Review of Sarah Sundin's "In Perfect Time" by S. A. Black

Sarah Sundin’s World War II historical romance, In Perfect Time, is the final novel in the Wings of the Nightingale series.  Sarah expertly uses her talents to draw the reader into the World War II era with her penchant for detail. She manages to provide (in her words) “drama, daring and romance” into her books. Sarah skillfully weaves her story of the flight nurses efforts as well as the pilots who risked their lives to transport between Italy and southern France evacuating wounded and delivering supplies to hospitals.  She centers her story around the lives of two main characters: Army Air Force flight nurse Kay Johnson and C-47 pilot Roger Cooper.

Beautiful flirtatious Lt. Kay Johnson, driven by her memories of her father’s condescending words that she was unworthy of any love even from God, “he called her irredeemable”, collects men’s hearts across the European airfields. Kay is a good flight nurse and wants to pursue her career by attending the chief nursing school before the war ends, but her loose reputation as well as her inability to unify her group of six flight nurses could hinder her chances at being selected as a candidate.

Handsome daring pilot Lt. Roger Cooper, a musician at heart, dreams of making it big as a drummer in a Big Band after the war, but until that time he continues to fly C-47 planes flying the wounded, paratroopers, and supplies across Europe. Having given up his past life of being bad boy when he got saved, he is known as “preacher man” as he carries his Bible with him even on his flights. But his reputation for being “late all the time, writing sloppy reports, and pulling pranks on other pilots” doesn’t sit well with his squadron commander Major Bill Veerman, brother to Big Band Leader Hank Veerman. Roger determines to prove himself reliable, to gain the respect from his squadron commander and to receive a possible recommendation for a rehearsal with Veerman’s band in the states.

As Kay and Roger find themselves working side by side in their efforts to evacuate the wounded to safety, their relationship slowly develops. When Kay comes on strong to Roger, although captivated by Nurse Johnson, he avoids her advances, knowing her reputation of loving and leaving; although he can’t deny the respect he has for her skills and capabilities as an excellent flight nurse. 

I would very much recommend this book. It was very entertaining and informative of the WWII era. The plot was very well developed and kept me reading to the end. Future readings will most likely include her other novels prior to In Perfect Time.