Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook of B A Paris' newest book The Prisoner. Narrated by Georgia Maguire - I think that she did an excellent job - I love her accent and she is easy to listen to. As far as the book - I loved the first part of it - I was so invested and listened to the chapters so quickly. I feel like the ending was maybe a bit of a let down - It was a bit exhausting listening to the explanation of how things came to be. I suppose it wrapped it up and explained everything though and then the very end just kind of let me down.
I did like the character of Amelie - I think she was well developed and I liked her back story. I think I would have liked a bit of a back story on Ned Hawthorpe - What made him so evil? Was it just his privileged background or something else.
I am a big fan of B.A. Paris but i have to say - this is not my favorite of her books - I'll have to go with a 3 star rating for this one -

Thank you to NetGalley for approving me for an early copy of this.
I love B.A. Paris as an author, so I will continue to read every publication. This books follows a woman who is kidnapped and kept in a dark room with only a mattress. She learns that her captors also took her husband. That are both being help for ransom, but quickly the reader learns that it's not a happy marriage, and this kidnapping isn't about ransom money. Secrets are slowly revealed and you never know who you can trust.
I enjoyed the pace of this book, and I liked the atmospheric descriptions. However, I felt like there was way too many characters to keep up with, and their names were too similar to keep straight. I kept having to go back and re-read parts to remember who is who and who is connected to who. I think the same plot and concepts could have been completed well without so many characters that were left undeveloped. I also can't tell if the author plans on writing a sequel or just wanted to leave the ending very open. Overall, this is not a fav but I can appreciate that those who love kidnapping trope would probably really enjoy this one.

Wonderful reader - love the dual timelines from one first person narrator. Fast-paced, edgy, and bold. I liked the way the settings switched quickly just as the story settled. It really kept me listening!

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 struggled to get into it, so I thought I would try the audiobook to see if that helped. The narration was great! I have listened to many audiobooks done by this narrator and thoroughly enjoy listening to her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an ho eat review.

After her father’s death, Amelie moves to London to start a new life on her own. She meets Caroline, who takes her in, gives her a job, introduces her to her friends, and gives her a new sense of family. Through them she’s introduced to Ned, a wealthy businessman. But when Amelie and Ned are kidnapped, she fears what type of situation she’s put herself into, and now has to fight for her life.

Through the usual twists and turns, BA Paris presents a captivating story. What fell apart for me was the ending. I enjoyed Behind Closed Doors and the twists throughout, but I had higher hopes for this one. I thought about so many possibilities that could have happened, and the actual result fell a little flat for me.

Overall, it was still an enjoyable story, but I felt like there could’ve been more.

2.5 Rounded Down-Sorry BA.
Should I just copy and paste my last BA Paris Book Review?
She is such a talented writer, absolutely can string together sentences like beads on a bracelet. I find myself almost in a daze when I read her books, but THEN, the endings. Can we please discuss this book's ending?

What were you thinking girl?

We have this great set up, Amelie is being held prisoner in close proximity to "Ned" who you learn is her husband. The book alternates between the past- and the present situation of being kept captive in a dark room. The chapters are super short and keep the book going given some of the mundane situation of our MC being locked in a dark room.
The past chapters are what build the suspense and mystery surrounding the imprisonment.
I think BA does a good job giving the reader just enough information to build the interest so no matter what you are going to finish the book.
However,,,,,,
Once you arrive to the last 75% of the book the whole thing kind of just "fizzles" out. And by this I mean you discover who the bad guy is through literally a conversation. Yes. Two people talking. No Action. Just Talk. And it went on. And On. And On.
....Potential Spoilers Ahead......
There were some things that particularly bothered me that also led to this low rating.
-Amelie's sudden and "Deep" relationship she felt with Hunter after meeting him like what....once? I totally did not understand this at all.
-How quickly she agreed to marry Ned, Really made me dislike Amelie, her reasoning was wrong and shows she was a total invertabrate. I think BA could have done this better by maybe making Ned an actual flashy, attractive, womanizer that could easily swoon her instead of a slimy gross guy that convinces her to marry.....I don't mind the quick marriage idea (love that troupe) but she didn't do it well
-The doubling a dollar every day for a month. Okay I know I was a math major, but I remember my parents telling me of this Geometric Sequence when I was like 6. Also Ned is suppose to be some hot shot big business guy right....and he didn't stop and think for like 2 seconds that he was getting the short end of the stick....
-The ending. *sigh* it was basically a long drawn out conversation and explanation that was really unsatisfactory.

When the book ended I was like...wait...what? That's it?
Very anti climatic.

I am NOT writing BA off, but this was not her best work.
I am really hoping that now that Covid is over all my favorite authors will snap back to reality and start writing good books again.


Thank you Net Gally For this advanced listen to the audiobook. I was not paid or reimburst for my honest opinion

After losing her parents, Amelie decides she's going to move to London and make it on her own, even if she has to lie a little because she's so young. When a chance encounter in a cafe leads to an amazing job and a nice place to live, Amelie couldn't be happier. Not only does she have a job and shelter, she has also found a family. Maybe her dreams of becoming a lawyer could happen after all? Will one poor decision ruin everything? This is a fun audiobook to listen to, it definitely kept my attention. Nov 2022 Pub Date

After losing her parents, Amelie decides she's going to move to London and make it on her own, even if she has to lie a little because she's so young. When a chance encounter in a cafe leads to an amazing job and a nice place to live, Amelie couldn't be happier. Not only does she have a job and shelter, she has also found a family. Maybe her dreams of becoming a lawyer could happen after all? Will one poor decision ruin everything? This is a fun audiobook to listen to, it definitely kept my attention.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced reading copy of The Prisoner by B.A. Paris.

Amelie has just started to build a life for herself after the passing of her father. She has found the best of friends, a great job, and now a proposal of marriage from her billionaire boss? What could go wrong?

Amelie soon finds herself and her new husband held hostage. Does she have what it takes to outsmart her captors?

B.A. Paris knows how to craft a fast paced dual timeline. Unfortunately for me this was between the two other novels I’ve read from her.

I loved this audiobook narrator. She definitely brings out the best in the story.

Two story lines, past and present, meet and all the mysteries and questions are answered. Told in B.A. Paris's typical, excellent style, the characters were well developed and likable. A compelling mystery I couldn't put down!

Good plot, but feel like it could have been executed better. Quick and easy read, but I wanted a lot more from the ending. This will be easily forgettable.

I've seen some conflicting reviews for B..A. Paris' The Prisoner, and I'm frankly confused about why. I found it to be compelling and suspenseful. What I found to be an interesting difference from lots of thrillers out there is that, once Amalie is released from her kidnappers, that's not the end, and the remainder of the book is pure fun, escapist fiction. Will The Prisoner change your life? No, probably not, but will you be completely entertained for the few hours that it takes you to read it? Absolutely.

I was fortunate enough to have both an early audio version and early e-galley, and I switched back and forth between the two. I found the narrator to be flawless in her delivery, adding just the right amount of suspense!

Thanks so much for the opportunity to review!

This book was just ok, nothing really stood out for me. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fine but nothing spectacular. The storyline was fine and held my interest but I didn’t find it memorable.

When Amelie loses her father in her teens, she’s heads to London on her own. Taking a kitchen job and living in Hostels to make ends meet, she meets Carolyn. Carolyn hires Amalie to be her housekeeper/cook giving her a place to live and a salary that will help her with her eventual dream of college. As Carolyn becomes more like a sister, Amelie meets her friends, Justine and Lina, who have jobs at the elite magazine Exclusives. When Amelie is in need of a new job, she is offered a position at Exclusives with her friends. Ned Hawthorpe, owner of Exclusives, has his eye on Amelie and invites her on a business trip to Las Vegas. While there he offers her a business venture that she cannot walk away from, but one that just might end up costing her life. All is not what it seems and Amelie soon realizes she’s made a horrible mistake. When Ned and Amelie are kidnapped, no one is interested in getting Ned back. As the days add up, so does the ransom. What is going to happen to Amelie? Will she make it out alive? Will she ever be safe again? With a unique plot told in past and present, once again Paris writes a compelling, easy to read thriller that will captivate her readers. Georgia Maguire narrates this audio version and voices Amalie perfectly.

I was super excited for this book because I loved Behind Closed Doors. However, this one wasn’t for me. It felt a little scattered and was really hard for me to get into. I also really wasn’t a fan of the narrator. I think I possibly would’ve enjoyed it more if I had read the physical copy and may still do that in the future. This book requires focus and I had to rewind frequently because I was getting confused. It’s very fast paced and jumps around a little bit to much in my opinion

B.A. Paris is usually a hit or miss for me. However, I am happy to report loved The Prisoner.

This book is told in two separate timelines, past and present. In the present we meet Amelie who is kidnapped and being held for ransom along with her wealthy husband Ned. We soon learn Ned has nothing but nefarious intentions.

In the "past" timeline we discover more about Amelie and her life and how she comes to meet Ned.

In a nutshell, this a quick fast-paced novel that is truly a page-turner. Great pacing and momentum with quick, short compulsive chapters.

The ending left me hanging a little but, I feel like because Amelie's character is so strong and multi-faceted The Prisoner may not be a stand-alone. I think there will be those readers who really want to see what happens to Amelie next.

I listened and read this book. Narration by Georgia Maguire was excellent and added extra intensity.

*Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an advanced copy of both the audiobook and e-book in exchange for an honest review.*

The Prisoner by B.A. Paris is another gripping read from a true master of the psychological thriller. I was completely captivated by Amelie's story, and remained in a breathless and suspended state of disbelief for nearly all of the twisty narrative.

Ok I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book.

This is a psychological thriller. A woman is kidnapped with her billionaire husband who she entered into a contractual marriage with and she is being held in a completely dark room separated from her husband. Let’s just say she likes her kidnappers better than her husband.

The main character Amelie has had a really rough life and finally seems to have made a break. She has a roof over her head, a job and new friends. When she starts at the magazine her friend works at she meets the owner Ned who she has heard bad things about but also seems charming and perfectly nice. After a work trip to Vegas where she enters into a contractual arrangement to marry so she can go to school. When she gets back she realizes it was all a ruse and is now trapped in a marriage but when kidnapped she ends up being trapped in a small dark room without any knowledge of who her captors are and why they are holding her.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns in this thriller. It was unique in certain ways and kept me wondering what would happen. It covers a lot of ground throughout the entire book and moves back and forth from the past to the present until they collide. It moved really fast and was easy to listen too.

My biggest issues with it were using sexual assault as a plot device. It is 2022 and there are more interesting ways to write thrillers that don’t include sexual assault.

The character Amelie is fleshed out but all the other characters feel like cutouts playing cookie cutter parts in her life. Amelie was made into this strong character who overcame adversity but some of her positive breaks felt too far of a stretch and the setups were really easy to see coming.

Did I ultimately enjoy it? Sure. It is fun and fast paced and the thriller aspects were adequately suspenseful. I enjoyed it and the little smidge of romance at the end was a nice touch. It was a vacation read and if you need an easy fast paced read this is it.

What a horribly basic book from such a great author who wrote one of my favourite books. Very bland and predictable.

Loved this book! Truly suspenseful. I felt like I was guessing the whole time, and the ending was perfect!