Lesbian Book Review of ‘Blue Skies’ by Ali Vali

This book was published in 2009 and now, ten years later, the sequel has been released. So I went back and checked it out so I could read the next one (yes, I like to read in order!).

Berkley Levine is the top pilot in the Navy. She is stationed in Nebraska as a flight instructor when the woman she loved comes looking for her. Aidan Sullivan is at the helm of the Navy’s newest carrier the USS Jefferson after a new president with innovative policies has been elected. She has been assigned to carry out a very important international mission and as such, can handpick the soldiers that will accompany her. This means she has come to get the pilot and woman she left for her career a few years before.

‘Blue Skies’ has a little bit of everything. It is a lesbian romance but mostly an action tale. Berkley and Aidan are a good couple but I felt Berkley forgave Aidan rather quickly. Good for her, as I feel I would have been vindictive for far longer! In the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ era, these two high ranking officials seemed to take many chances in order to be together. The initial part of the book was a bit slow for my liking and seemed to drag. However, once the action started, it didn’t stop until the end.

I must say, the mission took me by surprise. The USS Jefferson has to carry out the bombing of the unsanctioned nuclear sites owned by, wait for it, North Korea. Not a surprise or an outlandish idea nowadays, but this was written 10 years ago! Now, I will admit I cannot remember if this was a topic of conversation back then, it probably was. However, the fact that it keeps being relevant and my gosh, right now, is fascinating to me.

There is also a change in the presidency that was a hot topic in the book just like, well, you know. All this makes this book seem way more relevant than it would be with any other countries in it. Ms. Vali resolves some plots in this book but the biggest one of all is unresolved, as clearly the book was meant to have one or more sequels. It makes me wonder if the current state of politics is what opened the window for the sequel so many years later.

The secondary characters are well done and fit the story well. There is a Korean pilot storyline that was developed but stopped being discussed and will no doubt need to be resumed in the second book, which I’m looking forward to reading.

Overall a good action packed story that will appeal to those who love the military and politics. 4 stars.