This starts off fast, with Amelie and her husband in the process of being kidnapped, and the related fear of what is happening and if they're about to be executed in the woods. This is a quick and engaging read....mostly. It's told in two parts, and most of the second half really dragged for me. But I did enjoy the very end, and how it all came together, and it's a pretty short book so you can get through the slow parts fairly quickly!

I received an arc of this new thriller from the author and publisher via NetGalley.

This was a read that I couldn't put down. Very suspense based.There were so many twists throughout which had me reading way past lights out.

The jist of it: this was a great thriller read. It was fast paced, and starts out with us immediately wanting to figure out what on earth is happening to poor Amelie, and how did she get herself in this situation? We get multiple timelines, withholding of information, and bread crumbing throughout the story, and some great plot twists. The only thing I wish would've been a bit different was the pacing towards the finish, however, I did like the way it wrapped up nicely and concluded. I gave this a 4.5/5 stars.

The Prisoner
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook and Audiobook
Date Published: 11/1/22
Author: B.A. Paris
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Georgia Maguire
GR: 3.60

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: The story is narrated from Amalie in a dual timeline, past and present, from her POV. The story was fast paced and flowed well, even with the past being fed into the present. I have a lot of B.A. Paris’ books via Kindle but this it the first one I have read, now I will be going back to read some more. Amalie was not a flawless protagonist but she was strong and independent, even if I did not agree with some of her choices. Jed, on the other hand, was a character that I did not care for, I will not go into too much detail so not to spoil for other readers. The characters were well developed with depth, mystery, creative, and intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, engaging, and the storyline was paced perfectly. This book publishes next week and I would highly recommend picking up or preordering the audiobook. I flew through it in one day. Gripping, creepy, chilling, all of the marks of a good thriller.

*3.5 stars rounded up

Whoa! Crazy plot! Amelie Lamont and her newly-wed husband, Ned Hawthorpe, the son of a billionaire philanthropist, are kidnapped from their home in London. Amelie is kept in a completely dark room and so has plenty of time to think and remember to pass the time. The story is told in two timelines--the past and the present--and we slowly learn what led to this predicament.

This is a very quick read--devilishly plotted and fairly violent. Amelie is a sympathetic character, young and a bit foolish and as the story progresses, determined to learn the truth. I thought the book ended rather abruptly after all we had been through with her.

I received an arc of this new thriller from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I love B.A. Paris and each of her books are like opening a really great present. This novel lacks some of her appeal, though, and I can’t put my finger on exactly why. I guess I couldn’t learn to like our heroine, Amelie. Yes, she had a difficult childhood, and she has huge life goals, but she's a bit on the ditzy side. The plot felt a bit stretched at the end, but I was hooked enough to read it to the last page. I’m sure other readers will enjoy it more, so don’t let me deter you. I’m required to be honest. I will rush to grab Paris’s next book, though. She’s a master at writing thrillers.
Thanks so much to Random House Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Sincere thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is November 1, 2022.

B.A. Paris's books tend to be hit or miss for me, and this one lands pretty squarely in the middle. While the overall premise is intense and interesting, it gets a little repetitive through the middle section, and honestly by the end I thought that Amelie deserved more from the story than what she got. It did have enough plot that it kept me turning pages.

The Prisoner, by B.A. Paris, is the story of Amelie, a young woman who lost her parents as a child and has learned to fair for herself, though she remains surprisingly naive. As she struggles to create a life for herself in London, she finds herself suddenly a part of a glamorous lifestyle in whirlwind fashion when she finds employment and is befriended by a wealthy group of women. She abruptly marries billionaire, Jed Hawthorne, for more practical purposes than love, despite cautions from her friends. But Jed is not who he seems to be and Amelie soon finds herself taken prisoner, for reasons as mysterious as her new relationship. The story alternates between Amelie’s past and the events that led her to this point, and her time as a hostage. Reasons and captors are unknown, but one thing is certain…it’s somehow connected to her husband.

I did find this story quite confusing and repetitive at times, and there were moments when I was more bored than enthralled. It had an enticing premise, but events occurred without enough backstory and buildup to elicit as much tension as I’d prefer. I found Amelie to be remarkably immature, which given her background is somewhat understandable, but she repeatedly made poor choices, which made it hard to feel for her, as a character. The chapters were short and kept the pace moving along, and the conclusion more-or-less wrapped things up, but ultimately I was a little underwhelmed. I’ve loved this author’s pervious works, but this one felt a bit lackluster and didn’t captivate me quite like her other books.

I do enjoy reading B. A. Paris' stories and this one was no exception. While a bit predictable, there were some pretty decent twists and turns.. Engaging and a very quick read.

Thank you so much for this ARC!

BA Paris' "Behind Closed Doors" is one of my absolute favorite books of all time.

The Prisoner is fabulous. A fast paced thriller with loads of twists and turns. I loved reading the Past/Present storylines. I loved Amelie as a main character and really rooted for her.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Prisoner by B.A. Paris
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 304 / Genre: Psychological Thriller / Release Date: Nov. 1, 2022

Amelie is young, naive, and totally alone in the world until she meets Carolyn, who takes her in, gives her a job, a place to live, and fabulous new friends. And then… without giving too much away… there’s a deal that’s too good to be true, a spoiled rich boy, a kidnapping, several murders, and the aftermath.

Whew! This is the fastest I’ve flown through a book in a while. This psychological thriller really had me on edge—wondering what was going on and what will happen next. However, there were some plot twists and character flaws that came off as unbelievable and were later addressed and sorted out but with questionable reasoning and character reactions. Overall though, I really did enjoy reading this book and it kept me hooked until the end.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advance copy of this book.

Gah! This was such an addicting read! I’ve read several books by B.A. Paris, and while Behind Closed Doors might never be topped, this one gets close. From the start, we are immediately dropped into the middle of our protagonist being kidnapped, with no explanation or reason why this could be happening. I loved how slowly we start to understand what’s going on, and the dual timelines with alternating chapters kept me completely sucked in! The only issue I had was how complicated the ending was. I found some of it too hard to believe, and some of the characters’ motivations didn’t totally make sense to me. Still, this was a strong novel by B.A. Paris, and I will continue picking up her books!

Amelie is a surviver. From being an orphan as a child to supporting herself in London, she gains the independence she’s always wanted. But life isn’t cheap and when a business opportunity comes up, she can’t refuse is. When this opportunity becomes deadly, Amelie once again needs to become a surviver.
This was sooo good! My favorite thing about B.A. Paris is that she really makes you FEEL what the main character is feeling! So naturally, with my anxiety, I’m on the edge of my seat. This book was a wild ride and I enjoyed every minute of it! This is a new release, but I’m still making my way through her backlog. So far I’ve enjoyed all that I’ve read!

I had my eyes closed tight and my fingers crossed when I had requested The Prisoner. B.A. Paris, has been a long time favorite of mine and I was begging the book fairies for an approval.

It must have been my lucky day, I was approved.

The Prisoner delivers. I mean, it really is no surprise, we are talking about a B.A. Paris, book here.

The suspense started early on, the build up and anticipation to what was going on had me biting my nails. The Prisoner is one of those books that once you start there is no way you can put it down or you will be thinking about it all day. I am fully aware of Paris' style, so I was prepared and cleared out my schedule for the day.

The twist? boy oh boy, you are going to have to pick this book on up! This is a no spoiler zone.

I have read mixed reviews on this book and all I can say is if you are a fan of Paris, don't pass this one up. I happen to adore her and her writing style and appreciate the uniqueness to each of her books. I could never and would never rate a Paris book for less than 5 stars. Each one of these books have sat with me long after I concluded.

Let me preface this by saying I will read anything (ANYTHING) B.A Paris puts out.

The Prisoner starts off with Amelie being kidnapped in the middle of the middle of the night. This hooked me immediately and I finished the book within 3 days. The book is told in alternating timelines between the past and present, and we learn more about Amelie and her relationship (or lack thereof) with her wealthy husband, who has also been kidnapped.

This story and style were very reminiscent of Behind Closed Doors for me, but I didn’t mind the similarities and found that the story was different enough to earn it’s own merit. I was glad for the alternating timelines to break up the scenes where Amelie is being held captive, but the story was also interesting enough that even the multiple scenes of Amelie pacing around the dark room didn’t make put the book down.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of B.A Paris or for anyone who enjoys the ever-popular domestic thriller genre.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

3.5 stars

Really up and down read as some parts were really slow and kind of boring and then others really picked up and were exciting.

The book was divided into two parts, The Kidnapping and The Reckoning. The Kidnapping alternates between past and present until the past catches up to the present and then the rest of the book is in the present day. The Kidnapping is primarily that, the kidnapping of Ned and Amelie and Amelie's past, giving the reader insight to her personality and how she landed in the situation she's in. The Reckoning is piecing together who was behind the kidnapping and why.

I found the kidnapping section kind of boring. Ned is a vile character and Amelie is pretty flat. She's very opportunistic due to her past and that's partly how she lands in a bad situation that keeps getting worse. The actual kidnapping chapters were boring for me because they were monotonous. About 55% in things started to get really exciting and the twists and turns started to be revealed. By the time the big reveal happens at the end my energy for the story kind of started to deflate again as instead of things being revealed in a action way, it's a big narrative from a character telling us what happened. I would have rather been shown what happened than told.

All in all the plot was interesting, the storyline intriguing, I just wish the writing would have captivated and kept me interested for the whole duration of the story.

3 stars for The Kidnapping
4 stars for The Reckoning
3.5 star average rounded to 4 stars

I have read all of B.A. Paris' books and have loved them all! This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year so I was super happy when I received it as an arc.

The characters background stories kept me captivated. I loved the past and present switch of the book.

The book started out so strong, and the ending just, ended. I feel like it could've been carried out a little longer instead of it feeling rushed.

Because I have previously enjoyed B.A. Paris books, I was very excited to be approved for the digital arc. The story started out strong and really kept my interest, but the twists were lackluster and the conclusion didn’t work for me.

*2.5 rounded up*

The start of this book was great! Right away you follow the character of Amelie, a young woman recently married to a billionaire, who has been kidnapped and thrown into a pitch-black room, not knowing who has taken her or why. The suspense was high and you could feel the claustrophobia and terror as Amelie navigates her surroundings and puzzles out what happened.

I also really liked the backstory in the beginning. We learn how Amelie came to be married and what was going on in her life up into the point in time she was kidnapped. Although I found her character very young and naive, she felt fleshed out and interesting.

But then halfway through the story, there came a big shift.

It changed in a way that was unexpected. I didn't predict it, and so I was excited to see where things would go. But then the suspense and tension started to go downhill for me. The tone of the writing changed and it became more of a straightforward mystery.

Also, the ending was lots and lots of telling instead of showing which made it uninteresting to read, which was a shame since the beginning was so strong.

I'm still interested in reading more of Paris in the future, but this one really didn't work that well for me.

*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.*

3.5 stars

First things first, I'm a huge B.A. Paris fan. I've read all of her books and find her crazy stories to be entertaining in a popcorn thriller type way. I try not to analyze everything to death and just roll with it. Unfortunately, I was not completely able to do so with The Prisoner especially towards the end when things got even more messy. Not my favorite by the author but decent enough for a lazy weekend read.

Amelie is being held captive in a pitch black room. That's pretty much all you need to know other than the story alternates between the present situation and the past when Amelie has moved to London after the death of her father.

Great premise as immediately I was invested in finding out if Amelie was going to make it out alive and why she was there in the first place. The pace was good as both timelines moved things along pretty quickly.

The conclusion is where the wheels fell off the cart though. The whole big reveal monologue is one of my mystery/thriller pet peeves and this book had one of the most long-winded explanations I've ever read. The longer it dragged on the more my brain formulated question after question. Normally I can suspend disbelief as long as I'm having an otherwise good time reading the book, but it was too much of a challenge here.

Thumbs up for being a fun mindless thriller, but thumbs down for the ending.