Thursday, January 31, 2019

~~Excellent Collection~~

An amazingly thorough review by Top 100 Reviewer, Serenity:
January 31, 2019
An excellent collection of 3 of this author's novels. Following are my reviews of each one, including her title, the number of stars, my title and then my review.

'The Music of Us' 5 stars

Powerful with a Trip down Memory Lane

A powerful and poignant novel that will tug at your heart strings ... a love story that invites the reader into a romance between Lenny and Natasha. Starting in 1970 for a brief period it goes back to the days when these two met in the 1940's. Lenny had joined the US Marines and Natasha was a 16 year old concert pianist. Natasha's family name of Horowitz evokes memories of a long line of musicians.

Powerful for me in that the subject of Alzheimer's Disease is handled with great aplomb. Is this disease passed genetically or not? 'Memory is a liar' as Natasha so aptly said. Reading this was poignant especially when the casket of Charlie was brought home and 'Amazing Grace' was played.

Lots in this from WW II including some of the songs that were hits and also the topic of rationing items was covered. For some this will be a trip down memory lane. Life, love and the courage to comfort one another and to bridge the differences through the years is incredible.

Most highly recommended

'Dancing with Air' 5 stars

Powerful/Passionate/Poignant

This is a powerful, passionate and poignant story of eternal love between Lenny and Natasha. It begins with memory problems that Natasha is having in 1970 and Lenny being her caregiver. Tests have been ordered to ascertain the depth of her problems. From there, the reader is invited into the intense times during WW II while Lenny was stationed in the UK - London as a military courier.

Natasha is a brilliant concert pianist and volunteers with the USO to entertain the troops in the UK. She, of course, wants to be as close to Lenny as possible. This book covers the gamut of emotions that young lovers face during the early times in a relationship. While in Britain, they travel together to the White Cliffs of Dover on a Harley-Davidson. From there, Lenny delivers some courier mail to the RAF base at Fauld barely escaping a horrific disaster.

The imagery in this book is incredible and outstanding. From the songs that are in nearly every chapter to the Harley ride along the British landscape, all of it is done with magnificent strokes of the author's hand.

Anyone who has been involved in a passionate romance will be able to feel the power of the romance between these two lovers. 'Good times and bad times, we'll be there' keeps filtering through my head. One scene near the end of the book is powerful when Lenny and Natasha go to the beach at Santa Monica. The 'bluebirds' evoke memories of a time long ago despite having a significant loss of memory. And, that is exactly how the human mind works in a sickness such as that which has inflicted Natasha. The sensuous nature of the love between Natasha and Lenny is intertwined throughout which, for me, intensified their relationship for many years.. 'Power of our passion...such is hope'.

One other thing I truly enjoyed in addition to the music was the descriptions of items not available during WW II. One was Uncle Sam limiting the hems on women's garments and not having any cuffs on them. The description of Mrs. Babcock's tin safe for meat storage was fascinating to me, as well.

Most highly recommended.

'Marriage before Death' 5 stars

Captivating/Thriller/WW II

An absolute thrilling and captivating read. Set in France during WW II, the author manages to weave a wonderful romantic tale into the pages.

Lenny and Natasha (Rochelle) are at the forefront. This time the reader is given a rare glimpse into the Resistance Fighters.

The author is able to weave love and war into a captivating story which held me riveted to my seat for the duration. Who is this lady in the red beret?

The writing style as well as the character development is excellent. Ms. Poznansky has that ability to write in an almost lyrical style. The descriptions throughout (whether characters or the French locations) are spot-on.

An excellent read for me and most highly recommended.

Each and every one of these novels deserve 5 stars. I always select the one in a set that I preferred over the others. My favorite one is 'The Music of Us'. Anyone who has had a close relative or friend with memory problems will be drawn into this one.

Ms. Poznansky's characters are well developed, excellent plots and this is a truly outstanding collection of 3 novels.

Most highly recommended.

Monday, January 28, 2019

A Unique, Interesting Novel

A short & sweet review for my Techno-Thriller Virtually Lace:

January 28, 2019
A beautiful dancer called Lace has been found dead with her throat cut and thrown into the sea. Michael works as a developer of virtual reality which he decides may help him identify the killer. The woman Michael loves, Ash, has some memory loss from a sexual assault and could not identify her attacker. Can it be the same murderer? Will the killer seek Ash? This is a stunning, captivating short story which totally entertained me. Highly recommend.

Sunday, January 27, 2019

What to expect in our Kiss & Kill event

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Saturday, January 26, 2019

Great New Experience in Virtual Reality Crime Investigation!

Glenda Bixler is a first-rate book reviewer with a wonderful blog, Book Readers' Heaven, where she posts her book reviews. I am honored to find her review of my techno-thriller Virtually Lace.

January 25, 2019
Poznansky grabbed this reader with two issues... There apparently was a murder and that the individual who saw the body was someone working on virtual reality, developing a new model...I have always been fascinated with futuristic advancements, and the idea of virtual reality is so intriguing...

While Michael was contemplating whether or not he could create Laguna Beach within a virtual reality setting, what actually came about was quite different. He had watched an attractive girl run by...and started following her. He didn't know why but before he could catch up with her, she was dead... But he recognized her--her name was Lace.

But he didn't stay or call the police... He struggled with his options, going over whether or not the killer might be watching him right now...or whether he had seen the killer. She was already dead--he had tried to save her. But it was too late... By the next morning he tried to convince himself that he had to forget the whole thing... But the secretary threw the newspaper onto his desk, with the headlines up for him to catch, while she told Michael that their boss wanted to see him right away.

Michael was concerned about meeting--this company had been taken over. And Ashley, who was loved by Michael, was not there to meet... She had been personally assaulted but had not shared it with anyone at work. This time, he knew, the boss was going to take advantage of her being absent...and fired her. But it was more than that...they had both been happy and productive in virtual reality simulation, but that had been for games and similar uses...now the company would be using it to serve politics--war.

But seeing an envelop there addressed to Lace immediately caught his attention! He quietly grabbed it and went on...

Ash was also not surprised she was fired...but she and Michael both agreed that they could go back to working in his garage, if necessary... But when Ash learned about what had happened to Michael, she also became involved in working to solve the crime... Wow, a cozy mystery where unprofessional people work to solve a crime! But with Virtual Reality! Now, that is what I call very cool and extremely exciting to be a part of...

Michael started by developing the area around the crime scene...And entered into place all of the things, people, and action he could remember. Among what he remembered was that he had taken off his shoes when he went into the water to check the body! Soon Michael was back onsite--his shoes could easily have been found by the police...

Instead, they had been found by a homeless person...who was now wearing them and threatened Michael he was not giving them up! The police interceded. But it was easy to realize that Michael had become a person of interest who was now known. He knew he had to work fast and see if he could determine who had actually killed Lace...

As a reader, we actively become involved in building that virtual reality scene, and if we had paid attention as we read, we placed those things into the virtual space...don't panic, I missed quite a few but was reminded as, for instance, two divers who had come out of the water and passed Lace, was entered into the scene... As a fan of all things CSI, I just had to highlight what could now be done on scene to replace the tedious activities of crime scene investigators...

Poznansky builds a steady set of clues, while building a concurrent virtual scene. Each individual, including the villain, is slowly entered into the scene, based upon Michael's research...and the explosive letter he had taken earlier...

Still I was not prepared for whodunit. Who knew that pearls would provide a major clue...but also lead to danger for both Michael and Ash... This is a totally satisfying venture into the use of virtual reality within crime scene investigation. It is new, refreshing, and unique in mystery or police procedure novels and I'm certainly happy to have gained the experience from a writer of multiple genres who keeps surprising me with the scope and diversity of her books. Do search my reviews under her name for the books I've been fortunate to read and review... This was the first of this genre for me; it was tense, detail-oriented and indeed gave a whole new perspective to crime solving in books.

Highly recommended!

GABixlerReviews

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Friday, January 25, 2019

Interesting internal voice

Lovely review for my Women's Fiction book, My Own Voice:

January 19, 2019
It was interesting to hear the thinking-voice of a person few readers would ever hear in person, especially those from outside the USA. One might only every hear such an accent in a film. One may have some preconceived ideas about the person who speaks with that kind of accent, and less so, how they might be thinking. This book provides an insight into one individual only, but is an interesting experience of that person's life and understanding of her surroundings.

A Virtual Reality Mystery Solved! Cool!

Glenda Bixler is a book reviewer who gives you not only a taste of the books she reads but also a lot of background information that enrich her articles. Recently Glenda read my techno-thriller Virtually LaceShe opens her article with "Uvi Poznansky presents Virtually Lace - A Virtual Reality Mystery Solved! Cool!" and weaves in a cool VR video and an audio clip from Virtually Lace, before offering her review. It's a such fun read! Hop right in:
Books, Reviews, Authors, Publicity, short stories, a little poetry, music to complement...and other stuff about life... Life is Sweet...

Excellent thriller!

Jan Romes is the author of witty contemporary romance books, and a part-time fitness trainer. She also enjoys growing pumpkins and sunflowers. I am thrilled to find her review of my techno-thriller, Virtually Lace:

Jan Romes
January 23, 2019
The author did an excellent job of keeping me guessing as to the identity of who killed Lace. Just when I thought I had it figured out, she delivered a twist. I liked the virtual-reality angle Michael used to try to solve the case. It gave the story a modern feel. The setting where the incident took place was vividly described and so were the things Michael saw with his virtual-reality portrayal. Essentially, I felt I was 'virtually' there, watching things unfold.

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love


 

Just this morning I woke up to a surprise: Bathsheba slipped into my bed, wearing a soft, silky robe that glided, ever so smoothly, off her shoulders. I knew she was in a playful mood—if you know what I mean—because of her sudden cravings. 
“Strengthen me with raisins,” she murmured in my ear. “Refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.”
I rushed to bring her a tray of ripe fruit. Then I put my arm around her and could not wait until she was done eating. Between one little nibble and another she told me, in her most delicious voice, to slow down. 
“Do not arouse or awaken love,” she said, “until it so desires.”
In place of an answer I reclined back on the bed, and pointed at the blanket. I do not want to brag about it, but the fabric was stretching to a peak over me, tenting my arousal.
Just then I thought I heard someone tiptoeing just outside the chamber, in the corridor. I leapt off the bed and was surprised to find little Solomon there, his ear to the door and his hand tucked behind him, hiding something from me. 
“Show me what you’ve got there,” I said.
The kid shook his head till his freckles nearly flew of his nose. “No,” he said, with a stubborn tone.
So I warned him, “I know what you’ve done.” 
His eyes widened. “You do?”
“Oh yes,” said I. “You’ve listened to every word we said, and worse: you’ve written it.”
“So?” He shrugs. “Is that a crime?”
“Only if you publish it.” 
“Not going to.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“All the same,” I insisted, “show me your hand.”
Solomon raised his hand to my eyes. And just as I had expected, the palm of it was covered with minute, inky characters, spelling out the sentence, “Do not arouse or awaken love, until it so desires.”
I peered into his innocent eyes. “You have any idea what that means?”
“Nope,” said the kid. “But I’m going to figure it out. It must become clear, if I look at it long enough. Then I’ll recite it out loud, before everyone—”
I cried, “You what?”
The kid smiled, and pulled his hand back. “I’ll tell them things like, Strengthen me with raisins. Refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.’ People find me adorable when they hear me say such words.”
“They what?”
“They say it’s pure poetry. They say I take after you, daddy! So it doesn’t really matter, does it, if I don’t get what exactly it all means—they will!”
“But, but,” I stammer, “these aren’t your words! They belong to your mom and me!”
“Don’t worry,” said Solomon. “I won’t tell them that.”
Straddling between anger and an undeniable sense of amusement I wagged my finger at him. 
“Go wash your hand at once,” I said. “What we talk about, your mom and I, isn’t meant for your ears. It’s private.” 
“Nope,” he said. “Once I write it down, it’s mine.” 
“Isn’t,” said I.
Having closed the door I climbed back into bed.
Holding an apple in her hand Bathsheba offered me a bite and said, “Who was that?”
“Oh, no one,” said I. “Now, where were we?”
“Don’t you know?” she said, and in her soft, melodious voice, she started humming to me, between one kiss and another. “Kiss me, David, with the kisses of your mouth, for your love is more delightful than wine.”
I was about to tell her we must keep it down. Instead I loosened her robe and while caressing her I hummed back, “I will go to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of incense. You are altogether beautiful, my darling, there is no flaw in you.
Bathsheba smiled, and over my murmur she went on singing, “No wonder the young women love you! Take me away with you, let us hurry!
“Oh yes,” said I. “Let us hurry.”


Historical Fiction with a Modern Twist...


"I love this series for its convincing depiction of real people in ancient times, for its unflinching honesty, and for its vividly real characters. This David is no cardboard cutout to be filled in with bright crayoned colors. This Bathsheba is no plaything. And women will stand on the stage of history, will have their voice, and will cry out for love and hate and hope."
~Sheila Deeth, Vine Voice

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

There are many layers to this story and a lot of depth

I simply love this review for my WWII thriller, Marriage before Death:


Kindle Customer
January 22, 2019
There are many layers to this story and a lot of depth. It is more than a love story of a couple in love before each assumes a role fighting in Europe at the time of D-Day and after. It is more than a war story. It is a story of making and losing memories, losing talents while trying to cling to them, and holding on to as much life as possible even as it is fading. About excellent story. Even though it is part of a series, it reads well as a stand-alone.

An exciting new read!

A short and sweet review for my techno-thriller, Virtually Lace:


January 18, 2019
I love that Uvi Poznansky has crossed genre lines. Although her historical fiction is wonderful, this is more my speed with adventure and thrills and romance. Excellent!

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Suspense and action, and a unique way of solving the murder

Clarissa Simmens says, "Becoming an Indie (Independent) writer has been a dream from the time I "wrote" my first poem at age four. Growing herbs and experimenting by concocting healing salves and infusions are part of my spiritual life.' I am thrilled to find her review for my suspense thriller, Virtually Lace:
January 19, 2019
For a mere 192 pages, Uvi Poznansky packed her story with not only romance and mystery, but also multi-dimensional characters, suspense and action, and a unique way of solving the murder. I was so fascinated by her description of programming virtual reality and actually researched the software. I also enjoy books with integrated recipes. I may not have a talent for computer programming, but will definitely be able to recreate the berry salsa! I did not read Book 1 of the series but Poznansky's expert weaving of important information from the previous story made
this a stand-alone book. I intend to read that and a potential third one also.