Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/ Park Row for an advanced copy.

Kimberly Bell is one of my favorite authors so I was ecstatic to receive this arc! Gripping, twisty and had me guessing the whole time.

Murder, diamonds, and expats! Such a unique plot! Definitely pick this one up!

Kimberly Belle delivers another gripping narrative in The Expat Affair, weaving a tale of intrigue, betrayal, and survival. The story follows Rayna Dumont, an American expat seeking a fresh start in Amsterdam after a tumultuous divorce. Her newfound freedom takes a dark turn when she wakes up to find her one-night stand, Xander van der Vos, murdered, and millions in diamonds missing from his safe. As Rayna becomes the prime suspect, she's thrust into the perilous underbelly of the city's diamond trade.​

Parallel to Rayna's ordeal is Willow Prins, the wife of Xander's former boss and heir to a prestigious diamond house. Willow's life unravels as the scandal threatens her already strained marriage and the family's legacy. The narratives of these two women intertwine, revealing secrets that challenge their perceptions and force them to confront their pasts.​

Belle's portrayal of Amsterdam is both vivid and atmospheric, capturing the city's charm and its hidden dangers. The pacing is brisk, with each chapter unveiling new twists that keep readers on edge. While some plot developments stretch plausibility, the emotional depth and resilience of the protagonists anchor the story.​

The Expat Affair is a testament to Belle's prowess in crafting compelling female-driven thrillers. Fans of her previous works will find this novel both familiar and refreshingly new.​

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This started well--Rayna wakes up one morning to find Xander (her one night stand) has been murdered. Who did it? And why? Willow is the wife of the CEO of a diamond company, a company that employed Xander. She has---something---going on with Xander, but did she kill him? Once that is set up, we go down a rabbit hole of mined diamonds versus lab diamonds, family dynamics, and some missing really big diamonds. There's a lot of running around and then a crazy fast ending where---things happen, but not sure who the bad guy really was. Anyway, this could have been a thrilling page turner but instead it was kind of a confusing story that led me to wonder just what exactly happened in the book.

Title: The Expat Affair
Author: Kimberly Belle
Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing ~Park Row
Genre: Espionage, Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: June 3, 2025
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Pages: 320

The story follows two expatriate aka expat women who got involved with a businessman who has a deep knowledge of lab-created diamonds.

Story is told from the POV of Rayna Dumont and Willow Prins.

Rayna Dumont is seeking to reinvent herself after catching her husband in bed with her best friend. She sees herself as "Rayna 2.0," and willing to take risks. She decides that this new Rayna is all about adventure so take a chance on a date with the ultra-rich Xander.
However, after a wild night of drinking, Xander states he is going to shower. Rayna is half asleep and does dose off - wakes up and hears the shower still running and thinking he is waiting for her to join him. Only she finds him collapsed on the shower floor with pink water running down the drain. She soon notices that he has a missing finger and, of course the pink in the water is blood!
She has been there the whole night, of course, passed out while the killer was there. She is the prime suspect not only for his death but also accused of stealing Xander’s priceless diamonds—it seems she took a selfie of her wearing one of his diamond necklaces… a necklace that has since vanished.

Willow is married to Thomas Prins who is Xander’s former boss and the heir of a diamond empire. At first she believes Rayna is guilty of Xanders murder but soon realizes that perhaps she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Willow knows she has to find her.

Soon the two women are deep in the dangerous underworld of the illicit diamond trade.


I follow the fun Facebook group “Killer Author Club’. Love the authors plus awesome when they invite bestselling authors to talk about their latest novel. So I know and love author Kimberley Belle.

This story was an enjoyable adventure.

Want to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing~ Park Row for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 3, 2025.

An American expat's startling discovery plunges her into the glamorous but deadly world of Amsterdam's diamond industry. Following a nasty divorce, Rayna went to Amsterdam for a fresh start in life. There's a murder with missing diamonds. Who does it? I felt this story a little flat as to all Kimberly Belle's other books and I thought it was ok. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked The Paris Widow and was excited for another Kimberly Belle novel. Unfortunately, I found this one a bit all over the place and not for me... I struggled to connect to the actual story, muddling my way through a LOT of information about diamonds. And affairs. Neither of which are really my favorite topics. I kept waiting for the mystery and intrigue I found in the earlier novel, but just never felt like I got there. This one wasn't a good fit for me.

Thank you Kimberly Belle for allowing me the chance to read your book “The Expat Affair” before it publishes. Net Galley and HarperCollins Publishers thank you too. I am a fan of Kimberly Belle, such an amazing author. None of her stories have ever disappointed a reader, and “The Expat Affair” doesn’t either. This is the first book that I have read with the setting in Amsterdam and Ms. Belle does a great job bringing it to life. And to develop a murder mystery about diamonds was ingenious. Watching the two separate lives travel along a path until they collide together in time to save themselves from the danger, with a sisterly twist made the story that much more exciting. I wonder if Kimberly has plans for Rayna and Willow in another story?

The Expat Affair is a twisty, character-driven drama set against an international backdrop that really adds to the intrigue. The international setting gave the whole story a jet-set vibe and made the stakes feel higher. The culture clashes, the tension, and the sense of isolation all added layers to the plot. It’s a juicy, suspenseful read with just the right amount of drama.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend except when they are connecting you to a murder.

Expat Rayna had a one-night stand with Xander, and she found him brutally murdered in the shower and heard nothing. The police don't believe her.

Xander works for a diamond company - was that the motive because all the diamonds were gone including the necklace Rayna took a photo with.

Then we meet Willow whose husband also works at the same diamond company and has something going on with Xander too..

The family is ruthless and don’t care about Xander’s death. They are more worried about their diamonds.

Rayna may be in more danger than she realizes - Willow wants to warn her, but how?

Expat Affair was difficult to follow and got bogged down with so much diamond information that I lost interest. 3/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

What a gripping, and fast-paced read! This was not my first Kimberly Belle novel and it won't be my last! Pick up this book if you are looking for suspense that will keep you entertained until the end! I love the European settings in Belle's writing and all the strong female leads. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Kimberly Belle and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for a review. Be sure to give this a read!

SO GOOD. Thrilling, exciting. Fast paced. I couldn't stop reading this and wanting to know what happened next. I will definitely be reading more from this author

This is my first Kimberly belle book and I didn’t love it. From the beginning I couldn’t get into the story and found it a bit slow to be honest. I really had to push myself to finish it

Rayna has a one night stand with Xavier, who sells diamonds and is found murdered later the next day. She becomes the prime suspect, especially when it’s discovered that all of the diamonds are missing from his safe. She later meets Willow, who is connected to the powerful Prins family and the diamond market too. Willow and Rayna need to discover who killed Xavier before they become victims themselves.

I have really enjoyed Kimberly Belle’s work. She writes in a very suspenseful way and really draws the reader in. This was a solid book, but maybe more of an adventure or suspenseful read rather than a true thriller. I did enjoy the Amsterdam setting and the hint of mystery, but it wasn’t very fast-paced or filled with great twists like I typically enjoy in a thriller. It started out strong but the middle was a bit slower paced for me. I’d still recommend it for those who enjoy a less intense, suspenseful book.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Park Row books for the arc and opportunity to be an early reader and reviewer.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sharing this advanced digital copy with me.

I loved this fast paced, thriller by Kimberly Belle. Expats in Amsterdam, wealthy family drama, diamonds, and murder! I highly recommend this quick read!

I've read every single one of Kimbely Belle's books over the last few years, and I've really become a huge fan. For me, her stories continue to improve, or at least remain consistently interesting, and she has a way of making me invested in the lives of the characters. Rayna and Willow were no different- I found myself rooting for them both as the story alternated narrators and unwound how these two very different women found themselves tangled up in each other's lives. I feel like a lot of Belle's books are like a string, being pulled tighter and tighter until it either snaps or is released and some of the tension is let out. That is to say they're tense and taut, and I definitely live reading them. This is an author that I typically don't have to work too hard to convince our readers to try- they either want to, or have read one of her books before and have come back, hungry for more. I absolutely consider myself a fan for life!

A special thanks to NetGalley, Kimberly Belle, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Park Row books for an Advance Readers Copy of The Expat Affair.

The Expat Affair is a chef’s kiss tour de force. Twisty, thrilling, and hard to put down story. I cannot say thank you enough to be given the opportunity to read an Advanced Readers Copy of The Expat Affair. 5 Stars and I highly recommend.

To read my full book review please check out https://www.stephaniecreatesblank.com/blog-3-1/the-expat-affair-written-by-kimberly-belle-a-net-galley-opportunity

The Expat Affair is a twisty, fast-paced thriller set in the glittering world of Amsterdam’s diamond industry. The story alternates between two women: Rayna, a recently divorced American trying to reinvent herself in a new city, and Willow, the American wife of the CEO of one of the Netherlands’ most powerful diamond companies, House of Prins.

Rayna’s fresh start takes a wild turn when she wakes up after a one-night stand to find her date, Xander—an executive at House of Prins—dead on his bathroom floor. Oh, and the safe in his apartment? Completely cleaned out of millions in diamonds. From there, things spiral fast.

Told in alternating perspectives, the story keeps you guessing as Rayna and Willow’s lives start to collide in ways neither of them sees coming. There’s plenty of glamour, secrets and high-society drama mixed in with the suspense, and the Amsterdam setting gives it all a moody, stylish vibe.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was a 3.5 star read for me. It was definitely different as far as thrillers go! Something about the pacing felt off for me though. I wasnt as excited to pick it up. Murder and lies will always call my name and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity at an early ready! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.

I absolutely loved this book. I can't wait until I can read the next book by Kimberly Belle. Five out of five stars from me and would be more if I could.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Whoa! I had the pleasure of reading this on a recent trip to Amsterdam, and I couldn’t put it down.
Rayna Dumont, an American expat in Amsterdam, wakes up from a Tinder date in the bed of a handsome diamond executive, Xander. The previous night, she posted a photo of herself wearing a stunning and expensive diamond necklace in Xander’s bed to her social media account. The only problem is that he is dead in his shower, and millions of euros of diamonds are missing. Rayna looks guilty of the murder and the theft. How can she prove her innocence? Is she the next target?
Willow Prins is another American ex-patriot in Amsterdam and the wife of the House of Prins Diamond CEO. She finds herself wrapped up in the murder of her husband’s employee and the theft of the family’s diamonds. Can Rayna and Willow collaborate to solve the murder and find the diamonds? What are their individual motives? Who can they trust in a foreign city?
This book is a fast-paced mystery that explores the legal and illegal world of diamonds. I loved reading about the economic and artistic aspects of the industry and the black market for stolen goods. The foreign setting in the Netherlands made the book feel even more unsettling for the two women as they unravel the mystery. Both women were fascinating “grey” characters with different motivations to solve the mystery. I found myself rooting for a wholly unexpected character in the end! The Expat Affair had me guessing from the very first page to the very last page. This book is for the thriller junkie in all of us. Highly recommend.