This was a fun and fast-paced thriller. I liked that this was full of secrets and lies and loved the European setting. The dream trip turned nightmare was fun to see play out through both Stella & Adam. The stolen antiquities aspect was fascinating and I loved seeing how full circle this book was.

Thanks to Park Row & HTP for my advanced copy of The Paris Widow.

I’m happy today to be part of the tour for a new suspenseful novel: The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle. I think this book would make an amazing movie or limited series! It was suspenseful and exciting, but I also could not put it down since there were so many twists and turns.
This was my first read by Ms. Belle and I’m sure it won’t be my last. I liked her writing which flows well and has vivid descriptions. I could picture the scenes but also felt the emotions.

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Kimberly Belle’s The Paris Widow is a gripping domestic thriller that masterfully blends suspense, mystery, and emotional depth. Set against the enchanting yet perilous backdrop of Paris, this novel takes readers on a rollercoaster ride of secrets, betrayal, and resilience.

Stella thought she had found stability and love with her husband, Adam, after a tumultuous past. Their dream vacation in Paris, however, turns into a nightmare when Adam goes missing following a city square explosion. The French police reveal that Adam was on their radar, leaving Stella to question everything she knew about her husband.

Belle excels in crafting complex characters. Stella’s transformation from a bewildered wife to a determined investigator is both believable and compelling. Her emotional journey is portrayed with nuance, capturing her grief, confusion, and eventual resolve. Adam, though absent for much of the narrative, is a shadowy figure whose secrets drive the plot forward. The supporting characters, including the enigmatic figures Stella encounters, add layers of intrigue and tension.

Belle’s writing is crisp and evocative, painting vivid pictures of Parisian locales while maintaining a fast-paced narrative. The dual POV structure adds depth, allowing readers to see the unfolding events from different angles.

The Paris Widow explores themes of trust, betrayal, and the lengths one will go to uncover the truth. It delves into the impact of secrets on relationships and the resilience required to face unexpected challenges. The novel also touches on the darker side of the art world, highlighting the illicit trade of antiquities and its far-reaching consequences. Belle’s ability to weave a thrilling narrative with emotional depth makes The Paris Widow a standout read. It’s a perfect pick for fans of domestic thrillers and those looking for a summer page-turner.

Kimberly Belle delivers a captivating tale with The Paris Widow, combining suspense, mystery, and emotional resonance. It’s a novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat, eager to uncover the truth alongside Stella. Highly recommended for thriller enthusiasts and anyone who enjoys a well-crafted story set in a picturesque yet dangerous setting.

Kimberly Belle is one of my favorite authors, and her latest did not disappoint! From the very first page I was hooked - I felt as confused as Stella throughout the explosive beginning and as she tried to piece together the truth about her partner Adam. This was a fast-paced read that I consumed in one sitting - I highly recommend to anyone who loves an excellently written, highly suspenseful, thriller!

Absolutely recommend! I thought this was so clever - the title, her back story, how they all connect. It was a whirlwhind, and I couldn't put it down. Loved the art history element. All in all, great book, and recommended it to my reADERS!

This book had me on tenterhooks, trying to figure out if the husband was dead or alive, good or bad! I enjoyed this story and could not put it down

This was a great read! I highly recommend if you enjoy mysteries. I can't imagine finding out my spouse has a secret job and a whole secret life but this story does a good job of helping to imagine that.

I really enjoy this author’s books, including this one. However, it was hard for me to keep focus in the middle section. The ending didn’t blow me away either. Still, there were unexpected surprises, and the writing was fantastic. I look forward to the author’s next book. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Park Row Books for the digital copy to review.

Hoo boy this was so much fun, I absolutely loved it! Fast paced, intense and twisty, it is definitely my favorite Kimberly Belle read thus far! This starts off as a nice little vacation in Paris, and it suddenly takes a turn that would be anyone’s worst nightmare. But that is when it gets twisty and wild, and I was flipping pages to figure out how it would possibly end and read this in a day. I don’t want to spoil anything, and make sure you go in blind, it was so satisfying that I did.

This is a complex and intense thriller. A couple on a business/vacation trip is interrupted by an explosion at the restaurant they had just left. However the husband remembers that he left something on the table and hurries back as the explosion occurs. Is he dead or alive?? The story takes you on the path to find out what happened, where Adam is and what has he done. It's page turning and unpredictable. It had me hooked from start to finish. I would highly recommend this book.

Jumping into this book, I really did not expect the outcome of the book. I was really thinking it was going to be a twist and turn of a wife trying to find her husband- boy was I wrong.

I do feel like some of the story slowed down, but I really was drawn into the whole "figuring out clues" type deal that was going on.

Some of the twists actually shocked me as well. I did NOT see some of them coming, and that was a nice suprise.

Kimberly Belle has been one of my favorite authors ever since I read and loved Dear Wife, and I love how varied and interesting her plot lines are. The Paris Widow is set in Paris as the title suggests, with Stella and Adam as our main characters/viewpoints. I can't say I actually loved either of these people, and my favorite character in the entire book was definitely Kat though she doesn't get too much page time. Stella irritated me for much of the book (which could also have been because of the narrator for the audio), but the storyline ended up getting completely wild and the pace is fast and never quits.

The audiobook features Patrick Zeller voicing Adam while Marni Penning voices Stella. I had no issues with Zeller, but Penning is very screechy which is a complaint I had with her narration for Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry. I think that influenced how I felt about Stella's character as a whole, and I just wish she would have calmed it down a bit since I love her voice besides that. I am going to start paying more attention to audiobooks with her as the narrator, and I am seriously considering going back and reading The Paris Widow with my eyes at some point. I loved the Paris setting as well as the nonstop action, and the end completely blew my mind. This is another winner from the amazing Kimberly Belle, and I can’t wait to see what she cooks up next.

What would you do if everything you knew about someone was a lie? Or was it? There were defiantly things left out because the person you thought you married may not be the same person that was the main target of a bomb! Do you trust them? Side with them? Forgive them? Turn them in? Move in?

👉🏼 When dream vacation turns deadly.

•What side of the bomb will you be on?•

A tense thriller, with lots of deception to discover and twists and turns to keep you guessing throughout. Stella is in Paris with her husband Adam, when the cafe they just ate at is the target of a supposed terrorist attack. And unfortunately, Adam seems to be one of the victims. But as the investigation continues, Stella discovers that Adam has a lot of secrets and it’s up to her to figure them out if she wants answers to the explosion or where Adam is.

Overall, a solid read but with a little too much going on at times.

I just finished reading "The Paris Widow" by Kimberly Belle. Thank you to NetGallley and ParkRow Books for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This book has an excellent story concept. A couple in Paris, enjoying their love, but the husband is hiding a secret and one day as his wife is waiting for his in their hotel room she hears an explosion and is shocked to discover that her husband is in the vicinity. What happened to him? All of a sudden police and others, show up telling her that her husband is not what he seems. He is actually a wanted man who has done bad things...but what is the truth? Stella (the wife) doesnt want to believe that her husband (Adam) is dead, and vows to stay in Paris until she find out the truth.
And so the exciting race to find the truth begins.. Along the way we learn that Stella herself has some pretty big secrets as she tries to keep herself safe she turns to someone that she once loved...who has secrets as well.
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What I liked about this book was the character development and the twists and turns toward the truth. They were ineresting and unique and surprising and kept me on my toes. I also liked that this book taught me about the murky artworld and also introduced me to many wonderful places I would love to visit. The characters were complicated and not only good or evil...except for two of course.

What I didn't like about this book was the added element of life back home in the States. If found it largely uninteresting, and it didn't really explain the motives of the characters to my satisfaction

Overall, this is a good book, filled with action and suspense and logical conclusions. A good book to read for lovers of this genre.

Happy Reading

This was a good one. A couple is on vacation in Paris when the husband is caught in a building explosion. She becomes known for the news clip of her begging for people to help her find her missing husband, it goes viral around the world. She is approached by local authorities and told that her husband isn’t who she thinks he is, they have actually been collecting evidence of his crimes for over a decade and believe that he was the target of the explosion. Shocked, outraged, and grieving his wife decides not to leave Paris until he is found. Despite the urging of everyone around her. She ends up sucked into a world of thieves, liars and killers. Is he still alive? Will she make it out of this? Who really was the man she married?? This was a wild ride, with some really great twists. I really enjoyed it.

Great thriller. Loved the pacing, it was such a quick read. Also had me on my toes a great deal of time !!

3.5 stars...

Started off very strong... absolutely LOVED the atmospheric Parisian setting. It took me right back to all the wonderful things about Paris that I loved. The second half was a bit slower.

Loved all the quotes at the beginning of some chapters!

The Paris Widow is an action packed adventure thru Paris. Stella believes she has put her past behind her when she meets the love of her life, Adam. He works in the rare antique world and seems like a nice guy. Until the French police inform her that a recent bombing was aimed at him. Luckily Stella is a strong woman with a few tricks up her sleeves. I enjoyed watching her take on some mafia type people with nothing more than her wits. I would have liked more time spent on Adam but that may have ruined the final twist? Definitely a great summer read Even better if you are heading to Paris.

I was so excited for this one because I really enjoyed her previous release from last year, The Personal Assistant. But, sadly, this one just didn’t work for me. I usually find her pacing, plotting, and characters to be well developed and engaging. It wasn’t that I thought it was bad, I found the writing compelling enough, but the subject matter in this one just truly didn’t interest me one bit. So my rating reflects my level of enjoyment with the story on a personal level, and not necessarily that I thought the book was bad or poorly written. My reading tastes, unfortunately, didn’t align with the content and premise of this story. I don’t particularly enjoy stories that center around cons, for whatever reason I find it boring to read about. I thought the story started out really well and I was super invested, but when the twists started happening and the direction of the story changed, it really lost me. I wasn’t feeling the stakes or suspense enough to really care about the outcome of the book, although I did finish it. I’d still recommend it for others to read if they think the synopsis sounds interesting. I will definitely read from this author again in the future, but this one simply wasn’t for me.