The Paris Widow has everything that I look for in an escapist read. There are the setting, characters, storyline, suspense along with the inherent desire to just keep turning the pages until there are no more.

You won’t forget Stella and Adam. Suspend disbelief and dive right in.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HTP for this title. All opinions are my own.

This book will be released on June 11th, 2024.
I was invited to participate in the Book Tour. My choice was to do an Excerpt Post. Below is the Link for it.

https://wendyreadsandwrites.blogspot.com/2024/06/blog-tour-paris-widow-novel-by-kimberly.html

I've been a fan of Kimberly Belle over the years, and she once again proves why she is the queen of domestic thrillers! From the plot to the setting, I was instantly hooked on The Paris Widow. Despite a few fantastical elements, Kimberly Belle somehow made the plotline realistic enough to be plausible. A must read for this summer!

This was a fun fast paced read with a writing style that kept me pulled into the story from the beginning. Nothing was quite what it seemed and I enjoyed following Stella as she tries to put together the pieces of just who Adam really is - which slowly had me wondering was anyone or anything how it seemed?

The book is a combination of present day in Stella's point of view and flashbacks earlier into their vacation from Adam's perspective. I really enjoyed Adam's perspective and it helped the feeling of a net closing around Stella and the book goes on.

I really enjoyed the story, the writing style, and the pacing in this book. It was a fast paced read with suspense but not so scary it had me wanting to double check the locks or jumping at shadows. This was my first book by this author but it won't be my last.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. Stella's dream vacation turns into her worst nightmare. No one expects a bomb and your significant other to disappear when you're on vacation. This was nerve wracking and I like the two point of views. Definitely fast read and high suspense!

The Paris Widow takes you on a journey through love, loss and the search for truth. Everything Stella thought she knew about her husband, Adam, is a lie. After he is missing following an explosion in Paris, Stella must uncover clues to find the truth. If you like psychological thrillers you will enjoy The Paris Widow.

Stella and Adam are on vacation in Paris. When Adam goes back to a cafe to retrieve his sunglasses a bomb explodes and they are separated. Stella spends the rest of the book searching for her husband and hoping he made it through. Along the way she discovers some secrets he has kept from her. Is he who he really says he is? I enjoyed this book a lot. It made me not want to put it down.

I was totally loving this book right up until the 50% mark. Things at that point turned just way too unrealistic for me to get into.

I think maybe I didn’t realize that this was an art heist book? Which I don’t dislike, I just wasn’t expecting it and maybe wasn’t prepared for it? I loved Woman on Fire which had similar art theft/blood artifact vibes so I’m not sure why this one just didn’t gel for me. I thought Stella was just a little naive and I couldn’t get a read on her personality enough to be rooting for her.

I also think it could be that the build up was so big that in the end the tie in just didn’t do it for me. I would pick up other books by Kimberly Belle in the future, but this was just meh in the post-50% stage for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. The Paris Widow releases on 6/11!

I once read three Kimberly Belle books in a row; I love her writing that much. She is a domestic thriller queen. The ones I’ve read are entangled in slow story-building with character development, with Dear Wife being my favorite.

However, The Paris Widow is non-stop action which is reminiscent of a Mission Impossible movie and similar in vibes to The Last Thing He Told Me. Stella is on the last day of a Parisian vacation with her husband, Adam when a city center explosion blows up a million little details that make up the story of her marriage and the man she loves.

This was such a fun, engaging thriller! A Paris setting (and other gorgeous European cities), tons of secrets, and a missing husband with a very mysterious past all make for a perfect fast-paced read. I know very little about art history and the world of embezzlement so I found those parts of the plot especially intriguing. I highly recommend this and any of Kimberly Belle's books for all thriller lovers, she is a great author for this genre. Thanks to Kimberly Belle, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Park Row, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this mystery, and the story of Adam and Stella. Adam, Stella’s husband, is presumed dead in an explosion in Paris, making her a widow. But after the bombing, Stella learns Adam is not in the business he says he is, and is involved with selling illegal artifacts. In a book filled with twists and turns, Stella discovers the truth behind Adam’s business and the people working alongside him.

Loved it!! I was hooked from the moment I started the book. I couldn't wait to find out what happened to Adam. There were so many twists and turns. I kept wondering what was really going on. Something really spooked Adam during the trip before they even made it to Paris. If Adam that they were in danger, why didn't they fly home sooner? Stella and Adam have so many secrets. Not little ones, but huge, dangerous ones. It seems Adam knew more about Stella than she thought, which makes their first meeting a bit creepy. After the bomb explosion, all of Stella's actions and decisions are the exact opposite of any normal person who values their life. She had no regards for her own safety. Nothing fazed her. She voluntarily went to a dangerous person's house. She trusted people she didn't even know and believed everything that he/she told them. Stella was extremely lucky to have an ex-boyfriend like Sully and to have Mustafa following her around. Loved everything about the book until the ending. Wouldn't there still be dangerous people out there looking for revenge? Can you really hide forever and not be recognized?

Definitely recommend the book. It's a great mystery/thriller. the book kept me guessing until the very end. Loved the characters, story and writing style. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harlequin Trade Publishing , through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was such a good read! I was enthralled from the beginning and couldn’t wait to find out what was going on with Adam. I loved travleing around Europe throughout this book. I figured out a small twist but it didn’t make the plot any less enjoyable as I was reading. Stella was a fascinating MC who I could easily identify with - my nosy self would need some answers before leaving. Belle writes a thrilling plot that will have you questioning how well you can know someone.

You can never go wrong with Kimberly Belle's books. She writes great thrillers with twists and turns that you never saw coming, and you're always in for a magnificent ride!

This was certainly an edge of your seat thriller!
It’s fast paced, full of twists and turns. Lots of secrets come out. You won’t be able to put it down.
Definitely recommend

Stella and her husband of four years, Adam, have spent the past few days in Paris at the tail end of a three week long dream vacation visiting multiple European countries. Mere hours before their flight home to the U.S., an explosion rocks a city square and Adam goes missing. In the aftermath of the explosion, a panicked Stella desperately searches for her husband until she's contacted by the police who inform her that Adam was dealing in rare and stolen antiquities on the black market. Even more shocking - the police believe that Adam was the target of the explosion. Wanting to prove her husband's innocence, Stella refuses to leave Paris until she finds out what happened to him but if the police are right about Adam's business dealings then she might be the next target.

Narrared by Stella in the present timeline in Paris and Adam in flashbacks to the previous stops on their vacation, The Paris Widow is a fast-paced, suspenseful story about secrets as well as the black market for art and antiquities. An added bonus was the beautiful settings around Europe (Paris in the present with flashbacks to Italy, Spain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Malta). It's a twisty read that I couldn't put down and it left me guessing until the final few pages. This was my first time reading this author and I'll definitely read more from her. The perfect thriller for summer reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A couple travelling through Europe , Stella and Adam are on their last day in Paris. Adam goes back to the cafe to retrieve his sunglasses and Stella continues on to return to their hotel to get their belongings before checking out.
She hears an exlplosion coming from the direction of the cafe.
She learns an explosive device was set off at the cafe and her husband is un accounted for,
He is later determined to have died in the explosion.
She learns that he has been under surveillance for the past year dut to his questionable business practices. He's made most of his money by dealing in looted and stolen artifacts,
Their home in Atlanta will be searched to see if it contains some of these artifacts too,
She determines not to go home until she can clear his name.
She is in danger too because his enemies will go after her,

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to read this fun and exciting thriller. The book centers on Stella, who has joined her husband Adam in Europe at the end of his work trip, as they vacation after. They are in Paris and about to leave to go home. After they agree to meet back at the hotel when he goes back to retrieve sunglasses he left at a restaurant, an explosion goes off. As Stella attempts to find, Adam and the police inform her that he is not only missing but was the possible target for the explosion because of a dark underground market that he husband was possibly a part of. The more questions Stella asks and tries to uncover, the more she is in danger.
The book was fun and relatively easy to follow. It was quick-paced and full of suspense. I enjoyed Stella navigating Paris, both the tourist areas and dangerous aspects. The descriptions of the antiques were vivid and interesting.
The characters were complex but still likable. I think the only thing I wanted was a little more explanation with the ending. It felt like the pacing and flow went well until the ending, and then it felt rushed.
Otherwise I really enjoyed it and would recommend it.

This book stars off with a literal bang 💣 and doesn’t really stop … traveling through some of the most amazing places in Europe in flashbacks, our Paris Widow searches for her husband and get entangled in his secret life … with lost of unexpected turn of events along the way . A hard to put down thriller !

4.5 ⭐️

The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle is a fast-paced cat-mouse thriller.

Husband and wife, Stella and Adam are traveling across Europe together. When a bombing at a Cafe results in her husband's presumed death, Stella must unravel the mess that is left behind.

A novel full of adventure, embezzlement and high stakes. A must-read for your summer thriller list.