Member Reviews

I loved this book, kept me right on the edge of my seat! Definitely recommend, Kimberly Belle is one of my favorite authors and she did not disappoint!

Was this review helpful?

4.5 stars
I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It had me sitting back wondering, then actively guessing and questioning what I knew, what might be true, where the story was going next. Just a lot of fun with more and more layers as the pages turned . I was intrigued by the very real world of black market sales of looted and stolen art and antiquities.

I'm excited to find a new-to-me author in this genre. I will definitely be seeking out more of Belle's books.

Was this review helpful?

I liked this. I learned a lot about the dealing of and stolen antiquities. Stella and Adam are on vacation when Adam goes back to get his sunglasses from a restaurant. A bomb goes off and he goes missing. From there life for Stella is not what she thought. Adam went into hiding but she thought he died. He has been dealing in rare and stolen antiquities which is not what she thought. Stella can not trust anyone as she tries to figure out what is going on. I feel like this is a less twisty novel by Kimberly Belle but I still really enjoyed it. This novel was very much about the relationship between Stella and Adam and how they felt for each other despite all the lies and secrets. I am glad they got a happy ending even with all the chaos they endured.

Was this review helpful?

Highly recommend this emotionally charged thriller set in Paris! A well developed plot with before and after timelines that keeps your heart racing from chapter to chapter. The twists and ending were great!!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this one! It starts out with Adam and Stella in Paris enjoying a vacation and their perfect love. But is everything perfect? Although you’ll get no spoilers from me, suffice it to say I read this straight through because I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next! Fast paced and thrilling,
the book is filled with intriguing characters and beautifully descriptive pages of spots I would love to visit. I highly recommend this as something to read on the beach with a cold drink and a cafe nearby. Enjoy!

#TheParisWife
#BeachRead

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this advance copy

Was this review helpful?

The Paris Widow is one of my favorite books of 2024. Stella is having the time of her life with her adoring husband on a Paris vacation. They get separated when hubby goes back to a restaurant to retrieve his cheapo sunglasses. A bomb goes off, and hubby is nowhere to be found.
The next thing we know, Stella is being questioned by authorities about her hubby's illegal activities. There are plenty of Signature Kimberly Belle twists and turns. I predict this will be the hit of the Summer.

Was this review helpful?

Loved this one!!! This story takes place between mainly Stella and Adam and what has gone wrong in Paris and their life. They both have many secrets that neither of them know about but are starting to find out. Adam is missing and Stella isn’t so innocent. This book made me drop everything to read it. Really good.

Was this review helpful?

The Paris Widow has found its place in the list of my favorite books of 2024 so far (it releases on June 11th so you'll have a bit of a wait on your hands). The story centers around Stella and Adam and occasionally jumps to the beginning of their European trip. Stella, a former flight attendant has finally found a nice normal guy, or so she thinks. When their Parisian getaway turns tragic and her husband is presumed dead, she finds out that her husband might not have been who he said he was, and there is no one she can truly trust.

You can finish this novel from beginning to end in a couple evenings of dedicated reading, and trust me you won't want to put it down! Definitely in my top 5 of 2024!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to @netgalley and @HarlequinTrade for this ARC. Stella and Adam are traveling around Europe on the tail end of a his business trip. When he leaves his sunglasses at a cafe, she decides to head back to grab their bags so they can quickly leave for the airport. On her way, a bomb goes off in the direction of the cafe and Adam is no where to be found. Over the next few days, she learns that Adam has been involved in some kind of illegal trade that she knew nothing about. Though she has done her own wrong in the past, she can't believe any of that could be true. She needs to get to the bottom of the investigation and find out what happened to Adam. Kimberly Belle is awesome! #TheParisWidow #KimberlyBelle #June2024 #HarlequinTrade

Was this review helpful?

Fast paced fiction at its finest. This mystery is a love story involving the blood antiquities market and the persistence of a woman. Never, never underestimate a woman in love who has been told to go home. I’m recommending this one to my book club.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade for providing me with this review copy.

Was this review helpful?

Wow this thriller is such a journey! The Paris Widow is such a whirlwind the moment you start this book you won’t want to put it down. You’ll be on the edge of your seat the entire time, get comfortable because this is one of those books where you start and finish the same day. This story follows Stella as she finds out the truth about who she is really married to and the best part this that it’s set in beautiful Paris! It’s extremely fast paced and action packed including topics of embezzlement, betray, greed and lots of dirty secrets! The twists and turns are absolutely worth the read, I highly recommend this to all my fellow thriller readers!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you @parkrowbooks, @htpbooks, and @netgalley for the eARC of The Paris Widow by @kimberlysbelle in exchange for an honest review!

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 I always get a flutter in my heart going through customs but I never have anything to declare. The Paris Widow opens at the airport with a mysterious woman transporting a gold-illuminated manuscript and right away, the reader is hooked! Stella and Adam are enjoying their summer traveling around Paris, hoping to immerse themselves in the local food and culture. When Adam goes missing after what appears to be a terrorist bombing, their perfect Parisien vacation disappears in the blink of an eye. Stella is a bright and quick-thinking female main character, someone I would absolutely want to travel with and have around in case of an emergency. And so it’s no surprise when she realizes there is a lot more to her husband’s story than she ever knew. Gripping, fast-paced, and an absolutely thrilling adventure of a novel that you will not want to put down!

4.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review is posted on Goodreads and will be on Instagram ahead of the publication date!

Was this review helpful?

I usually do my reviews on Amazon (barbarawr), but this one isn't eligible to be reviewed (probably because it hasn't been published yet. But I watch my NetGalley books to make sure I review them as soon as they are published.

I really liked this book. I was wrapped up in the story from the very beginning, and I was sorry when it ended. I loved how the people in Paris actually spoke French, and that it was simple enough French that I could understand most of it without reading the next line where it explained what it meant in English. Being in such a magical place when the unthinkable happened made it seem even more horrendous than it would have if it had been set somewhere else. Stella was totally likeable, making it easy to feel the ups and the downs with her, and I thought it was very smart of the author not to tell us about her past until we already liked her, at which point it was easy for me to say that the past is the past and people can change. I liked that there was enough information about blood antiquities that I was able to fully understand what it was all about, but not so much that I felt like I was back in school being forced to take a class that I had zero interest in. And the ending was very satisfying, which is always a plus for me. I highly recommend this book.

Was this review helpful?

I rather enjoyed this story. It had several twists I didn't see coming, and kept me entertained. The "blood antiquities" angle was interesting -- I'd never really thought about it before. My one criticism about the book would be the plot turn relating to Stella's past - it wasn't an issue for 75% of the book and now it's important? It didn't add up to me. That aside, I liked this, and will read more from the author.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

Was this review helpful?

A Paris Widow is a suspenseful read about a married couple, Adam and Stella, on their European vacation. Adam is an antiques dealer and they are traveling throughout Europe making purchases. In Paris, an explosion occurs and Stella can no longer find Adam. What results is a story of double lives, dangerous life threatening chases, bad guys and good guys, bad guys pretending to be good guys. Lots of twists and turns until the final conclusion. It gave a great action movie vibe so if you are into that genre, you will enjoy this read.
I really enjoyed the European settings, perhaps because I was recently in some of these cities and I feel they were authentically represented even in the minor details. I liked the timeline jumping from present to past, feeding the reader just little hints along the way to guess what happens. I thought it was fairly believable as well. I was a bit disappointed by the lackluster conclusion (who the final villain was, the reason for the whole escapade to happen) though I’m not sure what and who would have been a better choice. This will be a great summer read and I thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my ARC.

Was this review helpful?

Another great thriller from Kimberly Belle! This one was filled with the lots of mystery/suspense and kept me guessing the whole book. I did figure out a few things along with way, but I enjoyed how this story unfolded. I really enjoyed the flashbacks and that this was told in both the voices of Adam and Stella. I really could see this book being turned into a movie! Very action packed and throughly enjoyed this read!

Was this review helpful?

I’ve delved into a handful of Kimberly Belle’s novels before and they were all pretty good, but none captured me as much as the Paris Widow did. Hard not to be instantly hooked—as it kicks off with a literal bang.
Stella has been away from her husband Adam for all of two minutes after enjoying their last afternoon at a Parisian bistro’s terrace when the ground suddenly shakes, and chaos erupts—people screaming and running for their lives. An explosion. Soon, the word “bombing” is on everybody’s lips. And Adam, who was heading in that very direction, is nowhere to be found.
What follows is an international plot that will lead you through the couple’s previous stops across Europe, unveiling a cast of shady characters. According to the French police, Adam himself is rather shady. It appears he may not be who Stella believed him to be. Yet, has Stella been entirely truthful with him, or even with herself?
I genuinely loved how this story, with its main characters, so easy to like, kept me wondering while also taking me to all these amazing places.

Was this review helpful?

This book didn’t turn out to be the page-turner I had hoped it would be. It held my attention for the most part, but there were a few scenes that seemed extraneous to the plot that slowed me down. The main character didn’t seem to be totally consistent throughout the book and toward the end she seemed stronger – I won’t give details on this as to spoil how she seemed to change in my view. Sometimes the main character made me very frustrated with how she viewed her husband and what she wanted from him after he disappeared. Both main characters could have been nuanced. I enjoyed the setting in Europe and the art/antiquities’ theme, but overall this book rates 3.5.

Was this review helpful?

This was such a fast paced read full of so many twists!! I absolutely devoured this thrilling ride in one sitting!

Was this review helpful?

I was very excited to read this via netgalley as I truly enjoy Kimberly Belle. (Shout out to Killer Author Club!) However, this book was a tough read for me. It starts as an intriguing mystery with a beautiful backdrop. The mystery unwraps bit by bit as we go along. Sadly, so did my patience with the main character. The classic "how far would you go for the man you love?" trope is tired. I can't say too much without giving it away, but by the end I was full on rolling my eyes. I'm still giving it three stars because I finished it and I really love the author as a person.

Was this review helpful?