The Prisoner’s Wife by Maggie Brookes – 400 pages
ARC from Netgalley and Berkley for an honest review.
Book Blurb:
In the dead of night, a Czech farm girl and a British soldier travel through the countryside. Izabela and prisoner of war Bill have secretly married and are on the run, with Izzy dressed as a man. The young husband and wife evade capture for as long as possible–until they are cornered by Nazi soldiers with tracking dogs.
Izzy’s disguise works. The couple are assumed to be escaped British soldiers and transported to a POW camp. However, their ordeal has just begun, as they face appalling living conditions and the constant fear of Izzy’s exposure. But in the midst of danger and deprivation comes hope, for the young couple are befriended by a small group of fellow prisoners. These men become their new family, willing to jeopardize their lives to save Izzy from being discovered and shot.
My Review: 3 stars
The Prisoner’s Wife had all the makings of a spectacular premise. I adore books where women have no other choice than to assume the identity of a man. Women will do this for survival, for going to battle, for their safety, or as this book intends, for escaping a prison camp as a married couple.
This one started with a bang and I couldn’t wait to get completely lost in the story. There were many times I was loving the plot and commiserating with the both the major and minor characters. With that being said, the book also had some problems, thus my rating. I didn’t feel the attraction between Izzy and Bill. So as much as I found their escape, heroism and fear in the prison camps to be a good storyline, the driving force: their fast and furious romance, was lost on me. I also thought there were too many fortunate coincidences that grated on me.
This book doesn’t come out until next year and I’m definitely in the minority with my review. Many reviewers loved it, so you may still want to check it out.
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