The opening chapters started off at a really fast engaging pace. Amelie is kidnapped and held captive in a completely isolated dark room. I found these scenes to be done really well and I could imagine her terror in trying to acclimate herself without being able to see a thing. The first part of the book focuses on her current situation and then flips back to her past and gives us a feel for how she came to be in the predicament she is in. This felt a bit long in the sense it was over half the book, but it read really fast. The second half I wasn't too fond of, some aspects of it I thought were done really well but by the end I felt it was just more "telling" the reader what happened as opposed to having the reader fully engaged to try and figure it out, if that makes sense.

What really draws me in to a book is character development, which I think this book lacked in. Amelie's friends just all kind of blurred together and nothing stood out for them except for one was from France, one from Lithuania etc. Same with Amelie and Ned - just seemed very shallow in terms of development. Amelie in the past chapters came across really childlike - I know she was almost 20 but it read like she was way younger and it just king of bothered me. Finally, I liked the idea of the relationship between Ned and Amelie and think it was interesting but it seemed like it came out of left field too much, no warning whatsoever. I think if there had been more detail or backstory to that it would have felt a bit more realistic(as much as makes sense)

Overall this was certainly a quick, mindless read that kept me engaged but feel it was missing that depth to make me care about the final outcome.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Oh no. This was sadly a miss for me. I wanted to love it so bad but by around 30%, I knew it simply wouldn't work.

Amelie wakes up in a pitch dark room and has no idea who kidnapped her and why. The book is told in two timelines, one before the abduction and one in the present. I really thought I would enjoy it as I thought Behind Closed Doors was fun but I honestly was bored throughout most of The Prisoner and found myself skimming nonstop.

I found the characters to be one dimensional and the plot a bit too shaky for my taste. However what bothered me most was how unnatural some of the conversations were. I just felt weird reading them knowing damn well that no one talks like that.

Overall, I would personally not recommend this one.

I want to start off by saying that this is the first book I've read by B.A. Paris, but I was really excited to read this book because the synopsis sounded interesting and I really love a good thriller. Sadly, this just fell flat for me. There was really no character development. The plot was unbelievable and bordered on ridiculous at times. I was just very disappointed overall. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader copy.

3.5 ⭐️. I didn’t really know where the story was going, but I thought it was pretty good overall. I got bored at time, but it was a good book to pass time. Such a quick read too!

I really enjoyed The Breakdown and was looking forward to read another book by B.A. Paris. Unfortunately it was a miss for me. Too many parts in this long story were totally unbelievable.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

I loved B.A. Paris prior book 'The Dilemma', but this was a solid pass for me. Amelie goes through with a hasty marriage for financial reasons, not really knowing her husband. Turns out, he's not a great guy. The book starts out with her being kidnapped, blindfolded, and trying to understand what happened. There's plenty of backstory as to her circumstances, but this could have used more character development. Why did she feel a hasty marriage was the only way out of her current situation? Why was she scared of her husband? Then the reveal of the kidnapper was a bit predictable. It's long in parts and goes back and forth between the present and the future state (after the kidnapping. Just not my favorite of hers.

This book was a slow starter for me, a lot of chapters dedicated to setting up Amelie's adjustment to the room she is being held in by her kidnappers. It did appreciably pick up once her relationship with magazine editor and billionaire Ned comes into focus. However, once you move into the second part of the book when Amelie is freed, the narrative falls apart. Amelie googles Stockholm syndrome just to let the reader know this is what is happening. ***Spoiler*** Even though people have died left and right, some clearly not by the central baddie of part one (Ned), Amelie decides to go on a mission to uncover what has happened to her. It ends with a character giving a lengthy monologue on how it all went down, most of which doesn't entirely make sense. Amelie's confused feelings from her previous attraction to said character and newfound knowledge that he kept her prisoner seem to indicate her continued attraction to him. Especially given the final line of the book. Kind of gross. Not a fan of how the book ended nor having to have a character explain exactly what happened, which always feels lazy. Regardless, I did enjoy this book mostly so I would still recommend.

Heart stopping. Fast paced. Good vs evil. Hybrid of this authors other hits. Couldn’t stop reading

This was an absolute edge of your seat page turner! Paris never disappoints. I was on the edge of my seat trying to solve this mystery. Will be recommending to everyone I know!

Told in two parts and two timelines, this moves rather quickly and quite intense! Amelie at sixteen years old was the caregiver to her ailing father in Paris. The only family she had, life was tough after his passing. She found employment in London and a friend through Carolyn, a stranger she followed home. Another chance meeting and Amelie is introduced to wealthy socialite Ned Hawthrope. Present day, Amelie is kidnapped! But it all isn’t as it seems! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a gifted copy.

I will never everrrrr turn down an opportunity to review a B.A. Paris book!
I enjoyed this book. It was a quick easy read that kept me very interested. It was suspenseful and had my attention right from the beginning.

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martins Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

First she was a prisoner in a marriage of convenience, then a prisoner after a kidnapping. Magnificent novel dealing with a character's introspection into her life. Keeps the reader frantically turning pages to find what happens next. B.A. Paris has written a superb thriller that will delight readers.

BA Paris grabs your attention on the first page and doesn't release you from their grasp until the very end. Where at the end you're gasping for air, asking that's the end?! For a quick paced thriller, the ending comes on strongly. Another great addition to their engaging books!

This book in 3 words: Twisty. Defeating. Courage. 

After her father dies, Amelie moves to London from Paris. With terrible luck and no real job prospects, she meets Carolyn, her real-life guardian angel. Amelie is quickly swept up in Carolyn's life, including Ned Hawthorpe (son of a billionaire), and has no idea what she's actually gotten involved in. A "for-show" marriage turns ridiculously fast and Amelie pays the price. 

When the book opens with a kidnapping, you know there's no slow burn in sight. Told from 2 different timelines, B.A. Paris holds your attention hostage up until the last line of the story. The Prisoner is one of the first thrillers, in 2022, to demand my attention and beg to be finished. I stayed up late getting to the end and was not disappointed. 

I thought the premise was fresh and interesting. I loved how invested I was in Amelie, even after just a few pages. The story pacing was so good - great execution!

B.A. Paris sure knows how to write a villain. I found my skin crawling and heat burning with anger throughout the book; the story completely engulfed me. I feel like this is going to be one of the best thrillers released in 2022. 

I'll post this on my blog closer to release.

This one was a solid 3.5 stars rounded up for me. I’ve love BA Paris since the beginning but this one didn’t hit the spot the way the others have. Part 1 was so good and suspenseful but part 2 seemed to drag on. There were so many characters to keep track of.

The Prisoner was a page turner! I have loved all of B.A. Paris’s books. This book is told in two parts and like other reviewers, part one had me on the edge of my seat. However, part two seemed slow and it felt like another book entirely. I would recommend B.A. Paris’s other books before The Prisoner. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Another great BA Paris book. This is a quick, fun thriller that will have you intrigued from the beginning. This book centers around Amelie and her husband Ned. It starts with a kidnapping and flips back and forth from the past to the present to build the story and help the reader to understand how Amelie ended up in her current predicament. Like all Paris books, it is a solid and great read. I thought the author did a great job creating intrigue, building the suspense while building the story and the background. Not my favorite BA Paris book, but still worth the read.

Told in two parts and two timelines, this moves rather quickly and quite intense! Amelie at sixteen years old was the caregiver to her ailing father in Paris. The only family she had, life was tough after his passing. She found employment in London and a friend through Carolyn, a stranger she followed home. Another chance meeting and Amelie is introduced to wealthy socialite Ned Hawthrope. Present day, Amelie is kidnapped! But it all isn’t as it seems! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a gifted copy.

B.A. Paris has quickly become an auto-buy author for me. This was a one day read for me. Amelie Lamont is alone in the world at after her father passes away from cancer. Amelie is trying to make ends meet to go to college when she meets Carolyn who offers her a job and a place to live. Through this arrangement she becomes friends with Carolyn’s friends, Justine and Lina who work for a magazine run by Ned Hawthrope. Eventually Amelie starts working for the magazine and goes on a work trip to Las Vegas and ends up married to Ned. This is the turning point in this story before every aspect of Amelie’s life starts going down hill. While the end brought much closure, I was hoping for a little bit more for Amelie.

B.A.Paris is truly the best at suspense fiction. The alternating chapters of present and past assures a page-turning read. Who is the kidnapper of the newlyweds Amelie and Ned? And why does Amelie feel safer alone in a dark shuttered room than being with her new husband? As suspicion falls on one character after another, layers of deceit unfold as the story progresses.