Based on a true story When We Had Wings is a historical tale of nurses and the danger and deception they face during the war.

From three bestselling authors comes an interwoven tale about a trio of World War II nurses stationed in the South Pacific who wage their own battle for freedom and survival.
In this sweeping story based on the true experiences of nurses dubbed "the Angels of Bataan," three women shift in and out of each other's lives through the darkest days of the war, buoyed by their unwavering friendship and distant dreams of liberation.

Overall 4 stars
Writing Quality 8/10
Image / Illustration Quality 8/10
Character Development 8/10
"Couldn't Put It Down"-ness 8/10
Intellectual Depth 9/10
Originality 9/10

I had a 6 hour. drive that I was going to make and knew that it was this book that I would want to start. It kept me engaged the whole time and I couldn't wait to find the time to listen to the rest of it. I'm not sure how these women survived being POWs but they did and their bond with each other never waivered.

I struggled to get into this book for a bit. I was having a hard time getting the “who is who” down. Once I got beyond that, I enjoyed the book quite a lot. I always love reading about women being bad*ss ladies who save the day. I also really enjoyed that we see more sides of the war. Typically we only hear about white peoples experiences, so getting to hear from Filipino Women and their experience was amazing. If you’re looking to be inspired and educated and awed all at once, When We Had Wings is for you!

I loved this WWII historical fiction book. It tells the story of US nurses in the Philippines during WWII. After the invasion of the Philippines by the Japanese, the nurses were separated and sent to different camps, where they did their best to nurse the sick and survive to see their friends and families again.
This is an gripping book with nonstop action. I highly recommend it, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

War is so ugly. As a reader, we are going to watch nurses go through some terrible things during WWII. What the reader sees over the course of the pages is friendship can carry you through dark, troubling times and bring you out with a bond that can never be broken. The book has three authors and in my head, I felt like each one took one of the characters and wrote her story. Each woman has a different feel, but an underlying bond that I found myself adoring. While I am not as familiar with the work of Ms. McMorris, I am very acquainted with Ms. Lawhon and Ms. Meissner is at the top of my favorite authors list right now, so I can tell you that if you like WWII historical fiction, you will like this one.

I am sorry for my delay on this one, my copy of the book kept making my Kindle close and so it slowed me up a bit.

Atmospheric, and a wonderful read.
Many thanks to Harper Muse and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A great historical fiction focusing on the value and importance of friendship. It was a quick read and a good story.


I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Absolutely unbelievable story! I was completely moved by every part of the story. I'm so glad they shared about these amazing Angels of Bataan, and I now have a whole slew of books I want to read about them.

I enjoyed reading When We Had Wings by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner. The characters in these stores will warm your hearts. Happy Reading!
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

When we had wings, is one of those stories that you cannot identify what is real and what is fiction, this is one of those books that literally make you feel like you're watching a slow movie gathering the stories slowly unfolding each character story for you to feel and relive.

When we had wings, is not only about war is about friendship and the value this has in such a terrible time when everybody is looking to save themselves and rarely have the time to see for others, this is the case of these three women who happened to meet at Manila, three nurses who helped many but suffered greatly with the lack of food and safety, but always trying to be there to help those in need.

The only thing that I didn't really like about the story or the way it was written was it was way too slow, they describe every detail way too much and that kind of makes the story tedious, that's t only reason I gave this book 4 stars because I couldn't with the slowness of the words.

I really disliked the way they were treated by the Japanese, they didn't care about any convention agreement, or even if they were women, it was as if they were only an obstacle to remove from their war.

The story of three brave nurses during the worst moment in human history WWII, Eleanor, Penny, and Lita will suffer a lot but also will gain a lot during these hardships they gain true friendships that will lead them to save many, their bravery and courageous work did so much for the wounded.

Definitely a great story and book to share and enjoy and feel the amazing friendship of these brave women.

On a side note, I would definitely have loved it if I had the chance to hear the audio version of this book as I love Saskia Maarleveld her narration always gives so much to the story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Muse for the advanced copy of When We Had Wings in exchange for my honest review.

An absolutely brilliant story from start-to-finish.

I' wondered how jarring it would be as I knew each of the three characters was penned by a different author. But I think that contributed to the point-of-view each author presented. I know little about the plight of the those who were imprisoned in the Philippines. during WW2, but the graphic portrayals given provided a vivid picture of piece of history that I know was well-researched.

I received the book in ebook form courtesy of NetGalley, but I so enjoyed it so much that I will be picking up a paperback version for a copy.

I chose this book as I enjoyed reading about wwII but i didn’t bank on the detail given regarding how the Japanese treated the p.o,w.’s.
It is based on the friendship of three nurses Penny who was an army nurse, Eleanor aNavy nurse and Letitia a civilian nurse.
As they are moved around camps, convent the details are fascinating.
Personally I found it rather long, this in no way detracts from the factual side.

I very much enjoyed this historical fiction novel based in the Phillipines during WWII.

Three nurses meet in Manila in 1941. They become fast friends. When the Japanese invade the Phillipines after Pearl Harbor, the nurses are separated and become the first female prisoners of war.

I have not read much about the war in the Phillipines, so what I read was new to me. The Japanese were very cruel to their captives. They starved the prisoners because they did not want to spend money on food. Worse still, they let Red Cross Care packages rot as a means of punishing the prisoners. Sadly, some of these prisoners were merchants from the US passing through Manila; they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The book is about cruelty during war but also about the friendships between U.S. Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, U.S. Army nurse Penny Franklin, and Filipina nurse Lita Capel. Their care for each other and the travails they suffered touched me.

4 stars

When We Had Wings by Kristina McMorris, Susan Meissner and Ariel Lawhon, was first announced, I knew I had to read it the moment it came out. This trio are among my favorite historical fiction novelists. And I can assure you, they did not disappoint.

I learned so much from this book. I had no idea about these nurses and their bravery as they were kept hostage during the war. I knew little about Japan’s role in trying to earn control of the Philippines. Did I miss this during history class? Or did these authors uncover a little-known fact about the war and bring it to the page. I suppose the latter. This is why I love historical fiction!

The story was told in three distinctive POVs, each written by a different author. Each voice was unique and gave credibility to the characters. These women and men survived through crazy difficult conditions yet chose to make the best of it every single day. Themes of friendship, resilience and a touch of romance were threaded through the book.

This will make an awesome book club discussion pick.

This was a very good story about the friendships formed during horrific events of WWII and the conditions that these women (and others) were forced to endure.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Muse for this advanced readers copy.

When We Had Wings delves into the unknown side of women in the world wars. Naval nurses in the Philippines during the height of POW camps. The three women, though very different, forge an unbreakable friendship that lasts for years, and through some of the darkest moments in history.

This is an incredibly well researched novel, and the information was so neatly slotted into the story that I didn’t need to pause to look up any dates or Wikipedia pages. I do wish there had been a warning as there are very graphic scenes that I wasn’t entirely prepared for.

I would recommend this to anyone who has read any sort of historical fiction set during WWII and is looking for another undiscovered woman in history. Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Muse and the authors for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Historical fiction written by three capable authors, this novel flowed well and featured three strong female characters who each has an interesting story. Although some of the war scenes are hard to read, the subject matter is well-researched and important to remember. I thought the structure of the novel - using the friendship between the three women - was brilliant.

Look, this is a hard book, I'm not going to sugar coat it. It gave me anxiety attacks, there were tears, and maybe a couple of smiles, but they were so early in the book, I don't remember. There are characters who make it, and some who don't. I wish they all made it, but that's not the nature of war.

I read this book in about a day, I couldn't help but chew through it. I didn't know much leading into this book about the occupation of the Philippines, but this book had me so anxious over the characters, I had to do some side research to see how much longer they had to hold out.

Read this book. You won't regret it.

When We Had Wings is a collaboration between three popular women’s fiction authors, one of whom (Kristina McMorris) has written several heartwarming WWII-set stories. That alone had me excited to read this novel and the fact that Susan Meissner, a personal favorite, is another contributor was the cherry on top for me. Perhaps my resultant expectations were too high but this book wound up being very disappointing.Eleanor Lindstrom needs to flee Minnesota. She’s fallen for a man whose heart belongs to another and now her only choice is to leave the country and start over, as one apparently does after such a mistake. When she becomes a Navy nurse and is transferred to Manila, she feels extremely lucky. Not only is she literally on an island paradise, she’s made two terrific new friends who have helped her (somewhat) recapture her joie de vivre.

Penny Franklin has suffered enough tragedy to last a lifetime. Joining the Army nursing corps is her chance to begin again and she is thrilled when she is transferred from her home state of Texas to beautiful Manila in the Philippines. She’s confident she can escape the pain of her past in the festive, lively atmosphere of the lovely island.

The loss of her parents had left Lita Capel, a beautiful Filipina, a virtual orphan. Becoming a nurse and working at a U.S. armed forces hospital is her ticket to a better life. Eventually, she’ll be able to join her sisters in the States, find a career path she enjoys more than her present one and perhaps even find love. For now, however, she is just glad to have good friends like Penny and Eleanor to help her get through the hard days until her dreams come true.

The Pacific Theater was supposed to be the safe, secure part of the war-torn world. The Americans had been confident their entrance into the conflict would ensure a swift Allied victory. As the old saying goes, pride often goes before the fall. Which is exactly what happens to the Philippines – U.S. armed forces find themselve forced first to retreat, then evacuate the islands as they fall into enemy (Japanese) hands, leaving many nurses, support personnel, civilians and troops behind.

I have to laud the authors for tackling what has now become a familiar time period in a fresh way. Most WWII tales concentrate either on the European front, primarily England and France, or on the ‘war at home’ in the U.S, so it’s nice to see a representation of the Pacific Theater. I also have to give full credit to their historical research; while I am by no means an expert on this subject, the information given in the text is plentiful and matches the non-fiction accounts I’ve read about this arena.

But while the location and historicity offer a chance for some rich storytelling, the authors have missed that opportunity. Instead of the past providing a lush, exciting backdrop for the tale, this reads like a treatise on the horrors and the atrocities of the war. Fictional narrative as well as character and relationship building are often brushed aside to make room for events and details of daily life that add little to the story except to remind readers of the violence and terrible conditions of PoW camps. The viewpoint of these events is also extremely myopic – the story is told very much from the American nurse/military viewpoint. Even Lita’s portion of the novel contains no uniquely Filipino perspective; we do see how the Japanese treated the island natives slightly better than European civilians and armed forces personnel, but never really explore what their lives were like. All we really observe (until close to the end) is Lita helping her American friends or being concerned with the Allied cause.

There are romances here but they are also subsumed by the detailed exploration of what is happening overall, as opposed to what is happening to the characters. The ladies spend very little time with the men they fall in love with and the guys are mere outlines rather than fully fleshed characters. In fairness, the three female leads aren’t much more than that themselves.

Another stumbling block is having the Filipina character be on “Lita time”. The early part of the story makes gentle mockery of the fact that Lita is always late. I expected this to become some sort of plot point – that her lateness saves her life or causes her to discover a big, important secret but instead it’s just dropped halfway through the narrative. Given that this particular critique is often lobbed at people of color in a racist manner, bringing it up and then doing absolutely nothing with it felt peculiar and frankly, made me uncomfortable enough that I thought it worth mentioning.

An additional irritant is how often the issue of bowing comes up in the story. In many cultures, even today, a light bob is seen as an act of courtesy, a deeper bow, a gesture of respect to someone in authority over you. The text makes it sound as though there is something inherently wrong with this custom.

One trigger warning – there are threats of rape and talk of exchanging sex for favors, which is pretty typical of a female-centric war tale. None of this is explored in detail.When We Had Wings reads like an odd amalgamation of real-life accounts of armed forces life in the occupied Philippines with some romance thrown in. It never really reads like women’s fiction and contains barely enough storyline to qualify for historical fiction. In spite of the unique subject matter, I can’t recommend this book.