I thought the book ended rather abruptly . Kept me ended from the beginning. Usually a big fan of the author but this one fell a little short.

The Prisoner by B.A. Paris.

First I just want to thank netgalley for the ARC Ebook and AUDIOBOOK version of this book.
I LOVE listening to the book while I read it. However, The audiobook version I got had MANY missing chapters. So not sure if that was just my version or what.

This book Started out with a BANG!!! It hooked me from chapter one... THEN part 2 happened. I Love B.A. Paris but What was that part 2? It started off decently enough then all of the sudden we had multiple locations. and like what felt like 900 characters to keep track of. Had part 2 been different maybe but this is def my least favorite by her. But everyone has a fail now and again right?

2.5 Stars rounded to 3 ONLY because I enjoyed the first half so much.

The audiobook narrator was great (for the chapters I had) so SUPER happy to have been approved for both the Ebook and Audioversion. Otherwise not sure how I could of even rated it.


#NetGalley #ARC #ebook #audiobook #essentiallyakara

I really enjoyed this one! The chapters are super short and I just found myself flying through them, wanting to know what happened. I also don’t think I’ve read a book similar to this one in terms of structure/plot. It is hard to be unique with all the thrillers these days so I appreciated that. (I’m not saying there are no books with this plot, I’m just saying I haven’t read one yet and I enjoyed the approach). I don’t think it was twisty or impactful enough to receive 5 stars for me and I wasn’t completely satisfied with the ending but I would still highly recommend this book for anyone who likes mysteries/thrillers. I expect to see a lot of people reading this once it’s published.

A special thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and B. A. Paris for this ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review. The Prisoner will be published November 1, 2022.

4.5 Stars!

I definitely didn’t see the ending coming. Once I started reading this, I got hooked fast. Lots of detail though—I could read it again and understand it way more. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC!

THE PRISONER started on an intriguing note, and as the story progressed, I was interested in the overall concept. However, despite short chapters and the fact I finished this in 24 hours, it still felt drawn out in all of the wrong places (the dark, stuck-in-the-bedroom scenes). As we flip between the past and the present, the story just becomes so far-fetched and unbelievable. I didn’t really feel any tension with the kidnapping after the first chapter.
I think part of my issue is that in the beginning, you feel like Amelie is clever, or has some insight, as she answers the whole ‘1 million pounds now, or 1 pound then that amount doubles every day for 31 days’ with her dad. She's a scrappy girl who has been dealt a rough hand in her childhood, but is starting to overcome it. When she is kidnapped, she seems to be observant and trying to figure out what to do or how to escape. But how the book ends, makes it feel like she’s not really that clever or observant, as she admits she doesn’t even know the pound a day doubled, etc, calculation and when she finally gets answers, she doesn’t seem to have worked out anything and it feels like an interview as a conclusion, more telling than showing. I didn’t find any of the characters really had any growth (or the intriguing ones were killed off) and I didn’t feel that connected to anyone.
I wasn’t shocked by any of the twists, which isn’t necessarily a problem if the journey is enjoyable, but I found that this book seemed to force a love interest in order to come to the conclusion it did, and I just didn’t buy it. I wish we had more character development and experiences between Amelie and Hunter. Maybe if they went on a date or two before she went to Las Vegas with Ned, I don’t know.
I have enjoyed BA Paris’s writing in the past and am sure to pick up another but this particular plotline just wasn’t for me.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I like the books by this author and this one was no exception. A young woman is on her own and moves to a new city and makes new friends. They ask get wrapped up with a wealthy man who is less than nice. Because of this man, the main character gets kidnapped.

The book tells the story through past and present chapters so it takes awhile to figure out how she wound up being kidnapped.

I enjoyed it a lot. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending; it seemed to end kind of abruptly in my opinion. It felt like it needed one more chapter.

Thank you NetGalley, St-Martin’s and B.A. Paris
WOW. WOW. What a novel. Full of twists and turns, could not put it down.
Thank you and please continue to write such fascinating stories. I will continue to read them.
Highly recommend. 5 stars

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Where do I start?
Is this a page turner? YES
Short chapters? YES
Keeps you hooked through every page? YES

My all time favorite book of B A Paris is Behind Closed Doors. This book comes very close to my love for BCD!

The whirlwind marriage of Amelia and Ned will weird you out a small bit but you won’t be overly concerned. Until once they return from Vegas and EVERYTHING I mean EVERYTHING starts hitting the fan!

Just like BCD this ends with weird cliffhanger but not really a cliffhanger which in my opinion is not my favorite but I think this is B A Paris signature.

I’m glad I got this ARC as it was a VERY fast ready for me!

First of all, I must say that I am a massive fan of B.A. Paris! I was very excited to read this title and am grateful for the opportunity to have received an advanced copy to review. I think that this was one of the stronger written stories/story lines I have read so far.

With that being said, I LOVED this book! I did not, however, love the ending. The Prisoner was a wild ride from the beginning and alternated between past and present. The shorter chapters made it easy to read quickly.

There was a lot of mystery and intrigue that built up to an ending that was pretty disappointing. Some of the storyline became pretty farfetched and hard to get on board with and there was a good bit of character development lacking for a variety of characters throughout the book. Specifically, I was left wanting to know more about Ned and his origin story. Without any redeeming qualities, it was hard to understand why Amelia was with him in the first place.

While not a home run, this book still ticked a lot of boxes for me. It moved at a rapid pace and had you hooked from the beginning. Overall, I would definitely recommend!

I am a huge fan of B.A. Paris. I have read all of her books and she is one of my top suspense authors. This book however, wasn't my favorite.

The book starts off strong. Amelie wakes up and finds herself trapped in darkness. She doesn't know where she is, who kidnapped her, or why. The story switches between the past and the present giving us insight into Amelie's life. The chapters are short, quick and full of tension.

I figured out midway where the story was going but I still kept reading to see how it would play out. It started to drag a little for me in the middle. The ending was so abrupt that I had to make sure I didn't skip anything. Even though things were overly explained, I still had questions.

I would still recommend that you try this one out. You may have a different experience. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC

Still a teen, Amelie travels from Paris to London after her father’s death, hoping to begin a new life. Instead she finds herself caught up in the lies and subterfuge of the rich and famous. When she awakens a prisoner in a dark room, she knows that she must rely on herself to stay alive.

This story starts out with a bang and hooks you right in to Amelie’s predicament. Unfortunately, for me, it did drag out and I thought the ending was a little contrived. Overall, an entertaining read 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I say hooked from the first page I mean HOOKED. Behind Closed Doors by BA Paris was one of my first thriller loves and I read this entire book in one sitting because once you start, you need to know how it ends. I loved the alternating timelines from before and after the kidnapping and really enjoyed following Amelie's come up journey from homeless to thriving with her posh best friends. What I also really liked about this book that I can't say for others was that all of my questions were answered. I love books that have a ton of twists and turns but usually I'm frustrated being left with open questions, however every puzzle piece in this book ends up in the right place. This would've been 5 stars for me however the ending was abrupt. I didn't mind it, I just wanted a bit more (I guess that's a good problem to have... wanting MORE of this book). Overall definitely recommend for any BA Paris fans or thriller/mystery lovers!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy for me to read and review.

A captivating start very attention-grabbing, and an easy read. However, it got a little outlandish and was without a satisfying conclusion.

Just unbelievable! This is my first B. A. Paris book!
It will not be the last! I have full intentions to read all of her
books now!
It was so good all the way through. I could not put it down.
The ending was everything I dreamed it could be. It made
me very happy!

Thank you so much to everyone involved in giving me this,
an excellent book to read and review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This was not one of my favorites by BA Paris but it wasn’t bad either. I switched between the written version and the audiobook.

The Prisoner by B.A. Paris, due out November 15, will hold readers captive as they experience the devastation of being held prisoner and not knowing the intentions of the kidnappers. When Amelie Lamont’s father dies in Reading, England, she is stranded with no family or roof over her head as their home was a rental. Amelie heads to London with hopes of finding a job and saving up enough money to go to college to study law.

The story unfolds along two timelines. Amelie has been making her way in London thanks to the companionship of three successful women who help her find a job at “Exclusives” magazine, which rich Ned Hawthorpe runs. After a business arrangement marriage in Las Vegas, Amelie is kidnapped and held captive with her husband Ned awaiting ransom from his rich father Jethro.

The deal Ned has made with Amelie is that she will get money for college by marrying him, which will get his parents off his back about finding a wife. In reality, Ned has more up his sleeve than meets the eye.

Each day Amelie is waking up in a totally dark room which only has a mattress on the floor and a small bathroom attached. She can hear Ned screaming below her where he is being imprisoned by the kidnappers. Amelie tries a number of schemes to get away from her captors, but each time she fails.

Clearly Ned is worth billions but why did the kidnappers nab Amelie? Who is the mysterious silent man who brings her food a couple of times a day and a blanket when she asks for one? Why does she feel safer locked in this pitch-black room than she has been feeling lately with Ned who has made her a prisoner of her in his mansion?

B.A. Paris continues to entertain her readers with page-turning plots. I read this one in one afternoon. The author of Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, Bring Me Back, and The Dilemma – I have read them all -- lives in the United Kingdom.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting August 11, 2022.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective opinion.

B.A. Paris does not disappoint with this new book full of twists and turns. After the first chapter, I was not sure where it was headed. A couple chapters in…I couldn’t put it down! The main character is likable and I found myself biting my nails. Do not wait, read this now!!

I thought this was a great read by B.A. Paris. I did not want to put this book down. I really enjoyed getting to know the main character in the beginning of the book. I felt I understood Amelie and her desire to accept a proposal she did not feel she could refuse to start an independent life. I thought this novel was full of twists, which kept it engaging until the very end. I did not anticipate the identity of her kidnappers and found myself hoping for an alternate ending, one in which she was reunited with those she came to care about. However, regardless of outcome, I felt B.A. Paris wove a fine tale, merging both parts of Amelie's story to allow the reader to gain insight into her choices as well as to truly understand the devastation and utter loneliness her impulsive choice brought about. I will look for books by B.A. Paris as I thoroughly enjoyed this one and others I have read by her. Great read!

An excellent book from an excellent author. I thought I had it all figured out and then questioned myself and then wow. Just wow. I didn’t want to put this one down. The twists and turns were such a joy. B.A. Paris is a talent.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the e-arc.
I'm ambivalent about this book - not sure if I liked it or not, even a couple of days later, so I'm going with a middle of the road 3 stars. My least favorite B.A. Paris so far, in fact it didn't even "read" like her usual writing, and if I didn't know she was the author, I wouldn't have guessed who it was. Despite a very abrupt ending - so abrupt, I had to go back a page to realize it was indeed the ending - it was mostly ok. It started out very strong, kind of petered off for a while, then got back on track near the very end. I was expecting it to be much better, and I can't say I would recommend it for fans of her other books.