This book had me guessing at every turn of the page. I loved the historical aspects of the story as well. I learned things I didn’t know about France before. Overall wonderful read.

An intriguing and fast paced thriller from author Kimberly Belle.

The story centers on married couple Stella and Adam on vacation in Paris. After a leisurely lunch, they start to head back to their hotel so they can pack up quickly and head home to Atlanta. As they’re heading back, Adam realizes he forgot his sunglasses at the cafe. He suggests to Stella that she go on and head back to the hotel on her own and he’ll catch up to her to save on time. Only minutes later is there an unexpected explosion in the direction of the cafe Stella had just left. This is where the story really takes off and Stella finds that Adam is missing and that he was the possible target for the bomb. Not just that, but Stella could be the next intended target if she can’t figure out who is after her and why.

I loved the flow/pacing of this story and how the author took us on a Parisian experience. I was even surprised to find some romance in this storyline that typically isn’t there in majority of suspense/thrillers. I appreciated that immensely!

Thank you to Net Galley, Park Row Publishers, and the author, Kimberly Belle for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kimberly Belle's The Paris Widow is a fast-paced novel full of intrigue and suspense. During a whirlwind European vacation, Stella's husband Adam goes missing after the couple is caught up in an explosion in Paris. Stella quickly sets off on a mission to find the truth, unknowingly putting herself in danger and learning unexpected and shocking secrets about her husband's world. A great beach/vacation read for summer 2024!

What an incredible story, Kimberly Belle weaved! A European vacation goes horribly wrong for a husband and wife, and Stella finds herself in hot water. I loved the storytelling, and it literally had my heart pounding out of my chest! Loved it!!

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

First and foremost, I’m loving the fact that so many thrillers are including neon green on the cover. I don’t know why, but that’s such a vibe to me. To be honest, the cover was the main reason why I wanted to pick this book up.

This story follows married couple Stella and Adam. Madly in love and on vacation in Europe, the story opens up with them on their last day in Paris. Everything seems perfect…that is, until an explosion rocks the city square and Adam goes missing in the aftermath. Stella understandably panics and is desperate to find Adam, dead or alive. In the aftermath of the rubble, Stella learns that Adam’s disappearance may not be exactly what it originally seemed. Was Adam a random victim of wrong place at the wrong time or was he the intended target? Stella is determined to do whatever it takes to uncover the truth…all while trying to stay alive in the process.

To be honest, my feels are a little mixed overall on this one.

Things I loved:
-The international setting was incredibly atmospheric and engaging. It included a lot of references to local architecture, food, and culture. As someone who wants to travel but has been virtually nowhere, it was fun to vicariously live through the characters.
-I liked that you never knew who to trust or to believe. No matter how much we’ve gotten to know a character, I found myself constantly questioning their motives and intentions.
-The writing style/pacing was compulsively bingeable. I ended up reading 60% in one sitting because I wanted to know how things ended.
-There was an eclectic cast of side characters that added a lot to the story.

Things I didn’t love:
-I probably only have myself to blame for this, but I wasn’t expecting this to read so much like a heist thriller. It heavily deals with the dealing of blood artifacts on the black market, which I just didn’t really care that much about. But again, that completely comes down to personal preference. I think it’s worth mentioning though, because I don’t feel like you really get that from the summary.
-Stella was a little naïve to me and lacked any survival instincts. I won’t spoil anything, but there were a couple moments were I just wanted to shake some sense into her.
-The ending resolved way too quickly and conveniently for my liking. Especially paired with the slow burn intrigue we got up until like 80% or so, the ending felt a little abrupt and anticlimactic.

Overall, I had a really good time with this and would be curious to pick up more books from Kimberly Belle in the future (ideally domestic thrillers).

Huge CW for on page depiction of a bombing (paired with references to previous mass casualty events that have taken place in France).

Kimberly Belle has become one of my favorite authors over the past few years. I find her thrillers to be consistently entertaining, regardless of the storyline, so I was excited to get an early copy of her latest, “The Paris Widow.”

This novel flips back-and-forth between present day and the days leading up to the explosion. It also has chapters from the viewpoints of Stella and Adam. I found some of Stella’s actions slightly unbelievable, but enjoyed the overall storyline. I also liked how the author wrapped up the book.

Overall, I recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

I love Kimberly Belle’s books and the Paris Widow is no exception. Mystery and intrigue are mixed in with romance and enough confusing messages to make the reader wonder which characters are actually telling the truth. This book is set in Europe; mostly in France. The reader feels he/she is actually there because of the descriptions of the setting mixed in with the action of the characters.. The story keeps the reader guessing and wanting to keep reading for answers. Thank you, Net Galley and Park Row for the chance to read and review this ARC. I really enjoyed this book.

Loved this book so much!! It is a high tension binge worthy read that I just had to finish in a day. Who doesn’t love a trip around Europe, and I escaped Sydney for a few hours while I read this addictive book. Just couldn’t get enough of it.

Stella and Adam are enjoying their last day in Paris before flying back to the States. It is a beautiful, warm day and they are happy. All that changes when a bomb goes off and Adam is missing, feared dead. Stella is broken. Things only get worse when she gets a visit from the police telling her things about Adam that she can’t comprehend. Turns out she didn’t know the man she married that well at all.

I love the fast pace of this book, each chapter ending leaving the reader with more questions than ever. What happened to Adam? Who can Stella trust? What secrets does she have? she is determined to find out what her husband was doing and why.

Just a fantastic read. Thanks so much to HTP, Park Row and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on June 11th.

This was a great thriller. The tension never let up. The world of the black market in blood antiquities, brought to life by several really great characters. The book takes place mostly in Paris, but some in other European cities. I love a book that can teach you something while never stopping the story. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this fantastic, scary trip through Paris with some really interesting people and art.

I just finished an advance copy this book. The Paris Widow, was captivating from the from the start. I loved the Paris setting, the characters and the fresh storyline about the illicit trade of blood antiquities. The story was a bit predictable in parts. This did not take away from the story for me. I loved the characters and felt the story was not rushed. The mystery unveiled at a pace that made satisfied to know I was on the right track of figuring out who was involved. I also loved the Oscar Wilde quotes throughout the book and found myself looking forward to seeing the next one used.

Trust is hard to come by for the characters in “The Paris Widow.” What starts as a lovely vacation quickly turns tragic and suspicion is front and center as answers are being sought. I enjoyed the pace of this book, and was second-guessing myself throughout.

Thank you to Net Galley, Park Row Publishers, and the author, Kimberly Belle for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stella and Adam are on vacation in Paris. On their last day, hours before catching their plane, Adam forgets his sunglasses at a cafe. They agree to split up. She will go pack their things while he quickly retrieves the missing sunglasses. An explosion rocks the square where the cafe was located. Stella desperately searches for Adam.

After speaking with the French police, Stella learns that Adam was the possible target. They inform her that he deals in stolen antiques. Stella is unwilling to believe this could be true. She begins her own investigation.

Overall this was a fast paced thriller.

Stella and her husband Adam are on vacation in Paris. Then there’s a bombing and Adam is missing. Stella learns a lot about Adam’s business dealings. Will she leave and go back to the Atlanta without Adam or will she stay and fight for herself and the truth?

The Paris widow is a binge worthy thriller that is action packed and you won't want to put down. I would highly suggest finding a comfy spot once you decide to read this book because you won't want to stop reading. this cat and mouse game throughout the story keeps you wanting more. this book has so many twists that had me gasping. I've never read anything else from Kimberly Belle but will be looking into her books more now.

Stella's beautiful Paris vacation with the love of her life turns into a nightmare. Are Stella and Adam the couple next door that wrongly got caught up legal issues or are they hiding secrets? You will keep wanting more with every turn of the page. The book is full of deceit, betrayl, reconciliation, trust, mistrust, and true love.

This book really fell short by the ending.

Started off "superficial"... Got a little bit interesting and surprising in the middle. By the end, things just did not quite connect and making sense as a whole. Could use some editing before release.

I was not impressed. This is the first book I've read by this author.

The Paris Widow opens with Stella and Adam Knox on vacation in Paris, France. After their lunch, while going back to their hotel, Adam told Stella he forgot his sunglasses and is going back to the Cafe to get them. Allof a sudden Stella nears an explosion and rushes back to what was the cafe where she and Adam just had lunch. However, Stella cannot find Adam and amidst the confusion is featured on worldwide television and becomes known as "The Paris Widow" .
This begins an excellent page turner as Stella becomes involved not only in trying to find out what happened to Adam but what Adam is involved in the world of stolen art treasures, forgeries and collectors. Ms Belle creates a world of intrigue and mystery as the reader becomes involved.
I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to more written by the author.

THE PARIS WIDOW by Kimberly Belle

The Paris Widow was a fantastic thriller/mystery based in Paris that gave the atmospheric feel of France which was nice since I was visiting France at the time I was reading this book. This poor woman goes looking for her husband who went back to a restaurant to retreave his sunglasses. However when she gets there the building explodes leaving her devastated. She learns later her husband was the target..but why? She is determined to get answers no matter what.

After a few reads that were just ehhhh this one grabbed my attention from the first chapter and just exploded from there. This book was a quick and fast read with many characters that had other motives within the book. Is the Paris Widow truly a widow or are there secrets from her past that could have caused a chain reaction from when she met her husband leading up to now? Or is her husband not who he says he is? Find out on this twisted tale of deception.

The Paris widow is the perfect vacation thriller! Set in Paris and following the romantic relationship between Adam and Stella, things couldn’t be more magical. That is until and explosion completely blows up Stella’s life and erases everything she once thought to be true.

There is lots of suspense, mystery and intrigue. The pacing maintains a medium to fast pace throughout. There is excellent character depth and development as well as immersing the reader fully in the Paris experience with lots of visual descriptions and landmark and location mentions.

Thank you to Harlequin trade publishing, Kimberly Belle and NetGalley for the EARC!

Publish date: June 11th