3.5⭐ rounded up for a solid part 1.

Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, present and past timeline, death of parent, kidnapping, suspense, psychological thriller, 2 part story ~ The Kidnap & The Reckoning

16 year old Amelie is on her own after her father's death. She leaves the country and meets Carolyn. Carolyn offers her a live in job and they become fast friends. Some years later she begins working for Ned and they head to Vegas together for a work trip. Just a few days later Amelie and Ned are married and Amelie soon realizes she's made a big mistake and the deal they made could cost her everything.

When I read books like this I wonder how I would handle being held prisoner ~ would I fight, follow orders, reverse psychology or develop Stockholm syndrome ~ lets hope I never have to find out. I feel like Amelie did all the right things. The present and past timeline in part 1 was more exciting than part 2. I can't really say I was in love with the ending.

Side note ~ The main characters name is Ned, but the blurb says Jed ~ am I crazy?

I was fortunate enough to receive a kindle copy and the audiobook to review. I started out reading it, then switched to audio and finished it up that way. Either way was fine.
Narrated by Georgia Maguire for 8 hours and 41 minutes, easy to follow at 2x. She did a fine job, her males voices were okay.

A digital ARC of this book was provided to me by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. The opinions are my own and freely given.

Cast of Characters:

Amelie - Ned's wife
Ned - Amelie's husband; wealthy man, head of magazine
Carolyn - friend of Amelie
Lina - friend of Carolyn and Amelie; employee of Ned
Justine - friend of Lina and Amelie; employee of Ned

Amelie and Ned marry in Las Vegas under the guise of stopping Ned's father from pestering him to marry. However, their marriage is an arrangement, and no one knows. But Amelie discovers that Ned has an ulterior motive for the marriage. A couple weeks later, Ned and Amelie are abducted and held for ransom.

The morning after the wedding, Carolyn tells Amelie that Justine was attacked, and now no one can get a hold of her. Amelie starts to piece what little information she can find out together and is scared for her life. Then comes the abduction.

I liked the storyline of this book. Wondering, like Amelie, who is behind the abduction. I felt it was just a little anti-climactic when Amelie confronts her kidnapper, and I wished there was a little more of an epilogue at the end. It left me wondering if something happens a few months down the road, or not. But this was not enough for me to dislike this book. Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and B.A. Paris.

I’ve read several of B.A. Paris’ books, so when I get an invite from the publisher, I gladly accept knowing that I’m in for a treat! And The Prisoner did not disappoint. It’s set to release on November 1, 2022 by St. Martin’s Publishing Group. It’s a mystery type thriller that had me so engrossed because I had to know who was behind the abduction. The story centers around Amelie. After the death of her father, she flees to London because she’s alone in the world and her only desire is to attend college to become a lawyer. Once there she meets some very nice women who take her into their circle and help her get a job where she meets Ned Hawthorne. He’s an awful man and he tricks Amelie into marriage. Because of things Ned has done, both he and Amelie are kidnapped. The rest of the story tells about the abduction, and what happens after. The suspense of who was behind it is what kept me reading. I liked that the chapters were all very short and that the author wrote the story so that it was easy enough to keep track of the characters involved and how everything took place and why. I thought it was an enjoyable read and it’s a book I would recommend to those who enjoy this genre. I think all of this authors work that I’ve read is good! I’d like to thank Kejana Ayala, Marketing Assistant at St. Martin’s Publishing Group for sending me the widget and NetGalley for the arc to read, review and enjoy. It was inspiring to read how Amelie was such a survivor after going through everything she did. The ending was a little different, it was almost like a cliffhanger, but it did leave me hopeful that perhaps Amelie might find a happy ending even if it was with one of her captors! I’m giving this a 4 star rating.

The story opens with the kidnapping of Amelie Lamont Hawthorne and her husband, Ned Hawthorne, son of billionaire philanthropist Jethro Hawthorne. Amelie is placed alone in a pitch dark room with Ned being held elsewhere. This reader's interest was immediately piqued when it is divulged that Amelie feels safer as a prisoner of others than she does with her husband. What?!?

Amelie Lamont left France for London at 18, following the death of her father (her mother died years ago). She has no other family and little money but she is willing to work hard to fulfill her dream of attending college to study law. Hired by recently divorced Carolyn Blakely, 33, to do housework, make meals etc. while living in her home, the two quickly become friends. As Amelie comes to know Carolyn's best friends, Justine and Lina, she feels as if she's found a new family. Justine and Lina both work for Ned Hawthorne at Exclusives magazine, and in time Amelie is offered a job by Ned as well.

Ned and Amelie marry (just go with it!) and are kidnapped within weeks of their wedding.

Short chapters alternate between the present and the past, building the suspense and holding the readers' interest.

Unfortunately, Amelie is the only character that is really fleshed out with details. Ned Hawthorne is the epitome of EVIL, but there is little explanation as to how he came to be that way. As a result, he comes across as more a caricature than a real character. Likewise, I felt the other supporting characters were short-changed.

You also have to be willing to suspend belief to enjoy this read. The plot gets more than a bit convoluted and the wrap-up feels too contrived.

This is my least favorite of the B.A. Paris books that I've read and I give it 3 stars. Nevertheless, I will continue to read whatever this author writes.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel via NetGalley. It is set to be published on 11/1/22. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Let me start by saying that B.A. Paris is one of my favorite authors, which I think makes me a harsher critic. I enjoyed this twisty thriller, but I am not saying you have to purchase and read it right away...

Here are the things I loved:
1. It starts out fast-paced and sucks you in.
2. It jumps back and forth between present and past.

The end just left me underwhelmed...

I love B.A. Paris books but this was just not for me. I thought it was going to be something else and it ended up being something I didn't really love.

When I started this book I couldn't put it down! I kept reading looking forward to this 5 star read. It's a thriller, dual time lines, short chapters, a story the keeps me on my toes and not wanting to put it down, read it in a day. All the reasons for five stars, but a lot in the second section just couldn't keep my feelings the same.

The first section was intense, sadly Amelie lost her father at the age 16. Not having anything, or anybody, she runs away to London to start over. Finds a waitressing job, but it became temporary, and she now in a jam. Then she meets Carolyn, starts to work for her and a new life begins and she's enjoying it! She meets Ned Hawthorne, a billionaire, and they make a deal. Agree to marry him to keep his family off her back, and he'll pay her $100,000 to cover her fees for a law degree. The arrangement seemed like a great and easy idea, but it went downhill fast and now she and Ned are prisoners!!!

The second section explains it, but the excitement started leaving fast. A few things are very realistic, history has proven it itself, but a few things are just blown out of the water and were becoming eye rollers.

I had to sit and debate over a three or a four star. Four, because it kept my attention and I kept reading with it being so intense. Three stars because of the eye rollers. I don't want to spoil it with my eye rollers, but they did disappoint me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an copy of the book for my honest review.

If there's one thing I can say about B.A. Paris, it's that she does not stick to a formula. While staying in the thriller genre, I feel like all of her books are very different! While last year's The Therapist was a slow burning psychological thriller, The Prisoner is a fast paced and tangled web of lies action thriller!

The Prisoner is one of those kind of those books that throws you into the fray from the first page and leaves you in the dark until the very end. You are left wondering what the hell is going on, and then who the hell was behind it all! The plotting of this was was surprisingly intricate, full of mystery, deceit, and lies. It did suspend reality a little bit, I found parts to be unrealistic, but it did make for a fun read! Maybe not my favorite from this author, but I still enjoy it and still count Paris as one of my favorite thriller authors!

I received a free digital copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This was an addicting, fast read. I loved the beginning where it was switching between being held prisoner and their life leading up to it. Basically Amelie marries for money, ends up regretting it, and ultimately ends up kidnapped because of her horrible husband. Even though she's free, the parts post kidnapping were a little boring for me and kinda depressing because everyone Amelie cared about is gone.

B.A. Paris does it again! I really enjoyed this book. I liked the way the plot of the story unfolded, as it's not a real "prisoner" in the sense of a person being in jail but as someone who was kidnapped (along with her new husband). I think the main character was not that smart in some of her decisions, but it didn't hinder me from continuing reading the book. Thanks Netgalley!

Thank you for the ARC!

This plot was wild - as a thriller junkie, this storyline completely took me off guard and kept me on my toes. A woman wakes up as a prisoner in a strange place, learning that her billionaire husband is being held as well. With quick short chapters that alternate between the past and present, it was pretty fast-paced. So I was intrigued and excited to see the story unfold.

Admittedly, I did not LOVE the ending, it seemed a little far-fetched and outrageous, but it fits together nicely. There are tons of interesting parts of this story - would be a great book club read!

I was intrigued by the premise of this book and was hooked for the first half of it. However, the second half was where the story lost me. It seemed rushed and the main character made some weird decisions that made no sense. I've enjoyed BA Paris books before but this was not a good one.

I really liked this and finished it in a day. It’s clever and most of the characters are likable. I was surprised by the ending though- it seemed like it was going that way

This was my first novel from B.A Paris and after hearing good things about previous books, I was excited to jump into a thriller for this spooky season. This was split into 2 parts - captivity where we follow Amelie in the present, kidnapped and held separately from her billionaire husband and her past - basically how she got there.

The second part covers the aftermath to cover scandal, murder and some twists.

What I liked:
-fast pace & easy to read
-short chapters
-past & present format kept my attention


What I did not like so much:
-predictable twist
-I had to remind myself to give the thriller liberty - no way that some of these things would happen even in my suspended belief state of mind (looking at you, Caroline just employing a stranger...)
-character development was minimal
-instant connections to strangers
-a full 35ish pages of exposition to explain the whole novel to the main character

Overall, 2.5 rounded to 3 - If you like quick thrillers for an entertaining day or so of reading, this might be one for you!

Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy in return for an honest review

Psychological thriller.
A page turner with short chapters makes for a quick read.
I've read all of BA Paris' books and this was my favorite of late.

Amelie is a prisoner in more ways than one. She married into a prestigious family under questionable circumstances. Her life with Ned is not what she expected. Then she wakes up in a dark room where she is being held captive for reasons unbeknownst to her. She learns her husband is also being held in hopes of extracting ransom from her father-in-law.

This author is just not for me anymore. I found the title deceiving and while loving her earlier books I just feel like her last 3 have fallen extremely flat for me. Maybe it’s the fact that I read too many thrillers I’m not sure…

This book kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next! Another thrilling ride from B.A. Paris that will keep you guessing.

I enjoyed this book and the suspense that came with it. The ending seemed to drag a little bit but I definitely didn’t expect what happened. Really makes you think about how that could easily happen outside a books pages

How was this my first ever B.A. Paris read?! After reading this book in less than 48 hours I realized that I’ve been missing so much from not discovering this author sooner!

This was a page turner from the start. Very fast-paced and keeps you guessing till the end…literally the last chapter.

I grew to really like the MC, Amelia who has an orphan trying to get through life when all of a sudden she finds herself married to a billionaire she just met. Soon after their wedding they are kidnapped, but why does Amelia soon realize that being a prisoner alone in a dark room is safer then being alone with her billionaire husband?

Paris did not let me down! The ending was pact with all the answers. The character development with Amelia was perfect and she’s a MC that many readers can connect with.

✨ Definitely worth the read!

Read if you like 💕
🫶🏼 Short chapters
🫶🏼 Past & Present timelines
🫶🏼 Descriptive storytelling

You can bet that I’ll be reading another B.A. Paris novel soon!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. 🤍

Amelie wakes in a pitch dark room and slowly works to piece together the terrible events of the past month that have brought her to this point. She agreed to marry Ned Hawthorpe for all the wrong reasons and now her captors continue to torture her husband in the room below - his hatred of her evident. Her friends did not survive the past month, will she? I enjoyed this page turner but was a bit put off by some of the choices Amelie makes being contrived - almost like a cliche of a horror film. Perhaps most modern women, especially young women alone, would be more suspicious of Ned? And very unlikely to fall for the missing cell phone etc. That being said, BA Paris is still a great suspense author and I enjoyed the story overall. It has a unique storyline and many elements were not as predictable. I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own. 3.5 stars