B.A. Paris has quickly become an author I follow. Thrilling narratives that keep you guessing till the very end. Highly recommend to readers

The Prisoner by B.A. Paris
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, B.A. Paris and the publisher, St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of The Prisoner.

Amelie has always been a survivor. After losing both parents, she is forced to make a life for herself in London with help from Carolyn Blakely, the woman who took her in. Amelie meets and marries, a billionaire named Jed Hawthorne. He has his own motivations for the marriage and lays out a "quickie marriage" plan that seemingly should work well for both. You can probably guess that it doesn't!! They both have their own motives to marry one another. But soon after the marriage, Amelie is kidnapped. Who has kidnapped her and why does she feel safer there in that dark room than with her own husband?
I enjoyed the short chapters in the book. I felt that it kept the book moving at an even pace. The dual timelines were also enjoyable and kept me invested. The book started strong and instantly grabbed my attention and had me wanting to know more. I enjoyed this book. I was excited to be able to read it. I have read other B.A. Paris book and enjoy her writing style and storytelling.

The prisoner is a dual timeline thriller. A woman desperate for a family is conveniently picked up by a woman in a bakery. She then moved in with her and starts cooking/cleaning for her. It felt a little rushed in that I didn’t understand how she met her future boss. He then asks her to go to Vegas with him for work. Then asks her to marry him for money. When she returns they are both kidnapped. She has since found out her boss isn’t who he claimed to be. This book fell a little flat for me, it wasn’t that interesting.

I was very intrigued in the beginning, then I wasn't. Nothing was gripping, even the parts that should have been (or intended to be) were not engaging. Then the ending - just a dump of explanations.

The Prisoner started out strong with dual timelines playing out as we try to unravel what is happening along with the main character. However, it seemed a bit too convoluted to where it was hard to follow for me. The twists and turns were over-the-top and rather than keeping me interested, I just felt frustrated.

I didn’t really care for the main character and the story was just so ridiculous I didn’t really buy it.

Now I know ridiculous, unbelievable twisty stories are the name of the game for most thrillers, so if you are in the mood for that, maybe this one would land better for you. But for me, this book was just okay.

Amelie has a complicated past. When an opportunity to build a future on her terms presents itself, she can’t resist. She only has to pretend for 30 days, but the events of that month have lasting implications on those closest to her. She is abducted & held prisoner. Struggling for answers during captivity and plotting her escape help get her through each day, but will she ever be free & find physical & emotional peace?
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. This is my honest review.

Towards the end I starting feeling like things were being drawn out. Once I finished I figured out why and I enjoyed the conclusion. This Author writes some really good suspense books. Happy I was able to read this one.

After reading Behind Closed Doors, my first B.A. Paris read, I knew I needed to read The Prisoner. This book is definitely a page turner.

I was super excited to receive an e-arc of this book and was hooked at the beginning. Sadly, the more I read, the harder it was to enjoy the book. The story itself was incredibly repetitive. I felt like I was re-reading the same story over and over again. I had a hard time connecting part 1 to part 2. It felt like two different stories that didn't tie very well together. I wanted to love this book, but overall, just had a hard time pushing through to finish the book.

I am still looking forward to reading more from B.A. Paris in the future and hope the next book is a hit.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely not my favorite book from B.A. Paris. Separated into two parts, “The Prisoner” follows the unlikely marriage of an orphan to an infamous millionaire.

I felt part one of the book, detailing the Hawthorpes’ kidnapping, was tedious & drawn out entirely too long. I kept waiting on more to happen, but the kidnapping it turns out, was something of a dud. Ending it with millionaire Ned Hawthorpe’s staged suicide was predictable & not a shock to the reader at all. Meanwhile, the second part was far-fetched to the point it bordered on fantasy. Amelie tracking down her kidnapper, who she discovered faked his own death, only to seem to fall in love with him, was too fantastical for words. We were also not given clarity on the true identity of the real identity of the mysterious Mr. Smith or just how deeply attorney Paul Carr was involved in the entire plot. Ned’s father Jethro also disappeared early in part two & never resurfaced.

Just too many loose ends & not enough thrill for me.

Had Great character development. The plot moved at a steady pace. There was some twists I didn't see coming which was interesting and my guess for the ending was wrong.

Thank you to Net galley for providing me a copy of The Prisoner. I thought this one started off strong but slowly became less interested and kept losing focus. I wont lie though I did enjoy the short chapters which always makes it an easier read for me and makes the book go by quicker. I just felt it was a little forced and and just not as what I was hoping for.

3 Prison STars
* * * Spoiler Free-A Quick Review
First, I think this is the type of book you either are into or not. As many have given it 5-star reviews, I understand that. For, I am someone who doesn't usually read captive, super dark stuff but thought I would be fine with what was presented in the blurb.

So this was more "It Was Me, Not The Book."

A fun, twisty read with lots of surprises. I loved flipping between the dual timelines and loved the drama and action. A satisfying ending, too!

This one had SUCH promise but I felt it was a very slow burn. I didn't feel super invested in any of the characters particularly and didn't feel any emotional attachment. The other titles I read by B.A. Paris- I have felt were very well paced and addictive. This one fell flat.

In my mind, B.A. Paris can do no wrong. “The Prisoner” proves it again. After losing her parents as a child, Amelie is forced to make it in the world alone. She makes her way to London, where she is befriended by a woman who offers her a live-in job, and eventually meets Ned Hawthorne— the billionaire who would soon become her husband in a quickie Vegas ceremony.

All should be well now, right? This wouldn’t be a B. A. Paris novel if it were. Amelie and Ned are kidnapped and held in separate, pitch-black rooms, where Amelie is terrified at first. But she begins to wonder whether this prison is actually better than the prison of her marriage.

Who kidnapped the couple? Why was Ned so keen to marry Amelie? Will they make it out alive? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

A miss for me after having enjoyed this author’s previous work. I’m all for suspending belief - I mean this is fiction after all - but c’mon. This ventured into the “silly” category. The pacing dragged at points. The characters were hyperbolic which made them unbelievable to me. I did enjoy the short chapters and I like a dual timeline structure! Onward!

You cannot go wrong with B.A. Paris. Another fantastic thriller full of so many twists and turns. Could not put it down

Thank. you to the publisher via Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for honest review.

Do you ever truly know the person you marry?

Amelie had a rough childhood. After losing her parents, she runs to London to escape her past in Paris. She meets and marries a handsome billionaire, only to discover that he isn’t what he seems. He’s got a dark side to him, one that may end her life.

I was able to read this one in exchange for an honest review on NetGalley. I truly enjoyed it! Paris does a beautiful job of telling the story. I especially loved the way the two timelines came together. The transitions from past to present were flawless and kept you wanting more. The pace was decent, throwing you straight into the action and then backing up to explain.

You could feel the emotions coming off the page. Her fear was palpable, her anger substantial. The depth of the characters was outstanding, and they had the perfect amount of backstory. The descriptions were so well done I could picture each scene vividly. I liked how the story wrapped up and didn’t notice any plot holes. The end of every chapter was suspenseful enough to keep me going. I kept questioning the truth until the end, and all of my questions were answered. The ending was fantastic.

I did take away a star as I found about five errors that took me out of the story. Other than that, I loved this novel.

I give it four out of five stars.

The Prisoner by B.A. Paris was a quick page turner and started out strong. I was excited to see how the book played out, but was left disappointed by the end. I didn’t love the ending, as it felt rushed and everything was explained all in an explanation dump instead of showing us and providing clues to guess. Still, it was interesting and I liked the “double down” part, but overall, I found this pretty meh, but I do plan on reading this author again!

Thanks to #Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.