Blue Skies by Ali Vali is a book that I bought a while back, but because I knew the sequel (Stormy Seas) would soon be published, I waited until now to read it. This book is an action packed adventure centered around two main characters, Commander Berkley (Cletus) Levine, a Top Gun pilot and instructor, and Captain Aidan Sullivan, the first woman to be assigned to the helm of the newest aircraft carrier, The USS Jefferson. Berkley and Aidan know each other since they were once lovers years ago. Now Aidan recruits Berkley to head an elite group of Top Gun fliers on a secret and dangerous mission in the Sea of Japan.
This book starts out a bit slow, but I can understand why. This is the first book of what will be a series, and the readers have to learn not only who the characters are, but their back stories. Since the main characters have a history that began about eight years before this story starts, that is a lot of information to get through. The action picks up about a third of the way through, and then we have a true Ali Vali adventure full of danger, suspense, and steamy romance. This is not a slow-burn romance. The love story weaves its way through most of the book, and is a main element of the tale. Those of you who need romance to be a part of your adventure stories will not be disappointed.
I guess I could count this as a Fall Back Friday review that I’m posting a couple of days early since the book was originally published in 2009. I’m very glad that I waited until now to read this book since the ending doesn’t really end, but just sets the scene for the sequel coming out this May, 2019. If I’d had to wait ten years to continue this tale, I think by now Ms. Vali would have been very tired of my pleas to hurry up with the sequel. Now is the perfect time to read Blue Skies, and I’m looking forward to reading Stormy Seas very soon.
You can get a copy of Blue Skies here.
Rainbow Reflections 