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rakhya's review against another edition
3.0
A fun, fast paced wlw take on your typical 80's action movie plot.
Unmissable if you are (or have been) a fan of the genre.
Unmissable if you are (or have been) a fan of the genre.
rogue_lurker's review against another edition
3.0
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.
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.
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