I enjoyed the second 2/3 once she was freed from captivity. The beginning had a lot going on and none of it really seemed relevant in the end. I thought too much time was spent on their experience in captivity. Overall, i liked the book and the ending but i thought there was a lot of characters and a lot going on and hard to follow at times.

B.A Paris writes such great psychological thrillers. The Prisoner is not a disappointment. I have decided to go back and read all the books by this author.

💰 I have a love/hate relationship with this author’s books. Well, hate is a strong word – perhaps a love/didn’t love relationship is a better way to put it. I’ve read several of her books and I either really enjoy them, or I don’t. Unfortunately, this one is the latter.

💰 First the negatives – It was too long, it was extremely repetitive in the beginning, and some of the plot points were just silly. For example, she follows a woman home from a coffee shop and gets a live-in job offer from the woman? Really? Come on… There were several unrealistic situations like this. I can suspend belief in support of a good story, but it has to at least be convincing. Too many things weren’t plausible. I also thought the characters were flat. I was having trouble remembering who some of the secondary characters were because they had no depth and nothing of note to remember about them.

💰 The positives – I liked the shorter chapters and the dual timelines. Once we got past the hostage situation, the pace did pick up significantly. Amelie was a generally likeable character (even if a tad unrealistic at times) and she had an interesting development arc. As a math nerd, I loved the use of the lump sum cash payment vs. doubling your money every day question.

💰 Overall, this wasn’t a win for me. I didn’t hate it, but I honestly wasn’t engaged, I didn’t find it particularly thrilling or suspenseful, and too many plot points were unrealistic.

Thank you @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for an eARC and a physical ARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I have very much enjoyed the books of B.A. Paris. That being said, this is not one my favorites. I thought that the premise sounded interesting enough, however at times I was a bit bored by the writing and found the main character a little unrealistic. I felt she was too nice and it didn't seem at all realistic. I found some of the scenes during her imprisonment to be boring and repetitive. I did enjoy the flashback scenes as well as the events that happened after her release. I think fans of Paris' might be disappointed, however it is not a bad book.

Having enjoyed previous B.A. Paris books, I was looking forward to a suspenseful and intriguing read. Unfortunately this book just did not do it for me at all. I did not feel like the characters were fully fleshed out and thus did not feel any sort of connection or understanding of them. Furthermore, the plot really was boring and poorly told. I kept reading, hoping it would get better or there would be an interesting twist or turn but there wasn't. Very disappointing.

This one took me a little while to get into, but I’m happy that I finally sat down and finished it all. Overall good read and would give 3 1/2 stars.

Thank you for the ARC of The Prisoner by B. A. Paris.
I’ve read several of this author’s books, but this is my least favorite. The chapters were short, but I found the story implausible..
Amelie and her husband are kidnapped in the middle of the night and being held for a large ransom. The are being held in separate dark rooms and at first have no idea that they are both captive. The story is told on two timelines-past and present. The action picks up toward the end, but I found the conclusion to be very unexciting.

Typical B.A. Paris. This story pulls you in and then breaks you. While you’re trying to figure out what is happening and why, you don’t realize you’re falling for the MC.

Excellent writing and gripping story. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down until I was finished. I may have lost a few hours sleep, but it was well worth it.

I highly recommend this and any of B.A. Paris’s books.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the early ARC of this book. Unfortunately, this book was not for me.due to the alternating timelines and not being able to connect with the characters throughout the story. I would like to read more from this author in the future to see if I have better luck.

Let me preface this by saying that ever since I read Behind Closed Doors, I have become a huge fan of BA Paris and this book did not let me down! This was an incredible story that combined suspense and drama. It only took me a few chapters to get hooked and then I just kept reading until odd hours of the night! If you are looking for a thriller that is a quick read, that has you on edge, that makes you feel claustrophobic (just by reading it) and has you guessing every next move, this is the book for you!!!

I am a fan of B.A. Paris (sometimes). Her book Behind Closed Doors was an excellent, chilling thriller as was The Therapist.

(In a Nutshell) The first few pages of The Prisoner had me hyperventilating, gasping for air. I thought this was going to be her best book yet, but although I enjoyed, the rest of the book did not live up to the promise of those first few pages. While Amalie (MC) and Ned Hawthorne (her husband) were being held prisoner in a dungeon-like basement by unknown assailants, we learn that our MC was tricked and then trapped into a marriage of convenience (her husband's convenience), a mistake that the MC makes in other books by Paris. MC marries the wrong man, and in this case, for the wrong reasons. Soon, she is trapped, and held prisoner in her husband's 'palacio' for as long as it takes for her to fulfill her end of the bargain. She learns that her husband has killed her most beloved friend, and then watches as her husband murders a second friend who has come looking for the first. She has no illusions as to what the future holds for her.

It's showtime and MC is getting ready for her performance, (yanking her father-in-law’s chains, and) impressing an investor to climb on board and save hubby’s magazine (I may be off a bit, but I read this book nearly a year ago). MC clandestinely tries to convey her distress and predicament to potential mafioso-like investor under the watchful, threatening eyes of her husband. Did she succeed in doing so? Her imprisonment by unknown captors will eventually be her salvation. What happens next? (You will have to read the book or the spoiler on GoodReads, if you want to find out.),

3.5 stars bumped up to 4 because I remembered the entire plot nearly a year after reading (as well as minutiae that I did not include!).

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book for my review, I enjoyed.

I LOVED Behind Closed Doors, so I had to read this one. It was amazing!! So suspenseful and twisty. I loved the characters and the short chapters. It definitely kept me guessing. A great read!

A quick read but not my favorite from BA Paris (one of top authors!) From a messy plot to unlikable characters - the storyline was a slow build but simultaneously feeling rushed. Missed the mark but I could seeing it being enjoyable to some.

Thank you for the ARC!

I enjoyed this book from B.A Paris. The past and present tense point of view really helped to bring it all together. I really was intrigued by the awful of Ned and trying to figure out which person he had wronged that was holding them captive. I felt for Amelie as she had lost everything. She felt she had nothing which is how she ended up with this awful Ned. I as saddened by her friend’s deaths and really felt they would have been able to save her. At the end the twist was shocking. I didn’t expect how it all came together. Overall enjoyed the book!

Amelie and her new husband Ned are kidnapped in the middle of the night. Ned is a powerful and rich man, they are being held captive. Although Amelie is in a dark room alone, she’s never felt safer.

I didn’t have the easiest time with this one. It starts very slow, with a super slow past story line introducing characters and how Amelie became Ned’s wife, it just takes so long to happen. The present story of the kidnapping is quick to happen, but slow once in captivity. I found myself wanting a little more.

Will the ransom be paid? Will Amelie and Ned be free? And Will Amelie ever know why this happened to them?

One of the most gripping books I've read in a long time. Never a dull moment, I loved it. So different to other books that I have read recently. When Amelie married for money, she thought it would be for a month and they would be divorced and she would receive a settlement. She had no idea what kind of man that she married. Soon after the marriage she and her husband were kidnapped and she was kept in a dark room. That's just the first part of the story. The last half, though less exciting was "why"

Unable to review at this time. Will review at a later date. I'm cleaning up my netgalley in order to review 2023 books. This book sounds delightful and will read once fully caught up on my account. Thank you for this opportunity! I look forward to reading this book!

I did not like this book. I have tried three times to read it but I think this may be a me problem The alternating timelines annoyed me instead of hooking me.

Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. I was thrilled with this book. Amelie is in a strange marriage with Ned and then she’s kidnapped and held hostage. When she gets out she tries to figure out what’s happening. I think her marriage was worse than the kidnapping. Just didn’t hold my attention.

I was so lucky to receive an advance copy of The Prisoner by B.A. Paris from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This book captures you right from the first page and keeps you guessing the entire time. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and was so sad to finish it. B.A. Paris is a fantastic author and I always look forward to reading the newest release.