Book ~ "Bluebird" (2022) Genevieve Graham

From Goodreads ~ 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.

During World War I, Adele was a nurse on the battlelines in Belgium.  One of the Canadian soldiers brought into her care was Jerry, who was a tunneller.  He had serious injuries to his face and Adele nursed him back to health only to have him put back into action.  As she was taking care of him, they grew close but they lose touch.  When the war was over, they were sent home.  They were both from Windsor, Ontario, and carried on with their lives ... Adele got a job in a doctor's office and Jerry and his brother, John, took over their late father's whisky making business.  After being home for a couple years, Adele and Jerry finally run into each other and their feelings are still there.  It's a dangerous time because it's prohibition and there is a lot of competition in the illegal rumrunning business.

In present time, Cassie is working for a museum in Windsor and gets contacted by a carpenter who had just bought a house and is renovating it.  He finds some old whisky bottles in a wall and figures there must be some historical significance so brings them to Cassie.

I thought this book was okay.  I liked the writing style ... it's written in third person perspective with a focus on wherever the action is. Though this book was more of a romance that historical, I find I always learn something when I read this author's books.  I found that I was Googling some of the places she mentioned in Windsor to see if they are still there.  I liked Adele and Jerry's story more than Cassie's story ... Cassie had been through a lot but I didn't find her overly likeable and wasn't very sympathetic to her.  Plus I found her present story came together rather quickly.