I’m going to precursor this review with the fact that I have a love/hate relationship with B.A. Paris’s books. I’ve really loved a few and really did not enjoy a couple of her books. I decided that this was going to be the book that settled whether I would continue reading her books.
I had completely forgotten the synopsis before I was approved for a copy, so going into this I didn’t know anything about the book.
The story is about a young woman who makes one not-so-great decision and how much her life changes from that point on. The main characters name is Amelie. She is young and she is naïve. She marries a billionaire and shortly afterward they are kidnapped and held captive. But being a prisoner may be better than being on the outside with her new husband.
The Prisoner grabbed my attention from the first chapter. It was a fast-paced whirlwind of a story at the very beginning. You jump right into her, and her husband being kidnapped. Set in two timelines, the present and the past, I really enjoyed how the story began. The mystery of who and why they were kidnapped kept me unable to put the book down. But then I figured it out in the middle of the story, which made the big twist at the end not at all that shocking and everything kind of went downhill from there.
So, while I loved the beginning, the middle and ending were more meh. And that’s why I have a love/hate relationship with this author. This did nothing to help me settle whether I’ll continue reading her or not.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

#ThePrisoner #NetGalley
BRILLIANTLY PLOTTED 5 ⭐
Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents as a child in Paris to making it on her own in London. As she builds a life for herself, she is swept up into a glamorous lifestyle where she married the handsome billionaire Ned Hawthorne. But then, Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Ned?
This is a story told between timelines which leave you guessing what will come next? I personally think that the female MC waa written thoughtfully and brilliantly. Although the male MC was OK OK.
It felt like I was reading sequel to BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. But overall I loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for giving me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing! My favorite B.A. Paris novel thus far! This was such a quick read, I couldn't stop reading because of the suspense, mystery and twists (and short chapters, which I love)!

There are triggers warnings to be aware of, including SA and domestic violence.

Note: I received this ARC from St. Martin's Press in return for an honest review.

This book kept me hooked from the first page. Fast paced, great thriller that kept me guessing until the very end!

This B A Paris book is a testament to the authors writing style and ability developing over time.

This murder mystery/thriller starts out with an orphaned girl trying to make her way after her dad died. She meets great friends and gets a life going for herself. But, her lack of life experience gets her into a position where she makes a choice that changes the course of her life. Thrust into a psychologically disorienting situation she is forced to keep herself sane and try to stay alive, and find answers.

I did guess part of the ending very early on but this book wraps up everything in a beautiful little gift, thankfully! No questions left unanswered. You get to experience the story in alternating time lines but only one point of view.

I loved the main character, Amelie. She’s strong, head smart, doesn’t whine, she’s super loveable.

Overall I’d say this is one of BA Paris best books. Highly recommend it. Fresh new story!

I definitely have a love hate relationship with this author! Either I love the book or I do not. I will say that even when I’m not a fan, I cannot stop reading. There’s just something in those pages! This story is about Amelia. I felt so bad for her throughout the story. She lost her mom at a young age and then her dad. To keep from being put into boarding school or foster care, she moves to London where she quickly runs out of money. Luckily, she finds a great woman and her friends that take her in and become her family. They took her to a party and she met their boss Ned, he hires her and then flies her out to Las Vegas where he propositions her. She wants to go to law school and he says he’ll pay her to marry him for a short time. She agrees and immediately regrets it as she soon finds out some of his secrets. Then they are kidnapped. It gets twisty and turny at this point and I enjoyed it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this advanced copy! The prisoner is broken into two parts, and has alternating chapters of past and present. The first part was so thrilling and fast paced! When I got to the reckoning (the second part) I enjoyed it up until the ending. I thought it could of went a totally differently way. But overall I really enjoyed this book!

Well, I was held captive; I finished this in one day. Once I started this train I was unable to stop as its propulsive engine made for a compulsively easy read. Revelations and twists were around every corner right until the very end, making a satisfying conclusion. Amelie had left Paris after her father died and moved to London to work and save money to finance her college education to become a lawyer. She befriends 3 wonderful women and joins the same company as them, headed by a very eligible billionaire. When he brings Amelia to Las Vegas, he proposes a very unusual business arrangement.
Flash forward and she is captive 24/7 in a dark room, not knowing from one day to the next if she is to be killed. Why was she being secluded away? Does she escape?
There is too much to say without giving away the plot but the plot does steam ahead at breakneck speed. Amelie is a well developed character but many of the other female friends are interchangeable. I did smirk at some elements that I found dubious, but if one just rode with the flow and accepted the novel for the entertainment that it was, I would define this as a perfect frolic of a book.

No spoilers!
This is easily one of the best psychological thrillers I have read and I highly recommend it.
The heroine Amalie Lamont is left orphaned as a teen and rather than become a ward of the state she heads to London to try to make enough money to eventually go to college for a legal degree. with high hopes and little money she eventually joins the homeless in hostels and on the street, until she is miraculously rescued by a group of kindhearted women who provide her with a job, food and shelter as well as sisterly friendship. It's a rags-to-riches achievement achievement offering her a lifestyle she never could have reached on her own, and a route to her goals.
And then she becomes part of a nefarious plot when she becomes entangled with the millionaire Ned. From then on, nothing and no one is as it seems.
The chapters of the book are alternately PAST and PRESENT, giving us a lot of information about each well-developed character and leaving us with just enough of a teaser that we can't put the book down. The plot is original as as the title indicates, the heroine becomes a prisoner, relying on her common sense and intelligence to survive in a serious, life-threatening situation that challenges both, since it seems to make no sense at all. The reader is drawn into hope and despair along with Amalie, as she faces darkness, solitary and her puzzling captor, caught among feelings of hate, anger, and a Stockholm Syndrome of being almost mesmerized by the silent man whose job it is to look after her basic needs.
Like Amalie, we fell the story isn't over when it is over, as she still feels unfulfilled and a need to resolve many questions and find closure.

Amelie and her husband have been kidnapped and are being held separately. Amelie is kept in a room with no light - except for the bathroom but the door must be closed and bolted for it to come on. As the story progresses, we begin to learn how and why they've ended up in this situation and what the captures truly want.

I was hooked from the get go! The Prisoner is fast-paced, dark, exciting and surprising. I was so happy to get this from B.A. Paris! This is much more "Behind Closed Doors" than the "Dillemma"! Just what I was hoping for !

I think this will be one of the next "Must Read" thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy of The Prisoner in exchange for an honest review.

This novel had my heart pounding from the first page! A finely crafted thriller that kept me guessing, as so I read for hours at a time. After her father dies, a young teenage Amelie relocates to London with nothing. Working a food service job she survives until she’s laid off. While trying to stay warm in a cafe nursing a cup of coffee she watches a distraught woman talk to a friend. She follows the woman to ensure she is fine. Several days later she meets the woman (Carolyn) again and is hired as her live in housekeeper. Amelie’s salvation or beginning of her downfall? Carolyn and her friends work for a high end glossy celeb magazine. Amelie innocently gets tangled into the dysfunctional relationships with the magazine’s owner, Ned who has a history as a sexual predator. He lures Amelie into what she believes is a mutually beneficial fake marriage. Not knowing he is using this to cover up his sexual transgressions and worse. This leads to a kidnapping soon after the marriage where they are separately held prisoner. Her experience is harrowing. By who?, why? What was going to happen? These questions continue until the very end. I’ve read other novels by this author, they never disappoint. I’d love to see this as a cable series! I’m thankful to St Martins Press and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book for an honest review.

A terrible book from start to finish. I wish I hadn't read the whole thing. The book will sell though, because of previous books. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

The Prisoner has a suspenseful and engaging start. Amelia wakes up in total darkness, with no idea how and why she was kidnapped, who her captors are and how to escape. Well written, with good character development and tension rising, The first part of this book is a real page turner. As the story continued, the plot became a struggle for me to read. I found it to be both convoluted and a stretch of believability. The story and character development became lost in the over the top twists and turns. I was disappointed by the ending that required a explanation by one of the characters, usually not a good sign. I have read and enjoyed other books by B.A. Paris and will continue reading her work. This one, not in the top. Thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I haven’t read any BA Paris before, but I think I might have to now when I’m in the mood for a thriller (which is always). The chapters are easy to convince yourself to read “just one more” because they’re so short. I got a little confused at the end who different players were (Hunter? Carl? Lukas?) but I think I eventually got things sorted out in my head 😅 while I’m not sure Hunter’s storyline is as believeable (and let’s face it there’s already a lot of drama here, you have to suspend belief no matter what) I was happy how everything ended up.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

The Prisoner started out slow and seemed to be dragging along and all of a sudden - BAM!!!! B.A. Paris hits the ground running and brings the reader on a roller coaster psychological thriller that won't let you go until the very last page. FANTASTIC summer read!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 4
Pace: 3
Plot development: 3
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 3
Ease of Reading: 3

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

I loved this one all the way through, up until the end...which was a little far-fetched but it did wrap up all the loose ends. Removing one star for the ending, but otherwise it would have been a solid 5-star book for me!

This was a fast-paced, on-the-edge-of-your-seat read and I appreciate the publisher giving me the opportunity to read and review!

I've been a long time fan of B.A. Paris and have loved many of her thrillers. The Prisoner fell flat for me, I couldn't get into it and I DNF.

I love BA Paris' books. I have felt at the edge of my seat throughout every book she has written, and this was no different. I felt creeped out and captivated, just like I should during a suspense novel. Behind Closed Doors continues to be my top favorite from her, but I really liked this as well!

This story follows our main character Amelie in alternating chapters in the past, where she her father has passed away and she has moved to the UK to start to build a life for herself. And in the present where she is being held captive. The story unfolds and we learn more about what has brought her to this point. The beginning of the story had me hooked and really invested into what was going to happen to our main protagonist. The chapters are short and read really quickly so that was also a plus, however the second part of the book seemed to lose me a bit. It just became too out there and unbelievable. The ending was just a super long villainous speech that I could have done without and wished that they would have showed us rather than tell us. Overall 3 stars.