The Girls in Navy Blue

A gripping and compelling dual timeline novel about three women who joined the Navy during WWI to become yeomanettes and the impact their choices have on one of their descendants in 1968.

The Girls in Navy Blue transports readers to two pivotal time periods. In 1918, America is at war with Germany, and for the first time in history, the US Navy has allowed women to enlist alongside men. Ten thousand women rush to do their part. Among them, German-American Marjory Kunwald enlists to prove her patriotism, suffragette Blanche Lawrence to assert the equality of women, and shy preacher’s daughter Viv Weston in a desperate attempt to hide from the police.

As the US military deploys to France and the war intensifies, these three yeomanettes find friendship and sisterhood within the Navy. However, their plans for the future are upended when Viv's dark past finally catches up with her.

Fast forward to 1968, and newly divorced Peggy Whitby is reeling from personal tragedy when she unexpectedly inherits her estranged great-aunt Blanche’s beach cottage outside Norfolk, Virginia. Her fragile peace is soon disturbed by mysterious postcards dated from 1918, when Blanche served as a Navy yeomanette.

Curious to learn more about her enigmatic aunt and decipher the cryptic messages, Peggy becomes deeply entwined in the lives of the three young Navy women. Yet, her investigation reveals more than she anticipates, and as past and present converge, Peggy must decide if uncovering her aunt's past is worth the potential risk to her own identity.