Review: Marriage before Death: WWII Spy Thriller

Marriage before Death: WWII Spy Thriller (Still Life with Memories Book 5) by Uvi Poznansky 

Book Description

After D-Day, her photograph appears on the most-wanted Nazi propaganda posters. Who is the girl with the red beret? She reminds him of Natasha, but no, that cannot be. Why does Rochelle step into his life when he is lead by SS soldiers to the gallows? At the risk of being found out as a French Resistance fighter, what makes her propose marriage to a condemned man?

My Review

Uvi Poznansky raises the stakes in a high stakes story, filled with uncertainty, drama and suspense. After landing on a Normandy beach during D-Day, Lenny finds himself separated from his unit. He is puzzled by a letter Natasha left with him. As far as Lenny knows, Natasha is on a ship bound for America but she reveals an awareness that he will be landing in France and knows of the invasion in advance.

Later Lenny approaches a hospital. He’s looking for a place to hide from the Nazis. There he sees an attractive girl wearing a red beret who he learns goes by Rochelle. Everything about her reminds him of Natasha.

Events coalesce to bring Lenny and Rochelle who it turns out is Natasha together. She has parachuted behind the lines in France to assist The Resistance. Eventually Lenny and Natasha are captured my Nazis. They will have to use their wits, wiles and a bit of good fortune to survive as a shadowy figure lurks to betray who they are. Fortunately, the SS commander develops a strong attraction for Rochelle. Rochelle works to buy time to delay an appointment with the executioner.

This book is a nail biter and one I found hard to put down. For me, this is Uvi Poznansky’s best novel to date.

Uvi Poznansky Author page at Amazon.com

Uvi Poznansky is a bestselling, award-winning author, poet and artist. “I paint with my pen,” she says, “and write with my paintbrush.” Her romance boxed set, A Touch of Passion, is the 2016 WINNER of The Romance Reviews Readers’ Choice Awards.

Education and work:
Uvi earned her B. A. in Architecture and Town Planning from the Technion in Haifa, Israel and practiced with an innovative Architectural firm, taking a major part in the large-scale project, called Home for the Soldier.

Having moved to Troy, N.Y. with her husband and two children, Uvi received a Fellowship grant and a Teaching Assistantship from the Architecture department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. There, she guided teams in a variety of design projects and earned her M.A. in Architecture. Then, taking a sharp turn in her education, she earned her M.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan.

She worked first as an architect, and later as a software engineer, software team leader, software manager and a software consultant (with an emphasis on user interface for medical instruments devices.) All the while, she wrote and painted constantly, and exhibited in Israel and California. In addition, she taught art appreciation classes. Her versatile body of work includes bronze and ceramic sculptures, oil and watercolor paintings, charcoal, pen and pencil drawings, and mixed media.

Books and Genres:
Her two series won great acclaim. Still Life with Memories is a family saga series with touches of romance. It includes Apart From Love, My Own Voice, The White Piano, The Music of Us, and Dancing with Air. The David Chronicles is a historical fiction series. It includes Rise to Power, A Peek at Bathsheba, and The Edge of Revolt.

Her poetry book, Home, is in tribute to her father. Her collection of dark tales, Twisted, and her Historical Fiction book, A Favorite Son, are both new age, biblically inspired books. In addition, Uvi wrote and illustrated two children books, Jess and Wiggle and Now I Am Paper. For each one of these books, she created an animation video (find them on YouTube and on her Goodreads page.)