BLOG TOUR - The Polish Girl

DESCRIPTION:

Poland, 1944. “Please, officer, I beg you—”, I cry. But my father has already fallen. “Don’t leave me, Tata,” I whisper, rushing to desperately cradle him close. As the kind, loving man who raised me takes his last breath, I weep into my hands and promise to fight to end this terrible war, no matter the cost…

Although it won’t bring her beloved father back, twenty-three-year-old Wanda vows to honour his memory and all he stood for. Throwing herself into the Polish resistance, she risks her life on the dangerous mission of transporting ammunition for the underground network’s uprising against the Nazis.

Slipping through the night-time shadows of an empty park to meet an informant—one who could provide crucial supplies in the battle for what’s right—the sight of the man waiting turns Wanda’s blood to ice. Even in the dim light, she instantly recognises him as the soldier who killed her father.

The soldier claims he is a double agent, working for the resistance. Questioning everything, Wanda’s heart races as she is forced to make a split-second decision. Believe the man who she thought was the enemy? Or endanger the lives of her network—and their secret plans to fight the Germans?

Can Wanda trust the man she hates most in the world? Did her father die in vain? Or if she fights her every instinct, will she truly change the tide of the war?

Fans of The Alice Network, The Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz will adore this utterly heartbreaking page-turner. You will not forget this unputdownable story of love, loss, and the courage it takes to hold on to hope in darkest times.

Previously published as The Last Sketch.

 

BUY LINK:  https://amzn.to/3Z5ffKA

MY THOUGHTS:

 

Title:   The Polish Girl

Author:  Gosia Nealon

Series:  The Secret Resistance, #1
Publisher:  Bookouture 

Genre:   Historical Fiction 

Format:  Kindle ARC 

No. of Pages:   274

Date of Publication:   February 24, 2023

My Rating:   4 Stars 

Wanda Odwaga witnesses her father killed by a German soldier. Eventually she begins working with the resistance and will never forget the face of that soldier. Meanwhile, Finn travels from the USA to impersonate his twin brother Stephan. Stephan brutally and unrepentantly killed countless Jews and has been captured and is now imprisoned. Finn’s job has been assigned by the British government in order to expose and bring Hitler and his minions down. 

Finn and Stephan could not have been more different. When their parents split up, Finn went to the USA with their mother, and Stephan stayed in Warsaw with their father, a staunch Nazi supporter, and Stephan followed right in his father’s footsteps. As Stephan is now engaged, Finn must not only fool the other German soldiers who worked alongside Stephan, but also his fiancée. 

Imagine Wanda’s anger, frustration and then confusion when she is certain that she spotted the solder that killed her father. Determined to kill him is her plan, but when she looks into his eyes, she finds that she is strangely drawn to him. Her work with the resistance is very important and she knows she can’t let these suddenly overwhelming feelings confuse her. 

Meanwhile, Finn has a job to do. Will he ever get the beautiful woman he recently met out of his mind, and will he be able to trust her enough to reveal his identity? Danger follows both Finn and Wanda as their separate paths eventually converge. Now it becomes a matter of trust. This exciting story is the first book in the Secret Resistance trilogy, to be followed by The Polish Wife in April. This was a story well told with secrets, revenge, tension and romance. 

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

While Gosia Nealon is a proud New Yorker, she was born and raised in Poland. Her journey to the Big Apple revealed a wealth of cultural differences, but also the values that connect us all. Like the fierce desire to protect family, find love, and ultimately, discover who we are and why we’re here. 

 

Gosia’s award-winning short stories have always delved into life’s biggest questions, but it was the drama, sacrifice, and tragedy of WWII that led her to pen her debut novel, which won a gold medal in the 2022 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY).

 

Growing up in Poland, Gosia heard many firsthand accounts of the war, told from a perspective rarely captured in mainstream literature. She was compelled to breathe life into two young people falling in love in the midst of the most terrifying conflict of our time.

 

When Gosia isn’t tapping away at her laptop, she’s often walking the streets of New York. With her husband and two young sons in tow, they search for the most succulent pierogi, transporting them back to the cobbled streets of her childhood.

 

Author social media

Website: https://www.gosianealon.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GosiaNealon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GosiaNealonHistoricalFiction

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