All I can say is WOW! This one was amazing. Following Amelie through this story had me hooked from the very beginning! The twists and turns were unexpected. Paris does a great job making you feel like you are in the book right alongside Amelie!

What happens when the person you thought you made a deal with is actually a completely different person? In this story the jumps between past and present you will get your answer
BA Paris has done it again. You won't be able to put this book down as you try and figure out this twisty tale.
If I had to come up with one criticism it would be that although the ending this everything up nicely. I wanted more for our heroine.

Thank you NetGalley & St Martin's Press for the ARC of The Prisoner.

I really don't know where to start with this... I loved everything about it. I am a fan of B.A. Paris, so assumed I would enjoy this, but I think this is at the top of my list of her books.

The first half of the book switches between past and present, and is done really well. The main character, Amelie, is someone you can easily like and feel for. She has a persistence about her that is admirable. The storyline is fantastic, and "The Prisoner" definitely has more than one meaning that you see throughout the book which I really appreciate.

There were definite twists and turns that I did not see coming, which made this even harder to put down between my free time to read. The end has a slight cliffhanger, which I am okay with.

Overall, this is a must read if you enjoy thriller's and mind games.

I’m not sure how to feel about this one. I was unsure if I would feel bored given the story is primarily set with the protagonist in a dark room, post-kidnapping but the suspense was well executed. There were enough “Before” chapters to cut to that broke up the monotony and made the book fast paced.

The second part of the book, however, was quite messy for me. I liked the idea of the letter and following mysterious instructions, but the PTSD Amelie is dealing with is hard to read about, especially since there’s no real positive resolution. I feel underwhelmed overall by the ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I flew through this book. It was a quick and easy read with plenty of twists and turns. It was told in alternating chapters between past and present which was a very effective way to tell this story.

Amelie Lamont is down on her luck after losing her father and having no place to go. At the tender age of 17, she goes to London looking for work. She scrapes by for awhile but a chance meeting with a woman in a cafe changes the course of her life. Amelie has a steady job, a nice place to live and friends who become family. This all changes when Ned Hawthorpe enters her life and turns everything upside down.

This psychological thriller will keep you guessing. It made me want to keep turning pages. Although there was a lot I couldn’t figure out, the big reveal had entered my thoughts early on. I was actually very happy that I was correct. I did want more at the end…but I can see why the author felt the conclusion sufficed. Overall, this was an enjoyable read with a unique storyline and a very likable heroine.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story comes in two parts: Part 1. The Kidnap. Part 2. The Reckoning.

This is the story of Amelie and Part 1 is told in dual timelines - Past and Present. In the past you learn about Amelie’s struggle as she finds her footing in a new city after some tragic events. The present you learn about how she’s being held for ransom. The dual timelines give nuggets of information to help you piece together how she became married to the billionaire NED (the synopsis says Jed, that’s wrong) and how she ended up in this situation.

Part 2 - Life after abduction. Amelie searches for answers so she can come to terms with the trauma she went through. By 75% I had more questions than answers. At 85% I didn’t even have a working theory of what could have happened. Then there’s a big confession that answers most of the loose ends.

Here’s why I gave it 3.5 stars. I'll round up to 4 for the sake of most rating systems. I didn’t get into the head of these characters. I didn’t feel connected to any of these characters. I still don’t understand why Ned and Amelie got married. That was never really clear. It was definitely a psychological thriller. It hooked my attention and was a quick read. But then there at the end, there was no epilogue. So where is everyone now? Is B.A. Paris considering a sequel? I still have questions.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the electronic ARC. This review is my honest opinion of The Prisoner by B.A. Paris.

My rating: 4

Wow, talk about suspense! I found myself thinking it was a little slow in the beginning, but the next thing I knew I was at 80% and hadn't put the book down in hours. I loved our main character, Amelie. She was physically and mentally strong. She was smart and easy to root for, but she really could not catch a break. I think it was a little too much for one person (even a fictional character) to handle. Because of this, I was hoping for a different end to the story. We were left with a little glimmer of hope, but I was wanting a bit more closure and reassurance that Amelie was going to be okay after everything she'd been through.

I agree with some of the other reviewers that we could have used a more character development for Amelie's friends. I think they would have tried harder to get Amelie out of Ned's control.

Overall I really enjoyed it!! It was nerve-wracking, suspenseful, detailed, and emotional which are all things I look for in a thriller! I will be recommending it to friends and followers, for sure! I can't wait to read more from B.A. Paris.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review The Prisoner.

B. A. Paris has done it again. This is a book that I could not put down. I will be gifting this book to people. I loved the main character.

"I sense the shift of air between my nose a millisecond beforethick, sticky tape is cramped over my mouth"
The Prisoner by B.A. Paris is the book I needed to switch things up from the typical romance that I've been reading. although there were times I needed to take a minute to get my head back into it (triggering at times) it was unputdownable. Amelie is this young adult who's had some struggles with losing her parents to almost being homeless
until meeting Carolyn and being forever grateful that she helped her change her life... until Ned Hawthorpe comes into the picture... captured by their kidnappers Amelie has to figure out how to get out of this pitch black room away from
Ned and away from whoever has kidnapped her. She kept her head up high the entire time even when she felt defeated she
never gave up! I was lucky enough to get this ARC from
@netgalley and @baparisauthor and it's definitely one to
snatch up when it's out! You won't be disappointed.

I always enjoy B.A. Paris' books. She has a way of captivating the reader from the beginning. This book had two parts. It was fast paced and the twists I never saw coming. Amelie, the main character, has had a rough life and it just gets worse when she is kidnapped with her husband. This was an emotional roller coaster and I was on the edge of my seat up until the last page. I was a little let down by the ending, but will definitely be recommending this book to friends.

The Prisoner by B.A. Paris

Amelie wakes up in a dark room, soon realizing she is being held prisoner. Alternating timelines reveal how Amelie went from nothing, to being the wife of a billionaire, to being trapped in a dark room, desperate for escape.

I did feel the first half of this book was a little slow and I kept putting it down. The second half certainly piqued my interest a little bit more and I found myself wanting to continue reading to find out what was going on. I feel like B.A. Paris started off strong with Behind Closed Doors, and it's been hard to hold a candle to such a solid debut. Unfortunately, in the end this one also fell flat for me. I didn't feel like I cared enough about any of the characters to care about the end result or rationale. I will still look for the next release by this author!

3/5⭐

Book: The Prisoner
Author: B. A. Paris
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub Date: November 1, 2022

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I really liked this book. The first half of the book really drew me in but yet I felt like things were missing. I didn’t feel like there was enough character development at all. And then the second half of the book just fell flat for me. I really enjoy B.A. Paris books and she is a wonderful writer but this one was just so so.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is November 1, 2022.

Yet another unputdownable thriller from this author. I truly enjoyed this book as much as I did the other works of this author. The descriptions of the protagonist being held captive are so vivid that we experience what she is going through. Highly recommend this book.

This is by far the best book I've read this year.
Wow!
I'm still reeling!
You hear people say, "I was on the edge of my seat...."
I seriously was!
And I'm crying at the end!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this absolutely wonderful book.

Let me start by saying I usually love BA Paris' books, and I pre-order every one, including this one.

This book starts off great. In Part One: The Kidnap, it moves along quickly, with short chapters between the past and the present that keep you wanting to read more.

In Part Two: The Reckoning, it just wasn't as thrilling for me. I found myself not really caring about any of the characters, and just needed to finish because I never DNF a book. Then, as I was getting interested again I tried to swipe to the next chapter, and....BAM, the book abruptly ended!

The first half of this book started off as a 4.5 star read for me, and second half is a 2 star, so I'm going to leave it with 3 stars.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an early copy.

I was lucky to receive this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have read all of the novels by Paris and I have to say this ranks among my least favorite. I really struggled with this plot and storyline. I did not feel a connection to any of the characters who, in my opinion, were never fully developed. At about 70% in, the book took a turn which allowed me to hang in and finish the story. This book just was not for me at all. I hope others are able to enjoy it more than I did.










https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4781503955

Amelia has not had an easy time since her father died. Alone in the world and only seventeen, she heads to London and soon discovers how hard it is to just survive. Fortunately, the meets Carolyn who not only gives her a job and a place to live, but also makes Amelia believe that her dream of becoming a lawyer is attainable.
But the story begins with Amelia being kidnapped and her background will slowly be revealed. So what happened and how did her life become such a nightmare? Set in the present with flashbacks explaining how she wound up here, Amelia's POV is the only one provided. There came a point where I thought, no one could be this naive and trusting. Perhaps if she hadn't spent so much time with Carolyn, I could have believed she was just young and gullible. I don't know, I fell out of furious page flipping about halfway through and never got it back. The ending felt rushed with more tell me than show me.
I have seen some great reviews, so even though this one was a bit of a miss for me, check out some other reviews before making up your mind. I will still look forward to the next book. 3.5 stars.

Amelia lost her mother as a child, and then when her father dies when she is sixteen, she flees to London. She tries to start over and save for college but faces homelessness until a kind woman named Carolyn takes her in and gives her a job. Amelia finally feels like she has a family. Things seemingly get even better when billionaire Jed Hawthorpe offers her a proposition: to marry him for a month in exchange for paying her way through college. Ned isn’t who he seems though, and before she knows it, Amelie is kidnapped and taken to a dark room where she is kept for weeks. Strangely, she begins to feel safe there. But who are these people and what do they want with her?

The first part of this book was a nail biter, with short chapters that alternated between the past and present timelines. Amelia is getting through her imprisonment day by day, while remembering the marriage to Jed that made her feel imprisoned in a different way. She fears for her life, but more so if she and Jed are released together she thinks he will kill her. The second part of this book was set after the kidnapping, with Amelie trying to piece together what had happened and why, and who was involved. Honestly, in some ways it felt like reading two different books because the pacing was different and the storyline was all in the present. I didn’t love the ending either, but I did feel like Amelie was able to get some closure.

Thank you to Netgalley, BA Paris and St Martin’s Press for the ARC! The Prisoner will be released November 1st.

This review will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly 😊

*Contains Spoilers* This book had me hooked at the beginning. I was in the dark more than Amelie and couldn't wait to find out why she and her husband had been kidnapped. Part I of the book deals with their captivity with flashbacks telling us about the incidents leading up to the event. Very tense and suspenseful. Why did she marry a stranger? Why didn't her friends know?

Unfortunately, Part 2 didn't provide the same taut purposeful narrative as Part 1. The second part of the book meandered along, throwing in a lot of information without much conviction or being very believable (Amelie's father bought the house and didn't tell her?). And Amelie contemplating being with Hunter after his previous actions is ludicrous.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book but the second half was a let down; it felt as though two different authors wrote the halves. The first half felt like a B.A. Paris novel, which I usually love, but not the second.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

What a page turner? I couldn't put it down, twists and turns. I never knew what to experience next.