This one was just confusing and disappointing. I had a lot of trouble feeling anything but annoyance for the characters. I usually like BA Paris’ twists and turns in their dark books, but this one left me seriously wanting. So many unnecessary deaths and I couldn’t keep half the secondary characters straight. I’ll give the author one more go but this one was decidedly my least favorite of their books.

Thank you to the publisher and NG for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Amelie must go out on her own following the loss of her beloved father and it is in London that she discovers herself, her passions, and her knack at survival. Of course, it is the desire for survival that ties her to Ned Hawthorne, her boss and one of the wealthiest men around. Their marriage is a simple deal, but all goes awry when intruders take her and Ned from their home, locking them into darkness. It is in the darkness that Amelie must find herself again, the survival instincts she's put away coming back to use.

I love a good prisoner escape story, I think B.A. Paris' descriptive writing and complex details of the locked, dark room were incredible. The unique requirement to rescue Amelie and her husband was just fantastic, but outside of those walls, the chapters that take place prior to the kidnapping are just difficult to read. Amelie is presented as street smart and hardened, but as we get closer to the kidnapping we see that she's as naïve as they come. She makes terrible choices, ignores all advice, and puts money over everything else. It's hard to read these alternating chapters, knowing that smart, creative, driven Amelie of the kidnapping is the same one who, well, obviously managed to get herself kidnapped.

This one could be a winner for some, but for me I was disappointed. I needed believability.

Wow… I have to say I think I finish this book and record time, it had me guessing, double guessing, and triple guessing

I am a huge fan of this author, and this book did not disappoint. I think it’s my second favorite book of hers.

You are not going to want to miss this book, but be prepared for all the twists, and turns, and twists and turns.

Thank you to NetGalley, B.A. Paris and St Martin’s Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to start something that I knew I’d love - so I grabbed this. At the beginning I wasn’t impressed and honestly thought it was going to be a let down, but then suddenly I’m done the entire book! I flew through it and didn’t stop reading until I was done. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I said this in my last review and will say it again. Every time there is a new B.A. Paris book out there, I get so excited. She has easily become one of my favorite authors. This time, her newest book, The Prisoner, is out. I received an advanced reader's copy. This did not influence my opinion of the book.

The Prisoner, although it may feel the characters are a little predictable in their actions but the story is well-written enough to keep you in suspense about what is happening. I would have liked more development in the backstory of Amelie's dad and also Amelie's savior, Caroline, however, there was enough to understand where actions and motives were coming from. Another great and entertaining work by the author.

I can honestly say I would read anything B.A. Paris writers, and cannot wait for her next book.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the free Advanced Copy in Exchange for an honest review.

Not going to lie—this book stressed me out. I was rooting for Amelie so hard—satisfying twisty last half!

Amelie is a young women who has already lived through hard times but she now has a great group of friends and a new job. Things are about to change. One night Amelie is taken and she doesn't know by who or why, just that she now lives in an entirely blacked out room with no light. Occasionally she can hear her husband from the room beneath her but he is not cooperating and his father is not paying up.

B.A. Paris is at it again. Psychological thrillers with twists. Nothing is what it seems when it comes to Paris's stories. I don't know how many different perpetrators I had in my mind before the end. I highly recommend this for any fans of thrillers and Paris.

I enjoyed this book. I was frustrated at times with the main character, but she was resilient and able to withstand immense trauma. I wish there had been more about what was happening with Ned during the kidnapping, not just hearing him downstairs. I wondered what he was thinking through all this. I liked how the author left the ending for the reader to decide. I have enjoyed all the books I have read by this author thus far. Thank you NetGalley for this gifted copy.

Amelie knows sadness. She lost both parents by age nine. Luckily, Carolyn hires her as a cleaner and adds Exclusive to their business! The magazine's proprietor, Ned Hawthorpe, is deliciously vile. He wants her on their Sin City vacation. If she marries him, he gives her $100,000 for her studies. Agreed. Naturally, things aren't what they appear.... Carolyn calls to tell her that Ned raped one of their pals. Things will only get worse... Amelie sees Ned's evil side and a horrifying act of violence after vacationing with him. She gets kidnapped and isolated before she can escape. Days become weeks, then..... The story begins when Amelie realizes she is safer with her hostages than her husband. Ned's billionaire dad must pay for their release. Her spouse plans her murder. Until the conclusion, murders and other nefarious dealings are unclear. Amelie is rescued by deals. I felt terrible for her and hated what occurred. She can't break her devil deal now. Her captivity and rescue fear convey the strain well. Paris's books are always entertaining.
I'd like to thank Edelweiss Books and St. Martin's Press for sending me an early reader's copy for an honest review.

This one started off strong… and I wanted to love it so much, but I felt like it took me forever to finish. The middle/ past perspective is as a bit drawn out. It finally picked up at the end, I was starting to like it. Think boom it ended. I appreciated the explanation by “you know who” at the end… but ugh I was left thinking well what the hell was the point of it all! I do not want to spoil anything but was happy with part of the ending but still wish it was tied up more instead of in a “maybe”. Iykyk! I love B.A Paris, but this one wasn’t it for me! I would recommend it to a friend though! I am glad I read it!

Another book that I have complex feelings for! Firstly I have to admit this is not my favorite book of B. A. Paris! But it is still easy to read. This was like a B list movie to me although it has an interesting premise.

This one was super intriguing during part one but I became quickly disinterested by part two.

Amelie needs money, Ned (or Jed) needs a fictitious wife to prove to his parents he doesn’t need to be set up. A few weeks after their wedding, the two fo them get kidnapped and are held prisoner. What’s odd though is Amelie feels safer in captivity than with her husband…

I honestly really liked part one and was hoping for a 4-5 star book but the second part almost ruined the book for me for how little I cared about the characters and the story by that point…

I am a huge fan of B.A. Paris, and even though there are a couple of her books I have yet to read, I can say that as of right now The Prisoner is my second favorite. I loved the pacing of this story, and it starts out with so much action that I didn't want to put it down. The audiobook isn't even 9 hours, so it is a quick one, and I was very satisfied with the book only having one viewpoint. Our MC Amelie may not have the most believable story arc ever, but it was an interesting one all the same and I liked her character. The story is also broken into parts, and I loved the way Paris titled them, giving a hint to the reader as to what was to come. There are also alternating timelines that ultimately tell us how and why Amelie got into the predicament she is in as well as more about Jed.

The audiobook is really good as well for you audio lovers out there, and I thought that Georgia Maguire made the perfect narrator. Her voice was believable for Amelie and I found her narration flawless and easy to listen to as well. The Prisoner would be a great one to go into blind, and I feel like it has one of those stories where it's easy to give away spoilers. Little by little all secrets are revealed, and you will definitely have to put a pause on believability if you want to really enjoy this book. I also think it would be a nice choice for someone newer to the thriller genre although I was still surprised by the twists. I am a horrible detective though, so don't pay attention to me. If you want a quick and twisty read to escape into, I highly recommend The Prisoner!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Amelie has always been a survivor. She’s made a life for herself and married a handsome billionaire. Everything’s great until one day she’s kidnapped and wakes up in a pitch black room with no idea where she is, why she was taken and who is out to get her.

I’m a big fan of B.A Paris and her style of psychological suspense, but I have mixed feelings about The Patient.

Love the idea of the plot - wife and husband are kidnapped; wife hates her husband (but we don’t know why yet!); the kidnappers are mysterious, yet familiar at the same time …

Where I struggle is the believability of how we got to this point and the ending. It’s hard to understand why Carolyn brought Amelie into her world as we don’t get much information about the characters. The books moved on in a predicable way and the ending left me wanting more. Or something different. Undecided.

I always enjoy the author’s writing style and the short chapters kept me reading and I did want to know if I was right, or would be surprised, about the ending, which is always important in a thriller.

Thank you @stmartinspress & @netgalley the eARC to read and review 🖤


B.A Paris is still an auto-read author for me. If you haven’t read her work yet, I highly recommend starting with Behind Closed Doors, one of my personal faves !
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Wow! Buckle your seatbelt because B.A. Paris takes us on another wild ride with this book. This one takes a naive, down on her luck, young main character and puts her in the sights of a wealthy predator who happens to be her boss. He takes advantage of her predicament and offers her a marriage arrangement. She endures a lot of strife at his hands and the story keeps you guessing right up until the last chapter. It’s a good one that you won’t want to miss. Thank you NetGalley!

Wow! What a ride! I have read several novels by this author and I think this is my favourite! Loved the short chapters and the past/present POV. There was enough twists in the plot to keep you guessing but not overwhelming. All of the pieces fit perfectly together by the time the story wraps up. I really enjoyed this one!

Enjoyment: 5
Total rating: 4.86

B.A. Paris is one of my favourite authors. She constantly delivers heart-pounding, unputdownable thrillers. As with most of Paris's books, check content warnings before reading them, especially if you are sensitive to toxic relationship depictions. Paris doesn't spare the reader from her villain's antics.

I will try sharing my thoughts without giving away any twists, so I will be somewhat vague regarding the story. I love Paris's writing; The Prisoner is tightly plotted, the mystery solution is satisfying, and the pacing is organic to the plot.

Mostly because her prose is addictive and partially because the psychological/emotional tension is too much for my heart, I usually consume her books as fast as I can. At the heart of The Prisoner, we have our heroine, Amelie. She is a young and naive woman who attracts wickedness. Amelie is easy to empathize with and root for. But man, Paris made this girl suffer and brought her to her breaking point! I loved following her character development, though.

At times, it was hard to follow Amelie's arc because of how much I could relate to her. Like our MC, I am gullible and, to an extent, naive. I have no danger radar at all. Unlike her, I have been lucky to have people who have my back and often point out the danger in a situation I am about to blindly get into. I can 100% see a person like Amelie in the same circumstances making the same mistakes. (well, most of them, but let's remember this is a work of fiction).

The story is told in dual timelines, and at present, Amelie and her husband are kidnapped and kept separately, each in a dark unfurnished room. We need to find out who hired the kidnappers and who to trust. But to give you perspective, Amelie has it easier in that room than in her marriage.

Ned, Amelie's husband, is evil. He is despicable, amoral, and the poster boy for toxic masculinity. And I really appreciate that Paris didn't try to give his monstrosity a context or background, thus avoiding its justification. In black and white, Ned is a villain.




Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publishers and NetGalley for providing a copy of The Prisoner.

Wow what an amazing story! I could not put this book down. The events were at times hard to take and the ending had more than a few surprises. Amelia is a young girl who lost her mother during child birth of her younger brother. As a teenager her dad dies of cancer. She has no one so she moves to London and tries to make it work. After losing her job and almost out of money she meets Carolyn in a coffee shop which changes her life for the better. It is only after she goes to work at a magazine that she meets the owner and her world is turned upside down. Will she manage to get herself out of the mess she has found herself in?
Thank you netgalley for complimentary copy.

Amelie lost her mother when she was quite young. Now, after being ill for quite some time, her father has passed away. So, she leaves her rented home for London hoping to find a job to make money to put herself through law school.

When she happens to meet a lovely woman named Carolyn, it is her lucky day. She is hired to be Carolyn’s housekeeper and cook and theirs becomes a good friendship. In addition, Amelie meets some of Carolyn’s friends and they become a foursome.

Amelie meets Ned Hawthorpe, son of billionaire philanthropist, Jethro Hawthorpe, and founder of the Hawthorpe Foundation. When Ned asks Amelie to accompany him to Las Vegas for a few days on a working vacation, she agrees. There, they marry.

Back home, Amelie realizes she has made a mistake and hopes to divorce Ned but before that can happen, she and Ned are kidnapped and held hostage and separated for many days in a darkened room. Thus begins her story of those dark and frightening days.

I stuck it out reading this book that became more and more convoluted and ridiculous as it went along. One twist led to another twist until I felt dizzy from it all. I did not enjoy this book and found it boring. For me, it seems to be hit or miss with this author. Having read five of this author’s books, there are now two out of the five that I disliked. I hope to try the author again in the future and hope that the next book I read will be good.

Copy provided by NetGalley and Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A totally unputdownable thriller, this book will have you gripped from the very first page until the jaw-dropping final twist. Flawlessly plotted, the story unfolds in layers, each one more shocking than the last. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time.