I am a B. A. Paris fan and have read several of her other novels. This one just didn’t get my juices flowing. Perhaps her previous novels have been so darn good that they were a hard act to follow and my expectation level was a bit too high. Whatever the reason, I found this offering disappointing.

A kidnapping with questionable motivation, a marriage that is really a business deal, a few revelations that are not all that revealing and a heroine so painfully naïve that, in several instances, the reader finds her actions and thought processes hard to swallow.

While THE PRISONER is definitely not the worst book I have read this year, it is certainly not up there in my top 10.

This book grabbed my attention and didn’t let it go! I ended up reading it in two sittings and I highly enjoyed each moment. The story was written well and I enjoyed the plot twists.

I’ve read nearly all of B. A. Paris’s novels and I’m so glad I stuck with her books! The first book I read of hers was Behind Closed Doors, and as much as I liked the story and concept behind it, I couldn’t get into the choppy writing style. I’m so glad I didn’t give up though because each of her books has gotten progressively better and better.

In The Prisoner, main character Amelie is struggling to survive after her father’s death and ends up happily ensconced with a new group of friends who have helped her find her footing, even landing a job at the same company as two of the woman. After a whirlwind Vegas wedding, Amelie discovers some unsavory things about her new husband (who happened to be her boss), which culminates in her abduction.

This book was such a page-turner! It was so fast-paced and intense that I could not put it down. I especially loved Amelie’s character – her strength of will despite everything she had been through (even before the sham marriage) was really inspiring to me. I was pleasantly surprised by the way this story clearly brings awareness to the “me too” era in a subtle way.

The Prisoner also calls attention to the meaning of justice and how different people feel about what equals justice. Is it serving time in prison or paying a fine? Depending on the individual’s social and financial status, we have seen people (generally rich, white men) circumvent justice and accountability since the beginning of time and, despite the attention to “me too,” people are still able to brush accusations under the rug with alarming ease.

What makes B. A. Paris’ novels really get in my head is how relatable and realistic they are. Through these stories, I can see how easy it is for someone to unwittingly walk themselves into a horrific nightmare, many of which happen with the people closest to you behind closed doors. I absolutely loved The Breakdown and Bring Me Back. For additional thoughts, check out my reviews for The Dilemma and The Therapist.

Amelie is a survivor! After her father dies and she becomes homeless, she strikes a friendship with Carolyn and works for her. She soon becomes friends with Carolyn's friends. The story switches to the present day where Amelie is kidnapped and held hostage. She realises her husband is held hostage in the same house as well. The story switches between the present and the past and how she comes into her current situation. The secrets and mystery behind everything that's happening slowly unravels.

This was my first B. A. Paris book. I enjoyed the fact that it was fast paced and there were several intriguing elements in the book. I found certain events towards the end a bit flat and lacked the punch that I was expecting. Still a good read for fans of mystery and thrillers.

Thank you @stmartinspress for the eARC of the book.

I found this story very entertaining. Right from the beginning we learn Amelie has been kidnapped along with her husband, Ned. Who has kidnapped the couple and why? Told in two parts, I found it got interesting for me during the second half, The Reckoning. I love stories with past and present timelines, and I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough to find out how everything tied together!

I’m disappointed in this one. There was barely a plot and the characters were thinly developed. This didn’t feel like a BA Paris novel.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, the author, and NetGalley for the free gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Prisoner was a really solid thriller. The first 55% had me absolutely sucked in and on the edge of my seat. But it felt like the conflict came to a climax 3/4 of the way through the book and felt like the book would wrap up but the twists and turns just kept coming. I love a book with twists and turns but this one felt a little dragged on like we could have gotten to the point a little sooner.

Overall still a really good thriller and I love a book that snags your attention right away which this one did.

This one should have a slight trigger warning of kidnapping because it can be a little intense and creepy at times throughout the book.

The Prisoner, by B.A. Paris, is an engaging thriller/mystery, but not quite as compelling as some of her earlier work. The protagonist made a few incredibly rash decisions that catapulted her into vulnerable situations. The “reveals” were a little too neat, compact, and insufficiently woven into the plot. Nonetheless, Paris is an incredibly talented writer who can create convincing settings with all the terrorizing atmospherics. Similarly, she is attentive to all her characters providing nuance and background. This is a quick, satisfying read, perfect for an escape weekend or a long flight. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this novel. It was a pleasure. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I thought this book was okay it was so hard to get engaged into and it dragged a lot. Thank you to NeyGalley for allowing me a copy to read!

This was SOO thrilling and addictingly fast. I don't care for the minor flaws, the main one being the prose, and the other one being stupid weird choices by the MC. If i were being critical, I'd give this, 3.5/5. But 4/5 because of how enjoyable it was! Job well done to the author for making me simp for a certain character even though it was wrong, especially with THAT ending. But the author made it work because the MC held her ground.
I thought this was plotted really well with the dual time lines. It didn't make it too predictable but we still knew what would sort of happen because of the dual timeline. But it all tied up very neatly and made it extremely fun!

Let me start by saying that B.A Paris is one of my favorite authors. I LOVE all her books and can read them easily in one sitting, that is how immerse I get into her books. I read this one in one sitting BUT I had to power through it and I never faced that with one of her books. It started out strong..not as strong as her other books, but still strong enough to keep me invested. I think this was the first one of her books that I wasn't as into as the rest of them. It wasn't a bad book., not at all. It just fell a little flat compared to her other books. So I didn't hate it, not at all, but it I were to rate her books, this one would be low on the list.

I just coudn't connect or even appreciate Amelie and her part of the story. It was hard for me to have any emotion tied to her as I read.

Again, it is not a bad book at all! I love B,A Paris and she will always be one on my favorite authors, but this one just missed the mark for me.

For the most part I enjoyed this story. The premise kept me reading - a woman is held prisoner in a dark room after marrying billionaire Ned Hawthorne and believing she’d finally get to do all that she wanted to in life.

I appreciated that the story behind the kidnapping was explained; however, it was done in such detail I was just kind of over it. It then ended abruptly and I would have appreciated a neater ending after there had been so much description previously.

The premise of this book is great; our young main character is being forcefully grabbed and taken to a dark room in the middle of the night. Instead of panicing, she at first believes she is in another of her billionaire husband's twisted schemes. She's been through this before, and is ready to use her knowledge of the past to get out of it. This time, however, things are different. She learns that her husband has been captured as well. She is kept in a dark room for days on end, with meager rations brought in by a silent stranger--and yet, she feels safer here than alone with her husband! The first two-thirds of this book are easy to fly through. I was invested in finding out who had kidnapped Amelie and her husband, and how she would get out of it. I think it could have ended much, much earlier and been a good thriller. The last third, however, was a lot of complicated explanation, unrealistic outcomes, and whiny behavior from the earlier feisty main character, I wanted to love it, but by the end I just needed the whole thing to be over.

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My first e-book and first #arc from #netgalley!

B.A. Paris can be hit or miss for sure, and this was a miss for me. To me it was a bad movie version of a prisoner story that went on for way too long. The only part I liked about this book was the backstory of the main character, Amelie, but other than that this book was a real struggle for me to get through. 📚
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#netgalleyreader #netgalleyarc #bookstack #booklovers #alwaysreading #readersofinstagram #bookreview #instareads #goodreads #bookworm #bookaddict #readersofig #bookreviewer #bookaddict #bookstagram

(Thank you @stmartinspress for the #advancedreaderscopy of this book! #netgalley)

Well this was disappointing. Being the first book I've read by this author, I had no idea what to expect, but went in with high hopes. It seems the general consensus is this is everyone's least favorite book by her, so although I didn't enjoy this one, I will be reading some of her other previous books and giving her a second chance.

The Prisoner was too much of a slow burn to hold my attention and I felt there was a lack of character development as well. I did not care what happened to any of the characters and honestly, just wanted to get through the book, so I could leave my review and move on. And if I might add, I did not care for the whole premise of this book. The majority of the story the main character is held prisoner with flashbacks to help keep the reader's interest, but, unfortunately, it wasn't enough to keep me entertained. I can't recommend this book and I'd go with the advice of others and read some of her previous books instead.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

Amelie Lamont was only 17 years old when her dad passed away and she had to live on the streets of London. Fortunately, just when things could not look worse, she met Carolyn, a young woman who happened to need someone to work at her house. Carolyn introduced Amelie to her friends, and before she knows it, our protagonist found a new family and also a cool new job at a fancy magazine, where she catches the eye of the owner, Ned. Fast forward to the present: she and Ned have been kidnapped, and she is pretty sure she’s about to die. What happened? How did things turned up like this? And how is it all going to end?

This is the third book I read by B.A. Paris and while it wasn’t my favorite (go read The therapist!), it managed to keep my attention until the very end and it was super fast to read. There were a few plot holes and a few things that just didn’t add up for me, so the ending felt a bit incomplete, but all in all, I had a really good time reading this book.

3,5 stars! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

What a thriller! This pulled me in immediately and did not disappoint. It was written so well and kept me on the edge of my seat guessing until the end.

I like how this went back and forth between the past, before Amelie was abducted, and the present, while she’s being held captive. So suspenseful, creepy and atmospheric.

I am already a huge fan of B.A. Paris and getting the chance to read this one was awesome! It’s definitely a fun read and I like the way the author truly places you inside the story—feeling like a prisoner yourself where you can’t set her book down! Amelie wakes up in a pitch black room and it’s absolutely terrifying to imagine. This story continues to twist and turn and keep you interested. Do yourself a favor and just read this. It’s hard to review B.A. Paris without spoilers so it leaves you with a shorter review just telling you to read it because you won’t be disappointed!

This was a really good thriller that kept me guessing. It was fast paced and did not lag at all. I really wanted a different outcome for Amelie's friends and a happier ending for her, but the ending was satisfying and gave readers hope for her. I thought the twists and turns were well done and thought out. The reveal was great and I was glad she got the answers she needed.

The Prisoner
Author, B.A. Paris

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my e- arc of Paris's latest psychological thriller! This is actually my first read by this author, but will not be my last!

My most favorite way to read a psychological thriller is between either a longer book or another genre that requires you to slow down a bit, and if it's short chapters and fast paced, even better! I love flying through thrillers because I have that problem of needing to know what exactly is going on, and by no means can I drag out a thriller- two days tops!

Anyway, The Prisoner is just that! Super fast paced, page- turning suspense with some predictable and yes, some unrealistic events, but I was totally invested in Amelie's story!

After a sad childhood that ended abruptly, Amelie finds herself needing to learn how to care for herself at quite a young age. Determined and resilient, she finds herself working as a housekeeper in a woman's home with whom she soon becomes fast and furious friends with, a sisterly bond even. Before long, she's wrapped up in Carolyn's world and married to a billionaire, New Hawthorne.

The Prisoner quickly painted the picture of Cinderella, but soon enough, Ned's true colors came shining through, and he is certainly no Prince Charming. Due to his questionable past, the two are kidnapped and held hostage, and Amelie is struggling to make sense of any of the most recent events. She questions everything and everyone, and is directed down a winding path filled with deception, lies, and secrets. What she uncovers however, is quite a surprise..