Sadly did not love this one :( While it wasn't bad, the story just dragged and there wasn't much of a thrill throughout the story. I will say I liked it much better than The Dilemma by this author but not nearly as much as Behind Closed Doors. It is a slow paced suspense novel

First question… who the heck is Jed?! In the synopsis on the cover it talks about her husband Jed, but in the story her husband is Ned!! That was honestly the biggest mystery while reading this book.

Other than that I really enjoyed this one! I love super short chapters and dual timelines. This was also sectioned off into two parts. I was able to guess parts of the ending/surprise, but I still enjoyed the journey this book takes you on!

I struggled getting into the audio version of this one after multiple attempts. I just wasn’t able to focus! So I ended up reading my physical copy!

Thank you so much St Martin Press for the gifted copy in exchange for a honest review!!

Enjoyment: 5
Total rating: 4.86

B.A. Paris is one of my favourite authors. She constantly delivers heart-pounding, unputdownable thrillers. As with most of Paris's books, check content warnings before reading them, especially if you are sensitive to toxic relationship depictions. Paris doesn't spare the reader from her villain's antics.

I will try sharing my thoughts without giving away any twists, so I will be somewhat vague regarding the story. I love Paris's writing; The Prisoner is tightly plotted, the mystery solution is satisfying, and the pacing is organic to the plot.

Mostly because her prose is addictive and partially because the psychological/emotional tension is too much for my heart, I usually consume her books as fast as I can. At the heart of The Prisoner, we have our heroine, Amelie. She is a young and naive woman who attracts wickedness. Amelie is easy to empathize with and root for. But man, Paris made this girl suffer and brought her to her breaking point! I loved following her character development, though.

At times, it was hard to follow Amelie's arc because of how much I could relate to her. Like our MC, I am gullible and, to an extent, naive. I have no danger radar at all. Unlike her, I have been lucky to have people who have my back and often point out the danger in a situation I am about to blindly get into. I can 100% see a person like Amelie in the same circumstances making the same mistakes. (well, most of them, but let's remember this is a work of fiction).

The story is told in dual timelines, and at present, Amelie and her husband are kidnapped and kept separately, each in a dark unfurnished room. We need to find out who hired the kidnappers and who to trust. But to give you perspective, Amelie has it easier in that room than in her marriage.

Ned, Amelie's husband, is evil. He is despicable, amoral, and the poster boy for toxic masculinity. And I really appreciate that Paris didn't try to give his monstrosity a context or background, thus avoiding its justification. In black and white, Ned is a villain.

My favourite way to consume psychological thrillers is through immersive reading - listening to the audio book while reading with my eyeballs. It adds to the tension and immerses me in the story, reading faster before my blood pressure skyrockets. The Prisoner's audiobook is outstanding. Georgia Maguire's pacing was perfect, and I love how she kept the tension throughout the entire book.



Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publishers and NetGalley for providing a copy of The Prisoner.

I tried to listen to think one on audio and couldn't get into it. Then I was given the hard copy and felt the same. I am a fan of Paris, but this one was lacking the character development that I so enjoy in her writing.
I would still say to Paris fans to go ahead and read this one, but it wasn't my favorite .

You can’t go wrong with this author. The consistency they bring to a storyline is assuring in that any book you pick up by them will be worth the read.

BA Paris does a great job each and every time a book is released. In true Paris style, your drawn into the narrative and keep guessing the start and stop if the suspense. Even till the last moments you aren’t sure what the revel will be.
This one was clever in how it unfolded and also held the suspense that kept you going and guessing.

Her books don’t ever disappoint.

I was hesitant going into this one due to several lack lustre reviews I’d seen but Paris is an incredibly popular author so I knew I still needed to give it a try! While I think I enjoyed this a lot more than others seemed to, it still wasn’t my favourite either.

I was incredibly compelled right from the start and I was so intrigued to see where this was going! The short chapters made for a quick and addictive read and I really enjoyed the alternating timelines of Amelie’s past and present and how the book was split up between Part One: The Kidnapping and Part Two: The Reckoning!

I think this one had a lot of promise but I was just hoping for a little more with the execution!

3.5 stars rounded to 4

If you've read any of B. A. Paris' other books, you know exactly what you're in for. There are lots of twists and turns, evil bad guys, and lots of time spent inside the head of the protagonist wondering what the hell is going on.

I enjoyed The Prisoner - mostly. I liked the way the story was presented with the now and past sections. It worked for me and I didn't find the jumps in time annoying at all. I suppose the thing that stopped me from rating it higher was the mindset and actions of our heroine in the last few chapters. And the anti-climactic ending.

Fans of her work will enjoy the ride but, for me, it was a fine read but nothing spectacular.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for setting me up with the audio ARC.

BA Paris does it again! Great suspense. Is Amelie safer with her captors than her own husband? I didn't see this ending coming.

To be honest, this one just wasn’t for me. The premise was great, I just felt like it was missing something in the execution for me. I think my biggest issue with this book was the pace the story was being told in some spots; for example the kidnapping chapters were too slow and a bit repetitive for me.

What I did enjoy with this book was the dual timelines. The timeline switches really helped set the scene for the reader.

Overall, not my favourite read from this author, however there are many great reviews on this book, so I would recommend checking multiple reviews first before diving into this one.

“𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦.”

𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖: Amelie has agreed to marry Jed so he can get out of a marrying someone else he doesn’t want to. In return he will pay for her to go to college & get her education. Then, she wakes up being held captive and she has no idea what happened.

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒: a slow burn thriller that left me just feeling meh. I really liked the beginning – it started off very strong and sucked me in. Once we got to the halfway point it started to drag for me and then the ending just kind of repeated all the events that happened in the book. No shocking ending that I really love in a thriller. For anyone who knows me – they know I love a good dual timeline/POV. This one had a dual timeline but I think since the chapters were so short it switched back and forth too quickly for me. This was my first book by BA Paris and I think I will give her another try in hopes for better luck!

𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆: it was just okay!

*Special thank you to macmillan audio, netgalley, and B.A. Paris for an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To say I was excited to read/listen The Prisoner is a gross understatement. However, it isn’t what I’ve come to expect from BA Paris. This one did not work for me. The prison scenes are drastically drawn out and needed to get to the point sooner. Overall, it didn’t hold my attention.

Georgia Maguire does a good job narrating but even her performance couldn’t save this slow-paced story.

B.A. can do no wrong. these books are amazing. the twists. the turns. the second guessing of your own thoughts. perfection.

Another thriller about a female captive? With a British narrator whose voice is grating to my (American) ears? I almost bailed out in the first 5 minutes. OK. I was wrong. The past-and-present structure coul be annoying but actually creates suspense, as naive orphan Amelie does her best to get to law school and still winds up as collateral damage when she and her faux husband are kidnapped. I had no idea where this one was going -- coming from? -- but I did learn not to underestimate B.A. Pars.

The Prisoner opens with a bang. B.A. Paris definitely knows how to write an original plot line. Unfortunately this one moved a little too slowly for me. Even though I liked the idea behind the story, I did find that I need it to move along quicker and also I felt a few pieces of the plot seemed a little far fetched. Regardless, I kept reading because I was intrigued enough that I needed to see what happened and of course, I'm gad I did.

The main character, Amelie is easy to find a soft spot for. She's an orphan with no other living family. She isn't afraid to work hard and thinks she's fallen into a boon of luck when she meets Ned and he offers her a deal to marry him. Unfortunately, things aren't always as they appear and her life is getting ready to get interesting ....and not necessarily in a good way.

Even though I did have a few issues with this book, it's still worth the read. I wasn't disappointed.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I thought the narration was quite good. It made it easy for me to bounce back and forth between the ebook and the audiobook without missing out on any details. The audiobook was enjoyable and I can easily recommend it. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own..

This was a quick, entertaining read, but it definitely wasn't anything deep or even believable. So many happenings in this story played out like a TV movie. I think the narrator did a really good job with this book.

Let me start off by saying that I have been in a HUGE romance kick/ thriller slump so that might have gone into my feelings towards this book.

Review: 2.5 stars rounded down

PART 1:
Amelie has moved to London after her father passes away. She finds herself being swooped up by three new friends and a new job at Exclusives magazine run by the powerful Ned. After needing money for college, she decides to make a deal with Ned – they get married in name alone and she gets money for college. Fast forward, she finds herself being locked in a dark room after being kidnapped. But why?

PART 2:
Amelie is released from her captivity and is searching for answers. Her journey takes her back home and far away from home. Does she find the answers she needs? Do the answers surprise her?

Amelie has had a hard life, and you feel bad for her at everything goes wrong in her life. I wish I could have had more character development – especially from her friends, and Ned. I feel like I was missing huge gaps of their “why” and it made it hard to connect with some of the characters. I think I would have DNF’ed this book if it was not an audiobook. I liked listening to the inflection of the narrator’s voice and it gave it more depth that I would have missed if reading a book.

For me, most of the action happened in the last 10% of the book. I wish the ending was more drawn out, and I feel like some of the questions never got answered.

All in all, this book left something to be desired.

Thank you to Net Galley for letting me listen and review the audiobook. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

The Pages of this Intricately Woven Story Will Hold You Captive

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


SUMMARY
Past: Amelie’s father is dying of alcoholism and cancer; she is taking care of him all by herself. She is 16 and in Paris with no help. She does all the shopping, cooking, and cleaning for her father; there are no other relatives that can help. When he died, she had no choice but to leave the house and make her way on her own. She goes to London and eventually meets Carolyn, who generously offers her a job as a live-in housekeeper and cook. It's a great opportunity, and she meets Carolyn’s friends who all work at the same magazine. Eventually, she also goes to work at the magazine for Ned Hawthorne, a billionaire who takes a particular interest in the women at the magazine. Now he has his sights set on Amelia. He asks her to accompany him on a business trip to Las Vegas.

Present: Amelie is startled awake in the dark of night. Her head is covered with a black hood, and her wrists are bound behind her. She is escorted from the mansion and stuffed in the footwell in the back seat of a car. Ned is placed in the trunk. She is terrified but tries to stay calm and breathe. Now she is in a dark room and doesn't know who has kidnapped her or what they want.

REVIEW
THE PRISONER is a dramatic and riveting psychological thriller. The pages of this Intricately woven story will hold you captive. The pacing is fast, and the viewpoint of the story is unique. The vivid descriptions and dialog rapport keep your head in the book.

Amelie is a delightful character who carries the story well. She is strong and smart, yet at times is naive and vulnerable. Her bad decisions somehow make her come alive on the page. Amelia is contrasted by the story’s villain, her billionaire husband Ned Hawthorne, who is so unlikable he gives all billionaires a bad name!


My favorite part of the book is Amelie’s input into the post-nuptial agreement. You have to read it to believe it. Amusing.

B. A. Paris once again surprised me with how much I like her books. I both read and listened to THE PRISONER. I particularly loved the experience of hearing the text. The narrator, Georgia McGuire, was flawless in her performance. Her voice, tone, and pacing were delightful. Her performance sounds effortless and a perfect match for the book.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Mcmillan Audio/St Martins Press
Published November 1, 2022
Narrated Georgia McGuire
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

THE PRISONER review

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🪟As a huuuuuge BA Paris fan, I was so excited to read her latest release. Unfortunately this one just wasn’t my favorite. I was super invested in part one of the story, but by part two I just wanted to book to end. 😂 I really liked the premise of this book, but I felt like the back half of the story was completely unbelievable.

🪟Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Amelie agrees to marry billionaire Jed, even though she knows very little about his past. But when she is kidnapped and kept in a pitch black room with no memory of how she got there, she realizes maybe she should have looked more into Jed’s past. But why does she feel safer as a kidnapped prisoner than she did as Jed’s bride? And, does she actually want to be saved and return to her previous life?

🪟I never particularly cared about any of the characters. I found their actions to be so random and unrealistic? At times I wanted to reach into the book and beg them to have some common sense. 😂 However, I didn’t guess how this one would end, which is always a bonus for me with thrillers. Overall, if you’re a seasoned thriller reader I’d probably skip this one. If you’re new to thrillers and don’t want a book that’s too scary, this might be the book for you. While this one was a miss for me, I definitely plan to read whatever BA Paris writes next!

🪟Thanks @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my ARC of this one!

Such a great book! I really enjoyed it! B.A. Paris always does amazing thrillers and this one was perfect!

Amelie faces struggles at a young age and moves to London with nothing and no one to help her. She struggles but makes a life for herself and surrounds herself with good friends. One day Amelie wakes up not knowing where she is and not being able to see anything because she is in a room shrouded in complete darkness. As the story progresses Amelies activities from the past are slowly revealed and we find out how she came to be a prisoner in a dark room.

Alternating between the past and present the story had me hooked from the first chapter. I was intrigued by Amelie’s story and how she found herself imprisoned and married to a billionaire. The pacing at the beginning of the book however did not match the pacing in the last third of the book. The story seemed to drag on and the ending was not as satisfying as I would have liked. It was a good thriller but not as strong as Behind Closed Doors which is one of my absolute favorites. The narration for the audiobook was good.

3 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.