This is by far the best book I've read this year.
Wow!
I'm still reeling!
You hear people say, "I was on the edge of my seat...."
I seriously was!
And I'm crying at the end!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this absolutely wonderful book.

Let me start by saying I usually love BA Paris' books, and I pre-order every one, including this one.

This book starts off great. In Part One: The Kidnap, it moves along quickly, with short chapters between the past and the present that keep you wanting to read more.

In Part Two: The Reckoning, it just wasn't as thrilling for me. I found myself not really caring about any of the characters, and just needed to finish because I never DNF a book. Then, as I was getting interested again I tried to swipe to the next chapter, and....BAM, the book abruptly ended!

The first half of this book started off as a 4.5 star read for me, and second half is a 2 star, so I'm going to leave it with 3 stars.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an early copy.

I was lucky to receive this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have read all of the novels by Paris and I have to say this ranks among my least favorite. I really struggled with this plot and storyline. I did not feel a connection to any of the characters who, in my opinion, were never fully developed. At about 70% in, the book took a turn which allowed me to hang in and finish the story. This book just was not for me at all. I hope others are able to enjoy it more than I did.










https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4781503955

Amelia has not had an easy time since her father died. Alone in the world and only seventeen, she heads to London and soon discovers how hard it is to just survive. Fortunately, the meets Carolyn who not only gives her a job and a place to live, but also makes Amelia believe that her dream of becoming a lawyer is attainable.
But the story begins with Amelia being kidnapped and her background will slowly be revealed. So what happened and how did her life become such a nightmare? Set in the present with flashbacks explaining how she wound up here, Amelia's POV is the only one provided. There came a point where I thought, no one could be this naive and trusting. Perhaps if she hadn't spent so much time with Carolyn, I could have believed she was just young and gullible. I don't know, I fell out of furious page flipping about halfway through and never got it back. The ending felt rushed with more tell me than show me.
I have seen some great reviews, so even though this one was a bit of a miss for me, check out some other reviews before making up your mind. I will still look forward to the next book. 3.5 stars.

Amelia lost her mother as a child, and then when her father dies when she is sixteen, she flees to London. She tries to start over and save for college but faces homelessness until a kind woman named Carolyn takes her in and gives her a job. Amelia finally feels like she has a family. Things seemingly get even better when billionaire Jed Hawthorpe offers her a proposition: to marry him for a month in exchange for paying her way through college. Ned isn’t who he seems though, and before she knows it, Amelie is kidnapped and taken to a dark room where she is kept for weeks. Strangely, she begins to feel safe there. But who are these people and what do they want with her?

The first part of this book was a nail biter, with short chapters that alternated between the past and present timelines. Amelia is getting through her imprisonment day by day, while remembering the marriage to Jed that made her feel imprisoned in a different way. She fears for her life, but more so if she and Jed are released together she thinks he will kill her. The second part of this book was set after the kidnapping, with Amelie trying to piece together what had happened and why, and who was involved. Honestly, in some ways it felt like reading two different books because the pacing was different and the storyline was all in the present. I didn’t love the ending either, but I did feel like Amelie was able to get some closure.

Thank you to Netgalley, BA Paris and St Martin’s Press for the ARC! The Prisoner will be released November 1st.

This review will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly 😊

*Contains Spoilers* This book had me hooked at the beginning. I was in the dark more than Amelie and couldn't wait to find out why she and her husband had been kidnapped. Part I of the book deals with their captivity with flashbacks telling us about the incidents leading up to the event. Very tense and suspenseful. Why did she marry a stranger? Why didn't her friends know?

Unfortunately, Part 2 didn't provide the same taut purposeful narrative as Part 1. The second part of the book meandered along, throwing in a lot of information without much conviction or being very believable (Amelie's father bought the house and didn't tell her?). And Amelie contemplating being with Hunter after his previous actions is ludicrous.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book but the second half was a let down; it felt as though two different authors wrote the halves. The first half felt like a B.A. Paris novel, which I usually love, but not the second.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

What a page turner? I couldn't put it down, twists and turns. I never knew what to experience next.

This author is so good. I love her books.

This one starts with a young woman being kidnapped with her husband. But once you hear her story, you will understand that things are not what they appear on the surface.

I refuse to give anything away.

This book will suck you in and you will keep reading, mostly in the hope of finding out what is really going on, but also whether she will survive this kidnapping. Who is doing this and why? Is it because of her husband or his even more wealthy father? What do the kidnappers really want?

You'll have to read it.

Paris's books are a huge hit in my little library. I enjoyed this one though not quite as much as others. I loved the plot...it churned. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, I was smacked upside the head....typical for Paris. I really liked Amelie and how she transformed throughout the story. But some of the side characters were a bit flat. Loved the pacing of the story. I think this would have been a great beach read but it's not due out until fall/winter.

I uusally look forward to B.A. Paris reads, but this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. I enjoyed the first half and found I couldn't put it down. The second half was missing something for me. The last couple of chapters where everything was summed up and explained was too much - so many things were revisited. I found I wasn't as connected to the characters and wasn't rooting for them like I usually do for this author's characters. I will 100% read more of their work. This one was enjoyable, but wasn't quite the exciting read I expect.

Suspenseful, Wild, and Crazy, with a Dreadful Ending.

Yep, that about sums it up.

This was so good at first! I was all in! With short chapters, alternating between the past and the present, I was hooked. Amelie's story was intriguing and I couldn't help but gasp a few times at what was happening.

As I got further in, however, the story started to get a little outlandish, and disbelief set in. You all know I'm not good at suspending disbelief, lol, and well, that was that. Then when I got to the end. Waah waah.

I will say, however, that all in all, this was one of B.A. Paris' stronger novels, (my favorite still being her first, Behind Closed Doors).

Another buddy read with Ms. Kaceey.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the arc via NetGalley.

B A Paris!! I am a big fan and have read all the books! I am so thankful to have been able to read another book early! This one was crazy good! I highly suggest anyone grab it as soon as you can! Never go wrong with a book by B A Paris! Looking forward to the next one!!

B.A. Paris is a full-stop, must-read author for me. She has mastered dark and twisting psychological suspense - all her books read like Criminal Minds episodes and I love it!"The Prisoner" is one of my favorite thrillers of 2022!

This was quite a twisty thriller!

Amelie is a half French orphan who lucks into an acquaintance with a rich heir…which leads to a faux marriage that she is promised will pay for college.

But then he is accused of assault…and people start disappearing.

Not too long after, Amelie is kidnapped from her bed and held prisioner in the dark. Is this random? Retribution? Something else?

Fast paced and well done; this book I read in one sitting. The ending was abrupt for me but all around well-put-together .

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read/rate/honestly review this piece.

I’m a huge BA Paris fan. Absolutely loved Behind Closed Doors. With that being said, this felt like a YA version of Behind Closed Doors. It didn’t wow me and neither did the twist at the end. This one fell a little higher for me than The Therapist did but it was still just okay.

Paris does it again with a tightly woven story and complex characters. Just as you think you have the solution, she peels back the story to reveal another layer and twists you in a new direction. Fantastic beach read that will keep you on your toes until the end.

What started out so strong and kept me interested definitely took a turn and I really couldn’t wait for this to be over. The first half of the book kept me guessing and then the second half just needed to end. There was way too many unnecessary details and after awhile the story was repetitive and boring.

Another great suspense novel by B.A.Paris!

I absolutely loved the first part of the book. Without giving spoilers, it’s fast paced and keeps you guessing. The second part seemed to struggle a bit. I was also so disappointed that Caroline died, leaving Amelie completely alone!

There were also a few edits that was a bit distracting:

Chapter 11, para 7: add the word “to” between going understand

Chapter 13, para 30: “Ned” should be Jethro, the father

Chapter 13, para 32: “Justina” should be Justine

Thank you so much for this ARC!

⭐️ ARC review ⭐️
The Prisoner by B.A. Paris
Publishing Date - November 1st 2022
Rating (3/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc. I’ve enjoyed B.A. Paris’ books especially Behind Closed Doors. I had high expectations for this one. The book is setup in a dual timeline of the past introducing characters and events ; and in the present where Amelia has been kidnapped and held prisoner in a dark room. First half of the book was great ; second half of the book was a struggle. Overall I enjoyed the book just felt the thriller / suspenseful element was lacking in this one.

The Prisoner, a new thriller by B.A. Paris gets your attention right away with the abduction of Amelie and Ned Hawthorpe, and the revelation that Amelie feels safer with the kidnappers than with her own husband. Told in short chapters of the past and present, the story moves quickly, drawing you in as you try to figure out who kidnapped them and why. Although it was a fast moving story which had me quickly turning the pages, the character development was lacking. Unfortunately, I didn't come to care about Amelie and empathize with her and the ending came together a little too perfectly for my taste. Although I enjoyed the propulsive chapters and the past and present structure, I found the characters unlikeable and the ending tied up a little too neatly, The Prisoner by B.A. Paris is a good book, just not a great one.