Historical Romance published by Simon & Schuster 5 Apr 22
It’s been ten years since I discovered Genevieve Graham. Ten years of beautifully written historical romance that began in Scotland but that eventually found their way home in her native Canada. Bluebird is her seventh novel in which she takes special points of Canadian history and weaves her stories of unforgettable characters with tragic events and gut-wrenching tidbits that she diligently researches to give her readers the best of herself.
Both Jerry and Adele are serving in World War I when Jerry is injured and sent to the station where Adele and other women nurses assist in healing soldiers the best they can, either to get them on their way home or back to the front. Then there’s those men who don’t survive, leaving a hole in the nurses’ hearts, even though they try not to let that happen so they can continue to do their duty. Adele is proud to serve in Belgium, and when Jerry and his brother John come to her station, her connection to Jerry is immediate. Once he’s healed – his injury is not life-threatening – he’s sent back to tunnel again, and the two lose touch, despite their agreeing to meet up after the war is over – and if they survive.
Both Jerry and John do survive and head home to begin life again. It’s not the celebration they’d imagined, however, when they learn their parents died during the Spanish Flu. Taking over their father’s still, they manufacture Bailey Brothers Best whisky to enter the rumrunning race that is so prevalent during Canada’s and the US’s prohibition years. Jerry keeps an eye out for Adele, since they are from the same area, but after a few years he gives up when she never materializes, making him wonder if she made it home from the war. But the day does come when he spots familiar blonde hair and the woman who has owned his heart since the day they met.
Unfortunately, their reunion is at the expense of an already evil competitor and the danger in their smuggling gets exponentially higher. But Jerry is confident they can work everything out and he and his brother continue their business, which is quite lucrative due to the quality of their whisky. However, despite their best and brilliant efforts, their competition is obsessive when it comes to running the Bailey brothers out of business.
In between the history and romance, we also meet Cassie, a museum curator who begins to dig into the Baileys’ history when bottles of their whisky are found during a renovation. We learn more about the brothers and Adele along with her as she does her research, and I enjoyed seeing the past from her point of view. I also like that her life begins to look up when she meets Matthew, the one to get her started on this journey.
Jerry and Adele are first-rate characters who draw you in and keep you reading, because you do want them to be happy. But remember, this story’s backdrop is from real historical facts, and Ms. Graham keeps you guessing about that happily ever after. Their love is deep and never dies. John, Jerry’s brother, is as loyal as they come, and their relationship is a big part of the story. I have to say I got a bit misty-eyed at the end of this book, not liking one bit the way it does end. But it answers questions brought up throughout, and I have to remember, just like I admonished you earlier in this review, that Ms. Graham is being true to the times in ending the book in this manner. It just wrenches your heart and then some.
Another superb novel from Genevieve Graham. If you haven’t read her yet, pick up any of her books to start, and I guarantee you will be hooked.
Grade: A+
Summary:
Present day
Cassie Simmons, a museum curator, is enthusiastic about solving mysteries from the past, and she has a personal interest in the history of the rumrunners who ferried illegal booze across the Detroit River during Prohibition. So when a cache of whisky labeled Bailey Brothers’ Best is unearthed during a local home renovation, Cassie hopes to find the answers she’s been searching for about the legendary family of bootleggers…
1918
Corporal Jeremiah Bailey of the 1st Canadian Tunnelling Company is tasked with planting mines in the tunnels beneath enemy trenches. After Jerry is badly wounded in an explosion, he finds himself in a Belgium field hospital under the care of Adele Savard, one of Canada’s nursing sisters, nicknamed “Bluebirds” for their blue gowns and white caps. As Jerry recovers, he forms a strong connection with Adele, who is from a place near his hometown of Windsor, along the Detroit River. In the midst of war, she’s a welcome reminder of home, and when Jerry is sent back to the front, he can only hope that he’ll see his bluebird again.
By war’s end, both Jerry and Adele return home to Windsor, scarred by the horrors of what they endured overseas. When they cross paths one day, they have a chance to start over. But the city is in the grip of Prohibition, which brings exciting opportunities as well as new dangerous conflicts that threaten to destroy everything they have fought for.
No excerpt available.
