Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle.

Kimberly Belle has been hit and miss for me, but this was a solid HIT.

It starts in the streets of Paris, Adam and Stella could not be more in love. They are just winding down a heavenly trip together, when an explosion completely derails Stella's life. And from that explosion starts a thread that has an end that Stella could never anticipate.

This was descriptive, exciting, and suspenseful. It got slow only a touch, but overall and fun and fast read. It's perfect for the upcoming summer should you need a beach read.

Terrific read couldn't put it down until I finished filled with twists and turns highly recommend this and set in Paris is always a treat

This book was insane! I don’t want to give anything away but i was intrigued the entire time and could not put this book down. I recommend this to anyone who loves thrillers.

Ok adam with your mysterious self trying to be shady I see. I really liked Stellas character and finding out more information when she found out. This was an adventure for sure I also loved that the characters were well developed. I hate when we dont really understand or know the characters and then I dont really feel like rooting for them at all. Adams character really surprised me and I normally figure mystery thrillers out at the beginning and this one was a little more tough for me to figure out.

What a crazy rollercoaster ride!
The intensity and build up in the first part of the book made it hard to put down. The second half slowed down a little bit but the twists were still jaw dropping. Overall great read!
The main reason I was drawn to this book was because it was set in France/Paris. The author did an awesome job taking me back to that country and its landmarks, cafes, etc.
I think this is a great summer read and I highly recommend it to anyone that likes a fast-paced, suspenseful mystery.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing – Park Row and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Heart stopping, nothing is as it seems. Hard to put down. We first meet Stella who is in trouble unwittingly carrying an ancient rare book out of the country. She’s not totally innocent but gets out of a Paris jail after a harrowing 26 days. Ready to start her life over she meets Adam and the sparks fly. Adam sources architectural fixtures from old homes. Their relationship seems perfect until it’s not. You are up for a wild ride. Enjoy!

I could not put this book down. And oh boy was this a stressful ride. Stella’s stress and anxiety in searching for her husband, and learning his fate, was fully transferred into me.

The story itself isn’t particularly new or unique, but I don’t even care because it kept me HOOKED. There’s also some grammar errors and clunky sentences.

It’s a thrill. It’s a mystery. It was nice to read a book that wasn’t a spooky thriller. And while it’s fiction, there’s reality weaved into the pages, like with Kat and the ring being based on a real person.

Highly recommend to crime thriller lovers.

Thank you so much to netgalley, Kimberly Belle, and Harlequin publishing for the ARC! I can’t wait for this to come out and for the world to devour it!

I really enjoyed reading the book, and found the plot compelling. I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5, as I felt the second half of the book would have benefitted from more detail on Stella and her past. I also felt this book could have used some more information on the motivation for the crimes committed. Regardless, I still enjoyed this book and would recommend this.

Before I begin, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Paris Widow was my first book by Kimberly Belle, but I found her writing style to be unique and easy-to-read. It took a few chapters for the book to draw me in and it was more of a slow-burn than anything, but overall I truly enjoyed it. I didn’t see the twists coming.

I absolutely loved this book. It was a page turner with intricate characters that kept you guessing until the end what would happen to all of them. Stella and Adam have a complicated relationship and their past involves a lot of secrets. I liked how the author weaved everything from their past into the present where you can see whether people can actually change or not. I wasn’t expecting the ending but was happy with it.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Enterprises for an early copy of The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle

There will be no rest for the readers of The Paris Widow as main character Stella embarks on a journey to discover what has happened to her husband when he goes missing after a bombing in a Paris restaurant. When his body is not found among the bombing victims, questions immediately arise as Stella struggles to put pieces of husband Adam's secret life together while figuring out who to trust. Questions about possible DNA at the scene go unanswered. What appears as an Atlanta couple on a vacation jaunt in Europe will become something else entirely.

Belle's story does contain some predictable plotting, but at other times readers will be caught off guard as Stella works tirelessly to determine what could have happened to her husband as she enters the perilous world he appears to be a part of.

A connection to Oscar Wilde will come into play and become a backdrop for a satisfying conclusion.

Some of the computer/electronic procedures get too detailed, but readers will follow the results easily enough

Had me interested from the beginning! Kept my attention the whole time. Had to figure out what happened.

The cat-and-mouse plot of this thrilling book had a great pace, which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire read. I was so incredibly hooked that I read the entire thing in under 48 hours! The storyline was incredibly original and action-packed. I strongly suggest getting this one!

Thank you Netgalley for the free arc! I’m leaving this review of my honest opinion. I’m sorry to say I couldn’t finish this book. I started and stopped several times until I was at 50%. This wasn’t my taste per se, but all the reviews said it wasn’t their genre, but they ended up loving it. I thought the writing was good, I just couldn’t get into the storyline.

This book was surprisingly very good! I only selected this book because it is set in Paris. I love Paris and I was looking forward to reading about the landmarks, etc. However, the actual story was excellent. It was a lot more action/suspense than an actual mystery. It was clever and a little romantic. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read The Paris Widow.

Fast-paced and fun thriller. For some reason I kept thinking of the Beatles movie “Help”- danger everywhere, sexy and exotic locales, everyone looking for a mysterious gold ring…. Though the story was quick and breezy, I found the characters flat and not engaging. But I don’t think this was meant to be a character-driven story like “Dear Wife” was. This was just pure adrenaline and a wild ride. Thank you Netgalley and Kimberly Belle for the ARC and the opportunity to review this book.

Roller coaster of opinions on this book. Started really superficial. Got really interesting and surprising. Ended weirdly, with things not quite connecting and making sense. I liked it though, in the end. Solid, just could use some editing to clean it up before release.

I thought this was an incredible page Turner! It hooked me at the very beginning and kept me reading until the very last page. I will definitely recommend this one to friends!

Did you read that book?

The Paris Widow
By Kimberly Belle

Plot: When Stella met Adam, she thought she had finally found a nice, normal guy—a welcome change from her previous boyfriend and her precarious jetsetter lifestyle with him. But her secure world comes crashing down when Adam goes missing after an explosion in the city square. Unable to reach him, she panics. 
 
As the French police investigate, it’s revealed that Adam was on their radar as a dealer of rare and stolen antiquities with a long roster of criminal clients. Reeling from this news, Stella is determined not to leave Paris until she has the full story. Was Adam a random victim or the target of the explosion? And why is someone following her through the streets of Paris?

Review: From the first chapter, I felt a pull to this story. Like one magnet to another, I couldn’t put this book down even if I wanted to. The writing was superb and I felt like I was walking along side the characters. The Paris setting elevated the storyline and added a level of suspense as American’s trying find their way out of a dramatic situation in another country. Cut off from your family and friends and forced to navigate both grief and shock all alone. The balance between Stella’s present and Adam’s past POV was a welcome surprise and a simple, yet impactful way to hold our attention. Kimberly clearly did her research, as the book felt authentic and accurate! 

If you are looking for a book with tons of twists and turns, with an epic conclusion, this is the must-have summer book for you!

The Paris Widow is out June 11th, 2024! Thank you to Kimberly Belle, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC copy of The Paris Widow.

Stella and Adam are on a fabulous vacation to France when Adam goes missing after an explosion. Stella is frantic to find him which only escalates as she learns her husband isn't quite who she thought he was. Was he an innocent bystander or a target of the bombing? Stella will stop at nothing to discover the truth. A page-turning, thriller full of twists!