I have had the pleasure of reading most, if not all, of the books that B.A, Paris has had published. I typically really like her work but The Prisoner was just okay for me. I didn't find the lead character, Amelie, particularly compelling although I was certainly confused and intrigued by the kidnapping in general and did not know what was going to happen.

Still, I didn't find the overall trajectory of the book nor any of the characters that memorable, except for my pure hatred of Jed. That being said, I will absolutely be reading the next book B.A. Paris gets published!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for for a galley edition of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read all of this author's books and this one did not disappoint. The Prisoner starts out with Amelie trying to figure out how she will survive after her father's death. She is only 17 and does not want to go into foster care so she leaves for London; and figures she will find a job easily there. Life is very hard for awhile until she meets Caroline who becomes her closest friend. Amelie is tricked into marrying billionare Ned Hawthorne. He tells her it will be a business arrangement only. It doesn't take long for Amelie to find out Ned is not what he seems. One friend of hers is missing, after allegations arise concerning Ned. Amelie agreed to the marriage for one month only, but soon begins to fear for her life and safety. One night she is taken from the mansion and wakes up in a pitch black room. Amelie is scared and wonders if she will get out of this alive. She has witnessed things that only increase her fear. The story builds to a shocking conclusion, with many surprises along the way. B. A. Paris is an author that leaves me eagerly waiting for her next book. I was lucky enough to get this ARC from Net Galley for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC, The Prisoner by B.A.Paris, release date Nov 2022. B.A.Paris is always a hit or miss for me. This was definitely a miss! The entire premise for this book is utterly ridiculous. A young woman’s father dies, so she leaves France for London with zero plans & becomes a homeless person. She then finds close friends while working as a housekeeper for the one friend? She somehow gets invited to LA by the big, rich boss of the working friends? She is incredibly naïve and doesn’t question his motives enough. Okay, so now she marries him in LA & makes a deal where she can get tuition paid for law school?? Meanwhile he has killed off all her friends & has kept her more or less a prisoner until they themselves are kidnapped & held in total darkness??? The protagonist is annoyingly naïve & the reason for everything that happens is stupid dumb! Not a satisfying book for me at all..

I have always enjoyed BA Paris’ novels and her distinct storytelling style. This novel, though, was a bridge too far, even for me. The writing style was elementary, extremely simplistic and lacked all style. The story was far-fetched and confusing. This has been my least favorite book this year. I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Amelie, an ambitious young woman determined to make it on her own in the world, finds her plans interrupted when she is taken prisoner and held in darkness. How she deals with her predicament is tense and exciting, and it makes for a quick read.

I honestly felt the story was wrapping up rather well at about the 70 percent mark, but then it kept going, and I became somewhat confused. Maybe it's just me, but I almost needed to refer to a chart of characters. But no matter, because it was a thrill ride and unputdownable for the most part.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Oh, yikes. I know this author is extremely popular but this one was a huge disappointment. This is my first book from this author and I do not think I will try their other ones. Get ready for an unpopular opinion!

My main issue with this book was the pacing. This book was SO extremely slow and drawn out. It switches between past and present which I thought was neat in the beginning but that only added to the slow pacing. I feel as though the majority of what we learned in the past chapters could have been told in one chapter. Instead it was dragged out for the entirety of the book. My second issue with this book was how basic it felt. The reader can easily guess the ending from about 25% in and with this book knowing the ending in my opinion does ruin it. I never once worried about Amelie’s character because even though she was kidnapped and was being held a prisoner there was no true threat. This took away any suspense the book was meant to have. Majority of the captive chapters at least in the beginning felt very repetitive and could have been cut in half without the reader missing anything. I felt very bored while reading this one and only kept reading to see if my theories were right. One thing I did enjoy was Amelie’s character. I thought she was written well and is a character that most will find relatable.

This book had so much potential but unfortunately just fell flat. I wouldn’t recommend this one because as far as thrillers go there are so many better ones out there. However, if you do read it as always I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you so much @stmartinspress for the gifted copy on #netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy.

I am a fan of B.A. Paris's writing and was excited to get an early copy. In this read we follow Amelia in both present times and her past. In her past, she becomes an orphan and moves to London to start out on her own. At times sleeping on park bench's, until she meetings Caroline who takes her under her wing and moves her in as housekeeper/assistant. The two become close and and eventually Caroline loops her into her friend group. From there Amelia gets hired at one of the friends companies, little did she know her life would change. She ends up in a business arrangement resulting in marriage, leading to a kidnapping and reckoning. Amelia is left to piece things together about her new husband and their secluded life. So many plot twists up until the very end.

All I can say is WOW! This one was amazing. Following Amelie through this story had me hooked from the very beginning! The twists and turns were unexpected. Paris does a great job making you feel like you are in the book right alongside Amelie!

What happens when the person you thought you made a deal with is actually a completely different person? In this story the jumps between past and present you will get your answer
BA Paris has done it again. You won't be able to put this book down as you try and figure out this twisty tale.
If I had to come up with one criticism it would be that although the ending this everything up nicely. I wanted more for our heroine.

Thank you NetGalley & St Martin's Press for the ARC of The Prisoner.

I really don't know where to start with this... I loved everything about it. I am a fan of B.A. Paris, so assumed I would enjoy this, but I think this is at the top of my list of her books.

The first half of the book switches between past and present, and is done really well. The main character, Amelie, is someone you can easily like and feel for. She has a persistence about her that is admirable. The storyline is fantastic, and "The Prisoner" definitely has more than one meaning that you see throughout the book which I really appreciate.

There were definite twists and turns that I did not see coming, which made this even harder to put down between my free time to read. The end has a slight cliffhanger, which I am okay with.

Overall, this is a must read if you enjoy thriller's and mind games.

I’m not sure how to feel about this one. I was unsure if I would feel bored given the story is primarily set with the protagonist in a dark room, post-kidnapping but the suspense was well executed. There were enough “Before” chapters to cut to that broke up the monotony and made the book fast paced.

The second part of the book, however, was quite messy for me. I liked the idea of the letter and following mysterious instructions, but the PTSD Amelie is dealing with is hard to read about, especially since there’s no real positive resolution. I feel underwhelmed overall by the ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I flew through this book. It was a quick and easy read with plenty of twists and turns. It was told in alternating chapters between past and present which was a very effective way to tell this story.

Amelie Lamont is down on her luck after losing her father and having no place to go. At the tender age of 17, she goes to London looking for work. She scrapes by for awhile but a chance meeting with a woman in a cafe changes the course of her life. Amelie has a steady job, a nice place to live and friends who become family. This all changes when Ned Hawthorpe enters her life and turns everything upside down.

This psychological thriller will keep you guessing. It made me want to keep turning pages. Although there was a lot I couldn’t figure out, the big reveal had entered my thoughts early on. I was actually very happy that I was correct. I did want more at the end…but I can see why the author felt the conclusion sufficed. Overall, this was an enjoyable read with a unique storyline and a very likable heroine.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story comes in two parts: Part 1. The Kidnap. Part 2. The Reckoning.

This is the story of Amelie and Part 1 is told in dual timelines - Past and Present. In the past you learn about Amelie’s struggle as she finds her footing in a new city after some tragic events. The present you learn about how she’s being held for ransom. The dual timelines give nuggets of information to help you piece together how she became married to the billionaire NED (the synopsis says Jed, that’s wrong) and how she ended up in this situation.

Part 2 - Life after abduction. Amelie searches for answers so she can come to terms with the trauma she went through. By 75% I had more questions than answers. At 85% I didn’t even have a working theory of what could have happened. Then there’s a big confession that answers most of the loose ends.

Here’s why I gave it 3.5 stars. I'll round up to 4 for the sake of most rating systems. I didn’t get into the head of these characters. I didn’t feel connected to any of these characters. I still don’t understand why Ned and Amelie got married. That was never really clear. It was definitely a psychological thriller. It hooked my attention and was a quick read. But then there at the end, there was no epilogue. So where is everyone now? Is B.A. Paris considering a sequel? I still have questions.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the electronic ARC. This review is my honest opinion of The Prisoner by B.A. Paris.

My rating: 4

Wow, talk about suspense! I found myself thinking it was a little slow in the beginning, but the next thing I knew I was at 80% and hadn't put the book down in hours. I loved our main character, Amelie. She was physically and mentally strong. She was smart and easy to root for, but she really could not catch a break. I think it was a little too much for one person (even a fictional character) to handle. Because of this, I was hoping for a different end to the story. We were left with a little glimmer of hope, but I was wanting a bit more closure and reassurance that Amelie was going to be okay after everything she'd been through.

I agree with some of the other reviewers that we could have used a more character development for Amelie's friends. I think they would have tried harder to get Amelie out of Ned's control.

Overall I really enjoyed it!! It was nerve-wracking, suspenseful, detailed, and emotional which are all things I look for in a thriller! I will be recommending it to friends and followers, for sure! I can't wait to read more from B.A. Paris.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review The Prisoner.

B. A. Paris has done it again. This is a book that I could not put down. I will be gifting this book to people. I loved the main character.

"I sense the shift of air between my nose a millisecond beforethick, sticky tape is cramped over my mouth"
The Prisoner by B.A. Paris is the book I needed to switch things up from the typical romance that I've been reading. although there were times I needed to take a minute to get my head back into it (triggering at times) it was unputdownable. Amelie is this young adult who's had some struggles with losing her parents to almost being homeless
until meeting Carolyn and being forever grateful that she helped her change her life... until Ned Hawthorpe comes into the picture... captured by their kidnappers Amelie has to figure out how to get out of this pitch black room away from
Ned and away from whoever has kidnapped her. She kept her head up high the entire time even when she felt defeated she
never gave up! I was lucky enough to get this ARC from
@netgalley and @baparisauthor and it's definitely one to
snatch up when it's out! You won't be disappointed.

I always enjoy B.A. Paris' books. She has a way of captivating the reader from the beginning. This book had two parts. It was fast paced and the twists I never saw coming. Amelie, the main character, has had a rough life and it just gets worse when she is kidnapped with her husband. This was an emotional roller coaster and I was on the edge of my seat up until the last page. I was a little let down by the ending, but will definitely be recommending this book to friends.

The Prisoner by B.A. Paris

Amelie wakes up in a dark room, soon realizing she is being held prisoner. Alternating timelines reveal how Amelie went from nothing, to being the wife of a billionaire, to being trapped in a dark room, desperate for escape.

I did feel the first half of this book was a little slow and I kept putting it down. The second half certainly piqued my interest a little bit more and I found myself wanting to continue reading to find out what was going on. I feel like B.A. Paris started off strong with Behind Closed Doors, and it's been hard to hold a candle to such a solid debut. Unfortunately, in the end this one also fell flat for me. I didn't feel like I cared enough about any of the characters to care about the end result or rationale. I will still look for the next release by this author!

3/5⭐

Book: The Prisoner
Author: B. A. Paris
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub Date: November 1, 2022

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I really liked this book. The first half of the book really drew me in but yet I felt like things were missing. I didn’t feel like there was enough character development at all. And then the second half of the book just fell flat for me. I really enjoy B.A. Paris books and she is a wonderful writer but this one was just so so.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is November 1, 2022.

Yet another unputdownable thriller from this author. I truly enjoyed this book as much as I did the other works of this author. The descriptions of the protagonist being held captive are so vivid that we experience what she is going through. Highly recommend this book.