3.5 stars!

This book started out with a bang and had lots of tension through the first half of the book. I felt it fizzled out a bit through the end but was still engaging enough to keep me interested. Amelie is our main character and she's always done what was needed to survive. We have alternating timelines. One is in the present and one in the past. Both of her parents passed away and she moved to London to start a new life. She met a lady who gave her a housekeeping job, which eventually lead to her marriage with her wealthy husband. While in captivity you could tell Amelie was used to being a survivor and worked on how to identify her captors and escape. The books ending left me with some questions, but overall was enjoyable with some though provoking twists and turns!

The Prisoner is a captivating thriller about a young woman kidnapped and isolated with her dangerous husband. Following the death of her beloved father, Amelie moves to London at 17 to try to make it on her own. Thanks to a chance encounter with Caroline, she has a friend, a job, and a safe home. Flash forward to a few years later and she's fully enveloped by Caroline's friends and has another new job working for billionaire Ned Hawthorne at his magazine, Her friends try to warn her of Ned's manipulative behavior, but he isolates her on a so-called work trip to Las Vegas. She returns from Vegas with no phone, no computer, no way of accessing her beloved friends, and married to Ned. Their marriage is meant to be a business arrangement, but it becomes obvious that it's much more than that when he refuses to let her leave their home. The story alternates between the past and the present - the present in which Amelie is held prisoner in an entirely dark room with only a mattress and a small bathroom. She doesn't know who her captors are, but she knows she may be safer with them than she is with her husband, isolated one floor beneath her. The narration is lovely and brings a sense of urgency to the story.

Let's start off by saying the entire setup of this book seems incredibly farfetched and unbelievable, but we live in world where consequences are few and far between if you have enough money.

That all being said, the amount of collusion required from more than one group of people to pull this off does actually make it a bit farfetched, especially given most of the people involved are not the elite. Still, the story was entertaining and had me wondering what was going on the whole time. Most of my suspicions ended up being accurate, but it was still entertaining. This book unfolds in 2 primary pieces, with most of the major action occurring somewhere in the middle of the book, which is quite unusual. Yet somehow the writing was done well enough that I wanted to keep following along. I haven't read or listened to a book quite like this before and after so many books that follow essentially the same pattern of events, it was quite refreshing to fall into a story that was a bit different.

This was a very good audiobook. The fast-pace lends itself well to the audio format. Very well narrated.

Full review:

**3.5-stars**

When Amelie was a teenager, her father passed away after struggling with an illness. She had already lost her mother, so suddenly found herself alone. With no money and no desire to go into the state system, Amelie disappeared to London, where she set about making a life for herself.

She works hard at it too. It's a struggle. Sometimes with no other options, she was forced to sleep on the streets. She works in restaurants mostly, but that industry doesn't necessarily equal security for a young woman still in her teens. Nevertheless, she pushes on.

Her luck seems to turn around on the day that she meets Carolyn. Carolyn is a successful business woman, recently separated from her husband, who sees something in Amelie and offers her a job as a live-in housekeeper. That's how Amelie's world changes. She now has friends she can count on, a safe and comfortable place to live, as well as a good salary. She begins to live the life that other, more privileged girls, her age are living.

Soon she is moving up in the world and it's through a new job that she meets Ned Hawthorpe, a business man, technically her new boss and the heir to a vast fortune. Whilst on a business trip to Vegas, Ned offers Amelie a deal. If she marries him, he'll give her something she really desires. Who would think that something could go wrong from this?

Thus begins the spiral for poor Amelie.

There's a kidnapping. There's a hostage situation. There's much back-and-forth filling it all in. Why has Amelie been kidnapped and will she be able to make it out of this horrible situation alive?

As with all her other novels, this book begins with a bang right out of the gate. That's one thing I always appreciate about Paris's writing. There's no beating around the bush, or wasted eons of build-up, her stories start very, very quickly. Usually within the first few pages, you're in it. This book is no exception.

Then the narrative alternates between the present, which includes Amelie being held hostage reflecting on her situation, what could have lead her here and how she can get out of it, and the past, which fills the Reader in on Amelie's life from the time her father died, up to the present. I generally enjoy when stories are formatted this way and I did enjoy it in this case as well. I also enjoyed the short chapters, which made the pace feel very quick. I literally read this in a day. Unfortunately, not all elements worked as well.

This sort of felt like an early 90s-Lifetime movie. Now, let me be clear, I love a good Lifetime movie now and again. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Lifetime movies. Please don't come at me. However, this was forced drama and way over-the-top. I usually love over-the-top, that's sort of my brand. Even things that are fairly unbelievable, but for some reason the tone of this, the feel of some of the circumstances, just did not work for me.

All the male characters were practically indistinguishable from one another. I was almost at the end and one of them was mentioned and I thought, who the hell is that? It took me completely out of the story. I'm still confused about who he was and he played a pivotal role in the plot.

With all of this being said, it was suspenseful and it did keep me fairly engaged, but I have read all of B.A. Paris's works and when I see her name on a cover, I get excited. Admittedly, I expect a lot and maybe that's on me, but honestly, this one disappointed me a bit. It is a good book, there is a fun story within these pages that will keep a lot of Readers on the edges of their seats. Sadly, for me, it just wasn't as great as I was expecting.

Don't take my word for it though, pick it up for yourself. If it sounds intriguing to you, absolutely give it a go!

Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I'm glad I read it and am already looking forward to seeing what B.A. Paris will come up with next!

This book was very disappointing. The narrator did a solid job- I’d give her a 4 out of 5 stars- but the book was nothing special and I labored through it. BA Paris is a very hit or miss author for me and this was a big miss.

The Prisoner by B.A. Paris

When she loses her parents, Amelie moves to London to work and earn enough money to study and become a lawyer. She ends up working for a famous billionaire who offers to pay her to marry him. They both have their own motivations for this marriage and Amelie needs the money so she reluctantly accepts.

Amelie feels trapped in a marriage she wants to escape from and if that wasn’t enough, she ends up being kidnapped and held captive in a dark room.

The story alternates between the present when she’s already locked in a dark room and the past, from her father’s death to how she ended up there. The book is divided into two very different parts that felt almost like reading two separate books. The first part was fast-paced and very engaging. The second part of the book turns very slow and Amelie seems desperate and unhinged.

The main character is very naive and gullible, mainly due to her young age. She’s strong and smart but her ingenuousness makes her act in an impulsive and very frustrating way. I was expecting more character development but she doesn’t change very much throughout the book and the rest of the characters seemed flat.

Overall, it was an entertaining and claustrophobic story. It’s narrated by Georgia Maguire who did a great job and it’s 8 hours and 41 minutes long.

The Prisoner comes out on November 1st. Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, the author and NetGalley for the ALC.

The Prisoner
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook and Audiobook
Date Published: 11/1/22
Author: B.A. Paris
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Georgia Maguire
GR: 3.60

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: The story is narrated from Amalie in a dual timeline, past and present, from her POV. The story was fast paced and flowed well, even with the past being fed into the present. I have a lot of B.A. Paris’ books via Kindle but this it the first one I have read, now I will be going back to read some more. Amalie was not a flawless protagonist but she was strong and independent, even if I did not agree with some of her choices. Jed, on the other hand, was a character that I did not care for, I will not go into too much detail so not to spoil for other readers. The narrator was great, she really did an amazing job with the voices. She gave them emotion, character, and you felt like you were there in that dark room with Amalie. The characters were well developed with depth, mystery, creative, and intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, engaging, and the storyline was paced perfectly. This book publishes next week and I would highly recommend picking up or preordering the audiobook. I flew through it in one day. Gripping, creepy, chilling, all of the marks of a good thriller.

The Prisoner, by B.A. Paris, is the story of Amelie, a young woman who lost her parents as a child and has learned to fair for herself, though she remains surprisingly naive. As she struggles to create a life for herself in London, she finds herself suddenly a part of a glamorous lifestyle in whirlwind fashion when she finds employment and is befriended by a wealthy group of women. She abruptly marries billionaire, Jed Hawthorne, for more practical purposes than love, despite cautions from her friends. But Jed is not who he seems to be and Amelie soon finds herself taken prisoner, for reasons as mysterious as her new relationship. The story alternates between Amelie’s past and the events that led her to this point, and her time as a hostage. Reasons and captors are unknown, but one thing is certain…it’s somehow connected to her husband.

I thought the audio-version of this book was done very well with appropriate accents, clear voices and descriptive execution. I did find this story quite confusing and repetitive at times, and there were moments when I was more bored than enthralled. It had an enticing premise, but events occurred without enough backstory and buildup to elicit as much tension as I’d prefer.

I found Amelie to be remarkably immature, which given her background is somewhat understandable, but she repeatedly made poor choices, which made it hard to feel for her, as a character. The chapters were short and kept the pace moving along, and the conclusion more-or-less wrapped things up, but ultimately I was a little underwhelmed. I’ve loved this author’s pervious works, but this one felt a bit lackluster and didn’t captivate me quite like her other books.

B.A. Paris is one of the best at writing a psychological thriller. She has a way of slowly telling a story that keeps you wanting more, but not giving away too much. This one definitely has an interesting premise, but I felt like the story fell flat about half way through. I was really invested in the story- who was keeping her captive and why. The fun part about the money doubling every day was very entertaining. BUT after she was set free, I lost interest. Strong start but went on too long.

As far as the audiobook- it was well done. I love a British narrator.

I was really hoping to love this book and was so excited to get approved for this audio book! The narrator was perfect for this one and kept my attention and in the book, despite some shortcomings. I enjoyed listening to it, but wish it had concluded differently.

Amelie is a survivor making it on her own In London after losing her father she is building a life for herself until she meets Jed and he makes her an offer she can't refuse but it soon goes horribly wrong and she ends up a Prisoner in a pitch black room with no idea why she is there or who has her Prisoner.

Wow ! This book had me absolutely hooked from the start ! I loved that we were thrown Into it from the first page with no clue whats hoing on then the past and present timelines building the backstory. The pure fear of being trapped in the Dark is terrifying. I did enjoy the first half of the book more than second half but still a solid great read for me.

Normally I enjoy B.A. Paris's novels. This, not so much. I think it was just too short and confusing. A lot of things were not explained properly.
Amelie is a survivor. She is also, however, tricked into marrying billionaire, Jed Hawthorne. She & Jed are kidnapped and held for ransom and then things get really confusing. Jed only married Amelie to help him regain a lost reputation. And it seems dear Jed is also a bit of a murdering psychopath. And who exactly kidnapped them? Will they let Amelie go? Will she get an explanation. No, and neither do we as readers!
This ended abruptly and I'm still confused as to who exactly certain characters were. It was definitely not like Paris's other novels. Just not as good as her usual work.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio version.*

Wow, this book took me on a ride!!! This author never disappoints, and the suspense was killing me, I was confused from the beginning, why is Amelie even kidnapped, what’s going on? The unraveling of the story, I cant even express how good this audio was.

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Amelie loses her parents young, and at seventeen she heads off on her own. She meets Carolyn Blakely who sees something in her, takes her in as her housekeeper, and sets her on a path to a better life. Along the way she meets others in Carolyn's circle.

She ends up working for, and then married to billionaire, Jed Hawthorne, after a quick "work" trip (or so she thought) to Vegas. Shortly after, she is kidnapped and held in a dark room. She doesn't know why she was kidnapped. But she would almost rather remain there than return to Jed. She soon learns he was also kidnapped.

I enjoyed the short chapters and the dual timelines. I was invested from the beginning of the story and finished it quickly. I needed to know the why behind the kidnapping. I also had both audio and ebook so I was able to go back and forth and finish fairly quickly.

I wanted to love this book. I did like it and found the story entertaining. I was cheering for Amelie.
While the story was a bit far fetched, I was hanging on. But the ending dragged me down a bit and took away from my enjoyment of the book.

Not my most favorite B.A. Paris, but I will definitely read more by her in the future.

Many thanks to NetGally, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for both an ARC and an advance audio in exchange for my honest review.

I was incredibly excited for this book as B.A Paris is one of my favorite authors. The story was great, fast paced and really engaging but the ending really fell flat for me. Although I didn’t know what was going to happen next and didn’t really predict anything, it was just an “oh okay” moment for me.

This starts off with Amelie kidnapped and in a dark room, but she doesn’t remember how or why she got there. The timeline works back and forth from current day to the past leading up to the kidnapping where more is revealed regarding Amelie herself and the situation she has found herself in. I was hooked from the beginning, and then the second part of the book was not as gripping as the first, but I still enjoyed it overall.

I listened to this one via audiobook and the narrator, Georgia Maguire, did a great job but I did find it hard to keep some of the characters straight at times. Overall, I liked this one, it was an easy, quick read and B.A. Paris is an author who’s books I really enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for the ALC and digital copy to review. Pub date is 11/1/22.

Amelie made her way to London after losing her parents as a child. After running out of her meager financial resources, she met some good friends and was swept into a glamorous lifestyle, which eventually led to her working for the very wealth Ned Hawthorne. During a supposed business trip, Ned comes to her with a proposition. In order to escape a marriage his parents are pushing on him, he wants to marry Amelie. In exchange, he'll give her the money she needs to go to college to become a lawyer. However, shortly after they said their vows she learns that there is a far more sinister reason he wanted to be wedded to her. After a series of terrifying and misfortunate events, she ends up trapped in pitch-black room by someone with a vendetta against her husband. Will her decisions finally catch up with her?

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart and should contain more than one trigger warning. Also, the ending definitely caught me off guard, especially considering I thought I had it all figured out. If you like dark thrillers, this book is definitely for you. I finished the audiobook in one sitting while on a cleaning rampage.

The Prisoner starts off with Amelie being abducted from her home and held prisoner in a pitch black room.

Amelie had it rough her whole life until she met and moved in with her friend Carolyn. She was introduced to millionaire Jed Hawthorne and he immediately offered her job. Shortly after, he whisked her away to Vegas for a business trip. The business trip was nothing Amelie expected, and quickly turned into the biggest mistake of her life.

Absolutely fantastic! I’ve been a huge fan of BA Paris for years and this book tops my list! It grabbed me from the first sentence and kept me on my toes until the end. I read the first half and listened to the audiobook for the second half. I recommend both, the narrator was easy to listen to and the chapters aren’t overwhelmingly long.

I finished listening 🎧 to this one on the 20th, and I loved it!! It jumps right into the story, and I was hooked from the very first chapter. It’s got short chapters, it’s fast-paced and unputdownable. It’s also told in dual timelines, it’s everything I love in a thriller. The narrator also did a fantastic job! I gave this 5⭐️‘s.
#theprisoner #netgalley

I liked this one I think there were things that could have been better but overall a good book. You want to cheer for the heroine if at times you wonder if her own motivations were the cause of her trouble, but as we get to know her new husband better we see there is so much more here than meets the eye. I wish we had learned more about the husbands past and what led him to what he did, other than he is a privileged rich white man? I wish some of the characters had been better fleshed out and the pacing of the reveal were a bit different.

Georgia Maguire’s narration was well done.

I enjoy Paris’s books and I look forward to her next one!

3 stars

I received this book from the publisher Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.