I have to say, I am a huge fan of B.A. Paris's previous works, but this one did not cut it for me and I am shocked by how disappointed I was with this. I am left with so many questions and just very confused after reading this one. I felt that this was way too short and is seriously lacking in character development. There are so many character names thrown in at the end that I could hardly remember who they all were and why the ending was supposed to be dramatic and shocking. The complete lack of any character development for a single character really just left me feeling zero emotional attachment to these characters and not really caring what happened to them one way or another. When I first started this, I was intrigued by the premise and the beginning POVs but quickly became confused on why the story was organized in the manner it was. I also found myself wanting more of the POV of the beginning of the "marriage" but hardly got anything. I felt like this came completely out of nowhere and there was just no proper build up to anything in this. I am left with so many questions still and am very disappointed because this was so different from the style of Paris' past books. I will still look forward to her next releases but I would skip this one if you are a fan of her work. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Edit: It has now come to my attention via a follow up email from the publisher that the file for THE PRISONER on NetGalley was missing multiple chapters. This is probably why I was left so confused and why I didn't enjoy this nearly as much I would have hoped. However, it would be nearly impossible for me to determine which chapters were missing on my first read through so I will not be going back and listening to the chapters I missed. Very disappointed in the publisher for not realizing this before putting it on NetGalley. I'm sure I'm not the only one who had this unfortunate experience and it will likely hurt the early popularity of the book.

This is the first book I have read by B. A. Paris. I have been curious about her work from their reviews.
The opening chapter sees the abduction of Amelie taken from her bed during the night along with her husband Ned to an unknown location. Immediately they are separated, she is taken to a dark room with a mattress and a toilet. As the days pass, Amelie works on two problems:
1. Why were she and Ned kidnapped?
and
2. How will she escape?

The Prisoner is told two parts; the first deals with the Amelie’s abduction and alternates between taking us back in the not too distant past – a couple years, to explain how Amelie and Ned met, eventually resulting in their marriage, it also explains why when still basically newlyweds Amelie and Ned have already come to hate each other - so much so that even as she sits and plots how to escape her dark room its the safest she’s felt since her marriage to Ned.

The first part had my attention captured for ages, wanting to know if something revealed during the past timeline would explain the kidnapping, or if/when/how Amelie escapes in the present timeline.
Of course at some point the two timelines have to merge somehow and this brings on the part 2 – which I can only label as the fallout from what happened in part 1.

The ending was a little meh! for my liking, plus I also had figured out who at least one of the kidnappers were long before their reveal. But still this was still a good read, good characters, page turning and also has me interested in reading some more of Ms Paris’s work.

4-1/2 stars

Thanks to #Netgalley and #St. Martin's Press for an ARC of #The Prisoner in exchange for my honest review

The Prisoner Review!

Thank you so much @stmartinspress and netgalley for this gifted copy, in exchange for an honest review! The Prisoner comes out November 1, 2022!!

I couldn’t put this book down for the life of me!! What a crazy and unique thriller of a book. The Prisoner was a 4.5/5 ⭐️ for me!
There wasn’t much twist at the end for me, I figured it out at the very beginning. That didn’t ruin it for me though, I was still on the edge of my seat the whole time!! I was so caught up in the story line that when I flipped the last last page, I was completely shocked that it was over. It was so abrupt and that was the reason for it not being a 5 star. What a fun and thrilling ride though! Definitely recommend this one!!

Synopsis: Amelia has had a rough life with her parents dying and becoming homeless. Her luck turns though, when she starts working as a cleaning/cooking lady. Through mutual friends, she meets a billionaire and is swept up in an expensive life style. After a crazy time in Vegas though, she wakes up, trapped in a pitch black room. Why is she being held prisoner?

At the start of The Prisoner, Amelie and her new billionaire husband are kidnapped. Who did it? Why did they do it? And why does Amelie feel more comfortable being kidnapped than being at home with her husband?
The first half of this book held my interest but it started to fall apart/lose focus in the last third.
*Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

I loved the back and forth between past and present in this book. Every chapter changes your perspective on the whole situation and who was involved. This BA Paris novel did not disappoint!!!

Amelie’s life hasn’t been one of ease, but she is a survivor. Alone, after losing her parents, she makes a life for herself in London with help from Carolyn Blakely who kindly took her in. Long story short here, Amelie goes to Vegas with her boss on a business trip and ends up marrying Hime. Ned Hawthorpe is a billionaire and maybe Amelie needs some of that money. Shortly after they return they are both kidnapped and she is held in a room with absolutely no light. Who has kidnapped her and why does she feel safer there in that dark room than with her new husband?
This was part one and it kept me glued to my kindle. Part two, on the other hand seemed long and arduous.

I did enjoy this book but have read much better by B.A. Paris. Although this was not a five star for me, Paris is still one of my go to authors.

The beginning of this book really hooked in me - the story was interesting and fast paced which kept me engaged. The execution eventually just fell flat and the book didn’t end up working for me.

The Prisoner is told in dual timelines - present day and Amelie’s past. The chapters were too short and alternated between past and present too quickly for me to stay interested in either timeline or to learn much about the characters. There was also no character development throughout the story.

The story also uses one of my most hated thriller tropes - having a character explain everything that happens at the end of the story instead of having everything play out on page so the reader can actually experience it.

This was a quick read and the short chapters kept me engaged throughout the book, but overall I wanted more out of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for my review.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Just like all of B.A. Paris’s books I was completely drawn in from the first page. Lots of twists and turns with an ending nobody is expecting!

Thank you to NETGALLEY for the advance reader copy of this book. After reading Behind Closed Doors, I’ll read everything Paris writes hoping for something as good. This story comes close.! Lots of twists and turns and speculation in the beginning of the book. However, toward the end Paris begins explaining everything to the reader. While it’s nice to understand why and how everything is happening, very little is left for the reader to guess and imagine. 4 stars!

This book started off as a five star read. I was hooked immediately, loved the short chapters and thought the past/ present timelines built the perfect amount of suspense. However, once the second part hit, the book took a turn for the worse, and I lost interest completely. The execution of the plot was long and drawn out, there was little to no character development, I had zero emotional attachment to any characters and the story was totally unbelievable.

Thanks NetGalley and SMP for the ARC. Pub date 11/1

Ok, so I’ll start by saying that I did like this book, it kept me turning the pages and interested in what was going to happen next. It had a very good plot, I was kept guessing most of the way through. It was just a little flimsy. There were so many parts that just didn’t come across as believable. The ending tied up a little too nicely, but overall, a good read.

Amelie has been a survivor from day one. After losing her parents, she has made a life for herself in London with help from Carolyn Blakely a kind woman who took her in. Shortly after marrying billionaire, Jed Hawthorne, she is kidnapped and held in a dark room. Who has kidnapped her and why does she feel safter there in that dark room than with her husband? Pretty bad when you feel better being held captive.

I enjoyed the short chapters that helped move the book along at a nice pace. The two timelines were also enjoyable and kept me invested. The book started strong and instantly grabbed my attention and had me wanting to know more. It was obvious from the beginning, that her husband was not the nicest of fellows, and I wanted to know more of his motivation and why both were taken.

I had both the kindle and audiobook versions of this book. I was nice to go back, and forth which was nice as my audiobook was slightly over 4 hours, I notice other reviewers of the audiobook are mentioning the glitch in shortened time with the audiobook. Thankfully I had both. When I started listening, I thought, wow this is a short book, only 4 hours listening time, but having both copies, I was able to read/listen to the entirety of the book. I did enjoy the narrator.

While I enjoyed the book, I didn't quite love it. I found it to be entertaining and was invested in it all the way to the end. Amelie was a character to root for which I did. Like other reviewers, I found the ending to be what dragged my rating down. The ending lost a little of what made me enjoy the book in the beginning. The book was a solid 4 for me going into the ending.

Although this was not my favorite by B.A. Paris, I will happily read more of her books in the future.

3.5 stars


Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Welcome to your stunning Fall Thriller! The Prisoner is not like any domestic thriller you have read before - you will stay up all night reading so beware!

When Amelie's father dies, she leaves for London to try and make a life for herself. Nearly broke, she relies on strangers to survive in the city. Flash forward years later and she is married to a very, very rich man - billionaire Ned Hawthorne. Unfortunately, now that she is in the spotlight, she is vulnerable and one day she wakes up in a dark room with no windows. She is also kidnapped! But she doesn't know by whom or if she will be freed. If you love a domestic thriller, don't pass this up! The Prisoner is a sizzler! #StMartin #ThePrisoner #BAParis #netgalley

I'm a huge B.A. Paris fan, but this one fells short for me. Part 1 was good and kept me reading, but they Part 2 was slower and confusing. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

B.A. Paris' The Prisoner starts out with a fast-paced kidnapping of Amalie and her husband, Ned. She finds herself trapped in a dark room with no idea who's behind the kidnapping and what's next for her. The first few chapters had me pretty hooked, however, as the story continued it got slower and slow and I realized how much I hated Amalie. She was so SO weak to the point where I couldn't even root for her to make it out alive. There were a few twists that I didn't expect and were decent, however, the ending made me very angry. Overall, I'd say this a 3.5-star read because the twists were good and the story has potential, I just couldn't get past my dislike for Amalie and her actions.

I cannot give this book enough praise! You will constantly think you have a clue of what is going on, only to find out later.... you have NO clue! The story line will keep you enthralled and you will not want to put the book down. I love reading ARC's that I can tell my friends about and this is one of them!

The plot is original about a young girl, Amelie, who had a series of misfortunes. How many times has it been said: “Be careful what you wish for.”

Her mother died when she was young. Then her father died of cancer and didn’t leave her anything. She was now on her own at 17 years old. She had no place to live and she was hungry. She was exhausted staying at various youth hostels. Yet, there was hope. Carolyn, at a coffee shop, gave her a half-eaten muffin. Amelie explained her situation and she was then hired on the spot to clean, cook and shop for her. She also allowed her to stay rent free at her beautiful home. They became best friends – like sisters. Is this even possible? After a year or so, she joined two other friends to work at a magazine. That’s when her life took a dark turn.

It's a quick read which weaves back and forth from the present to the past. It’s easy to keep track of the characters involved and visualize quite well what they may have looked like. I pictured Amelie as a very naive, sweet girl. However, she should have been a little rough on the edges as she was living on her own in the streets for a while. Later, when she was in a prison, my imagination didn’t go wild. The story could have used more layers of depth giving the reader some heart-stopping thrills. Yet, her father was right with what he said: she was a clever girl when it came to her math skills. That’s something I will remember.

My thanks to B.A. Paris, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected released date of November, 1, 2022.

The Prisoner by B.A. Paris had my whole attention. We are following a girl in present time who find herself being held captive in a dark room. At the same time we are taken in the past to see what led her to the moment of captivity. I could not put this book down and finished it so quickly. The big reveal was something I guessed in the middle so it wasn’t a surprise when it happened. However, that didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the novel. I really enjoyed this thriller and feel like this is very different from what B.A. Paris has done before.

What do you do when you wake up to being kidnapped with a hood over your head? Do you try to piece together what is going on or do you panic? Our main character Amelie wakes to being kidnapped along with her husband Ned. She is thrown into a dark room with no light and just a mattress. But as the days go on she feels safer with her captor than she ever did with Ned. This story will take us down a path of mystery as we watch Amelie survive and try to solve her kidnapping.


What I Enjoyed:
- Amelie is a very likable main character. She had had it rough. I just wanted to hug her.
- fast pacing. This book starts off with a boom and doesn’t slow down. We are immediately thrown into the kidnapping scenario.
- The dual time frames. We bounced from the present to the past. This helped pacing and kept me on my toes.
- The twists!

I was able to finish this story in one sitting! I honestly couldn’t put it down because I was curious the whole time. There were a few things that did disappoint. But overall, I really enjoyed this book! I am now on to read another book by the author. 3.5 stars out of 5, rounded to 4! Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a good thriller! It kept me guessing and intrigued the whole time! The characters were likable and well developed. I would definitely recommend this to everyone!