Book I: Illumina Trilogy
Three wars. Two hearts. One Unforgettable American couple...
whose steel and stardust defy the Army's shadow, the chaos of love, history,
and a haunting past in this luminous Gatsby Era saga... When a young pilot, LT Arthur Lee Shreve*, becomes torn between family and reenlisting after the Great War, he defaults to the army, convinced that good men serve conspicuously 'in the sun'―a path that will lead to the exciting but complex love of his life who will challenge all former beliefs about sex, service, and even love itself...
As Arthur meets Julia in Hawaii, their love seems cast in stardust ...until the grit and glamour of the Interwar years shakes their romance and tests their steel. As they move from pillar to post―from Hawaii to Fort Leavenworth―Arthur finds passion and purpose, compelled to rise with the iridescent era, unaware how fiercely his wife is driven by former demons and a lover―now lost in the relentless shadow of the army.
Through the challenges and paradoxes of military life, they battle between duty and identity, until they arrive at 1940 where Arthur's 20-year service is celebrated leaving Julia wondering about her value, her contributions, and even love itself as she careens towards personal crisis.
As the world drifts toward war, they enjoy the last halcyon days with supportive family and loyal officers who have stood beside them and now face being called to service, and to find the heroic impulse, again.
Fans of the Nightingale and The Great Alone by Kristin Hanna will enjoy the emotional depth of The Long Blue Shadow―love tested by global conflict and history―while readers of The Paris Wife by Paula McClain will love the same atmospheric 1920s and tension between identity and partnership. Fans of Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway will love the human cost of duty, love, and history-all a good preview for Book II that will ring true with fans of The Women, also by Hanna.
5 STARS ! '....a gorgeously rendered historical novel that glimmers with emotional depth and old-world grandeur...historical detail is impeccable, not merely painted but lived-in, from the scent of leather in army barracks to the decay of neglected airplane hangars in Oahu...a meditation on memory, resilience, and the cost of service. The Long Blue Shadow casts light through tender shadows, revealing a tale as timeless as it is timely. @Book Island
*A relevant true story that validates the age-old paradoxes and dilemmas of milspouses, military families, and people in service. A vivid and immersive account of
the Golden Age of the US Army during the tumultuous Interwar years underscored by American history that captures an inspiring hero and role model written with historical accuracy by Arthur's granddaughter.
