I have always loved books by B.A. Paris so I was extremely excited to receive a copy of their new book, The Prisoner! This author knows how to keep you intrigued and that continued in this novel. I read it in a day! However, I did have trouble connecting with the characters and felt I wanted a little more backstory from this book. Overall, this was still very good and I will still read more from this author!

I was gifted this copy of The Prisoner by @netgalley and @stmartinspress and I was super excited to dive in.⁣
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Unfortunately I did not love this book as much as I was hoping. I felt the main character’s development over time felt very childish and undeveloped. ⁣
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I loved Behind Closed Doors so this one was a bit of a disappointment. However, the ending helped bring my review to 3 stars.

This was my 5th novel by B.A. Paris. I was immediately hooked by this book, and found it an easy & quick read while on vacation. While I did enjoy the story, it was similar to other B.A Paris’ books being far fetched and unbelievable. If you are good with these kinds of stories then you will thoroughly enjoy this book. If you are a stickler for needing a story to be believable then this will be a book you will want to pass on. Out of the 5 novels I have read, this would land in my top 3! While reading this story, I kept thinking, what would I do if I was in this position? How would I handle this? Would I be this brave? Would I be this naive? Etc? I enjoyed having this dialogue in my mind and while it was in some ways to other novels I have read, in other ways it was complete new.

The first two thirds of this book were un-putdownable! There were times when my heart was actually racing in anticipation of what was going to happen next. Unfortunately, I felt the ending to be drawn out and unnecessary. Overall, I would still recommend this book as it was overall - a page turner!!

The Prisoner
By B.A. Paris

Right from the start “The Prisoner” grips the reader in dark suspenseful web where we meet young Amelie kidnapped during the middle of the night from her home. Who are these kidnappers and what do they want? The Prisoner is a fast paced never ending thrill ride. The reader immediately sympathizes with Amelie. We do have Amelie’s back story, but it doesn’t interfere with the suspense, only made the reader cheer Amelie on. I enjoyed the many plot twists at the end of the story, and I was satisfied with the conclusion.

To say I was excited to read/listen The Prisoner is a gross understatement. However, it isn’t what I’ve come to expect from BA Paris. This one did not work for me. The prison scenes are drastically drawn out and needed to get to the point sooner. Overall, it didn’t hold my attention.

Georgia Maguire does a good job narrating but even her performance couldn’t save this slow-paced story.

Amalie lost her parents early in life and moves to London to find her own way. She is taken under the wing of a woman named Caroline who really helps turn her life around for the better. Through Caroline and her friends, she meets Jed Hawthorne, a billionaire's son. She takes a short trip with him to Las Vegas where he proposes a deal for her to marry him for one month and in return he will pay for her college schooling. Despite having reservations, Amalie agrees to the deal. Shortly after returning from their trip, Amalie discovers she has made a grave mistake. Jed is not the man she thought he was and she is in great danger. After seeing her friend Lina killed by his bare hands, Amalie decides she needs to find a way out. Unfortunately, they are both kidnapped before she can escape.
The time of the kidnapping is told through alternating timelines between Amalie's life before and her current days being held captive. The whole time, she is trying to figure out a way out and also trying to figure out who her captives are.
I enjoyed the story but felt the time in captivity dragged on a bit. There was a lot of repetitiveness which I suppose is how captivity would go. I liked the use of alternating timelines to break it up a bit and explain how she came to be in this predicament. I also thought the loose ends were tied up well at the end of the book. I wasn't able to predict who did what, so the story really kept me guessing. I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was worth the read but is not my favorite B.A. Paris book. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This novel was thrilling from the first page. It was a super quick read and I couldn't put it down. That being said it was a bit predictable but I still enjoyed it!

The Prisoner opens with a bang. B.A. Paris definitely knows how to write an original plot line. Unfortunately this one moved a little too slowly for me. Even though I liked the idea behind the story, I did find that I need it to move along quicker and also I felt a few pieces of the plot seemed a little far fetched. Regardless, I kept reading because I was intrigued enough that I needed to see what happened and of course, I'm gad I did.

The main character, Amelie is easy to find a soft spot for. She's an orphan with no other living family. She isn't afraid to work hard and thinks she's fallen into a boon of luck when she meets Ned and he offers her a deal to marry him. Unfortunately, things aren't always as they appear and her life is getting ready to get interesting ....and not necessarily in a good way.

Even though I did have a few issues with this book, it's still worth the read. I wasn't disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own..

Although I have enjoyed books from BA Paris in the past, The Prisoner was far too slow paced and the page count was too intimidating to keep me invented in finishing it. I do hope to read another from the author in the future as I do feel Paris writes well and I generally find the storylines interesting, unfortunately this one wasn’t for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an ARC of this novel.

Thank you to B.A. Paris and NetGalley for providing me with an ebook copy of The Prisoner for me to read and review. Wow! B.A. Paris did it again! What an awesome, captivating, addictive read! I was immediately hooked with the way the story jumped right into the thick of the action and then gave us little bits of background and depth through the multiple timelines portrayed in part 1. I loved the way Paris wrote the main character with such description and depth. It allowed me to really feel connected to her and sympathize with her situation. And what a plot! The twists and turns were wild enough to give me whiplash and I didn't know who could be trusted. It took me on a wild ride of emotions, uncertainty, and fear and left me aching for a sequel. Definitely a must-read!

If you’re a B.A. Paris fan, add her newest release to your list!

After reading Behind Closed Doors, I was a little disappointed with the slower pace of The Dilemma and The Therapist, but this one is full of suspense and brings back those moments of tension and anxiety that fans of Behind Closed Doors love.

The Prisoner is fast-paced with short chapters and goes back and forth between the past and present weaving together the story of Amelie and her husband, Ned (Goodreads says Jed?) and how they went from a wealthy couple living a glamorous lifestyle to prisoners in a pitch-black room.

Thanks @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my advanced e-copy of The Prisoner!

Amelie is locked in a pitch dark room after her and her husband are kidnapped from their home by unknown assailants.

But a survivor is what she is; no matter how long she stays locked up, or whether she ends up back out in the world with her husband, who also, keeps her locked up..

This book took me about 100 pages of struggle before I really got involved in it, and felt like I was really reading B.A. Paris. It alternates between past and present chapters, and although the 'past' chapters were intricate and interesting, the first so many of the 'present' chapters really made me wonder if I wanted to keep reading or not. (I felt like I read about her moving her hands along the walls in the dark room enough times).

However! Once I hit that hump, this book took off in glorious B.A. Paris style, and I was finally invested in what I was reading. I really enjoyed most of the rest of the book, (as popular opinion states, the ending is kind of a rough one..), and can say that, although it was not my favorite of hers, it was still well worth the read, and I will continue to read B.A. Paris' books!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and B.A. Paris for the opportunity of opening yet another one of her books up!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press. for the chance to read The prisoner by B.A. Paris. I am a big fan of the author and was eager to read this book. It started off with a bang, but kinda fizzled halfway through. Its a quick read so be your own judge; however I suggest starting with one of the author's earlier books.

The Prisoner is a suspenseful psychological thriller that will have you holding your breath at times. This author knows how to keep you on edge! This is a fast read with some great twists.

Thank you, B. A. Paris, for writing an intelligent thriller that that blew my mind!

I would never think that a book in which half of the setting takes place in the dark could be interesting, but Paris has managed to imbue this book with such a sense of realism that you actually feel like you are in the room with Amelie, The chapters move back and forth between the past and present, building suspense that grabs hold and you realize you haven't taken a breath for a few seconds!

Amelie is a victim of circumstances, orphaned early and lucking into a job at a prestigious magazine. But she has no idea what kind of man her boss is, or the lengths he'll go to protect his reputation. When he offers her a business proposal, her decision will toss her into a nightmare that leads to her kidnapping. She soon starts to think that she will be safer in her dark prison, than released along with her boss.

I don't know how they would do it, but someone must make this into a movie! This is on my very shortlist for one of the best books of the year!

Many, many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance reader's copy!

The Prisoner is a fast paced thriller that sucked me in from the first chapter and kept me hooked through the interweaving timelines. The book starts with Amelie being kidnapped along with her husband, Ned, where she is then kept prisoner in a dark room by herself. The other timeline picks up from the time Amelie’s dad passes away when she is 16 leaving her an orphan. Paris brilliantly weaves these two timelines together to create a suspenseful and intriguing story.

What I enjoyed most about this book is how hooked I was on finding out how Amelie goes from where she starts at 16 to where she ends up. And the more story that gets revealed the more intrigued I was. I really admired Amelie’s strength and while she is a flawed character that could be annoyingly naive at times, I appreciated how hard she was constantly fighting for herself.

However, for how much I enjoyed Amelie’s character, I did find the other characters to all be one dimensional. Everyone felt very flat and it was obvious that they were only there to serve a purpose to the story. But I think B.A. Paris consistently delivers unique and twisty stories that I always fly though because I love the journey she is taking me on even if her character development is lacking.

Is is the most realistic story? No, but if you can suspend your disbelief enough then you will find yourself on a fun rollercoaster of a book that takes you places you won’t see coming. But I do recommend reading it in one or two sittings, if you can, to get the most enjoyment out of it. More than that and I think your incredulousness will hamper the pleasure of reading this book.

This was a very fast read, with alternating past and present chapters. I felt suffocating fear when Amelie was thrown into the pitch black room, but I also felt her strength as she bravely learned all the details of her confines, and of her captors actions. Like Amelie, my brain worked hard to figure out who the kidnappers could be, and I never did figure it out.

The ending might frustrate readers, but I felt it completely appropriate to the character of Amelie and who she was after going through her kidnapping experience.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

More like a 2.5 star for me but rounding up for review purposes. I'm not a huge fan of books with an abrupt start, where you immediately find yourself in the situation at hand with no backstory, and that is the case in The Prisoner. It starts with Amelie already being held captive in a dark basement, kidnapped alongside her wealthy husband, Ned Hawthorpe. She is being kept separate from him, but can hear him speaking with their captors through the walls. Through flashbacks, we learn that Amelie is very young, having been orphaned at age 17, and ran away to London to start a new life. She almost ended up on the streets, but fortunately met a woman named Carolyn in a restaurant, who offered her a job as her live-in housekeeper. Amelie and Carolyn become close, like sisters, and she also befriends Carolyn's glamorous girlfriends, Lina and Justine.Through them, she meets Ned at a business function, who offers her a job at his company, which Amelie accepts because Carolyn now has a boyfriend and wants to give them more privacy. During a supposed business trip to Las Vegas, Ned proposes a marriage of convenience to Amelie - he will pay her £100,000 for one month of marriage so she can go to college in exchange for getting him out of an arranged marriage his wealthy family wants. Amelie accepts, but soon realizes that Ned isn't the jovial boss he seems to be. Carolyn frantically calls up Amelie at the hotel and notifies her that right before they left, Ned sexually assaulted their friend Justine, who is now missing. When they return home, the other friend Lina confronts Need, which results in Amelie witnessing something terrible. They soon visit the home of a wealthy Lithuanian, Lukas, for a business meeting, but find out upon arrival that he knew Lina and was worried about her whereabouts. Ned implies his security guard was the last person to see her alive, and on the drive home they are ambushed and the security guard is shot dead. Amelie plans to kill Ned at night as her only means of escaping the situation, but they are kidnapped instead.

To me, the twist of who the captors were was obvious, especially given Amelie's feelings prior to marrying Ned. Her descent into Stockholm Syndrome was disturbing, especially after her release and her putting the final clues together. I hated that the ending made it seem like she was just going to forgive what happened because after losing everyone she loved, her captor was all she had left.

I love a mystery where I can't figure out what's going on and B.A. Paris always seems to accomplish that in her books! I'm claustrophobic so reading about being kept alone in a dark room practically had me gasping for air. The writing is excellent and there's never a dull moment in the story. I did guess a few things but certainly not everything.

This is a fast read because it's almost impossible to put down. Great thriller!!