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.

Omg this book is so insane!! If you like a twisty thriller this is 100000 percent for you. Everything you thought you knew, constantly changed, it had my head spinning. I've read a ton of other book by B.A. Paris and they all have the most shocking twists, but this one had the rest beat by miles.

I loved the main character. She was really likeable and strong and had a decent head on her shoulders. The pace of this story was fantastic. It had really short quick chapters that flashed back from past and present and it really kept the story moving.

You have to read this book! I swear you won't regret it. I struggle reviewing it without giving too much away but I was SHOCKED. Read this if you liked "The Silent Patient"

I am a HUGE fan of this author. I'm always captivated and the writing is always amazing. That being said, this was my least favorite book from this author. The story was okay but sort of fell flat in some parts and got a little confusing in the present and flashbacks. I will always pick up a book by this author though. On to the next one!

This book was 100% awesome from cover to cover. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery. I never knew what was going happen...not once!!! I loved how the story was so brilliantly paced. Additionally, there was one of the most rewarding conclusions I have read in a VERY long time! I cannot recommend this one enough because it is truly perfect!!!! The audiobook was also so well done! A must read and a must listen...the perfect combo!

"Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents as a child in Paris to making it on her own in London. As she builds a life for herself, she is swept up into a glamorous lifestyle where she married the handsome billionaire Ned Hawthorne.
But then, Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Ned?"
This domestic thriller is told through Amelie's POV. Amelie is the typical young, naïve woman that is so often portrayed in this type of story. While I think that the young naïve woman with the powerful, rich man can serve a story well, I don't always enjoy this trope and it often feels overdone.
There are several twists and turns throughout the story that kept me engaged, but felt a little drawn out at times. Overall I did enjoy this book and I was able to listen to the audiobook version pretty quickly. If you are a B A Paris fan or are just looking for a domestic thriller I would recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press for this ARC and Macmillan Audio for the Audiobook.
On Sale Now.

Amelie is trying to make a go of it. She has lost her parents and she has moved to London to get a new start. She ends up marrying a billionaire…YES…You heard me right! But, it is an arrangement to help her reach her college goals. However, her husband, Ned, is not the person she thought he was. Then she and Ned are both kidnapped and kept prisoner for ransom.

Amelie is a naïve, young lady thrown into a situation she cannot get out of. Her husband is a piece of work and y’all will just have to read this and find out how bad he really is. Then there are the kidnappers. Geez, this girl just can’t win! Talk about captivating!

Lord have mercy, this story is intricate, intense and fierce. There were places in which I was gasping for air. Now, I did fluctuate between 4 and 5 stars. I think, basically, it is a bit far fetched. But, then again, is it really? See my dilemma!?!

I enjoyed this narrator, Georgia Maguire. She just does a great job, especially during the intense sections! This is really how I measure a narrator. If they can get the intense sections right, then they are excellent in my book!

Need a good guessing game…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

The Prisoner was unfortunately not my favorite BA Paris novel. Most of the book was very slow with little action and then the end was paced way too fast that I found myself not really understanding what even happened. Unfortunately at that point I wasn't invested enough in the book to go back to figure it out. Thanks though for the advanced e-copy Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and BA Paris!

While the story was a bit far-fetched and started of with a giant mistake on the part of the main character Amelie, I didn’t care, I couldn’t stop listening to this one !
This book was incredibly compelling right from the start. The story was one of kidnapping and being held for ransom in the dark in an unknown location, the book did a good job of portraying the dizzying and disorienting timelessness and the seeming need to stay on top of things by developing meaningless rituals. I think the very short chapters combined with the jumping timeline between past and present led to an unsettled feeling for the reader as well. As stated before it kept me going, I wanted to know what happened and see her survive her ordeal. It was a great respite during other reading and all sorts of errands !
I listened to the audiobook and Georgia Maguire is the narrator. She is a new to me narrator in my view she portrayed Amelie very well.

The Prisoner by B.A. Paris was a quick read. The mysterious circumstances surrounding the plot, kept me guessing from start to finish. The sequencing reminded me of Gone Girl however the characters were a little one-dimensional to me.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I enjoy B.A. Paris novels. But this one just did not hold my interest the way they usually do. It was good, it’s not that I didn’t enjoy the story. But it was just ok. I didn’t feel that pull from the character to really care about what is happening, nor did I find it all that suspenseful.

The audiobook was good and I’m glad I received a copy of that. I enjoyed the narration and found myself listening more than reading.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I usually like B.A. Paris, but this was not hitting the mark for me, at all. It was boring compared to other books by this author. Wouldn’t recommend, did not feel much for the characters at all.

What a fabulous idea for a book. Unfortunately, the main character is a total idiot and the story lacks the opportunity to root for anyone. None of the characters are plausible. The situations in the story are unconvincing and unbelievable. A complete train wreck of a book. Don’t waste your time.

I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just okay to me. I have liked the author’s previous works much better. I did like the main character and her friends, but I figured out a lot of the plot early on. I felt a lot of it was just too unrealistic.

I’ve gone back and forth on if I think this author is for me after absolutely LOVING Behind Closed Doors and giving it a strong 4.5/5 star rating, but The Prisoner was just another check in the “meh” category.

It had a lot of promise and I definitely enjoyed it much more than others based off reviews I’ve seen, but overall felt a little drawn out and just very middle of the road. I enjoyed the captivity element and how the overall story was explained in the ending and it was a fun listen to put on while building my new library. Definitely kept me interested for most of the story and I really think the audiobook helped with some pacing issues, but overall it was just okay.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my review copy!

Some of the best, most entertaining books and movies feature plenty of twists and turns to keep their audiences guessing. But in the audio edition of The Prisoner by author B. A. Paris, almost nothing about the character’s experience is quite as it seems...

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery