The Prisoner by B.A. Paris is a psychological thriller about a woman named Amelie who gets kidnapped in the middle of the night because she is married to a super elite and rich man named Ned. Ned seems to offer Amelie her dream come true but soon she finds out that it all truly is too good to be true. When it turns out that Amelie and Ned have been kidnapped for ransom, she is terrified but then slowly starts to feel safer than she did when she was home with Ned. Who really is Ned Hawthorpe and why have they been kidnapped?

This book took me a little bit to get into but once I did— I was hooked! I couldn’t stop reading and needed to know where this story was going to go. This premise was a bit different than other premises that I have read. I am always looking for a book plot that is different from all the other thrillers I read.

The short chapters made this book truly fly by. I really love a book with short chapters. This book also had dual timelines, varying from past to present. The past story was weaved throughout the present story to build up the tension and bring to life what is truly going on in the marriage with Ted and Amelie. I honestly think I would have enjoyed even more past chapters in this book.

At one point of the story, I really wasn't sure where the story was going to go. After that point— it did include some twists that I didn’t see coming. I do wish that the ending explained a bit more. I feel like there were some loose ends that I would have liked to know at the end.

The main character, Amelie, did kind of bother and annoy me at times. She really made some terrible choices throughout that I feel like she shouldn’t have made. I know that she was young but I couldn’t help but think that almost all of this could have been avoided if she didn’t make all these terrible decisions without thinking of the consequences.

Overall, I did enjoy this book! It went by very fast with short, fast-paced chapters. I have enjoyed all of Paris’s thriller books and this one was no different.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. The story alternates perspective from present day and past as we learn about Amelie’s lonely life, the friendships she built, and her connection to Ned. But Ned isn’t the man she thought he was, and when she finds herself kidnapped she must piece together the mystery of who is after her and how she can escape.

I enjoy a thriller that hooks you in early and has short chapters that make it easier to keep flipping pages. This one sucked me in, but the pacing was a bit off and it felt like we reached the climax too early. There was too much explanation at the end to piece it all together. Overall I liked it but not a particular standout.

Thanks St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m so glad I gave this author another chance after really disliking her last book, I was very pleasantly surprised with this! We jump back and forth between a kidnapping and the events leading up to it and i flew through this story, Paris has a way of writing bingeable thrillers and this is probably my favorite book from her so far

This was a twisty topsy mystery story with an unreliable narrator. We are kept in the dark (literally) when our MC is kidnapped and help prisoner. We are fed clues slowly just as our prisoner slowly reveals her theory as to why she is in the predicament that she is in. I have to say I've enjoyed this story more than other books by Paris, as this one felt a little more youthful and energetic maybe dare I say relatable? This was an addictive read with a satisfying ending, a classic to add to your to read list if you enjoy the slow build and reveal with lots of twisty turns along the way.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

B.A. Paris, for the most part, is an auto-read for me. I’ve enjoyed almost all of her books and while they don’t typically make it to the top favourites list, they’re always enjoyable and easy reads. The Prisoner was one of my favourites of hers, I enjoyed the back and forth timelines, explaining who the main character is and what happened in her past to land her where she is now. I loved how it all unfolded into a neat little package. I listened to this book, so maybe that’s part of the reason why I enjoyed it more than most of the reviews I’ve seen. Either way, the twists and turns kept me guessing and interested in where the story was headed, the unlikeable characters worked for this book and it was an easy listen. If you’ve got time, I would definitely say give it a chance!

The Prisoner by BA Paris is a fast paced, hard to put down book! Amelia an orphan, finds some great friends, gets married to a billionaire then murder & kidnap…full of twists & surprises!

When the time to choose a book to read during my flight to London the past month came, I knew I wanted something that would keep me fully engaged from take off to landing, so B.A. Paris latest work was a sure bet. Having enjoyed all her previous books (except The Dilemma), The Prisoner did not disappoint and I read half of it during that flight.

After her father’s passing when she’s a teen, Amelie finds herself on her own, so she decides to move to London hoping to make a new life there. A casual encounter with a woman named Carolyn will take her off the streets and straight into a posh and glamorous world she never thought she’d experienced. Blinded by the promise of the future she always wanted she’ll marry a billionaire but, when they’re both kidnapped, she’ll start to realize who the man she married really is.

The story starts off with a bang and throws us right into the action with the kidnapping. From there, there’s a first part, The Kidnap, in which through a dual timeline, past and present, we find out about Amelie’s past since becoming and orphan, the events leading to her abduction and her time in captivity. Sometimes I find stories about people being held prisoner a bit boring and repetitive as they’re usually pages and pages of a person locked in with their thoughts, but I enjoyed this one pretty much, trying to guess the reason behind the kidnap and Amelie’s cold and detached attitude towards her husband. I really like how the tension and suspense was built.

In part two, The Reckoning, we learn what happens after her release, and that’s when the story steps into the gas, delivering one twist after another that had me turning pages like crazy. The ending answered all my questions, but it was just a really long explanation of how everything happened, so it was a small letdown.

I really liked Amelie’s character. She was a strong and resolved woman who found herself in a terrible situation while trying to make a better future for herself, not just because she was blinded by luxury and money, so that really made me root for her.

An engaging plot, short chapters that made me fly through the pages and a great sense of anticipation during her captivity, made of The Prisoner a really enjoyable read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

P.S: if you haven’t read yet B.A. Paris’ debut, Behind Closed Doors, you’re missing out on one of the best psychological thrillers of the past few years.

I have been meaning to read B. A. Paris for the longest time and am so glad that Prisoner was my first book. It’s a psychological thriller that will keep you intrigued and captivated throughout the book.

Amelie marries a billionaire Ned Hawthorpe, only to be kidnapped within first month of her marriage along with her husband. The story goes back and forth between present and past. I enjoyed reading the book and although halfway through the book, I anticipated the ending, it was still very intriguing to see how the story unfolds.

Thank you St Martins Press and NetGalley for the gifted galley. This book was published on Nov 1, 2022 and has right amount of thrill and suspense added to your holiday read.

I have read all of B.A Paris’s books and I recommend Behind Closed Doors to everyone. I unfortunately did not love this book.

I felt like this book was very slow and lacked character development. Typically in her books I have connected right away with the main character and this was not the case here. When you dont care about the characters, you dont really care about the plot and how the ending turns out.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

The Prisoner
By B.A. Paris
Review and Rating 4⭐️

I have to say I totally enjoyed this book! Call it a guilty pleasure, call it what you like but I devoured it in a weekend and I call that a pretty good book!
The Prisoner by B. A. Paris is a thriller about Amelie, our heroine of sorts who lost her parents at a young age and moves to London to make her way. There she meets some great women who take her in and befriend her and soon her lifestyle takes a more glamorous and happy turn. But Amelie has a dream to return to school and is tricked into marrying billionaire Ned Hawthorne, who, despite his money and good looks, is hiding some evil secrets.
Amelie is taken prisoner and held in a completely pitch black room. She is only brought food and water twice a day and never spoken to. She must use all her senses and wits to survive.
I loved B.A. Paris’ writing, definitely a great storyteller. I noticed this book had several negative reviews but again, I thought it checked all the boxes. It was unique, I have never read a book quite like it and believe me I read a lot of psychological thrillers! Sure, there were things that were far fetched and stretched the imagination but I still thought it was a solid 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! Happy Reading.
I want to thank Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press, and B. A. Paris for providing a eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I am a massive fan of psychological suspense. I love having my mind messed with while reading a book (outside the book, not so much). I have my favorite authors and B.A. Paris happens to be on my top ten list. So, any book from her gets automatic approval on my end. And I am thrilled that I got to read this book. It was that good!! In one of my WWW Wednesday posts, I said it took under 2 hours to read. I could not put it down.

The Prisoner had an exciting plotline. Amelie is a tough cookie. She has to be, surviving the death of her parents and trying to make it on her own, at 16, in London. Thankfully, she meets an angel named Caroline, who takes her under her wing and allows Amelie to flourish. After getting a job working for Ned Hawthorne, a billionaire playboy, Amelie is approached by him with a business deal: Marry him for one year, and he will pay her enough money to cover all of her university fees and beyond. But there is a sinister reason why Ned wants to marry her, and Amelie finds that out soon after the wedding. With Ned becoming unstable and isolated from her friends, Amelie wonders when he will kill her. Things come to a head when Amelie and Ned are kidnapped, blindfolded, and taken to an unknown location. But, for some reason, Amelie feels safe with the kidnappers. Who kidnapped Ned and Amelie? What is their end game?

The Prisoner is a fast-paced book that mainly takes place in London. But the last scenes take place in New Zealand (for reasons I cannot get into, spoilers!!!).

There are trigger warnings in this book. The most obvious one is kidnapping. The other ones are the death of a parent from cancer, the death of a parent during childbirth, the death of a sibling, sexual harassment, talk of rape (several times), physical abuse, mental abuse, murder, and discussion of murder. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book.

I enjoyed the main characters in The Prisoner. They were well-written and, for the most part, well-fleshed out.

Amelie: I liked her a lot. She cared deeply for her friends and never stopped trying to protect them from Ned and his cohorts. I loved her post-nuptial prenup. It was brilliant!! I also loved how she tried to stay one step ahead of Ned after discovering what a scumbag he was. There was a point in the book where I kept yelling (in my head), “Trust your instincts” regarding the kidnappers. She turned into a total boss at the end of the book too!!! I loved her.
Ned: God, was he sleazy. He didn’t come across like that at the beginning of the book. Instead, Ned was very charming. It was strange how he asked Amelie to marry him and how he laid it out. But his sleaziness wasn’t on display until after they married, and Ned isolated her from her friends. The things he did to her and threatened her with made my skin crawl. And after they were kidnapped, Ned quickly told them to kill her instead of him. He deserved everything he got and then some in this book.
The kidnappers: I can’t give names, but I was shocked at who they were. After I got over that shock, different parts of the kidnapping made sense. I also understood why they did what they did. If someone I loved had been targeted by Ned and then disappeared, I think I would have had the same reaction. Plus, they had the resources (all I will say about that).
A bunch of notable secondary characters added extra depth and understanding to the kidnapping storyline and Amelie’s recovery storyline. I wish some had stuck around and the author had introduced others earlier in the book.

The Prisoner was a perfect fit for the psychological suspense genre. It messed with my head pretty well. Also, add to that is that I didn’t want to put the book down. I needed to find out who the kidnappers were, why they did what they did, why Amelie was treated differently (even though I had a slight suspicion), and what Amelie’s recovery would be like.

The storyline with Amelie and her life before the kidnapping was well written. I loved seeing a carefree Amelie who had a great life and friends. She might have been a little naive, but her heart was in the right place. She had endured so much up to meeting Ned that all I could think was, “Man, she needs a break.” Then she met Ned, found out what her friend accused him of (along with a couple of other girls), and her life went sideways. Still, it was nice to see how she was before.

The storyline with Amelie, her kidnapping, and her life afterward broke my heart. This bright, cheerful girl who had her life ahead of herself turned into a shadow of herself. It didn’t matter if her kidnappers kept her safe from Ned; it was still a kidnapping. She still had to deal with everything by herself. I did like the two twists that the author threw into that storyline. One was about her deceased parents, and the other was about the kidnappers’ identity (plus why they did it). Both made me go, “Oh snap,” when it was revealed. And you know, I don’t blame her for thinking she had Stockholm Syndrome. I would have felt the same way.

The end of The Prisoner both blew me away and disappointed me. It blew me away because of who the kidnappers were. I did have a slight feeling it was those people but nothing concrete. The disappointment angle came with what Amelie decided to do at the very end. She had to get home because of an incriminating letter, but at the same time, she made plans to see that person again. I was like, “Are YOU SERIOUS? No wonder you think you have Stockholm Syndrome.” It was 100% frustrating for me to read because of the hint of a love connection. Ewww, no. Girlfriend needs therapy, not dating that person!!!!

Three Reasons You Should Read The Prisoner:

It was a good read. It kept me glued to the book.
Amelie. She was a tough cookie.
The twist at the end of the book
Three Reasons You Shouldn’t Read The Prisoner:

Ned. He was a dirtbag.
The triggers.
At the end of the book, the implied love connection (well, at least to me, it was implied).
I would recommend The Prisoner to anyone over 21. There is language, sex (implied but not discussed), and moderate violence. Also, see my trigger warning.

B.A. Paris seems to be a hit or a miss for me; I really enjoyed Behind Closed Doors, but this felt a little too similar to really impress. Still, we will be getting a copy for our collection as Paris's books are always popular.

Wasn't able to finish before the copy came out but I absolutely LOVED this book. I've read all of B.A. Paris' books and can't wait for more! Her character description and development is phenomenal and I was unnerved for the whole book!

good book and really enjoyed the characters and their journey. I liked the romance.. I enjoyed how the characters grew in the book and what happened.

I love BA Paris books. She always has such a good plot and well developed characters that eithe rmake you hate them or love them. This book is no exception. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it.!

This is told is two storylines – past and present.
Present: Amelie has been kidnapped, along with her husband Ned. She is in a basement-type room in the dark. There is a small bathroom which has a light that comes on only when the bathroom door is shut. She does not know where Ned is nor where they are being held prisoner. She has started marking days off on the wall in the bathroom. Sometimes, she can hear Ned somewhere in the house.
Past: Amelie has no family and goes to London to get a job. She meets Carolyn who hires her as a housekeeper of sorts and they quickly become friends. Amelie finds herself hanging out with Carolyn and her friends, Lina and Justine. They all work at a magazine owned by Ned. Amelie gets an entry-level job at the magazine and is both surprised and baffled when Ned asks her to come to Las Vegas with him. While there, he presents Amelie with a plan that he hopes will get his parents off his back about marrying someone they want him to marry. That plan involves he and Amelie getting married in Vegas but divorcing a month later. It is during this time that they are married when they are both kidnapped.
The last few chapters were just a back-and-forth between two characters, with one asking questions and the other providing the answers to why everything happened the way it happened.

The Prisoner is different from any book that I’ve ever read. I had no idea how this story would unfold. B.A. Paris is a master storyteller. I highly recommend this book.

I’ve always wanted to read a B.A. Paris book since I’ve heard such great things, so when I saw this on NetGalley, I jumped on the chance to read one.

The story follows Amelie who married the billionaire Ned Hawthorne. One day, she wakes up in as a prisoner in a pitch black room, not knowing why she was taken or who her captors are.

The book did not keep my interest. To be honest, I found it to be quite boring and not very suspenseful. The scenes where Amelie is held in the dark room were very repetitive after a while.

While there were some plot twists sprinkled throughout, some of them were very predictable and they didn’t really pique my interest.

I also couldn’t get invested in the characters - everyone was just kind of boring While Amelie does show some character development throughout the book, she still was just “meh” and I wasn’t very attached to her.

Overall, this story just fell flat to me. I’m hoping that I enjoy some of her other books a bit more.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

***Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents as a child in Paris to making it on her own in London. As she builds a life for herself, she is swept up into a glamorous lifestyle where she married the handsome billionaire Ned Hawthorne.

But then, Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Ned?***

The next book by BA Paris did not disappoint as usual it was gripping twisty and not heading where I thought it was. It's a slow start but soon picks up when you start to learn about the past! I love Paris's writing style she knows how to lock you into the story and hold you tight not wanting to stop reading until the very end.

Another good plot by B.A. Paris. Amelie is duped into marrying Ned Hawthorne and then her life goes horribly wrong. She is held prisoner by him in their house only to be kidnapped a few weeks later. For weeks she and her husband are held prisoner with no ransom being paid. But then Amelie starts wondering about the kidnappers' motives. What do they really want. A good page-turner.