A creepy, dark and atmospheric read that kept me on the edge of my seat with my heart pounding. Twisty, fast paced… I loved it’ NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is a beautiful book that will give any reader in dark times a reason to believe in the continuing goodness of people Nicola Griffith, author of Hild Izzy’s disguise works. The couple are assumed to be two escaped British soldiers and transported to a PoW camp. However, their true test has just begun as they face terrible living conditions and the constant terror of Izzy’s exposure. But in the midst of unimaginable horrors comes hope, for the young couple are befriended by a small group of fellow prisoners. These men become their new family, willing to jeopardise their lives to save Izzy from being discovered and shot. There’s no way that a book like this cannot be considered a collaborative effort. Trying to tell a very personal story while you’re still in the midst of the drama requires a particular and consistent kind of support. It’s the kind that comes at four in the afternoon and four in the morning. It’s the kind that comes even when you think you don’t need it. It pays your little attitude no attention and just walks right in, grabs you and holds you, until you laugh or cry or talk. Or write. You begin to write and when that happens, that release, you feel as close to freedom as this life will ever allow. There were so many people who, in a myriad of ways, gave me that gift. And they gave it to me again and again. I swear I don’t know how to begin to thank them, but I do know I must at least call their names, say publicly that the best that this book has to offer is surely a reflection of their love and humanity.

Engaging, gripping, addictive and completely unpredictable. An absolute must read. Ali Blood is an author to watch’ NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tremendous ... this is much more than a love story' GEORGINA CLARKE, author of Death and the Harlot I don't even know where to begin describing this book. It's absolutely stunning. One of my all-time favorite books, and one of very few that I would give a perfect ‘10' to. As well as being a writer, Maggie is an advisory fellow for the Royal Literary Fund and also an Associate Professor at Middlesex University, London, England, Maggie Brookes is a British ex-journalist and BBC television producer turned poet and novelist.

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FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own. The Prisoner's Wifetells of an incredible risk, and how our deepest bonds are tested in desperate times. Bill and Izzy's is a story of love and survival, against the darkest odds. asha, some have argued, girl, you have blinders on. He might be great now, but who is he going to be when he comes home?

You will be spellbound by this stellar novel. So richly imbued with sensory details you'll be feeling every anguished moment and every golden ray of hope.' SUSAN MEISSNER, bestselling author of The Last Year of the War And to the incredible and complex people of Brooklyn, New York, from East Flatbush to Bed-Stuy, from Fort Greene to Crown Heights: for everything we are and everything we are not, for all the swagger and strength, the inspiration and beauty and truth, for providing me with a home into which I can one day welcome my husband.

Captured by the German army, it seems they must be separated - but they have prepared for this moment. By cutting her hair and pretending to be mute, Izabela successfully disguises herself as a British soldier. Together, they face the terrible conditions of a POW camp, reliant on the help of their fellow POWs to maintain their fragile deception. Based on the experiences of real people and real events, The Prisoner’s Wife seamlessly and skilfully breathes intense, fully realised life into the stark scenes it describes. The author shows us love's ability to inspire the deepest devotion as well as acts of unimaginable sacrifice and bravery. I was by turns moved, outraged and humbled’ Deborah Kay Davies, author of True Things About Me So beautifully written, so beautifully told and so eye opening about horrors that I already knew existed and happened, but needed reminding of again. A terrible part of our history, of the worlds history, that I hope we never forget and more importantly, never, ever, let happen again.

Another problem, and probably my biggest, is that I didn't care at all for Izzy. For a 20 year old girl that grew up in that time period and on a farm where maturity and hard work are expected from a very young age, she had the maturity of a fifteen year old. A gripping debut novel that explores the question of how much the human body, and the human spirit, can endure for the sake of love. The wealth of authentic detail makes it feel like the memoir of an exceptional young woman. I feel enriched to have read it. Gill Paul, author of The Lost Daughter and The Secret Wife Her plans were to marry Bill, find her father and brother, and join the resistance, but the Germans had other plans for them.

Sometimes when I’ve told people these things, they say they just can’t see it. Where’s the ugly stuff? I’ve been asked over and over. And I’ve told them yes, it was true, that there were some women for whom ugliness and hurt was the texture of their story, but it simply was not the picture that I had to draw.

Rashid is so pleased with himself as he tells me this story five years after our first encounter. After all, in the moment of his confession, we are in a visiting room, and I lie, as fitted as possible, in the crook of his arms. And in that moment, despite every hurting and hell I have had to endure to love this man, there is no other place that I would rather be. And Izzy, forced to be silent so that her voice is resplendently strong. Unable to speak so that when she does, the words in her new-formed English when whispered are a bell clang. She is fiery and volatile and selfish and strong. Impulsive and filled with a temper, always looking for moments of home even when she so bravely grafted her life with another.The newlyweds run away with the goal of joining Izzy’s father and the resistance. For safety measures, Izzy disguises herself as a man. Their plans are foiled when they are captured by Nazi soldiers and sent to a POW camp. Their living conditions are terrible and they are fearful that someone will discover Izzy’s identity. With the end of the war in sight, these two prisoners are in a daily fight to survive.