connect with Eden:

Newsletter Sign Up: http://bit.ly/2owAsgY

Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/2GMjfag

Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2t1KqM4

Goodreads Author Page: http://bit.ly/2ouFzya

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2HQnyCv

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2EV9Roi

BookBub Author Page: http://bit.ly/2ouhBDq

This is book #3, in the Fake Boyfriend series.  This book can be read as a standalone novel.  For reader understanding, and to avoid spoilers, I recommend reading this awesome series in order.

Ollie & Lennon AKA "Clark" meet in one of the most unusual ways possible.  Then they agree to try to fool everyone that they are dating.  Seems the only fooling is for themselves.

Lennon finds himself wanting a real relationship with the amazing Ollie.  Knowing it is just a pipe dream, he enjoys every moment he can.  Can he convince his fake boyfriend to try for real?

This was such a sexy book right from the start.  I loved the characters and found them utterly charming.  Like all books in the series, each page got devoured and I could not put it down.  This author is definitely an automatic purchase for me now.  I give this story a 4/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

***This ARC copy was given in exchange for an honest review only.

Release Date: January 9, 2018

Cover Design: Kellie Dennis / Book Cover by Design

Synopsis

Ollie

Word of advice: don’t come out to random guys in public restrooms. Even if they’re charming and adorably nerdy and offer to help. My family believe I can’t be happy if I’m not out to the world. I have a bitter ex-boyfriend and an unstable NHL career to show for it. A fake boyfriend seems like an easy and quick solution to get my family off my back, and this guy is volunteering. I take him up on it without asking his name. I really should’ve asked for his name.

Lennon

Word of advice: learn how to introduce yourself properly. In my defense, I don’t recognize Ollie Strömberg right away. I cover football, not hockey. I’m not supposed to see him again, and he’s never supposed to find out I’m a reporter. That all changes when my editor reassigns me. It’s a lesson I should’ve learned by now. Nothing’s changed since high school. Jocks still hate nerds. But even worse, athletes hate journalists. Especially ones who know their secret.  

Goodreads

Excerpt:

Available Now:

Fake Out (Book Boyfriend - Book One)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2pnjh27

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2FWRFtY

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2phmXSD

Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2pjyJv9

Trick Play (Fake Boyfriend - Book Two)

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2tvwkR0

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2Ks0XAi

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2tEc4f7

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2KrmoP2

Giveaway:

One of Five ARC's for Deke (Fake Boyfriend Book 3)

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b1257f8d394/?

About the Author:

Eden Finley is an Amazon bestselling author who writes steamy contemporary romances that are full of snark and light-hearted fluff.

She doesn’t take anything too seriously and lives to create an escape from real life for her readers. The ideas always begin with a wackadoodle premise, and she does her best to turn them into romances with heart. With a short attention span that rivals her five-year-old son's, she writes multiple different pairings: MM, MMF, and MF. She's also an Australian girl and apologises for her Australianisms that sometimes don't make sense to anyone else.  

Connect with Eden:

Newsletter Sign Up: http://bit.ly/2owAsgY

Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/2GMjfag

Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2t1KqM4

Goodreads Author Page: http://bit.ly/2ouFzya

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2HQnyCv

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2EV9Roi

BookBub Author Page: http://bit.ly/2ouhBDq