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Soaring Home
Small-town girl Darcy Shea aspires to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. All she needs is a plane, flight lessons-and the luck to avoid marriage. A husband would never allow her to fly, let alone truly soar. When test pilot Jack Hunter crash-lands practically in her backyard, her prayers seem answered…almost. The dashing aviator won't let her near his plane-or reveal the real reason he's keeping her grounded. But Darcy won't give up until both their dreams come true. And even after conquering the wild blue yonder, she may find that love is truly the greatest adventure of all.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2010
291 people want to read
About the author
Christine Johnson
19 books145 followersChristine Johnson grew up in small-town Michigan, where tales rise taller than old-growth forest. God blessed her with a love of story, which led to publication with Love Inspired Historical and Revell. When not at the computer keyboard, she loves to quilt and explore God’s majestic creation.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 12, 2016
I absolutely loved this book about headstrong Darcy Shea, whose dream is to fly, and the wonderful Jack Hunter, who helps Darcy realize her dreams both in the air and on the ground. Loved Darcy and Jack, and the secondary cast was wonderful. I also enjoyed reading about the time period (1918-1919) this book was set in. I'm looking forward to reading more from Christine Johnson in the future.
February 17, 2012
Loved, loved, loved this book. The time period is refreshing, the heroine is smart and appropriately angsty for her situation and the hero is loveable. Add the snappy dialogue into the mix and you have a wonderful book. I'm so impressed with Soaring Home. I can't wait to read more from Christine Johnson!
February 24, 2011
Love the story! Jack is definitely a dashing hero and Darcy is the epitome of an independent woman! She wants to be the first female to make the first transatlantic crossing, but she has a tough road ahead of her throughout the book as the story unfolds. Women weren't meant to fly, they were meant to have homes and take care of children. The setting is perfect for this story because Darcy is a woman who goes against the flow of thinking. It's the new age and women can do well at flying, just like men. The sparks fly when she meets Jack, a pilot, who happens to land in her hometown after testing a new model. The banter and attraction that they have makes the story come alive and you can't wait to see how it all unfolds. just when you think you have it figured out, you get thrown for a twist here or there in the plot. In the end, both come realize that trusting God for everything, including keeping loved ones safe and what to do for the rest of you life, is what matters most. Love for the Father and love for each other is what gets them through the hard times.
June 1, 2011
This story was quick to read, interesting throughout, and had very realistic, well-developed characters. I loved the main character, Darcy, and her passion for aviation, independence, strength, and faith. The historical details about flight during the early 1900's made the book go quickly for me, as I love historical fiction.
December 12, 2010
I love aviation stories, and this one hit a homerun. I liked Jack and Darcy a lot. No spoilers, but it's got a rock solid ending. Read and enjoy!
April 22, 2011
Title: SOARING HOME
Author: Christine Johnson
Publisher: Love Inspired Historical
November 2010
ISBN: 978-0-373-82848-7
Genre: Inspirational/Historical romance
Darcy Shea has a love affair with aeroplanes. She dreams of being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. All she needs is a plane, flight lessons, a man willing to teach her, and to avoid the shackles of marriage, because a husband would never allow her to fly.
Jack Hunter is a test pilot, and when his engine locks up, he lands in Darcy’s small town. He is shocked by the number of news hungry people, including Darcy, chasing him around as he attempts to contact his mechanic and get out of there. And he definitely won’t let a woman’s libber like Darcy anywhere near his plane—not for a flight, not for lessons, not for anything.
Darcy is determined that what she wants she will get what she wants—and what she wants she usually gets. But what is the real reason Jack Hunter is keeping her grounded? Will she realize her dreams?
SOARING HOME is the debut novel by Ms. Christine Johnson. It is set during 1918 and the story takes place in Michigan (a point in it’s favor). It is war time and all the good men are off fighting, leaving the no-accounts, and physically challenged ones home. Darcy’s friend is engaged to be married (I missed the reason her fiancé isn’t off at war) and she’s saying that no one believes Darcy can’t find a boyfriend because of the war… I found that unbelievable.
Jack isn’t at war, and Darcy is instantly attracted to him, but she wants his story (for the newspaper) and she wants a plane ride and lessons, and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Jack seems like a really nice hero, a bit stunned and shell-shocked perhaps, to have landed in the town he did, where everyone trailed him and he couldn’t breathe without someone trying to get his story or a flight. But he reacted well. Strong, courageous, and still nice in a firm sort of way. He was also a real gentleman, acting completely courteous. I liked Jack a lot. Darcy, I didn’t care much for. She was too bossy and overbearing for my taste. However, if you like super strong heroines in your historicals, then you will love SOARING HOME. Available at www.cbd.com, www.amazon.com, and www.steeplehill.com. Discussion questions are available at the end. $5.50. 282 pages.
Author: Christine Johnson
Publisher: Love Inspired Historical
November 2010
ISBN: 978-0-373-82848-7
Genre: Inspirational/Historical romance
Darcy Shea has a love affair with aeroplanes. She dreams of being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. All she needs is a plane, flight lessons, a man willing to teach her, and to avoid the shackles of marriage, because a husband would never allow her to fly.
Jack Hunter is a test pilot, and when his engine locks up, he lands in Darcy’s small town. He is shocked by the number of news hungry people, including Darcy, chasing him around as he attempts to contact his mechanic and get out of there. And he definitely won’t let a woman’s libber like Darcy anywhere near his plane—not for a flight, not for lessons, not for anything.
Darcy is determined that what she wants she will get what she wants—and what she wants she usually gets. But what is the real reason Jack Hunter is keeping her grounded? Will she realize her dreams?
SOARING HOME is the debut novel by Ms. Christine Johnson. It is set during 1918 and the story takes place in Michigan (a point in it’s favor). It is war time and all the good men are off fighting, leaving the no-accounts, and physically challenged ones home. Darcy’s friend is engaged to be married (I missed the reason her fiancé isn’t off at war) and she’s saying that no one believes Darcy can’t find a boyfriend because of the war… I found that unbelievable.
Jack isn’t at war, and Darcy is instantly attracted to him, but she wants his story (for the newspaper) and she wants a plane ride and lessons, and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Jack seems like a really nice hero, a bit stunned and shell-shocked perhaps, to have landed in the town he did, where everyone trailed him and he couldn’t breathe without someone trying to get his story or a flight. But he reacted well. Strong, courageous, and still nice in a firm sort of way. He was also a real gentleman, acting completely courteous. I liked Jack a lot. Darcy, I didn’t care much for. She was too bossy and overbearing for my taste. However, if you like super strong heroines in your historicals, then you will love SOARING HOME. Available at www.cbd.com, www.amazon.com, and www.steeplehill.com. Discussion questions are available at the end. $5.50. 282 pages.
June 16, 2011
Soaring Home was an intriguing historical category romance with all of the required elements that make the story worth reading. I enjoyed learning about the history of flight in the early 1900s and the way people flew early model airplanes. That sounded pretty flimsy since they were made of wood and fuel would spray from the engine onto the pilot's goggles. Ew.
Each time Jack and Darcy flew was quite an adventure. The hero had a lot of good qualities and the romantic tension was sufficient to keep the plot moving. The heroine was enthusiastic about flying to the point that her headstrong ways were almost annoying. Then again, the current trend seems to be making heroines very assertive and strong in historical novels. I'm not convinced that women were indeed that aggressive and headstrong, but maybe people want to believe that about the past. Anyway, the story had a lot of adventure and danger. The first few kisses were warm enough to steam my goggles. Just kidding.
There weren't many dry moments in this book, which is good for a LI novel. I tend to skim them when things get dull or drag on and on. I thought the minor characters were note-worthy and well-developed, too. I grew pretty attached to them. The ending was a tad corny in places, but some parts were sweet and heart-warming. This story was a quick read even with some stereotypical elements required for category romances. I'd probably read another book by this author. Her plotting was detailed and interesting, and the dialog, for the most part, was believable.
Each time Jack and Darcy flew was quite an adventure. The hero had a lot of good qualities and the romantic tension was sufficient to keep the plot moving. The heroine was enthusiastic about flying to the point that her headstrong ways were almost annoying. Then again, the current trend seems to be making heroines very assertive and strong in historical novels. I'm not convinced that women were indeed that aggressive and headstrong, but maybe people want to believe that about the past. Anyway, the story had a lot of adventure and danger. The first few kisses were warm enough to steam my goggles. Just kidding.
There weren't many dry moments in this book, which is good for a LI novel. I tend to skim them when things get dull or drag on and on. I thought the minor characters were note-worthy and well-developed, too. I grew pretty attached to them. The ending was a tad corny in places, but some parts were sweet and heart-warming. This story was a quick read even with some stereotypical elements required for category romances. I'd probably read another book by this author. Her plotting was detailed and interesting, and the dialog, for the most part, was believable.
February 15, 2011
Small-town girl Darcy Shea fell in love with airplanes when she attended a Chicago flight show and her passion became to fly. When pilot Jack Hunter had to land a test plane in her hometown, she feels that fate has sent him her way. With determination and faith, Darcy intends to learn to fly; what she doesn't intend is to fall in love with Jack Hunter.
October 16, 2010
I have just finished this book, I thought Jack and his little fiesty lady who wanted to fly so badly would never get together, I like the fact that the author chose to make him have issues with his faith and how it was finally resolved in the end. Good story
February 14, 2011
A heart-warming romance about a pilot and a young woman who dreams of flying. Not overly preachy, but still with strong faith elements. Reasonably well written--not brilliant, but a nice light read. The ending surprised me a little but wrapped up nicely.
June 19, 2024
Starts out well with a young lady determined to become a pilot and her desire for adventure being misunderstood by her family, two plane crashes later she decides that she is in love with her instructor and all those things she thought she didn't want like marriage and family suddenly seem a whole lot more appealing. Okay but not outstanding, not much of a romance and not really an adventure more about learning to value what you have than anything else.
January 20, 2022
I love historical romances but this was slow reading and within a couple of chapters, you could guess the ending.
Darcy’s dream is to fly across the Atlantic Ocean and never get married. Lucy does get to fly and on the way she falls in love and gets married
Darcy’s dream is to fly across the Atlantic Ocean and never get married. Lucy does get to fly and on the way she falls in love and gets married
December 11, 2017
Set just after WWII, a young woman dreams of flying. Romance and adventure.
August 6, 2014
If you were to look at the aviation industry as if it were a human being, growing and aging like one, then Soaring Home takes us back to when aviation was just learning to toddle on its chubby little legs. WWI has just ended. Planes are up there, but they're solely for military use or very short flights--barn storming. Long distance hasn't been done yet, but the Wright brothers have done their thing and Glenn Curtiss is struggling to create what will be the aviation industry.
While we follow this spunky heroine, Darcy, as she learns to fly and dreams of making the transatlantic flight (as does the hero), the book name drops some of the most fascinating names in aviation history.
Please see my blog post to learn more about the people mentioned. http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2014/...
The story itself is about Darcy and Jack--both fictional. Darcy wants to fly and Jack can teach her, but Darcy is constantly waylaid by her demanding family. (I really don't see why she should care for her sister's kids when it's her sister who keeps getting knocked up, but things were different back then.) Even Jack doesn't like the idea of women flying.
While I liked how persistent Darcy is, at the same time she also began to come across as nagging. Three-fourths into the story she began getting on my nerves. I felt like she was pushing Jack into the transatlantic flight, that it was all about her, not him achieving his dream, 'cause he didn't seem to want it as much as her. Do I understand it, her desire to make history? Yes, I do, very much, but at the same time it's obvious she's totally not prepared and has no patience. I can't get into too much detail about this without spoilers.
The book is filled with aviation stuff, from rudders to over-oiled engines, to the importance of NOT grabbing your yoke for balance, just all kinds of things as these two prepare for this transatlantic flight that may never happen...and at the same time they both resist their love for each other. Her because she knows he won't let his wife fly and she doesn't want to be under a man's thumb and he because he's just not the marrying type...
Though a Christian fiction, the book doesn't tend to be really religious. There's merely some spots here and there in which the heroine is upset that the hero doesn't go to church and in which it's thought that "God wants me to do this; God wants me to do that". Though only mentioned about three or four times, I didn't care for the anti-drinking message. For the millionth time, what is the deal with alcohol? Plenty of darned good people (who may even go to church!) enjoy a drink after a hard day's work...and they deserve it!
Wasn't too keen on the ending much at all.
While we follow this spunky heroine, Darcy, as she learns to fly and dreams of making the transatlantic flight (as does the hero), the book name drops some of the most fascinating names in aviation history.
Please see my blog post to learn more about the people mentioned. http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2014/...
The story itself is about Darcy and Jack--both fictional. Darcy wants to fly and Jack can teach her, but Darcy is constantly waylaid by her demanding family. (I really don't see why she should care for her sister's kids when it's her sister who keeps getting knocked up, but things were different back then.) Even Jack doesn't like the idea of women flying.
While I liked how persistent Darcy is, at the same time she also began to come across as nagging. Three-fourths into the story she began getting on my nerves. I felt like she was pushing Jack into the transatlantic flight, that it was all about her, not him achieving his dream, 'cause he didn't seem to want it as much as her. Do I understand it, her desire to make history? Yes, I do, very much, but at the same time it's obvious she's totally not prepared and has no patience. I can't get into too much detail about this without spoilers.
The book is filled with aviation stuff, from rudders to over-oiled engines, to the importance of NOT grabbing your yoke for balance, just all kinds of things as these two prepare for this transatlantic flight that may never happen...and at the same time they both resist their love for each other. Her because she knows he won't let his wife fly and she doesn't want to be under a man's thumb and he because he's just not the marrying type...
Though a Christian fiction, the book doesn't tend to be really religious. There's merely some spots here and there in which the heroine is upset that the hero doesn't go to church and in which it's thought that "God wants me to do this; God wants me to do that". Though only mentioned about three or four times, I didn't care for the anti-drinking message. For the millionth time, what is the deal with alcohol? Plenty of darned good people (who may even go to church!) enjoy a drink after a hard day's work...and they deserve it!
Wasn't too keen on the ending much at all.
May 25, 2013
Of course, she had me at the cover! I love flying stories and the intrepid heroine, so determined to learn to fly in an age when women were still barred from so much, makes it even better. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and loved how Ms. Johnson put me right in the time and place so naturally.
July 3, 2012
Loved how the story focused on thinking and doing for others before yourself. How easy it is not to and how it can be easy to when you take the focus off yourself.
August 24, 2013
Enjoyable easy read
August 7, 2014
Love this book. Enjoyed the interaction between Darcy and Jack.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews