Blue Skies

Blue Skies #1

by Ali Vali

Commander Berkley Levine is content with her life as a Top Gun instructor in Fallon, Nevada, flying F-18s for the Navy and trying to get over the death of her sister. A change of government and a new equality initiative places Captain Aidan Sullivan at the helm of the Navy’s newest carrier, the USS Jefferson. Her first mission could have serious international consequences if she fails. Aidan’s orders are to destroy two sites housing the nuclear program of an unfriendly nation, and she can think of only one person she trusts enough to get the job her old lover Berkley.

Blue Skies will take you from Fallon, Nevada, to the Sea of Japan and beyond, as Berkley leads an elite group of pilots over enemy territory. As they embark on this adventure, Berkley and Aidan try to rediscover what they gave up for family, duty, and country.

Genres: Lesbian, LGBT, Lesbian Romance, Military Fiction, Adventure, Lesbian Fiction, Audiobook

300 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2009

About the author

Ali Vali is the author of the long-running Cain Casey "Devil" series and the Genesis Clan "Forces" series, as well as numerous standalone romances including two Lambda Literary Award finalists, Calling the Dead and Love Match, and her 2017 release, Beauty and the Boss. Ali also has a novella in the collection Girls with Guns.
Originally from Cuba, Ali has retained much of her family's traditions and language and uses them frequently in her stories. Having her father read her stories and poetry before bed every night as a child infused her with a love of reading, which she carries till today. Ali currently lives outside New Orleans, Louisiana, and she has discovered that living in Louisiana provides plenty of material to draw from in creating her novels and short stories.

Reviews

[Lex Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.50 Stars. For Fallback Friday I decided to read 2009’s Blue Skies by Ali Vali. This is actually a re-read for me. I read this a long time ago, I’m guessing about seven years ago and it was a 4 star book for me back then. The reason I decided to give this a re-read is because the sequel is finally coming out next month. Considering it was a decade between books, I never expected to see a book 2, but I am glad since the story was never finished. I didn’t feel I could give book 2 and accurate review without re-reading this first book. But better late than never, I’m glad Vali is finally giving us an ending.

I love military romances, but the reason I lowered my rating to a 3.50 the second time around is due to the romance. I just did not find that it held up as well as my memory remembered it. This is a second chance romance and I found the connection to be a little lacking. I liked the mains together but Vali’s romances are normally better than this in my opinion. The first quarter of the book was just talk of the characters relationship over and over and it was really repetitive. I also found that past hurts/baggage seemed to be forgiven really quickly. I wish Vali would have slowly built their spark and connection back up, then it would have been more believable and enjoyable.

Where this book is entertaining and fun is the action. This stars a Top Gun fighter pilot and all the scenes in the air were a lot of fun to read. There was plenty of excitement to keep me turning the pages. The romance is not horrible, but I would definitely recommend this book more for the action scenes.

This book does show its age with the talk about things like the Iraq war and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in place, but for the most part it worked alright. This could easily pass for a book written today that just happened to be placed in a time in our past. Because of how this book ends with no actual ending, I’m assuming book 2 will have to pick up right where this one left off. I would not make sense otherwise.

If you are planning to read Vali’s new book Stormy Seas, I highly recommend you read this one first. This is not one of Vali’s best but it is entertaining. I have my fingers crossed that Stormy Seas will be a lot of fun to read.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

Rainbow Reflections:
https://rainbowreflections.home.blog/

[Agirlcandream · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was fun. This book starts out reading like the female version of the movie Top Gun and I was all in for the action, adventure and cocky confidence of Commander Berkely Levine and her love interest Captain Aidan Sullivan. What impressed me more was how the story morphed into a serious look at political power and how it can be wielded to overthrow a democracy. I had to look up the publishing date of this original story (2009) to appreciate fully the foresight this author had in predicting future events in American history and the men who hope to forcefully return that country to a right wing, conservative autocracy.

Spot on with your crystal ball Ms Vali. On to the second book in this series, Stormy Seas

[Karin A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ali Vali has a fierceness with which she writes about love. I saw it in the Devil series and again in this book. Love and family is something she makes her characters feel and breathe in the most intense way possible.
Combine that with an exiting mission and some inland terrorism and we’ve got ourselves a winner.
Had a great read.

[Kexx · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, OK, totally my fault: this is part one in a two part series - but, excuse me, where does that say that on the book?? It doesn't. I've checked. Not a word, not even at the end saying "Now read part 2." There are so many threads left in the air I could do an embroidery. Now I look on Goodreads it says Book 1 in 2 part series... I'm finding myself unusually angry about this - the book was hard work, lots of plots and, honestly, I don't have the zeal to read book 2 so I'll never know what happened to Jin... (Go on, tell me! Does she live HEA??)

[Margaret L. Hedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

I loved Blue Skies. Wow! Excellent story. Excellent characters. Aiden and Berkley are strong, intelligent women. The parts about insiders trying to overthrow the government is very scary. This book is still relevant today. Where's the sequel or Book II ?

[Tere · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 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 can not 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.

[Female Person · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the worst book by Ali Vali. The ending was annoyingly & ridiculously abrupt.

[Kris K · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

I love military romances but for this book I don't know if i liked or not. I have 50% feelings to "not liked" and 50% "I liked".Ιn the first chapters I was thinking not to finish it but I'm not one of those people who easily does not finish a book. Τhe book must be not well written that I give up.
I like the action but i don't like that their relationship went so fast for the second chance.
Ιn the end it stops very abruptly fortunately I'm lucky and don't have to wait 10 years to read the sequel.
The narrator Paige McKinney did good jop.

[Carolyn McBride · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blue Skies had a lot to live up to. You see, I've already read all of the Casey Cain series, and those are some serious big literary shoes to fill. But gradually, Blue Skies came into its own and I found myself connecting with Berkely. I didn't form as solid a connection with Aidan, but I did grow to like her.
I'm not sure I could forgive and forget as quickly as Berkely did, but it's her story, not mine.
I can say that I grew to like her. She's someone I'd want to sit and have coffee with. I think she was a little more fleshed out. We know about her background, her parents and her dog. We know how she thinks. Aidan, a little less so.
The storyline was an interesting one. The romance was logical too. I mean, they still have feelings for one another and used to be a couple...it makes sense that they're going to be screwing like rabbits. I could see shades of real politics in Blue Skies, and I think there are still half-crazed zealots out there today. So I enjoyed that angle in the book too.

I can't wait to read the next one!

[Serenity Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read with a cliff-hanger ending. That didn't bother me because part of the main conflict was cleared up but it led to the loose threads of the cliff-hanger. So, if you hate that, you should buy books one and two at the same time.

I liked the woman in command theme, and I think Vali did a great job of showing how men aren't always comfortable with women in charge, no matter what profession. I do recommend this book to fans of lesbian adventure romances as well as spy thrillers.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually liked this quite a bit more than I thought I was going to. It started off fairly predictable (okay, the entire story is predictable) and seemed fairly one-note, but then it blossomed into a truly excited story. I'm not sure how accurate it is in terms of military, but that's not really the point. I'm a little disappointed that it it set up as a series but it doesn't seem there are additional titles in the series. Great pains were taken to draw out the story and craft a political conspiracy storyline, but there was no resolution to this. Still, it's a better book than the genre usually produces.

[Amy Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with action adventure and the desire for a followup book. You like the high flying adventures of a navy pilot and the woman who loves and commands her? Look no further than Blue Skies. Hopefully there is a follow up coming because it is even more believable in today's world.

[MEC · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 - 3 stars

This book has been an intermittent topic of discussion with a group of lesfic friends - those who loved it, loved it a lot; those who didn't, really didn't. For the last 9 years or so, I've managed to avoid reading it as it was much more fun to throw the topic open and watch the teasing back and forth. Now that Vali has written a sequel, my OCD kicked in and I had to read Blue Skies before I started Stormy Seas. So now I've read the book ... and I dedicate this read to Goochie and Cheri.

I always liked Vali's early books - she has a good narration style and this one reminded me why I enjoyed her stuff. It's a popcorn kind of book - action, adventure, intrigue, conspiracy. Just suspend your disbelief and have some fun. Yes, everyone of note is a lesbian (a high ranking/expert lesbian ... we never get books about lesbians who are on a performance plan at work), yes, the bad guys are often mustache-twirling villians and, yes, I'm pretty sure this is not militarily accurate. But come on ... secret mission behind enemy lines, dramatic rescues, uncovering plots ... it can be kinda fun.

It's kind of interesting that even though this novel is 10 years old, the plot of North Korea squirreling away nuclear facilities and a shadowy group subverting the US government still works. Obviously some of the stuff is a bit dated; but, although I wouldn't say the plots are plausible, they certainly still remain topical.

This worked well as an action/intrigue novel with a sufficient amount of derring-do and nefarious conspiracies. I didn't find that the romance aspect worked as well and the book could have easily worked with Aidan and Berkley as non-romantic partners. I just didn't feel the connection between the two and wasn't overly invested in them getting or staying together and I was often a bit perturbed with how insecure and apologetic Aidan was - seriously woman, you're the Captain of an aircraft carrier, grow some ovaries!

So next up is the sequel ... I will say if I had read this ten years ago I would have been pissed right off with the way Vali ended it and then waited a decade to address the loose ends.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read this for the first time. It was published in 2009 so I thought it might be dated. However, reading it in the Trump era makes it actually seem prescient in some ways. The names of some of the characters helped me make sense of the unfolding events and the new president’s actions understandable. It took awhile to get to those and then everything clicked for me. There was one plot turn that almost made me stop reading fairly early in the book, because it seemed so predictable and stale, but I wanted to know more about the mains. Both are career Navy. Aidan is a captain who just got command of an aircraft carrier on a sensitive mission. She went to get some top pilots at a training base in a land-locked state, of all places for a Navy facility. That’s where ace pilot Berkley works training combat pilots, after her heart was broken several years ago when she was jilted for career reasons.

There is a lot of exciting action, some suspense, thrills, and lots of plot twists. I wish Vali had given us more about the North Korean pilot Jin, but her fate is a mystery after her rescue and capture. There is also quite a bit of treachery and Vali worked it so I felt I was experiencing the events and learning what the characters learned at the same time. The romance was pretty quick to resume but they seemed to go well together. It certainly heightened the feelings around the events in the Pacific.

The book ends with cliffhangers and loose ends, but fortunately I read this after the sequel was published last year so I don't have to wait.

[Katia M. Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like a good action read and this certainly had the action. Throw in a hot top gun pilot, a navy captain, intrigue and a treasonous plot, you have a book that keeps the pages turning. I'm slowly getting used to Ali Vali's word choice when writing sex scenes but they sometimes make me cringe just a little bit, however that's no real reason to rate this any less because that's my personal taste. This is a fly by the seat of your pants read, is well written, and I found the characters believable.

[Elaine Mulligan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bonus for those who enjoy this book, a sequel was published in 2019 'Stormy Seas". Rollicking good American Military Adventure set in 2009. This would make an excellent Movie or TV series. Just check out the first chapter and you will know if this is the book for you, from the confrontation between the newly elected President and his Military commanders, to the Top Gun facility in Nevada. The dialogue and characters are consistent throughout. I would love to be part of a book club discussion on this title - I was engaged by the 2nd page.

[Chris Morbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I couldn't put it down hooked from start to finish. It was worth the sleep deprivation, lol. I love reading Ali Vali's books especially the cain series and this was right up there with them.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action, attacks & airplanes make a great adventure

An action-packed, entertaining story with interesting characters & riveting plot lines— although less than 2 decades ago would've been seen as absurd & impossible, but now is pretty much accurate & imminent reality.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish could read more about this story.

[sarah king · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily another 5 stars!

I've yet to read anything by this author that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed! It was fun, fast, hot and had a great plot! This would be an exciting series.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

somebody make this a movie please!

[ANNIE G. WILLIAMS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding As Always!!

My third reading and it is still as intriguing as the first time I read it. Wanted to gear up for the sequel I've been waiting years for. Way to go Ali!!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read.

[Cynthia Larson]

DNF

[TheAvidReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I plan to sit down and write this up so give me a few. I'm short... I LOVED this book.

[Jaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters and action in the book was great. The storyline kept me wanting to turn the pages faster to see what happened next. The only downfall was the ending..without giving anything away, it seemed like "OK, have to end, ran out of pages". Don't get me wrong, the story was good and wrapped and the ending left it for a possible series....although I can't see a book 2 listed. It would be a great series to continue and I'm still very pleased with the overall book. I'm hoping for a series from this..would be awesome!

[Mirtha Siblesz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please tell me there is a sequel!

Wow! This book was riveting from the very beginning! The author set the stage for the characters to develop in such a compelling manner that I was glued to the story to the very end. Please tell me she is going to write a sequel so we're not left hanging. Really good job!

[Dide · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am thinking this is my best book by this author. It supplied the thrill, romance, plot that you'd expect from a satisfying action novel. ..the plus of it is having the protagonists to be two sexy women in uniform defying status quo. I thoroughly enjoyed it asides the abrupt ending but I guess I can live with it.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright, but the same as the others.